HR info RH Bulletin

Pay Bulletin from ESDC’s Compensation Services Directorate

This bulletin will provide you with information on compensation and benefits and the resources available to you regarding the Phoenix pay system, including important information and tips to avoid pay issues.

Pension contribution rates effective January 1, 2021 for the public service pension plan

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat has posted the revised pension contribution rates that came into effect as of January 1, 2021, and are expected to appear on the first pay in January. The rate change applies to members of the public service pension plan.

Take a moment to review the changes on the pension contribution rates web page.

Decommission of Track myCASE tool

As of January 1, 2021, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) has decommissioned the Track myCASE tool. The Track myCASE tool is being replaced by the new MyGCPay application, which provides new and improved functions.

In the fall of 2019, PSPC launched MyGCPay, which gives employees a centralized view of their pay and benefits information. MyGCPay also provides a summary of case information to all employees served by the Pay Centre, as well as enquiry information to all employees who are paid via the Phoenix Pay System. It helps employees gain better insight into the information they may need to identify potential errors before they become more complex pay issues, and allows them to monitor their open cases.

We encourage you to use the new MyGCPay application to view summaries of your enquiries as well as case information. At this time, 78% of employees already use MyGCPay as their primary source for pay and benefits information. Should you have any questions, please contact the Client Contact Centre (CCC) at 1-855-686-4729.

Changes to your net pay in 2021

At the beginning of each calendar year, the maximum contribution levels and premium rates are adjusted for Canada Pension (CPP), Quebec Pension Plan (QPP) and Employment Insurance (EI).

By the end of every calendar year, many employees have reached the maximum contribution amounts and deductions are no longer withheld. When this happens, you will notice a higher biweekly net pay.

Starting in January, these mandatory source deductions begin again. Because of this, you may see a lower net pay beginning in January of 2021, in comparison to the end of 2020. The new maximum contribution rates are:

Canada Pension Plan

• The maximum pensionable earnings for 2021 will be $61,600.
• The maximum employer and employee contribution to the plan for 2021 will be $3,166.45.

Employment Insurance

• The maximum insurable earnings for 2021 has been set to $56,300.
• The maximum annual employment insurance contribution for employees will be $889.54.
• The maximum annual employment insurance contribution for employees working in Quebec will be $664.34.

Quebec Pension Plan

• The maximum pensionable earnings for 2021 will be $61,600.
• The maximum employee contribution to the plan for 2021 will be $3,137.45.

Important changes to the Maternity and Parental provisions for the groups EB, PA, SV, and TC

Employees are encouraged to refer to the Questions and Answers document or visit the Changes to Maternity and Parental Provisions for Public Service Alliance of Canada groups (EB, PA, SV, TC) page for supporting details relating to these changes.

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Your 2021 Employee Assistance Program Calendar

The start of every new year brings a new calendar! Since many employees are working remotely, Health Canada’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) has converted the 2021 EAP calendar from a paper document to a PDF file. Take a moment, and discover the many advantages of the 2021 interactive calendar (PDF, 1.1 MB).

The calendar’s layout remains the same, including colour codes for national statutory holidays, paydays and some awareness campaigns, such as Mental Health Week, Healthy Workplace Month and World Suicide Prevention Day. It also includes information about the EAP, and other resources and services provided by Health Canada Employee Assistance Services.

Additionally, the PDF calendar:

• supports the federal government’s green workplace initiatives;
• can easily be distributed and shared with your immediate family members;
• can easily be viewed on a computer or laptop monitor;
• offers the possibility of adding notes, appointments or reminders for every day of the year.

You and your family members can contact EAP counsellors 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 1 800 268 7708 (telephone service for the hearing impaired [telecommunications device for the hearing impaired – TTY]: 1 800 567 5803).

Should you have any questions or need more information, please email the department’s EAP generic inbox.

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Alignment of Departmental Practices: Overtime

The Human Resources Services Branch (HRSB) has recently reviewed departmental practices as it pertains to overtime to ensure their consistent application nationally.

In the interest of ensuring that departmental practices align to the collective agreement, the following three Labour Relations Updates have been developed to guide managers:

1. Reimbursement of transportation costs when overtime is planned in advance or on short notice;
2. Rest periods during overtime; and,
3. Overtime meal allowance payment.

Thank you for taking the necessary steps and sharing this information with your managers to support the implementation of these new departmental practices related to overtime as of January 18, 2021.

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January: Time to take stock!

In order to start the New Year off on the right foot, it can be useful, even powerful, to take stock of the year that has just ended.

This introspection exercise allows us to recognize the progress we have made and to revisit successes and failures, lessons learned, important events and their impact in our lives.

