Section 6: Staffing, Human Resources, and Compensation Strategy

The key Human Resources priorities and initiatives supporting the AGCO’s People First Strategic goal are:

Diversity, Inclusion & Accessibility 

• The AGCO retained KPMG to develop a comprehensive DI&A strategy for the agency to address the concerns and needs of our diverse workforce and foster an inclusive work environment.  The strategy has been translated into a multi-year workplan.  The AGCO will introduce a census to establish a benchmark about the diversity of our workforce that will enhance our ability to invest in employee development and succession planning.  A DI&A specific leadership competency will be added to help define expectations of our employees and inform training solutions to support the goal of building individual and organizational wide capacity. The application and imbedding of the DI&A lens to the AGCO’s recruitment process will increase the level of fairness and inclusivity.

Future of Work and Hybrid work model

• The Hybrid Work model supports the needs of employees to balance their work and home lives, while maintaining an engaged, productive workforce. It enables AGCO employees, where operationally feasible, to work from multiple locations, such as from home and other locations within Ontario.  The AGCO will continue to assess employee satisfaction and productivity through monthly pulse surveys and we will also continue to study trends in culture in a hybrid work model. A formal review will take place in Spring 2023 to assess the effectiveness of this model and to identify the operational, cultural, leadership and systems opportunities we will need to address in continuously optimizing our future state.
• The AGCO lifted its mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy effective November 1, 2022. This decision aligns with current public health directive and guidance and the decision by Ontario Public Service and several agencies to remove their mandatory vaccination policies.  The AGCO will continue to monitor the situation and be prepared to take appropriate actions accordingly including re-introduction of a mandatory vaccination policy.

Well-Being Program

• Employee well-being continues to remain a top priority at the AGCO.  There are activities and campaigns planned to regularly communicate and remind employees of resources available focusing on total well-being under all pillars of health (i.e. mental, financial, physical, and social).
• The recently introduced well-being account will be reviewed for utilization and possibilities for enhancement where permitted.

iGaming

• Extensive work has been completed over the past year to recruit for positions identified to support the AGCO’s regulatory mandate for igaming.  Additionally, the Human Resources team provides support to iGaming Ontario under a shared services agreement which has included a significant volume of recruitment, coaching, performance management and establishment of policies.

Leadership Assessment and Development / Succession planning

• In 2021, the AGCO launched a new Leadership Assessment and Development program that will identify, assess and develop successors for C-Suite and create a pipeline of future leaders. The program has been completed for C-Suite positions and planning is underway to extend to the next cohort of the AGCO leaders.
• Refresh of the leadership competencies will be completed in the next fiscal year to serve as foundational building blocks to establish leadership development programs.

Employee Engagement

• The AGCO completed regular pulse surveys for employee engagement. Valuable insights have led to actions to address and improve several areas including employee development, wellbeing, diversity, inclusion and accessibility. A comprehensive Employee Engagement Survey is planned for the upcoming fiscal year.

AGCO’s Compensation Strategy

The AGCO’s compensation strategy, including employee benefits, is targeted to the market median of the Broader Public Sector market (comparator group).  The AGCO is required to  seek Treasury Board/Management Board of Cabinet approval for any changes to its compensation via an Order in Council (OIC) which sets out the job categories and salary ranges for all employees of the AGCO.  

The AGCO is compliant with the Broader Public Sector Executive Compensation Framework. The information about the process and its outcomes is posted on the AGCO website. The AGCO provides a comprehensive benefits package including the following:

• 100% Employer-Paid Insured Health Benefits.
• Defined Benefits Pension Plan administered by Ontario Pension Board or the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Pension Trust.
• Short Term Income Protection to a maximum of six months (130 working days) in the calendar year.

Bargaining Agent

The bargaining unit for the AGCO is OPSEU Local 565, which represents 74% of the AGCO’s workforce.

AGCO Headcount

Organizational Chart

Text version of organizational structure

1. 1. Chair and Board of the AGCO
   2. Horse Racing Appeal Panel (HRAP) (an independent adjudicative body appointed by the Board of the AGCO)
   3. iGaming Ontario Board
2. Chief Executive Officer and Registrar
   
   1. Communications and Service Experience Division
      
      1. Communications
      2. Service Strategy and Experience
   2. Corporate Services Division
      
      1. Finance and Administration
      2. Human Resources and Training
      3. Risk Management, Internal Audit
      4. Change Management
      5. Project Management Office
   3. Information & Information Technology Division
      
      1. Business Optimization and Insights
      2. Enterprise Data & Analytics
      3. IT Strategic Planning and Management
      4. Digital Product Management
      5. Enterprise Architecture
      6. IT Operations
      7. Cybersecurity
      8. Service Desk
   4. Investigation and Enforcement Bureau
      
      1. Investigations
      2. Intelligence and Investigative Support
   5. Legal Services Division
      
      1. Litigation Services
      2. Corporate Services
      3. Advisory Services and Legal Drafting
   6. Operations Division
      
      1. Compliance Services
      2. Audit & Financial Investigations
      3. Regulatory Compliance
      1. Licensing and Registration
      2. Regulatory Assurance
      3. Technology Regulation and igaming compliance
      4. Anti-Money Laundering
   7. Corporate Affairs, Strategic Policy and Planning Division
      
      1. Corporate Affairs
      2. Board Governance and Relations
      3. HRAP Secretariat
      4. Strategic Policy and Planning
      5. Strategic Engagement