CS Classification Changes - FAQ

What is changing?

The Computer Systems (CS) group will change to a new occupational group called Information Technology (IT). This is planned to take place in December 2021.

Why is the CS group changing to IT?

Computer systems and information technology work was last reviewed in 1985. Since that time, the IT field has changed considerably; the new classification will reflect that. Modernized and streamlined classifications help ensure that our tools reflect the work of today’s public service and bring more consistency in how similar jobs are evaluated. This new group will better reflect modern professional information technology work and the current environment. The Information Technology (IT) group was created in discussion with the bargaining agent as part of collective agreement commitments.

Will this affect my pay?

The existing five-level CS structure will continue to be used in the new IT model. Salary protection measures will apply if the maximum salary of an employee’s new group and level is lower than the maximum salary of their current group and level, although this is not expected for any ESDC employees.

How will job requirements (qualification standards) change?

The current CS qualification standard requires successful completion of two years of an acceptable post-secondary educational program. The new IT group will instead require graduation, at a minimum, from a two-year program of study relevant to the position to be staffed, from a recognized post-secondary institution. When the conversion goes into effect, indeterminate CS employees will be deemed to meet the new qualification standards.

At the manager’s discretion, an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience may serve as an alternative to the minimum education stated above. Whenever the minimum education is met using this alternative, it is met for the specific position only and must be reassessed for other positions for which this alternative has been specified by the manager.

What if I am a CS term on the conversion date? Will I be deemed to have met the minimum qualification requirements for that position?

No. Acquired rights for qualification standards on conversion apply only to indeterminate employees. A term employee in a position that is converted does not receive these rights. However, because merit is only applied at appointment, and as the employee met the qualification standard at that point, the term appointment can continue.

What will happen to term employees, after conversion, at the end of their employment date?

As mentioned above, term employees do not receive acquired rights. At the end of their term, the individual is no longer an employee and would not be deemed to meet the new qualifications for the position. However, the term could be extended without the employee meeting the new education requirement. The same principle applies if an employee’s term is converted to an indeterminate status after the conversion. The conversion of term to indeterminate status is not an appointment and therefore the term employee could be converted without the employee meeting the new education requirement. As term employees would not have acquired rights, they would need to meet the new education requirement in order to apply to another position within the same occupational group.

Example: An individual was offered a CS-01 term position effective December 1, 2019. Effective December 2, 2022, the employee’s tenure will be converted to indeterminate status (cumulative working period of three years, Section 4.2.1 of the Directive on Term Employment). The employee does not meet the new minimum education standard. The employee is deemed to meet the requirement of the position to which they were initially appointed. However, even after becoming an indeterminate employee (further to the conversion), it is important to note that they are not deemed to meet the new minimum education requirement since they were not an indeterminate employee on the IT conversion date. To be appointed to another position, they will need to meet the new education requirement of that position. Management has the discretion to use an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience. This alternative to the minimum education requirement is for a specific position only and must be reassessed for other positions for which the alternative/combination is specified by the manager.

Will actors need to meet the new qualification standards?

Acquired rights for qualification standards on conversion apply only to indeterminate employees. Therefore, a CS-01 indeterminate employee acting in a CS-02 position will be deemed to meet the new qualification standards as per their CS-01 indeterminate status. Actors from a different substantive group would need to meet the new qualification standards. However, because merit is only applied at appointment, and as the employee met the qualification standard at that point, the acting appointment can continue. Unlike with terms, acting extensions are considered appointments and therefore merit applies. This means that the employee would need to meet the new education requirement to be extended in the acting position. As stated above, management has the discretion to use an acceptable combination of education, training and/or experience. However, this alternative is for a specific position only and must be reassessed for other positions.

Will vacant CS positions be eliminated?

Yes. Vacant CS positions will not be converted. Managers should staff required vacant positions as soon as possible. Otherwise, they will be abolished prior to the date of conversion from the CS to IT group. While managers may feel uneasy letting go of vacant positions, the Department now has a robust suite of standardized job descriptions, making the creation of new positions a relatively simple process.

Is this classification change happening because of the recent reorganization of the Innovation, Information and Technology Branch (IITB)?

No, the two are unrelated. The timing of both just happens to coincide. The IT conversion has been in the works for several years and is taking place across government departments.

How do I find out how I have been reclassified?

You will receive advanced personal notification electronically to let you know which position you are mapped to under the new classification. It is expected that all CS employees in ESDC will be mapped to a standardized job description in the IT group. This is scheduled to take place in September 2021. You will receive final notification electronically on the day the conversion will take place. This is planned for December 2021.

