Scotiabank Bolsters Employee Engagement with "Way We Work" Initiative

At our headquarters in Toronto, Canada, our Way We Work (W3) initiative is bolstering employee engagement by creating innovative Activity-Based Working environments, referred to as “Ecosystems.” Activity-Based Working provides employees a flexible work environment with a variety of work stations for each activity they engage in during the day. State-of-the-art tools and technology make for a high degree of mobility and connectivity within the workspace. Without assigned desks, Scotiabankers are empowered to choose how, when and where they work, based on what makes them, their teams and colleagues most effective.

Activity-Based Working is revolutionizing our approach to work and encouraging a culture of trust. By doing away with traditional barriers that can sometimes separate departments, we have created a shared space where employees can better collaborate,  innovate, problem solve and pursue common purposes. By January 2019, 3,200 employees were moved into Activity-based Working environments.

Employees in Ecosystems report better collaboration, productivity, technology and pride in their workplace. Eighty percent of employees in Ecosystems reported they would not go back to a traditional way of working if given the choice.

"I love Activity-Based Working and all the options that W3 has given us. Open areas, quiet areas, collaboration areas, focus rooms, call rooms, conference rooms, huddle space and little nooks throughout give us many different configurations to work with. I often say that now everyone can have the corner office – and it’s true!”
— Scotiabanker in Toronto, Canada

W3 is also helping us reduce our environmental footprint by using less space, and less paper. In year one, we reduced paper use by 2.2 million sheets. Once fully implemented, based on initial trials, we estimate that this new way of working will reduce paper consumption by approximately 86% compared to the more traditional workplace culture. Activity-Based Working also enables us to reduce the space needed per employee by 40%. By mid-2019, we will have exited over 300,000 square feet of space at our offices in downtown Toronto, Canada.

Read more about how Scotiabank is bolstering employee engagement in their 2018 Sustainable Business Report.