Reorganizing to occur at the Town of Smithers

A restructuring has been announced by the Town of Smithers.. 

In a report found by INNOVA Strategy Group it found that the Town is operating at a moderate level due to a history of changing leadership and organizational structures. 

The report added employee engagement is average and overall leadership capacity is limited. 

Key issues that were reported are:

• Inadequate communications, both internally and externally
• Organizational structure is not working effectively with workloads unbalanced, decision making is hampered and a limited sense of team.
• Employee development is lacking in a number of areas 
• Financial services are strained due to the lack of capacity, balanced workloads and strategy. 

Among the recommendations include re-organizing the leadership team, communicating, organizing and inspiring the organization and developing and implementing a town-wide employee development program. 

“It is important to recognize that the Town of Smithers has tremendous potential to be a great organization and an employer of choice in the future,” the report said. 

Additionally, the report found that the Chief Administrative Officer has 10 direct reports which is considered too many for effective leadership. 

According to the report, the COVID-19 pandemic, organizational upheaval and financial challenges all resulted in high workloads for staff.

The review took place in June where interviews were conducted with Mayor Gladys Atrill, managers and supervisors, key influential staff and union officials.