HR info RH Bulletin
CA-266-21-04
Setting up Performance Agreements for 2021-2022: It is time to meet with your employees!
April marks the launch of the 2021-2022 performance management cycle for non-executive employees at Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).
The time you will invest in meeting with your employees at the beginning of the year to discuss performance expectations will prove to be a valuable contribution towards success, for you and your employees.
June 30, 2021 is ESDC's target date for managers to complete their beginning of year conversations with their employees and to enter 2021-2022 Performance Agreements (PAs) in the Public Service Performance Management Application (PSPM App).
When having a beginning of year conversation with your employees, please ensure to:
- Review existing and/or establish new SMART work objectives with indicators linked back to your branch or regional business plan and departmental priorities.
- Determine what work tools, support or training your employees may require to succeed with their 2021-2022 work objectives.
- Discuss how the core competencies relate to the achievement of the employee's work.
- Agree on the frequency of formal and informal meetings and the feedback methods to be used throughout the year.
Important Reminders:
- A special work objective (DOCX, 343 KB) can be used to recognize and support employees who are active contributors, and playing a leadership role, in various diversity and inclusion networks or committees. Managers are encouraged to discuss with their employees whether this optional work objective would be a meaningful addition to reflect the employee's contribution towards advancing diversity commitments.
- ESDC Essential (formerly Mandatory) Training must be included in all employees' Learning and Development Plans once released in late April. Managers are responsible for ensuring that all new/departing employees update their Saba profile (DOCX, 368 KB) to improve Quarterly Essential Training Reports for ADMs.
Did you know…
Your branch or region has a PSPM App Administrator with special granted access to the PSPM App? The Administrator can:
- Release employees from a manager's "My Employee List" to enable the PSPM App to reflect a change in reporting, when the responsible manager/supervisor is unable to do so.
- Close an employee's PA administratively either at the beginning, mid-year or year-end, when an employee refuses to sign the performance agreement or is unable to do so (i.e., is on leave without pay, or retired).
Are you looking for resources?
- There are various resources on iService's performance management Beginning of Year and Reference Tools pages available for you and your employees.
- Have a look at ESDC's "2021-2022 Beginning of Year – Performance Management Checklist (DOCX, 386 KB)" which lists all actions to undertake at the beginning of year, from both a manager's and employee's perspective.
Do you have questions?
Members of the Performance and Talent Management Branch and Regional Coordinators Network are your contacts for branch or region specific questions.
For additional information on the Performance Management Program and associated year-end requirements, please contact the Non-Executive Employees Performance Management team.
Let us continue to engage our employees through respectful, honest, and constructive feedback, informal and formal recognition, and performance support to demonstrate to them that everyone's contribution matters.
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.
Phoenix Damages: "Who to contact" visual aid
The Phoenix Damages: "Who to contact" (PDF, 115 KB) visual aid provides contact information to employees, and provides additional resources pertaining to General compensation for damages related to Phoenix.
Set-offs for Canada Student Loans
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has lifted the suspension of set-offs for Canada Student Loans. Learn more about changes to Canada Student Loans to help students struggling financially because of COVID-19.
Student hiring
The hiring season for students is about to begin and to process your HR and staffing requests in a timely manner all ready for pay documentation (including the signed letter of offer and any supporting pay forms) must be submitted to the Human Resources Service Centre at least 15 business days in advance of the employee's start date. This will ensure that HR and the Pay Centre receive the required documents on time and will help prevent pay issues.
For more information regarding HR Action Timelines, please consult the Staffing Timeliness Infographic.
Association of Canadian Financial Officers (ACFO) – Change to Membership Dues
Effective April 1, 2021, membership dues have increased for all members of the Financial Management (FI) group as follows:
- Current rate: $62.00
- New rate: $62.42
Employee enquiries regarding this membership dues change are to be directed to the Association of Canadian Financial Officers, info@acfo-acaf.com.
Vacation – An important mental health measure
The moratorium on the automatic cash-out of vacation and compensatory leave has been extended through March 31, 2022.
This last year certainly has been challenging in different ways, from both a professional and a personal perspective. Taking time away from work is important and can have a positive impact on our mental health. It is important that managers engage with their employees on the importance of taking vacation leave where and when possible.
As such, we ask that managers continue to discuss vacation leave plans with their employees to ensure this leave is schedule as operational requirements permit. It is important to remember that employees should take all their vacation leave in the year it is earned, in accordance with relevant collective agreement provisions.
HRSB is Making Staffing Simpler
The Human Resources Services Branch (HRSB) has been hard at work putting in place concrete solutions to make staffing simpler and reduce the efforts and time associated with staffing. Guided by insights and feedback from hiring managers and HR Advisors, here are some of the changes we have made over the past year that will help you hire the right people, at the right time, to meet your business objectives.
- The new Staffing main page is now live and allows you to access all the information you need from one location. We heard you. Check it out!
- The Manager's Guides on staffing actions have been simplified to consolidate and streamline information. We also reduced the documents required when submitting a staffing action. For example:
- It is no longer required to submit Second Language Evaluation (SLE) results, résumés and student eligibility documents among others.
- Approvals, rather than signatures, are now possible for many documents, including assessment tools and the articulation of selection decision.
- E-signatures and electronic approvals have been implemented.
- The Validation of Security process has been simplified through a collaboration with the Integrity Services Branch (ISB). The new process allows for a broader application of the security information already on the employee's file. The FAQs page for security screening in the staffing process has also been reviewed.
- Using the feedback received from hiring managers during our consultations on time to staff, new tools are now available to complete the Articulation of Selection Decision (DOCX, 34 KB) and the Assessment of Merit Criteria (DOCX, 41 KB). These tools allow for a quicker and easier way to document staffing decisions.
- The ESDC Staffing Policy and Guidance Framework has also been reviewed to ensure it meets the evolving needs of our staffing program. For example, the updated Guidance on Staffing clarifies that advertised and non-advertised appointments are both valid staffing options. There is no preference for one type of appointment process over the other and decisions regarding the choice of appointment process must be based on current and future business and workforce needs.
We continue to explore strategic and innovative ways to make staffing simpler and streamline high volume actions. To this end, other tools are under development such as a Recruitment Options webpage, a Selection Board Member's webpage, an Appointment Process Roadmap and a review of the parameters for Workforce Management Committees (WMC). Stay tuned!
Feel free to contact us to provide feedback on any of the staffing tools available.
Health and Safety Info for Managers
Are you managing employees that are working remotely or in the office? Are you managing employees who are serving Canadians? Be sure to reference the Toolkit for Managers and the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Hub page on iService.