GLOBAL BEST PRACTICES IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFORMS:

A COLLECTIVE, MERIT-BASED APPROACH TO MANAGING WORKFORCE ADJUSTMENTPUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION

OF CANADA

RDIMS #1073264

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HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN THE CANADIAN PUBLIC SERVICE

Office of the Chief Human Resources

Officer

Supports the achievement of a high-quality workforce and workplace through classification, compensation and labour relations, diversity and employment equity, human resources management, learning and leadership development, official languages, pensions and benefits, Performance Management Program for Employees, talent management, values and ethics

Public Service Commission

Holds authority to appoint, delegate powers and administer provisions relating to political activities; provides staffing policies and guidance; conducts investigations and audits of appointments, and investigations of improper political activities; provides staffing and assessment services; and reports directly to Parliament

Canada School of Public Service

Supports the growth and development of public servants; helps ensure they have the knowledge, skills and competencies needed; assists deputy heads in meeting the learning needs of their organization.

Privy Council Office

Provides public service leadership; manages the appointment process for senior positions; and sets policy on human resources issues and public service renewal

Departments, Agencies and Bargaining Agents

• Whole-of-government effort to reduce the size of the Canadian public service

• Led by the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer (OCHRO) of the Treasury Board Secretariat

• Included all key stakeholders in the human resources management system

• Canada School of Public Service

• Privy Council Office (PCO) • Public Service Commission

(PSC).

Federal Human Resources Management

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CANADIAN WORKFORCE REDUCTION EXERCISE – AN OVERVIEW• TBS/OCHRO and other central bodies proactively developed public

service-wide tools and solutions promoting a responsible and coherent approach to managing public servants faced with potential job loss as a result of the workforce reduction initiated in 2012.

• Anticipated and took advantage of opportunities to strategically plan for human resources needs by managing vacancies and using attrition to minimize number of employees affected once a workforce reduction process was initiated.

• Reductions guided by Workforce Adjustment Directive and the Directive on Career Transition for Executives.

• Affected employees provided with several options to manage their affected status, including voluntary departure, job swapping through an alternation initiative and education and retraining allowances.

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CANADIAN WORKFORCE REDUCTIONS– A FRAMEWORK OVERVIEW

Work Force Adjustment

• Deputy Head decides that the services of one or more indeterminate employees will no longer be required due to: lack of work; discontinuance of function, relocation (where employee refuses to relocate); or alternative delivery initiative. • Deputy Head must determine which employees will receive a Guaranteed Reasonable Job Offer (GRJO) and which ones will become “opting” employees.

Employee with a GRJOOn surplus priority status until receives/accepts a RJO, is laid-off or resigns.

Opting Employee – No GRJOEmployee has 90 to 120 days to choose one of three options depending on which agreement applies

Employee Accepts RJO• Removed from surplus priority status.

Employee refuses RJO• Laid-off but no sooner than 6 months from beginning of surplus period;•Layoff priority status (unpaid) for 1 year.

Option B: Transition Support Measure (TSM)• Employee resigns.• Receives cash payment of up to 52 weeks salary, based on years of service.

Option C: Education Allowance • Cash payment equivalent to TSM plus education allowance of up to $11,000.• Employee resigns or takes leave without pay (LWOP) for up to 2 years to pursue education. • After LWOP, if no alternate employment is found employee is laid off with layoff priority status for 12 months (unpaid).

Option A: 12-Month Surplus Status to Secure a RJO •Receives/accepts RJO. • If does not receive/accept RJO, is laid-off (no sooner than 6 months) with layoff priority status for 12 months (unpaid). •If no RJO received / accepted during layoff priority status, entitlement ceases. No longer an employee of PS.

Alternation (job

swapping) between

those declared

affected and those who wanted to

leave voluntarily

Source: TBS

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WORKFORCE REDUCTION USING A MERIT-BASED APPROACH – LEGISLATIVE OBLIGATIONS

•When a selection among employees in similar positions is necessary, PSC requires that decision be based on merit using a SERLO process.

•Managers required to establish assessment strategies and administer assessment instruments to support selection decisions.

•Use of SERLO emphasizes merit as the basis for employment in the public service and allows the public service to retain qualified employees who have the skills and experience needed for the future.

Selection of Employees for Retention or Layoff

(SERLO)

• In line with legislative requirements, surplus employees and laid-off individuals are placed in the Priority system and are eligible to be appointed ahead of all others to vacant positions in the public service, provided they meet the essential qualifications of the positions. The Priority Administration Program allows the public service to redeploy skilled and experienced employees.

• An employee may remain in the priority system, depending on their priority status, for a period between 1 and 2 years.

The Priority Administration Program

(Redeployment of Affected Workers)

PSC Mandate: Promote and safeguard merit-based appointments that are free from political influence and, in collaboration with other stakeholders, protect the non-partisan nature of the public service. In the context of workforce reductions PSC has two roles: to provide policy guidance and support to departments in selecting employees for retention or lay-off; and to support persons that have a priority for appointment in the public service.

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PARTNERING TO MANAGE CHANGE

PSC Areas of Responsibility

Merit-Based Selection of

Employees for Retention or

Lay-off (SERLO)

Priority Placement

(Redeployment of Affected Workers)

Systems & Tool Development

Updated guidance documents, and addition of components relevant to the workplace reduction exercise

Increased training and support for the PSC staff responsible for administering priority placementUpdated the Priority Information Management System (PIMS)

Process Management

Proactive outreach to explain technical requirements and to respond to questions

Delivered cross Canada presentations to regional councils in partnership with TBS and CSPSEstablished clear internal and external governance structures

Execution

Attended weekly ADM-level Priority Information Management System (PIMS) and the Strategic Workforce Issues Management (SWIM) meetings

Attended bi-weekly meetings of the Strategic Issues Management Working Group.Provided services to assist managers to establish assessment strategies and administer assessment instruments

Launched a Priority Portal – a web-based application in a secure electronic window linked to the PIMS database that enhances the user experience for all

Monitoring & Course

Correction

Added questions about SERLO in the government-wide Survey of Staffing

Amended the deputy head delegation instruments to ensure priority placements are made in accordance with legislative requirements

Added a deputy level accountability to ensure proper priority management in departments

Capacity Building & Training to Ensure Effective Roll-out

Engagement and Priority Setting Involving Human Resources Management Partners

Consistent Communication, Collaboration and Coordination

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WORKFORCE REDUCTION USING A MERIT-BASED APPROACH ENABLING FACTORS

• Shared accountability, collaboration and coordination between organizations responsible for Human Resources Management, Deputy Heads in organizations and Bargaining Agents

• Enabling legislation• A mature delegated system with appropriate

checks and balances

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WORKFORCE REDUCTION USING A MERIT-BASED APPROACH IMPACTS

• PSC sample of 36 SERLO processes conducted between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2013 in nine departments and agencies to establish early signals as to the success of SERLO processes.

•Overall results of review: SERLO processes examined in the sample compliant with regulations.

•PSC undertaking a study using findings and respondent comments related to SERLO from the 2012 and 2013 surveys of staffing to get a greater sense of how SERLO processes have been perceived by survey respondents.

Selection of Employees for

Retention or Layoff (SERLO)

•Between fiscal year 2012-2013 and to date in 2014-2015, approximately 2,865 federal public servants have been declared surplus. Of that number approximately 500 public servants proceeded to lay-off.

•Result suggests the public service effectively retained and redeployed skilled and experienced employees as well identified skill sets that are no longer required to fulfill its mandates.

The Priority Administration

Program(Redeployment of Affected Workers)

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WORKFORCE REDUCTION USING A MERIT-BASED APPROACH SUSTAINABILITY AND TRANSFERABILITY

• The requirement for leaner public service organizations may become a reality in other jurisdictions.

• Overall business continuity was maintained during the workforce reduction process.

• A merit-based approach to workforce reductions and priority placement allows the public service to redeploy skilled and experienced employees.

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WORKFORCE REDUCTION USING A MERIT-BASED APPROACH LESSONS LEARNED

•Clear and timely communications is essential to effective messaging.

•To prevent misunderstanding on the part of affected individuals (e.g. “I have to compete for my own job”), once policy announcements are made, all tools to facilitate execution should be in place.

Selection of employees for

Retention or Layoff (SERLO)

•Engagement at all levels and realignment of organizational priorities ensured responsive attention to policy and systems issues as they arose.

•Extensive consultation and collaboration with stakeholders and establishing a Community of Practice helped to bridge the organization-central agency gap and allowed capacity to be scaled up quickly and effectively.

The Priority Administration

Program(Redeployment of Affected Workers)