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June 2023

HR Council Newsletter

A Collective Voice, A Collective Purpose: HR Excellence

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In This “HR Summer Backpack” Edition

Celebrating You!

A Message from the Chair of the Human Resources Council (HRC) Executive Committee to Our Dedicated Community Members

The National Public Service Week (NPSW) is an opportunity for us to proudly celebrate the contributions of our dedicated public servants and to thank them for the work they do every day to make our country a better place to live, for everyone. For the HR community, this means recognizing the diversely talented employees who work tirelessly to achieve excellence across people management priorities and support a safe, respectful and inclusive public service.  

On behalf of the HRC, we want to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation for the invaluable contributions that each one of you make to support and modernize both the HR community and public sector at large. You have continued to demonstrate your engagement, innovation, agility, and humility in all aspect of your work, despite the heavy lifting, the ongoing transformations and challenges facing the HR function across the public service. Your passion and dedication towards excellence in people management are truly inspiring.

As we enjoy the celebrations taking place during the NPSW, it is important to engage with your HR colleagues to celebrate the achievements of your team, to share your appreciation of colleagues, managers, employees and clients, but also to be proud of your own accomplishments.

As HR professionals, you play a pivotal role in shaping our organizations and professional lives. We want you to know that we notice, recognize and value everything you do to support our most important asset — our people — and we could not succeed without you. So, here’s to you, HR superheroes! Keep on doing what you do best and know that your work is deeply appreciated!

Happy National Public Service Week!

Darlène de Gravina

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Your Summer Backpack

An image of binoculars, photos, notebooks, sunglasses, a compass and a camera laid out on a wooden table.

Summer is a great time to dedicate some time for both personal and professional development. Read on below for a variety of useful resources to include in your HR professional “backpack”!

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Study Your Map

New! HR Learning Lounge: An Essential Tool to Plan Your Route to Stronger Competencies

The HR Learning Lounge is a new virtual tool developed by the HRC that features listings of carefully selected learning resources for all HR professionals to easily find what they need to develop their competencies.

The HRC’s team has grouped the Lounge’s resources according to the competencies that all HR professionals need to develop regardless of their group and level. Under each competency, learning resources are subdivided into themes to enable you to easily locate those that support your specific needs.

The HR Learning Lounge currently highlights learning resources from the Canada School of Public Service, Statistics Canada and the HRC. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Its content will be regularly validated to ensure that it remains up to date. New relevant resources will also be added as they become available.

Developing your learning plan has never been easier! Check this tool out today! Feel free to share the HR Learning Lounge’s link widely and let us know what you think about this new tool. Check back regularly so you don’t miss anything!

(Please note: If you have not yet joined HRC’s GCXchange site, you will need to do so by following these five steps in order to be able to access the Lounge’s content). 

Use Your Compass

Orient your personal learning journey towards developing your cultural awareness and broadening your understanding of Indigenous cultures. Reflect on the important stories shared during National Indigenous History Month.

An icon of a compass.

The Indigenous Training and Development Community of Practice (ITDCOP) has developed this handy resource list to help guide your learning.

Indigenous Training and Development Resources ListDownload
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Personalize Your Backpack

Summer is Pride Season, during which 2SLGBTQI+ communities and allies come together to spotlight the resilience, celebrate the talent, and recognize the contributions of 2SLGBTQI+ communities through numerous events and celebrations.

Check out the Pride events in Canada page to find an event to attend near you. Use the Pride Season toolkit to show your support and get involved!

Get prepared by visiting the 2SLGBTQI+ page, where a wealth of information and resources related to the GoC’s work to improve equality for 2SLGBTQI+ communities await you.

Add a Pride badge to your travel gear or use a Pride Season virtual meeting background to support the Public service 2SLGBTQI+ communities?

Bring the Essentials

Four GCtools to Slip into Your HR Summer Backpack

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Reaching out to our clients and collaborators in a timely and effective manner to keep them informed of the latest developments or to solicit their collaboration and commitment is often a great challenge. Why not take advantage of the summer to familiarize yourself with the following Government of Canada GC tools?

GCXchange

GCXchange is a government-wide platform that makes it possible for public servants to collaborate in one place, across agencies and departments, and to share news, information, and announcements. It is based on Microsoft 365 applications, including Teams and SharePoint.

On the GCXchange SharePoint site you can find communities, thematic hubs, and GoC-wide news and stories. You can collaborate with colleagues across the GoC in your GCXchange MS Teams space. Once your GCXchange account is activated, you will be able to:

  • Collaborate with other GoC employees across departments via Microsoft Teams (e.g. instant messaging, co-authoring documents).
  • Create and join communities to network and work across departments.
  • Stay in the loop on events and updates from communities that you find interesting.
  • Read curated news and stories across the GoC and contribute your own.

