Barrie, March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) has closed its offices in Kingston and Barrie, changing the way staff work in Ontario. The provincial conservation team is taking a leap into a digital future that’s lower carbon and paperless—and lower cost too.
When DUC exited its office workplaces a year ago today, staff began a digital journey. Field staff who create and restore wetlands usually work with landowners at their kitchen tables. Suddenly, staff were working at their own kitchen tables—and some were juggling laptops, cell phones and sippy cups.
Despite the challenges, staff adapted and continued to thrive—meeting and then exceeding their 2020 wetland conservation targets while working remotely. It became clear that a remote workforce was both fully operational and very cost-effective—and that less office overhead would mean more money for on-the-ground conservation in Ontario.
Green pivot is possible thanks to digital preparedness
Today, DUC staff are equipped with functional home workspaces linked by sophisticated networks led from DUC’s national office in Manitoba. The Ontario fleet and other equipment are stored at new, secure facilities and office and meeting space are arranged with local business centres as needed.
DUC could make this leap thanks to several years of strategic workplace modernization, which has digitized work processes organization-wide including project management and contract authorizations. These preparations made possible a “silver lining” in a difficult year, allowing substantial reductions in future expenses and paper use and reductions in carbon emissions through less staff commutes.
DUC is now leaner and more nimble, ready to seize the great future for wetland conservation that’s ahead in Ontario.
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