“I think the focus on employee engagement is really important to running a successful business, but it always requires being on top of our priorities and making sure we adjust as our staff change,” said Ms. Monaghan, a managing partner at the accounting firm.
“It’s always moving, so we have to make sure our priorities are aligned.”
The 140 or so employees in the company are regularly asked to give feedback not only on how the firm is run, but also to rate their work-life balance.
In the future, Ms. Monaghan says Ernst & Young plans to place even more of a focus on entrepreneurs, technology and the public sector.
Nationally, in November Ernst & Young released a report on internal company innovation that identified several crucial factors to encourage “intrapraneurship.”
This ranges from giving people time away from day-to-day duties to think of ideas, to designing a career path for employees looking to push their careers forward.
Business in Ottawa is also going well, Ms. Monaghan said. The city experienced a “less intense” downturn, allowing the local branch of the firm to wait for the market to rebound rather than worrying about downsizing, she said.
“Ernst & Young has a ‘people-first approach’ to running its practice, and that results in a lot of special programs focused on developing our people and making sure (those programs) work well.”
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