"It's important to move forward with your eyes open, aware of what you're doing. Because the daily constraints force us to be outside ourselves, introspection brings us back to ourselves, to the head office, to the control tower, to ensure that everyday life is consistent with our values, our aspirations, and our personality," says Lucie Mandeville, retired psychologist and author of “Le bonheur extraordinaire des gens ordinaires”.

In short, it allows us to take the pulse of the current state of affairs, and mark the starting point for the next year.

How to take stock?

Whether you are looking at your personal or professional life, there are many resources to help guide you:

• Self-assessment activity
• Triage tool
• Financial tools and calculators

On January 27, we invite you to take a moment for you and join Employment and Social Development Canada’ (ESDC) inspiring workshop called Building Resilience, in Transition to 2021, with speaker Ian Renaud to reflect on the past year and to initiate your conscious transition into this new one. This workshop will teach you how to learn from 2020 in a way that you can grow from it; how to set up 2021 so you don’t have second thoughts on your objectives; and how to apply this process on any future.

With that lens, be sure to also take part in the Government of Canada Bell Let’s Talk Day event on January 28, featuring senior public service leaders and a Bell Let’s Talk Ambassador.

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Government of Canada Bell Let's Talk Day 2021

When it comes to mental health in federal workplaces, whether you are working from home or on site, every action counts—big or small. This is especially true in the context of COVID-19. On this Bell Let's Talk Day, join the Centre of Expertise on Mental Health in the Workplace, the Canada School of Public Service, the Federal Youth Network and your colleagues across Canada for a national conversation on mental health, diversity and inclusion. Register now for the Government of Canada Bell Let’s Talk Day event on January 28.

Register now for the Government of Canada Bell Let’s Talk Day event on January 28.

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New Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Policy

Bill C-65, an Act to amend the Canada Labour Code and protect employees from harassment and violence in federal workplaces, came into force on January 1, 2021.

The intent of the Bill is to protect employees against all forms of harassment and violence by improving protection, prevention and support.

To support the Bill, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) has developed a workplace harassment and violence prevention policy (PDF, 1.6 MB). The policy aims to cultivate a culture of respect for all in the workplace and to foster an environment that is free of harassment and violence, and fear of reprisal.

As part of the roll out of this new policy, starting in January, ESDC employees will be required to take part in mandatory training. The training will provide an overview of the new legislation and teach individuals to recognize, prevent and resolve occurrences of harassment and violence in the workplace.

More details concerning training and the new resolution process will be shared in early 2021.

We all play a critical role in preventing and resolving harassment. The first step is to reach out for help. If you find yourself in a situation of harassment, whether you are a target or a witness, an employee or a manager, you are encouraged to contact the Harassment and Violence Centre of Expertise for guidance, information and support.

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Mental Health Resources: LifeSpeak

During this unprecedented time, it’s so important for us to take time to support one another in our mental health paths. It is up to all of us to encourage open and honest discussions in our virtual workplace about mental illness and mental health – and help remove the stigma. Tools and resources are available, and this week’s spotlight is on LifeSpeak.

LifeSpeak is a health and wellness platform that includes videos, podcasts, action plans and "Ask the Expert" sessions. Watch leading experts on the issues that matter to you – from depression and nutrition to financial health and parenting – completely anonymously, anywhere, anytime.

Take care of your mental health with LifeSpeak. You will learn from leading mental health experts and discover strategies on how to manage your own mental health and talk to your loved ones about theirs. You can watch interact with world-class experts in real time.

• Whether you are using a computer, a tablet or a smartphone, simply log on to the following address: canada.lifespeak.com, Client Password: canada
• When accessing LifeSpeak through the app:
  • Client Name: canada
  • Client Password: canada
  • LifeSpeak App, available in the App Store and on Google Play.

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Videoconferencing? Use an Official Languages promotional background!

From Rui Costa, National Official Languages Champion at ESDC:

Telework has become prominent during this pandemic, and videoconferencing is an effective means of communication; they help us keep in touch with our colleagues and therefore contributes to reducing the feeling of seclusion.

During a videoconference however, it can be difficult to express our official languages willingness and engagement during a videoconference. To encourage the department-wide continuity in meeting our obligations regarding official languages, we are pleased to offer you a good practice that connects videoconferencing and official languages.

With the collaboration of Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, ESDC developed backgrounds that promote the use of the official languages. This new tool allows participants to clearly display their commitment to use both official languages during videoconferences. You will thus be able to inform other participants easily that you wish to practise your second language or that they are free to speak in the official language of their choice.

Backgrounds are available for download on the Teams platform from the Official Language IntraWeb page in iService, under ‘Work Tools’ in the ‘Tools and Resources’ tab. This is also where you can find instructions to download and use these backgrounds.

Please, do not hesitate to use this best practice! Show your willingness to use both official languages. This will help ensure that the rights and needs of our colleagues are respected and that ESDC meets its obligations under the Official Languages Act.

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