Will all CS employees in Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) be reclassified in the IT group?

It is expected that all CS positions will change to standardized IT job descriptions.

What do managers need to know about the weeks leading up to the change?

CS employees will receive advanced personal notification electronically to let them know which position they are mapped to under the new classification. This is planned for September 2021. In the four weeks leading up this notification, changes in reporting relationships entered into the Human Resources Service Centre portal will be put on hold. Another hold will take place in advance of the conversion date, scheduled for December 2021.

Where can I learn more about this change?

For general questions about ongoing classification renewal exercises, please visit the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) FAQ page. For CS-specific questions, please visit the section of that page on Classification Changes for Computer Systems (CS).

Will terms be able to advance within the group or sub-group for which the position they were in on conversion?

Acquired rights for qualification standards upon conversion apply only to indeterminate employees. Therefore, in order to advance within the group or sub-group, term employees and actors from a different substantive group would need to meet the new qualification standards for the group and sub-group they wish to advance in

Is it possible for management to start using the new IT minimum qualification standard prior to the conversion date?

Yes, management can start using the new minimum qualification standard prior to the conversion date. If they do so, this constitutes raising the minimum educational standard. Subsection 31(2) of the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) gives managers the authority to request an educational level that is higher than prescribed in a qualification standard. The decision to require a level of education that is higher than the minimum should be substantiated by the duties to be performed in the position being staffed. If management wants to start using the new minimum qualification standard prior to the conversion date, the same principles would apply as when they are currently requesting an education level higher than the minimum level prescribed in the CS qualification standard (e.g. requesting a University Degree). It is important to note that when the level of education is raised, the grand-parenting protection currently in effect no longer applies. The candidate would need to meet the higher educational requirement.

How will salary protection work when the legacy groups will no longer be getting updated rates of pay?

Salary protection provisions are outlined in the relevant collective agreement for the group. In the case where an individual is salary protected at conversion, salary protection would end at the point in time that the maximum rate of pay of the substantive position currently occupied by the employee becomes greater than the maximum of their salary protected level. Once salary protection ceases, the individual is subject to all terms and conditions and rates of pay of their substantive position.

If a CS position is reviewed prior to conversion and the position is reclassified at the AS group, the employee is salary protected at CS pay rate. If the employee applies on an IT advertised appointment process after the conversion date, are they deemed to meet the education requirements? Do they possess any grand-parenting rights?

No, acquired rights apply only to indeterminate employees with a substantive position in the CS group on the effective date of conversion. An employee who is reclassified, deployed, or appointed to a position in another occupational group prior to conversion will not be deemed to meet the new minimum standard and will not receive acquired rights and therefore must meet the new minimum education standard in order to appointed to deployed to a position in the IT group.

Staffing processes initiated before the classification conversion effective date are subject to the previous qualification standard. If a manager wants to proceed with a term appointment, from a staffing process that was advertised prior to conversion, will the term be deemed to have met the new minimum qualification requirements?

Term employees who are appointed as a result of a staffing process that was advertised prior to conversion will not receive acquired rights however, the term appointment can be made from the selection process by virtue of the fact that the process was advertised prior to the effective date of the conversion and therefore is subject to the qualification standard in effect at that time.

If a manager wants to proceed with an indeterminate appointment from a staffing process initiated before the classification conversion effective date, will this individual be deemed to have met the new minimum qualification requirement?

Under the current acquired rights provisions, a candidate who met the minimum requirements in a selection process advertised before the qualification standard was amended, and who is appointed or deployed indeterminately as a result of that process is deemed to meet the new minimum requirement.

How can I support my employees through this change?

Employees will want to hear directly from managers about how these changes may affect their position, work and team. You are invited to add this topic as a standing item to your staff meeting agenda or regular one-on-one meetings with employees. Please pay special attention to the concerns raised and share these with executive managers.

These change management tips can help you communicate with employees:

• Change Management for Managers and Supervisors -- (Conversions) Classification Renewal Placemat; (PDF, 411 KB)
• Change Management Self-Assessment for Managers and Supervisors;(PDF, 415 KB)
• Change Management Tips for Managers and Supervisors;(PDF, 721 KB)
• Tips on Creating Trust - Change Management Resource for Managers and Supervisors;(PDF, 260 KB)
• Tips on Communicating Change - Change Management Resource for Managers and Supervisors.(PDF, 137 KB)

Whom can I send questions to, specific to ESDC?

Please send your question to the Classification generic mailbox nc-nwdb-bdtn-gd@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca.