Employees

Proud to be TD

Creating a place where our employees feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work is important to TD, and is no small feat for a company 85,000 members strong.

TD’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Allies (LGBTA) Pride Network has made significant strides in building an inclusive environment. By staying connected with fellow employees from coast to coast, the TD LGBTA community has an opportunity to share experiences and knowledge with those who need it.

Launched in 2005 for our employees who identify as LGBTA, today there are more than 1,600 members fanned across 11 regional Pride Networks in Canada, and several more in the U.S. Those who join can expand their personal and professional networks, access TD mentoring programs, and stay on top of TD’s role in the LGBTA community by attending events where they feel acknowledged and supported.

But the Pride Network is only one part of the equation. TD is home to a number of groups aimed at supporting our employees, from the Ability Network, representing People with Disabilities, to Aboriginal, Black, Chinese, Hispanic, Korean and South Asian groups.

“TD’s Employee Networks give employees the feeling that they’re part of something bigger than just their every day role,” says Eunice Chen, Community Manager currently leading the Chinese Network. “TD can see the big picture of diversity, and understands the direction it’s headed in.”

At TD, we understand that diversity involves every one of us, and we all play a role in encouraging a strong, united employee network.

FlexWorkPlace: giving employees options

Part of being an extraordinary place to work is creating an environment that values choices. At TD, we know every employee excels in a different working atmosphere. Whether that’s through teamwork and collaboration, or in the quiet of their own home, our employees have options. And we’re proud to offer them.

Along with our flexible work options, TD recently introduced FlexWorkPlace to 600 employees and counting. On a Flex floor, offices are replaced with airy, bright meetings rooms equipped with the latest technologies. The lunchroom is a cheerful, modern café that inspires impromptu brainstorming sessions. And while in the past every employee sat at the same desk every day, employees are now encouraged to work from home when they can, improving work-life balance, and cutting commuting time, while reducing our carbon footprint.

“I meet with all of the leaders on these floors, and almost every one of them will tell you we wouldn’t go back,” says Roger Johnson, Senior Vice President of Enterprise Real Estate at TD Bank Group. “They really appreciate the flexibility this environment offers.”

The benefits are numerous and the employee reaction even better. Walls have been knocked down – literally – to make everyone more accessible, including executives normally sitting behind closed doors.

The best part of such an initiative is that it’s not a mandate that came from the top. It’s a result of understanding that the workplace is constantly changing, and we want to change with it.

“Our employees asked for something different, but something that works,” says Roger. “And we’re happy to give it to them.”

Great place to work

This year, 85,000 employees experienced why TD is an extraordinary place to work– you’ll read some of their stories in this section of the annual report. We are also consistently acknowledged by external organizations as a top-tier company for our work environment, community impact, and leadership.

We continued to raise the bar in 2011 and the gaps between us and our peer average have never been wider. Here’s a look at some of the recognition that distinguished us as The Better Bank in 2011.

• Named one of the 50 Best Employers in Canada for the fourth year in a row by Aon Hewitt
• Ranked among the Ten Best Companies to Work For by the Financial Post
• Acknowledged as one of MediaCorp’s Top 100 Employers in Canada for the fifth year in a row – and as one of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People
• Recognized by the Globe and Mail as one of the Best Employers for New Canadians
• Named one of The Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality in the U.S. by the Human Rights Campaign
• TD Securities named one of the Best Workplaces in the United Kingdom by Great Place to Work UK
• Identified by Corporate Knights as among the Global 100 Most Sustainable Organizations
• Recognized as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers
• Ed Clark named Canada’s Outstanding CEO of the Year by the National Post
• Inaugural recipient of the Corporate Board Diversity Award by the Canadian Board Diversity Council

Building great leaders

Great leadership is what differentiates successful organizations. Not only are TD’s leaders among the best in the world at finding, coaching and developing employees, they also create and sustain our unique and inclusive employee culture. And it’s attracting positive attention.

TD was named the best at developing the next generation of leaders in a survey conducted by Canadian Business magazine and Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions. In the survey of 240 Canadian executives - vice president level and above - 91 per cent said strong leadership contributes to an organization's competitive advantage.

When asked which Canadian company they considered exceptional at building leaders, respondents picked TD more often than any other company. They liked the focus on leadership at the top. One respondent summed it up this way: “Talent is a top priority for the CEO, which means it's a top priority for everyone else.”

Our executive development program, Build for the Future, is a great example of TD’s commitment to leadership. The program focuses on making meaning of TD’s business and people principles, aligning leaders to these principles and ensuring they understand the importance of developing TD’s next generation of leaders.

Each month, our senior executive team gathers to join attendees at the three-day training program, where time is equally divided between discussing strategy and leadership.

But the training doesn't end there. The team then reconvenes for a second session to focus on coaching. This helps executives get the most out of their teams now, while nurturing the skills that TD most values so that future leaders are ready when an opportunity for promotion arises.

An important part of building The Better Bank is making TD an extraordinary place to work. And great leaders are vital to achieving that goal.

TD employees grow possibility

When Oshawa, ON financial advisors Laura Charter and Stacey Lavigne heard that 40 per cent of Canadian food bank users are children, the TD employees started to think about how to help. When a customer mentioned to Laura that she had land available to rent, a seed was planted and the Sprouting Greens project was born.

Sprouting Greens, a community project spearheaded by Laura and Stacey, grows organic produce and donates it to local food banks. Over time, the initiative has become a community affair with TD employees, community members and even customers pitching in to help grow and harvest produce for local food banks.

“Helping communities and the environment is engrained in TD’s culture and that really helped us feel empowered to make a difference,” says Stacey. “By taking the lead as a company, TD demonstrates to its employees that our world is changing and that to be The Better Bank, we must be responsible corporate citizens, from the top down to the grassroots level.”

Through their partnership with the Foundation for Building Sustainable Communities and Meals Exchange, Laura and Stacey applied for funding from their local TD Friends of the Environment Foundation chapter. They also reached out to TD’s Environment team for information and guidance. Colleagues at their Oshawa branch were supportive from the very beginning.

What started as a simple dream for two community-minded employees has become a win-win for the local community and for TD. It demonstrates the power of growing nutritious food locally for distribution to food banks and has raised profile for TD’s focus on the environment, driven employee engagement and strengthened customer relationships.

“Customers are always checking on the progress of the garden and providing tips on how to grow good crops,” says Laura. “It must be working because in our first year, we grew just over 500 pounds of produce, including zucchini, peas, beats and beans, which were donated to Feed the Need Durham, a local food bank.”

Eager to share their strategies for success, Laura and Stacey have established a framework to roll out the Sprouting Greens program to other TD employee groups who are passionate about making a difference in their communities.