Building VFC
Culture

Culture

Over the past decade, our culture has been built on our foundational goal: we want to create an environment where people genuinely want to be.

APPROACHES

  • People First Approach: Our basics include performance evaluation, learning, flexibility, accountability and work-life-integration. Decisions are shaped by staff insights, including one-on-one meetings with each staff member in the CEO's annual listening tour.
  • Internal Skill-Building: We believe that almost every skill can be taught with the right mindset. We support upskilling through staff development, internal promotions, internal job competitions, internal and external mentorship and coaching, and formal learning in all staff calls.
  • Proactive vs Reactive: We strive to continuously balance proactive planning and adapt to reactive support to best meet our team’s needs.

At a glance

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of staff feel proud to work at vfc
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provinces represented
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employees

LESSONS LEARNED FROM 1 TO 30+ EMPLOYEES

  • Outcomes > Outputs: We've learned to balance respecting the work people put in with the results they produce.
  • Trust: There is power in trusting your team as the default.
  • Diversity Strengthens: A variety of life experiences, identities, and backgrounds make our team stronger.
  • Not for Everyone: VFC isn’t the perfect fit for everyone, and that’s okay.
  • Work-Life Balance: Ensuring our team’s quality of life is key to their success.
  • Remote Work: Initially, we had some remote staff, but fully embracing remote work in 2020 has increased our team’s diversity in life experiences and locations.

INCLUSIVITY + DIVERSITY

  • Diverse Team: Our commitment to inclusivity and diversity has built a driven, diverse team.
  • Safe Environment: We strive to maintain a respectful, safe, and empowering workplace where feedback is highly valued.
  • Clear Norms: We've developed an accessible list of VFC’s working norms to enable staff to safely communicate their boundaries. We ensure these norms are updated proactively, and we encourage each team to define their own, particularly during times of structural change.
  • Continuous Improvement: We’re always striving for better with ongoing EDI training and outsourced sessions throughout the year to support our team’s daily work and strategy.