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Updates from HRC – June 30, 2023

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Human Resources Council (HRC)

2022 Michelle C. Comeau HR Leadership Awards

Congratulations to the 2022 Michelle C. Comeau (MCC) Human Resources Leadership Awards nominees and finalists!

The Human Resources Council (HRC) is pleased to announce that the HRC Awards Selection Committee carefully reviewed the 76 nominations, for all nine categories of awards, in order to select the finalists and recipients. These awards recognize excellence and leadership within the federal public service’s HR community and highlight the community’s work in advancing people management excellence.

We would like to sincerely thank all those who invested time and efforts to submit nominations in recognition of the hard work and dedication of their colleagues within our talented HR community. The list of nominees and finalists is available on GCXchange and GCconnex.

Recipients will be revealed during the virtual ceremony on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm (ET).

This year, in addition to recognizing our deserving public servants, we are honored to welcome our senior leaders and to host a special presentation by senator and paralympic champion Chantal Petitclerc!  

Please join us on September 27, 2023 to celebrate the accomplishments of all nominees and to discover who will receive the award in each category:  

Should you have any questions or require additional information, please contact the Human Resources Council at: HRCouncil/ConseilRH@tbs-sct.gc.ca.

HRC SmartShops

The June 5, 2023 HRC SmartShop Budget Tool for Performance-Based Compensation for Executives recording is now available in English and in French. The related documents may be found on GCXchange.

The June 14, 2023 HRC SmartShop Inclusion Stewards and Other Bias Mitigation Practices in Performance and Talent Management recording is available in English and in French. The related documents may be found on GCXchange.

The recording of the June 22, 2023 HRC SmartShop Building on People Management Findings of the 2022-23 Management Accountability Framework (MAF) will soon be available in English and in French (links to follow).The related documents may be found on GCXchange.

HR Council News

Stay apprised of HR news by subscribing to the Updates from the HRC and the Human Resources Council Newsletter. Subscription details are found at the end of both GCArticles.

Have you joined the HRC GCXchange Page?

The HRC GCXchange page is now available! To join the GCXchange site for the HR Community, please follow these five steps.

If you encounter any issues or have questions about GCXchange, please email support-soutien@gcx-gce.gc.ca.

Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer (OCHRO)

New! Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Guide

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS), with the participation of the Service Wide Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (SWOSH) – Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention (WHVP) Tools Working Group, prepared a new Guide to support harassment and violence prevention in the work place, intended for designated recipients and employer representatives. Several topics of interest are covered, including key definitions, prevention, resolution process, conciliation, investigation, restoration and template documents.

The Guide is available on the HR Council’s GCXchange page and will shortly be available on GCIntranet (link coming soon). If you are not yet a member of the HR Council’s GCXchange page, you will need to register to access all its content, including the above-mentioned Guide. To register, please follow these steps.

If you have any questions, please contact ohs-sst@tbs-sct.gc.ca.

Royal Assent of Bill C-13

On June 20, Bill C-13, an Act to amend the Official Languages Act, to enact the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act and to make related amendments to other Acts, received Royal Assent. 

Please consult Bill C-13 from Minister Petitpas Taylor to modernize the Official Languages Act receives Royal Assent and Details on the modernization of the Official Languages Act for more information.

Complete Your Positive Enrolment to Canada Life

On July 1, 2023, Canada Life will become the new plan administrator for the Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP). By now, Canada Life should have contacted all PSHCP members directly to complete their positive enrolment and create an account on the new website.

If you haven’t received your positive enrolment invitation, contact the Canada Life PSHCP Member Contact Centre at 1-855-415-4414 as soon as possible. It is important to do so to be able to submit your claims as of July 1, 2023.

Find out more online in the March PSHCP Bulletin, Preparing for the transition to Canada Life and New Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP) administrator frequently asked questions.

Employee Experience Initiative

In collaboration with departments and agencies, the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer (OCHRO)’s Digital Solutions team has been exploring the challenges facing the HR systems landscape. This includes imagining what a great future could look like through the eyes of employees and how it will contribute to decisions on current and future HR systems investments. Join the Digital Solutions team on this evolving Employee Experience journey as they share insights and findings. Explore the Employee Experience Initiative on GCxchange today!

