Ville de Saguenay

Unique en ville

In a context of organizational transformation and skilled-labour shortages, the City of Saguenay sought to structure and strengthen its employer brand to better reflect its internal culture, attract new talent, and rally its teams around a shared vision. Aware of the human richness that fuels its municipal services, the organization also wanted to modernize its image as a public-sector employer and reinforce its regional positioning.

The initiative began with a comprehensive internal diagnostic aimed at understanding the employee experience, identifying distinctive strengths to showcase, and uncovering areas for improvement. This stage, grounded in listening and transparency, made it possible to gather rich and meaningful insights through surveys, consultations, and internal analyses.

Engagement workshops were then held with representative teams to validate findings, spark ideas, strengthen buy-in to the project, and co-build the foundations of the employer brand to come. In parallel, a dedicated training session was offered to managers to support them in their key role as ambassadors of the organizational culture and to equip them to better embody the employer promise in their day-to-day work.

Building on this foundation, an Employee Value Proposition (EVP) was developed, highlighting what the City offers as an employer, what it values, and what it expects in return. This EVP became the cornerstone of the employer-brand positioning, around which various communication tools were created: publication templates, institutional visuals, a series of assets for digital platforms, and an engaging corporate video produced with the participation of staff members from different departments.

An internal and external deployment strategy was custom-designed to maximize the impact of this initiative: newsletters, digital signage, social media posts, presentations to managers, and more. Everything was aligned to ensure consistent messaging and increased visibility of the employer brand among both current employees and future candidates.

Thanks to this approach—participatory, strategic, and human-centered—the City of Saguenay not only strengthened its reputation as an employer, but also boosted the sense of pride within its teams, while laying solid foundations for a coherent, engaging, and lasting employee experience. A structuring project that positions the City as a modern, attractive employer, centered on the people who bring it to life every day.

*Credits:
Survey platform & expertise, focus groups: EPSI
Engagement workshops & manager training: EPSI