GCXchange is designed to be bilingual and accessible. It supports the use of accessibility tools such as screen readers and dictation software, and it can be accessed in both official languages.

For now, GCXchange is only open to GoC employees and can only be used for unclassified information.  If you wish to collaborate with people external to the GoC, it is recommended that you use GCcollab to do so.

Useful links:

Visit HRC’s GCXchange site to discover how we have been leveraging GCXchange thus far to better support the HR community.

If you have not yet joined our GCXchange site, please do so by following these five steps.

GCcollab

GCcollab is a cloud-based professional collaboration platform connecting students and academics from all Canadian universities and colleges as well as federal, provincial, territorial and municipal public servants to information and people from across the GoC. Registered users of GCcollab can also invite anyone else from around the world to join the platform.

GCcollab is about making connections and building your network. When you connect with academics, public servants and other professionals, you are sharing more knowledge and insight with those of common professional and academic interests. Have a question? Ask someone on GCcollab. Want to know about upcoming events in your area? Find out this information on GCcollab. In other words, your connections on GCcollab can help accelerate your professional development.

GCcollab is a major step toward a more innovative, open, and collaborative way of identifying, exploring and co-creating the policy and research agendas. GCcollab is expected to:

  • increase the depth and breadth of data and information sharing between the academic and public sector communities to support improved deliberation on policy issues;
  • build a more connected, relevant and responsive cohort of public servants, students and academics;
  • contribute to a culture change as the existing public service is provided better access to emerging research, technologies, and communication approaches, and conversely, as academics and students improve their understanding of the policy, program and research development processes;
  • promote recruitment opportunities to those interested in joining the federal public service.

To learn, connect and share, join GCcollab.

GC Forms

GC Forms is a cloud-based service that is owned and operated by the Canadian Digital Service (CDS) at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS). This service enables federal departments and agencies to create and publish forms, which are hosted by CDS.

GC Forms enables the creation and publication of accessible forms in both official languages.

For example, you can use GC Forms to better assess your clients’ needs, measure their level of satisfaction with your services, collaborate with your colleagues to gather their feedback and ideas as part of the initiatives or projects you are leading, etc. The possibilities are endless!

The GC Forms team is available to set up a demo and answer any questions you may have about this service – including how it can work in your organization to meet your current and future information collecting needs.

Useful links :

GC Notify

GC Notify is a scalable cloud platform built for the GoC that allows you to:

  • quickly create, customize and send accessible emails and text messages from a trusted domain;
  • keep track of your delivery information through its real-time dashboard;
  • customize your messages, while protecting personal information;
  • reduce the time, effort, and cost of correspondence.

GC Notify also allows you to connect to other services. For example, connect to electronic mailing list software like Listserv or other applications to send password resets, email confirmations, or responses to forms.

When you create a GC Notify account, you can start in trial mode if you wish to. This mode allows you to experiment by sending messages to yourself and other people on your team. Once you have updated your settings and added examples of messages you want to send, you can request to go live with your service to send to more recipients.

Useful link:

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Don’t Forget Your First Aid Kit

Bookmark the Centre of Expertise on Mental Health in the Workplace’s Mental Health in a Minute Information Bulletin. It includes upcoming awareness days and events, as well as some promising practices and key resources to support you in your role.

For example, the last bulletin shared the Employee Stress Prevention Process tool that helps you understand how chronic mental stress is defined and how to recognize hazards. This tool provides strategies for reducing risk to protect both employers and employees.

We encourage you to consult these resources, and to promote them within your organizations.

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Reconnect with Your Community

National Public Service Week is a great reminder of the importance of prioritizing teambuilding activities to help build trust, open communication and effective collaboration between colleagues.

We asked our community members about the types of activities they prefer to participate in with their team members. Here is what we heard:

A pie chart illustrating the results of our community survey on preferred teambuilding activities: -Social (e.g., virtual coffee chats or a team lunch at a local restaurant): 22.8% -Professional Development (e.g., a team effectiveness workshop or group coaching sessions): 21.8% -Planning (e.g., a strategic planning retreat involving all team members): 19.3% -Problem-solving (e.g., a scavenger hunt or a virtual escape room): 12.6% -Creative: 12.6% -Wellness (e.g., a team hike through a local park or a virtual yoga session): 9.2% -Other: 1.7%

We also asked our readers for their recommendations of unique teambuilding activities. Here is what we heard:

  • escape room (in-person or virtual)
  • personality-type exercises to learn to better collaborate with each other     
  • collaborative learning games
  • virtual baking
  • Workplace strategies for mental health: a great resource for materials, tools and resources to support mental health and psychological safety.

