Pros
This comment relates specifically to Housing Finance. Overall, many areas within the division—and across the City—maintain a positive working culture that supports a generally respectful and professional environment.
-Good salary and benefits
-Many employees are dedicated, hardworking, and committed to delivering results.
-Colleagues across the broader Housing Services area are often collaborative and professional.
Cons
Over the past year, a noticeable shift has occurred within HS Finance. Multiple experienced staff across different roles have left, primarily due to sustained workload pressure, burnout, and workplace stress. This has significantly reduced capacity and institutional knowledge.
-Governance and control issues: Leadership-driven changes have raised concerns about compliance with basic internal control principles.
-Top-down blame culture: Accountability is frequently assigned to staff who had little or no influence over decisions.
-Lack of respect for experience: Input from knowledgeable staff is frequently dismissed, and leadership involvement sometimes escalates issues instead of resolving them.
-Chronic understaffing: Workload expectations are unrealistic given available resources, leading to stress, absenteeism, and declining morale.
-Limited understanding of staff work: Leadership often requests ideas or feedback but shows limited awareness of day-to-day responsibilities and challenges.
-Ineffective initiatives: Certain changes marketed as “improvements” have created unnecessary work without delivering meaningful benefits, resulting in wasted time and resources.
-Favouritism: Recognition and opportunities are not consistently based on performance or contribution, leading to inequitable treatment.
-Collaboration challenges: Interactions with other teams can become strained due to inconsistent communication and shifting expectations.
-Organizational instability: Frequent structural or procedural changes over the years have made the work environment unpredictable and exhausting for many.
For Prospective Applicants:
Compensation alone should not be the deciding factor. The frequency of vacancies reflects ongoing leadership issues that candidates should carefully consider.