Assignment

An assignment is the temporary move of an employee within their department or organization to perform the functions of a position or to take on a special project.

  • Why consider this staffing action
    • To help the organization meet short-term operational needs:
      • to fill temporary vacancies (e.g., maternity leave, replacing employees on other assignments or secondments);
      • to work on special projects;
      • to meet temporary increases in workload, etc.
    • To easily recruit employees with specialized skills who may require minimum training;
    • To support the development of staff at their current level, improving their prospects for career progression within the organization;
    • To enhance an organization's capacity through knowledge transfer.
  • What you need to know
    • Employment and Schedule
      • Assignments are initiated by the host manager and are documented through a written agreement between the host and home managers and the employee.
      • The employee retains their substantive position; their tenure and salary remain unchanged.
        • When on assignment to a different but equivalent classification group (i.e., CR-05 assigned to a PM-01) and that the maximum salary of the classification group for the assignment is greater than that of their substantive position, the employee may be entitled to pay, known as “acting pay” (this is not an acting appointment under the Public Service Employment Act). If this is the case, HR will prepare an acting pay letter for signature instead of a contract.
      • For information on work schedules, consult the Guidance Document on Work Schedules for Employment Offers.
      • If an assignment ends before the anticipated date, submit a Pay Related Action form in the HRSC Portal. Select the Category: Departure and Sub-Category: Early end of Acting Appointment, Acting Pay, Assignment etc.
    • Language Requirements
      • Although there is no obligation to meet linguistic requirements, managers must ensure that employees possess the necessary competencies for the work to be performed (i.e., services offered to the public, functions are in both official languages or a supervisory position in a bilingual region).
      • An employee with valid Second Language Evaluation (SLE) results not currently in receipt of the bilingualism bonus performing bilingual functions while on assignment is entitled to receive the bonus. If this is the case, indicate this in the "additional comments" section of the request.
    • Security
      • Employees must have a valid security clearance that meets the security level required for the position being staffed.
      • For employees moving into a position requiring a security clearance at a higher level than the level they currently possess, submit security requests to the appropriate Regional Security Office (RSO) as early as possible to avoid delays in the processing of your staffing action.
      • Refer to the Validation of Security for Staffing Requests Chart to know the security confirmation process for your staffing action.
    • Vaccination Requirement
    • Acting Appointment
      • Should it be decided to provide an acting opportunity, submit the applicable acting appointment request through the HRSC Portal.
        • Acting and Assignment of the Same Duration: only submit the applicable acting request.
        • Acting and Assignment are of a Different Duration: submit an assignment and an acting request separately.
    • Union Dues

      The group and level of the assigned functions may have an impact on the membership dues deducted from the employee's pay.

    • Travel Status

      If the assignment is in another city or region outside the employee's workplace, the employee could be deemed in "travel status" under the National Joint Council Travel Directive. Submit any travel-related questions through the Gateway for Travel Support.

    • Relocation
      • Reimbursement of relocation expenses may apply; managers must contact the National Relocation Office* before initiating a discussion with the employee/candidate and/or submitting a request to the HRSC Portal, whichever comes first, when:
        • the duration of the assignment is more than one year (366 days or more) and;
        • the work location of the position you want to staff differs from the one previously occupied by the employee.
      • *with the exception of the movement of an employee from a position in the National Capital Region (NCR) to another position in the NCR.
    • Additional Information

      For more information: Secondments and assignments (TBS)

  • Required Documents

    Assignment (Initial and Extension)

    An employee from the same department comes to work on your team. You will be the host manager.

  • Submitting a request
    • Step 1: Obtain the following
      • Consult the Terms of Reference of your branch/regional Workforce Management Committee (WMC) to determine if WMC approval is required.
    • Step 2: Complete the request form
    • Step 3: Submit your request form
      • The host manager with financial signing authority, for the identified cost centre, under the Financial Administration Act (FAA) assumes full responsibility for the request.
    • Step 4: Contract and signatures
      • After HR review, a contract will be issued through the HRSC Portal request for signatures. Read the agreement carefully and return it once signed by all parties as per the provided instructions.
        • If any amendments are required, please advise HR. Do not make handwritten amendments or use a PDF editor.
HRSC Assignment (opens in a new window)