“I liked doing fun icebreaker activities with my team on Friday mornings: trivia, brain teasers, name that tune, etc.”

“We are preparing a five senses-type activity to take place during the lunch hour.”

“I’ve coordinated many sessions; popular topics include sleep and self-compassion.”

“The names of all participants are placed in a hat (can be done virtually, in person or a combination of both). Each person takes or is given a name, then has to say something nice to or about that person. The first time is awkward, the second time may still be a little, but by the third time, the whole team has spent time mentally thinking of nice things to say about each of their colleagues. Voilà – improved morale and comradery!”

“An outdoor lunch with all team members (when all members live in the same area) and a nature walk. If the team is virtual (different regions): sharing their favorite spring recipes and sharing the files they are currently working on.”

“A quick two-minute meditation or mindfulness video or audio can help start a team meeting off on the right foot. This can be voluntary, but it promotes a safe space and provides each team member with the opportunity to focus on their breathing or slowing down. With my previous team, I alternated between an English and French meditation each week.”

“I participated in a very interesting design-thinking activity where we learned the basics of design-thinking together. Then, we applied them to a fun hypothetical project. Finally, we applied our knowledge to one of our team’s projects. This served a triple purpose: learn the basics of design-thinking, have fun with our colleagues while finding out about each other’s strengths/challenges/work and communication preferences, and develop a user-centric solution to better meet the emerging needs of our clients.”

Stamp Your Passport

With the warm weather approaching, we have summer on our minds! We asked HR Community members about their summer plans. Here is what we heard:

An icon of a passport.
A bar graph illustrating the HR Community's summer plans: -Connecting with nature (e.g., camping, hiking, etc.): 29.4% -Enjoying a staycation: 23.6% -Relaxing at a cottage: 19.1% -Traveling across Canada: 13.2% -Other: 10.3% -Touring cities abroad: 4.4%

“Going to California!”

“Spending quality time with our loved ones.”

“Visiting family.”

“Paris here I come!”

“Heading to Colonial Williamsburg in the States.”

“Alaska”

“Seeing the Cirque du Soleil in Montreal and experiencing the Quebec City Summer Festival, in addition to the outdoor activities of the Quebec City Region, such as: Village Vacances Valcartier, museums, kayaking on the Jacques-Cartier River, tour of Île d’Orléans, strolls at Montmorency Falls, cycling on the Promenade Champlain. “

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Community of Practice Spotlight

Did you know that there are now over 21 communities of practice (CoP) established across the various HR disciplines to facilitate collaboration towards a common goal of excellence in people management? Check out the incredible work of this edition’s featured CoP below!

Logo of the Federal Public Service Indigenous Training and Development Community of Practice.

The Indigenous Training and Development Community of Practice (ITDCOP), is a grassroots initiative consisting of over 820 Indigenous and non-Indigenous public servants (working level up to and including Assistant Deputy Ministers) founded by Cynthia Pye and Jennifer Kolz in October 2019.

Our Mission

Our mission is developed out of a need to address gaps in Reconciliation efforts including:

  • distinctions-based (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) cultural awareness;
  • culturally sensitive approaches for policy development, recruitment, training and Indigenous career development;
  • lack of inclusion of Indigenous representation in the development of Indigenous programs and policies, in leadership and at decision-making tables;
  • elder and Nation-to-Nation protocols for how the government collaborates with Indigenous Nations and honours Indigenous Elders.

Who We Are

The ITDCOP is led by an Executive and supported by an Elder-in-Residence, and an Assistant Deputy Minister-level Champion who also represents the ITDCOP on the Indigenous Federal Employees Champions and Chairs Circle. We meet quarterly to: foster cross-departmental relationships; build new partnerships; share insights and best practices; celebrate successes; and, provide support through challenges. Members-at-large engage in joint professional development activities, discussions and in open information sharing as well as through four sub-working groups (Consultation & Engagement; Recruitment, Retention & Career Development; Policy & Program Delivery, and, Training & Learning).  

What We Seek to Do

  • Respond to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action.
  • Support the recommendations of Many Voices, One Mind: A Path to Reconciliation.
  • Provide feedback, support and resources to public servants working in Indigenous spaces in the government.
  • Maintain a safe space that enables public service-wide dialogue to develop, deepen and broaden an understanding of Indigenous cultures, history and modern-day issues and relationships with Indigenous Peoples.

