CSS des Draveurs
Une classe à part
In a Class of Its Own
The Centre de services scolaire des Draveurs (CSSD) undertook a structured process to define its employer brand in response to real challenges observed in the field: difficulty recruiting certain strategic profiles and concerning turnover in several departments. Faced with these issues, the organization aimed to strengthen its attractiveness and mobilize its teams around a shared vision that reflects its culture, values, and commitments toward its staff.
The first step of the project was to listen to those who experience the CSSD reality every day. An employee experience survey was distributed to all staff members, followed by targeted focus groups to explore key themes in greater depth and validate initial findings. In parallel, an analysis of employer competitors in the region was conducted to identify best practices in employer brand positioning and the distinctive levers the CSSD could highlight.
These steps laid a strong foundation for creating a personalized Employee Value Proposition (EVP), articulated around the organization’s real strengths and culture. This EVP then became the guiding thread for the employer brand campaign — a creative, mobilizing, and adaptable platform tailored to the CSSD’s context.
Once the concept was established, we developed a series of custom visual tools to ensure consistent deployment across internal and external channels: job posting templates, visual content for social media, graphic elements for the website, as well as retractable banners and visuals for various institutional and event contexts. The goal was to provide a set of concrete, easy-to-use tools for both the HR team and managers.
Throughout the entire process, active employee involvement was encouraged and valued. This authentic participation not only generated enthusiastic feedback and strong buy-in, but also helped identify concrete, prioritized, and realistic actions to enhance the employee experience in day-to-day operations. This internal mobilization contributed to creating a climate of trust, pride, and co-creation that is still felt today.
In short, the CSSD transformed a major HR challenge into a strategic lever by building an employer brand that is authentic, participatory, and forward-looking. The project left a lasting impact on the organization, both in terms of employee engagement and the effectiveness of the actions implemented.
*External credits
Survey platform & expertise / Focus groups: EPSI