Technology helps ensure employees stay connected

Residents rely on City of Winnipeg programs and services – ensuring the organization can continue to operate during a pandemic necessitates a high degree of coordination and technology solutions.

As thousands of City employees began social distancing in an effort to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in our community, a massive effort was underway behind the scenes to prepare them to work remotely.

By early March, the Innovation, Transformation & Technology Department was identifying ways to expand the City’s remote work capabilities in anticipation of upcoming restrictions.

“Being proactive was key  and with the pace that everything was moving at, even being a couple days ahead gave us time to assess the rapidly evolving needs of our workforce,” said Glen Cottick, the City’s Acting Chief Innovation Officer.

 

Within a week, over 1,800 City employees were connecting remotely simultaneously – nearly 20 times the normal level. Once employees were able to remotely connect, the priority was to provide them with tools to support enhanced collaboration. Over 5,000 employees are now connected and able to collaborate through enhanced software.  

Cottick added that this effort would not have been possible without the Innovation team’s dedication, commitment, and passion for serving the residents of Winnipeg.  

“Our team is always eager to take on new challenges, and we’ll continue to dedicate our energies and efforts to help keep the City running,” said Cottick.

Snapshot from March 23 to May 6, 2020

1,483,148

Audio minutes

23,177

One-on-one group calls

522,708

Chat/post messages

2,400+

Employees on Microsoft Teams

25,416

Meeting participations

252,003

Employees on Microsoft Teams

1,900+

Simultaneous Remote Connections

1,098,945
Video minutes

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