Public Service Commission (PSC)

Coming Into Force – Public Service Employment Act Amendments

The two remaining amendments to the Public Service Employment Act will take effect on July 1, 2023, that is: the requirement to evaluate assessment methods to identify biases or barriers, and the expanded authority to investigate an error, omission or improper conduct that results from a bias or barrier.

A letter to heads of human resources has been published with resources and tools for the human resources community and hiring managers available on GCintranet.

The Assessment Accessibility Ambassador Network within the human resources community will disseminate and further develop expertise in bias mitigation. Organizations are encouraged to identify human resources representatives and to express their interest in order to deepen their expertise in this field.

For more information, please contact your staffing support advisor.

Change to Temporary Measure on Use of Alternative Methods for Assessing Second Language Proficiency

The Public Service Commission (PSC) will be making the following change to the temporary measure allowing departments and agencies to use an alternative method to assess second language proficiency (measure 3).

As of September 1, 2023, measure 3 will no longer apply to the assessment of reading comprehension and written expression.

Departments and agencies authorized by the PSC to use measure 3 may continue to use an alternative assessment method to assess oral competency until further notice.

Please note that alternative methods still must respect the Guiding Principles for Alternate Methods to Second Language Evaluation Tests: Targeted Policy Exemption.

Departments and agencies will continue to report on second language evaluation measures in their annual reporting to the PSC. More information about reporting will be provided in the Appointment Delegation and Accountability Instrument Annex D reporting form.

The questions and answers for human resources specialists have been updated to reflect this change. For more information, please contact your staffing support advisor.

Decommissioning of Public Service Commission Tests

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Public Service Commission’s Personnel Psychology Centre (PPC) made their assessment tools more accessible to candidates and hiring managers. They developed new online and remote assessments, including second language tests and competency-based assessments for managerial and executive positions, and offered greater flexibility in the use of our unsupervised internet tests. 

With the federal public service’s transition to the new hybrid work model, the PPC seized the opportunity to review their suite of assessment tools. Taking into consideration the evolving realities, the current needs of the public service as well as the shifting demand in the past several years, the PPC is decommissioning a number of assessment products as of June 30, 2023.

The Personnel Psychology Centre, a long-standing centre of expertise in the personnel assessment field, will continue to offer departments and agencies a range of reliable, accessible, and inclusive assessment solutions. They are committed to increasing the functionality and capacity of their online assessments, to meet the ever-evolving needs and expectations of candidates and hiring managers.

For more information, please contact the Personnel Psychology Centre at cfp.cpp-ppc.psc@cfp-psc.gc.ca. 

GC Jobs Transformation (GCJT)

PSC’s GC Jobs Transformation prototype testing were conducted with participating departments last fall.

PSC is anticipating a recommendation from the NextGen HR and Pay team in the fall of 2023 that will inform their next steps regarding the proposed solution.  

In the meantime, PSC is working with the vendor on its commitments to closing accessibility gaps, and with the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer on the data requirements for an integrated HR solution.

Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages

The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages’ new website is now online!

Here are some of the improvements and new features you’ll see:

  • The website architecture has been completely redesigned to organize information in a more logical and intuitive way.
  • All pages have been rewritten to make content as simple, clear and concise as possible, and to comply with Web accessibility standards.
  • A description of the new powers conferred on the Commissioner by Bill C 13 has been added.
  • Publications have been grouped together in a single database, and out of date ones have been archived.
  • The website has a new, more modern, colourful and dynamic visual identity.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact the Communications Director, Isabelle Tessier.

Office of Public Service Accessibility (OPSA)

GC Workplace Accessibility Passport

Check out the GC Workplace Accessibility Passport Newsletters on GCpedia  for more information on Accessibility!

Topics in the June Newsletter include:

  • Passport training for facilitators during the summer of 2023
  • Do we practice what we preach exercise
  • Improving recruitment practices
  • How to find sources of talent
  • Selection approaches and assessment methods and
  • Offering choices

Departmental Corporate Services may also reach the Passport team by email:  AccessibilityPassport.Passeportdaccessibilite@tbs-sct.gc.ca.

Canada School of Public Service (CSPS)

Seeking National Staffing Council Executive Members

The National Staffing Council (NSC) is seeking your support! The 2-year tenure of the executive members is coming to an end in December 2023. Chiefs of staffing are encouraged to put their names forward as this is an excellent opportunity that will contribute to your professional development while expanding your network.

The NSC would like to hold an election in October to allow for a seamless transition before the end of the executive members’ mandate in December.

If you are interested, the following executive members are available to answer questions and share their experience:

What’s Coming Up

HRC Smartshops

September 20, 2023 – HRC SmartShop on Hiring 5,000 New Persons with Disabilities by 2025

The Public Service Commission (PSC) and the Office of the Public Service Accessibility (OPSA) are pleased to present HR practitioners with concrete tools, guidance, and resources to help attract and hire persons with disabilities (PwD) by:  

  • taking advantage of existing guidance, tools and recruitment solutions;
  • leveraging best practices and lessons learned from previous or existing recruitment initiatives/programs;
  • maximizing flexibilities and supporting hybrid by design with effective workplace accommodation processes.

Audience: Human Resources Community

Registration

The related SmartShop documents will be posted on the HRC’s GCXchange page.

HRC Meetings

  • September 11, 2023 – HR Community Development Steering Committee
  • September 12, 2023 – HRC Executive Committee
  • September 19, 2023 – HR Council
  • September 26, 2023 – HR Community Engagement Hub
  • September 27, 2023 – MCC HR Leadership Awards Ceremony

Canada School of Public Service (CSPS)

HRC Meeting – June 20, 2023

Item 1: Networking

  • Heads of HR had the opportunity to exchange in person on various topics.

Item 2: Opening Remarks

Darlène de Gravina, Assistant Deputy Minister of Human Resource Services at Employment and Social Development Canada and Chair of the HR Council:

  • Introduced and welcomed two newly appointed Heads of HR to our community: Guy Morissette at Correctional Service Canada and Carolyne Evangelidis at the House of Commons.
  • Underlined the National Public Service Week (NPSW) and thanked the HR community for their dedication and hard work.
  • Encouraged everyone to watch the NPSW video released by the Clerk in which the community was recognized.
  • Acknowledged the work of the members of the selection committee for the 2022 Michelle C. Comeau Human Resources Leadership Awards, who had the difficult task of reviewing the 76 great nominations received this year and choosing three finalists per category.
  • Encouraged Heads of HR to maximize the use of the Heads of HR Corner on GCXchange to facilitate collaboration, knowledge sharing and lessons learned between Heads of HR.

Darlène de Gravina concluded by highlighting the following events and activities:

  • June 21st – National Indigenous Peoples Day
  • June 23rd – National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism
  • June 24th – St-Jean Baptiste
  • June 27th – Canadian Multiculturalism Day

Item 3: Benefitting from Ombuds and Informal Conflict Management Services Lessons Learned 

Mélanie Michaud, Champion, Informal Conflict Management System (ICMS) Federal Network and Sonya Kim St-Julien, Co-Chair, Ombuds Network, provided a concrete example of effective collaboration between the Organizational Ombuds, ICMS, and certain HR functions.

They also highlighted considerations, such as:

  • Ombuds and ICMS act as a resource for informal resolution and they provide a unique and honest perspective due to the independence of their function that works best in collaboration with other HR services.
  • They bring together key stakeholder for a holistic approach to complex issues.
  • They gather qualitative and quantitative data as a trusted independent neutral resource.
  • It was pointed out that this resource works best in collaboration with other human resources departments.

For more information, please refer to the PowerPoint presentation.

Item 4:  Update on the launch of the new Self-Identification Questionnaire

Natasha Parriag, Executive Director within the People and Culture sector at OCHRO, provided an update on the launch of the new extensive Self-ID Questionnaire.

The approach to self-ID is evolving to better reflect the public service population and support a culture change from othering to inclusion – while continuing to provide evidence for removal of bias and barriers.

Self-ID data collection will be transformed to provide a richer portrait of public service diversity while a centralized platform will increase efficiency, integrity, and accessibility.

Engagement of the entire public service was key to refining the approach and preparing for change.

The self-ID implementation is planned to occur in two phases:

  • Phase 1, with the expected launch of the platform, on September 28, 2023, and communications on October 2, 2023 will modernize data collection for aggregate analysis and reporting.
  • Phase 2 will follow, with the introduction of consent to connect self-ID data with individuals.

For additional information on the new self-ID questionnaire, please refer to the PowerPoint presentation found in the June 20, 2023 HRC Meeting folder.

Item 5: Overview of the Employment Equity in the Public Service

Natasha Parriag, Executive Director, Centre for Diversity and Exclusion at OCHRO provided an overview of the employment Equity in the Public Service of Canada for Fiscal Year 2021 to 2022.

More detailed information may be found in the PowerPoint presentation, under the June 20, 2023 HRC Meeting folder.

Item 6: Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP) Transition to Canada Life

Jennifer McKinley, Senior Director, Benefit Plans Procurement and Retendering at the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, gave an update on the transition of the Public Service Health Care Plan to Canada Life:

  • On July 1, 2023, Canada Life will begin processing Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP) claims.
  • Positive enrolment is required for the transition.
  • 75% of employees have completed their positive enrollment.
  • Positive enrollment requires members’ consent, takes only a few minutes to complete but takes a few days to be processed.
  • Organizations may request their Positive Enrolment rate for PSHCP via the generic mailbox: gipmgpac@tbs-sct.gc.ca.

Item 7: OCHRO Updates on Classification – Learning and Accreditation, and Oversight

Marcel Page, Executive Director, Organization and Evaluation of Work, ERTC, OCHRO, TBS and Danielle Simard, Senior Director, Workforce Organization and Classification, ERTC, OCHRO, TBS, provided an update on classification learning and accreditation, and on classification program oversight:

  • Actions taken to date to quickly ease the pressure on the Core Public Administration:
    • Launched a new “Accreditation Blitz”.
    • Introduction and Persons Trained modules are now online and can be completed upon hiring to quickly enable productivity. PE’s and non-PE’s welcome.
    • “Persons Trained Module” addresses high volume, low complexity classification actions. You can browse the Reference Guide related to this course which is now available on GCpedia. This course is entirely e-learning and lasts approximately three hours.
  • Heads of HR are encouraged to further:
    • champion and support classification decision transparency and data integrity within their organizations;
    • partner with OCHRO to test solutions to current barriers in the Classification Program, to inform key changes to policy instruments and
    • create efficiencies, for example, through establishing fast track teams comprised of non-PE position administrators to address high volume/low complexity actions where it makes sense for their organizations.
  • Targets were clearly stated for uploading of job records to the TBS HR system of 80% of jobs, including 100% of standardized jobs, and a reduction of 50% in the creation of unique work. Regular dashboards will be published to highlight progress towards these goals.

Further information may be found in the PowerPoint presentation and the 2022-23 Classification Program Oversight Report can be viewed by visiting the new Policy Centre’s GCxchange community page, or more specifically the Oversight section.

Item 8: Update on the Interim Standard on Occasional Travel to Designated Worksite 

Heidi Kutz, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, People and Culture Sector within OCHRO, TBS, discussed the implementation of the Interim Standard Occasional Travel to Designated Worksite:

  • The Interim Standard is a pilot that has come into force on June 1, 2023.
  • It allows full-time teleworking employees living 125 km or more from a designated worksite to travel occasionally to a designated worksite, based on business needs.​
  • It is for managers to determine if travel is operationally required.

Item 9: A Way Forward Together

Francis Trudel, Associate Chief Human Resources Officer, OCHRO, TBS, discussed issues of interest considering the impact of the 2023 budget on people management priorities and initiatives. He also highlighted ongoing priorities/pressures for the year ahead, which include collective bargaining, recourse, full commitment on HR-to-Pay and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. He also highlighted the importance of the partnership with the HR Council members and the HR community to advance the people management agenda in the Federal Public Sector.

HRC Planning Calendar

Please see the HRC Planning Calendar for upcoming meeting dates.

Contact Us

HRCouncil/ConseilRH@tbs-sct.gc.ca

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