The Toronto Transit Commission outlined its 2025 Employee Engagement Survey and initiatives to improving workplace culture.
On Jan. 19, the Toronto Transit Commission reviewed its efforts in improving workplace culture and trust in leadership at its committee meeting. The discussion focused on staff, leadership practices and evaluating employee satisfaction.
The meeting began with an update on the TTC’s 2025 Employee Engagement Survey, presented by Matt Hopkins, the TTC’s executive director of people and culture. The survey spanned from June 5 to July 7, 2025. It received a 67 per cent response rate from TTC employees compared to 42 per cent in 2016 — the last time an organization-wide survey was conducted.
According to results, 78 per cent of the respondents said they feel pride in working for TTC, while 63 per cent reported feeling belonging. Fifty-seven per cent said they trust in divisional leadership and 47 per cent said they feel psychologically safe at work.
Hopkins said TTC staff are committed to the organization but staff are held back by outdated processes and low trust in leadership.
In addition to the survey, Hopkins introduced the CEO Coffee Club — an opportunity for staff to meet with the TTC’s CEO Mandeep Lalli who stepped into the role mid-2025. Hopkins says the initiative will increase leadership visibility, build company trust and encourage conversation through small, informal meetings between employees and Lalli. Some members of the committee questioned whether this strategy would work.
Joe Mihevc, Spadina-Fort York councillor, questioned how effective this approach would be in a hierarchical organization that has relied on top-down decision-making.
However, Mihevc, also said, “I think we have a real opportunity in front of us with the new CEO. I think it’s about setting a tone and setting a sense out there that there is a corporate culture change happening.”
Later in the meeting, the committee reviewed updates to the former Respect and Dignity Policy — now renamed the Workplace Harassment and Discrimination Policy. The changes came into effect in January 2025.
TTC staff said the changes were made to respond to recommendations from the Auditor General, to reflect the TTC’s broader cultural mission and because they are mandated by the policy to conduct an annual review.
The changes included expanding policy definitions to reflect online spaces, as well as different forms of anti-racism. The plan also outlines support access for employees, responsibilities of employees and more.
The TTC says the updated process has already left a positive impact. According to staff, the investigation and complaint backlog had dropped significantly from 1,500 cases in mid-2024 to fewer than 100 left to be audited.
Key takeaways
- TTC workers care deeply about their jobs, but workplace culture is still a problem
- The 2025 Employee Engagement Survey showed that most TTC employees take pride in their work and feel connected to what they do. At the same time, many reported low psychological safety and limited trust in leadership. Workers also pointed to outdated systems and processes that make their jobs harder. TTC leadership acknowledged these issues and said changes this year will focus on better communication, leadership behaviour and internal processes.
- TTC leadership is trying to rebuild trust by talking directly with staff
- The committee discussed a program called the CEO Coffee Club, which creates small, informal meetings between the CEO and employees. The goal is to give staff, especially frontline workers, more direct access to leadership and a space to speak openly. Sessions are being planned roughly every four weeks.
- TTC updated its workplace harassment policy after years without major changes
- The former Respect and Dignity Policy was replaced with a new Workplace Harassment and Discrimination Policy. The updated version uses clearer language, expands definitions to include online spaces and different forms of racism, and separates the policy from the complaint process. TTC staff said these changes have already helped reduce a large backlog of complaints and made it easier for employees to report issues and access support.
- The former Respect and Dignity Policy was replaced with a new Workplace Harassment and Discrimination Policy. The updated version uses clearer language, expands definitions to include online spaces and different forms of racism, and separates the policy from the complaint process. TTC staff said these changes have already helped reduce a large backlog of complaints and made it easier for employees to report issues and access support.
On-the-ground observations from our documenter
As a regular TTC rider, Aria Ipe was surprised to learn that many workplace policies hadn’t been updated since 2016.
Even commuting only a few times a week, Ipe says she has frequently seen arguments between riders and frontline staff, situations that can quickly become stressful or unsafe. Hearing that clearer policies and better support systems are only now being introduced made her consider how long workers have been managing these challenges without enough protection.
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Documenters:
Notes produced by Aia Jaber
Meeting documented by Aria Ipe
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