Since its inception, the ITDCOP has changed mindsets and led transformation in policy, protocols, and learning materials while providing ongoing consultation and support on internal and external recruitment, retention and wellness projects. The ITDCOP continues to develop a repertoire of experiences, stories, tools, ways of addressing recurring problems and shared practices. Though still evolving to meet changing realities of Reconciliation, the ITDCOP has:

  • problem solved;
  • requested and shared resources;
  • repurposed assets;
  • discussed existing practices and new developments;
  • mapped knowledge;
  • identified and addressed gaps;
  • participated in experiential learning activities.

Join us on this shared journey! To learn more or to become a member, please email us at: CBSA.Indigenous_T&D_CoP-CdP_F&D_Autochtone.ASFC@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca

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What’s New?

2022 Michelle C. Comeau HR Leadership Awards

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

During this National Public Service Week, the Human Resources Council (HRC) is pleased to announce that the HRC Awards Selection Committee carefully reviewed the seventy-six (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 aspecial 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.

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HR Community News

The 2022/2023 Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) results are now available on the PSES page on Canada.ca and Statistics Canada’s The Daily. This release includes results for the overall public service and for each participating department and agency with demographic breakdowns. Departmental Corporate Services may send questions to the PSES inbox.

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Did You Know?

  • As Canada’s national statistical organization, Statistics Canada is committed to sharing knowledge and expertise to help all Canadians develop their data literacy skills. Check out their Learning Catalogue for a variety of resources with information on the basic concepts and skills across a range of data literacy topics.
  • Check out this video from Canada School of Public Service for practical tips for managers who are responsible for hybrid teams: Best Practices When Managing a Hybrid Team (TRN5-V28).

Attention hiring managers!

Are you looking for qualified PE-01 talent to fill roles across all human resources disciplines?

A diverse talent pool is available to meet your needs – including 17 fully assessed candidates who have successfully passed the PSC’s Remote HR Consultant Simulation and reside in Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario.

Most of these highly competent candidates are bilingual and have self-identified as a member of one, or more, of the four employment equity groups. Please note that all fully assessed candidates from the NCR have all been placed.

So, before you embark on your own selection processes, take advantage of this convenient opportunity to quickly find skilled and qualified individuals for the next generation of HR professionals!

Now Playing! Spring HRC Smartshops

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Did you miss the latest SmartShops? No worries! You can watch the recordings at any time:

Stay Apprised of Official Languages News as an HR Specialist

Want to improve your knowledge of official languages through a one-stop shop featuring useful resources and answers to questions on this topic you might ask yourself as an HR specialist? Visit the GCwiki page of the official languages community today to learn more!

Make sure to stay apprised of official languages news by subscribing to The OL Connection  newsletter published regularly by the Official Languages Centre of Excellence. To receive it, you simply need to subscribe to the mailing list by sending an email to OLCEInformationCELO@tbs-sct.gc.ca.

Level Up Your Digital Competencies

Busrides is a product of the CSPS Digital Academy, and a destination created to deepen your understanding of everything digital and government. Check out their latest article: Design Thinking for Impactful Solutions.

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What’s Upcoming?

HRC Events

June 22, 2023 – HRC Smartshop: Building on People Management Findings of the 2022-23 Management Accountability Framework (MAF)

This HRC SmartShop, organized in collaboration with OCHRO, will provide the HR community with findings from the People Management Area of the 2022-2023 MAF. This will include presentations from Policy Centre experts who will share their mandate, highlight key findings, lessons learned, and detail expected results going forward.

Register now!

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.

Another Event of Interest to the HR Community

Mandatory positive enrolment for Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP) members

On July 1, 2023, Canada Life will become the new PSHCP administrator. To avoid being out of pocket for expenses and delays in processing your claims, you must complete positive enrolment as a plan member by June 30th, 2023. Members will not be able to complete positive enrolment and send in a claim on the same day.

Canada Life becoming the new PSHCP administrator does not impact any other public service benefit plan. All other plans keep their current plan administrator.

Tip: Schedule time in your calendar complete the positive enrolment.

Important and Commemorative Dates

June

National Indigenous History Month logo featuring a narwhal and an eagle with outstretched wings.

National Indigenous History Month

Launch of Pride Season

Canadian Pride Season logo.

July

August

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Contact Us

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Do you have any HR-related questions, news or initiatives that you would like to share in the next HRC Newsletter? We always love hearing from the community!

Get in touch with our team at: HRCouncil/ConseilRH@tbs-sct.gc.ca.

Don’t forget to follow the HRC on GCXchange for the latest updates!

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Never miss an HRC Newsletter again!

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