Excellence - Questions and Answers

For each of the behaviours linked to the value of excellence, you will find a question and answer on this page to guide you in your behaviours.

Expected behaviour: i) Providing fair, timely, efficient and effective services that respect Canada's official languages.

  • Do I have to work in both official languages?

    If you work in a point of service that is designated as bilingual and part of your work includes providing services to the public, you are to provide services and communications to the member of the public in his or her preferred official language, whether online, by telephone, by mail or in person.

    The Official Languages Act and ESDC's Directive on Official Languages Obligations in Unilingual Service Canada Offices are good starting points to understand the use of official languages in the Department.

Expected behaviour: ii) Continually improving the quality of policies, programs and services employees provide.

  • Who should I consult if I have a good idea for policy, program or service improvements?

    You should engage your direct supervisor in a discussion to help you in determining the feasibility of your idea. If the idea is deemed feasible, your direct supervisor can support it up to the proper channels.

    By suggesting ideas, you contribute to Canadians' social and economic well-being. In fact, the public expects that you manage your work to achieve the best possible results. Your decisions as an employee must always be in the public interest and based on sound reasoning and the needs of the Department's clients.

    Initiatives such as Expose and Explain encourage federal employees to voice their ideas and suggestions on ways to improve upon the services and policies delivered to public servants and to the Canadian population.

Expected behaviour: iii) Fostering a work environment that promotes teamwork, learning and innovation.

What practices can be used in my work environment to create teamwork, learning and innovation opportunities?

Communicating information, expectations and goals is an essential ingredient to promoting teamwork, learning and innovation within a team. Supervisors are expected to be open to new ideas and encourage continuous learning in the workplace.

Stand-up meetings, regular face-to-face meetings, informal dialogue, brainstorming sessions, an open door policy, recognition, briefings from higher management (top-down) are also excellent ways to promote teamwork, learning and innovation.

To foster teamwork and provide learning and innovation opportunities, employees should also be encouraged to take part in projects and initiatives such as the ESDC Mentoring Program, or join communities of practice such as Youth Mandate for Greater Involvement (YMAGIN), the Administrative Professionals Network (APN) and the ESDC Managers' Community.