TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0 A New Direction for
Classification Reform 2
1.1 Introduction 2
2.0 Charting the Destination:
Leading the Way 2
2.1 Vision 2
2.2 Treasury Board Strategy
3
2.3 Approach: An Integrated
Leadership Approach 3
3.0 A Progress Report:
Achievements and Plans 5
3.1 Modernizing the Standards
5
3.1.1 The First Wave of
Standards Reform 6
3.1.2 The Next Wave of
Standards Reform 9
3.1.3 Making Existing
Classification Standards more Useable 11
3.2 Rebuilding System Capacity
11
3.2.1 The People 11
3.2.2 Working Tools 12
4.0 Thinking Ahead: The Future of
Classification 13
5.0 Reflections 13
In May 2002, Treasury Board President Lucienne Robillard
announced a new direction for classification reform as one of the
key building blocks to modernize human resources management in
the Public Service of Canada. The new approach is balanced and
incremental, recognizing that reform in an organization as large
and varied as the public service requires sustained coordinated
effort. Solid progress has already been made and the Treasury
Board Secretariat (TBS) is moving in the right direction to
modernize classification.
Classification reform is a process of continuous improvement.
There are no quick fixes, but over the last year there has been
some real progress as TBS works to build a classification system
that appropriately assesses the value of work, treats women and
men equitably, and helps the public service recruit and retain
the people needed to serve Canadians.
This report outlines TBS's progress and plans to modernize
the job classification system of the public service. It is the
culmination of extensive consultations with human resources
advisors in departments, senior line managers, functional
communities, and bargaining agents.
Over the next three years (2003 - 2006), it is expected
that the classification standards modernization plan will cover
approximately 74% of the population of the public service when it
is fully implemented. Training and working tools will be
developed to support the people that make the classification
system work and a new active monitoring program will be
implemented to ensure the integrity of the overall system
itself.
Classification means more than just a way to organize and
evaluate the work of about 169,000 employees. The
Government's proposed framework for human resources
modernization sets out a new equation for reform that integrates
classification and staffing so that we can get the right people
into the right jobs-faster. Classification is about
getting these jobs right. TBS is committed to providing the
leadership and stewardship required to establish a modern
classification system that will:
- Effectively evaluate work in the public service;
- Simplify the business of classification so it becomes
instrumental in improving how we manage people in the Public
Service of Canada;
- Empower departmental managers across the public service to
design and implement more effective organizations; and,
- Ensure that employees benefit from a classification system
that captures the essence of their work, reflects labour market
realities, treats women and men equitably, and fosters career
development and mobility.
The TBS strategy to modernize job classification is organized
around two objectives: appropriate classification standards and a
well-functioning classification system.
Modernizing standards
Some of the existing classification standards are outdated. We
are working directly with departments and bargaining agents to
build on the work that was done as part of the Universal
Classification Standard (UCS) project and modernize the
occupational group classification standards that are particularly
outdated or impede sound management of our human resources.
Many of the existing classification standards are sound and
will remain in use. We are developing services and tools that
will make these standards more accessible and easier to work
with.
Rebuilding System Capacity
To accomplish classification reform, we must also strengthen
the existing classification system so that our reform initiatives
can take hold. The new program includes a focused plan to
support the people that make classification work by providing
training, working tools, and an active monitoring framework that
ensures the integrity of the overall system itself.
Approach: An Integrated Leadership
Approach
TBS provides leadership and stewardship for the core public
service classification system. Our leadership approach relies on
the support of many champions. Over the last year, we consulted
departmental management, functional communities, and bargaining
agents to encourage a new sense of commitment. We developed a
strong network of partnerships to rebuild our classification
system and modernize this key component of human resources
management in the Public Service of Canada.
Our work so far has provided an approach that will allow us to
undertake new forms of co-operation, while providing meaningful
direction and oversight of the system itself. This means moving
away from traditional and prescriptive rules towards a model of
co-operative development of classification solutions. While we
work closely with departments to ensure that classification meets
their business needs, bargaining agents are also playing a key
role. The Association of Organization and Classification
Professionals, the Human Resource Community Secretariat and other
groups are also engaged in a host of initiatives aimed at
improving the health of the overall classification system and its
various occupational groups. Already, departments are beginning
to think about ways to share resources and stream the work to
lead departments to manage pressing classification requirements.
We are also linking with separate employers to benefit from their
perspectives and approaches and to find ways to share best
practices and apply them across many jurisdictions. TBS will
continue to support initiatives that advance our collective goal
to modernize classification.
Enabling Policy
Policy must enable the leadership approach. A key theme of
the Human Resource Modernization agenda is to improve service to
Canadians by clarifying roles and strengthening the
accountability of the institutions and individuals responsible
for managing the public service. In support of this theme, a new
Classification System and Delegation of Authority Policy
and its guidelines will be issued during the 2003-2004 fiscal
year. The policy will strike the appropriate balance between TBS
leadership and oversight and the needs of departments to meet
their classification accountability. The new approach will:
- Simplify the directive and prescriptive “command and
control” approach of the existing policy by replacing it
with principles that are consistent with modern
comptrollership;
- Delegate greater flexibility to Deputy Heads in managing
classification in their respective departments. The new policy
eliminates restrictions on their delegated authority for the
classification of particular groups and levels and on their
sub-delegation of classification authority to managers; and,
- Reduce the lengthy procedures and reporting requirements that
departments were expected to follow.
To ensure fairness and consistency, and strengthen the
integrity of the classification system, we are introducing a new
active monitoring program. This program will guide the work of
departments, which are accountable for monitoring the
classification decisions issued within their organizations as a
condition of their delegated classification authority. TBS is
responsible to monitor the overall situation across the public
service.
Classification policy must also be integrated with a
compensation policy and serve, within an overall human resources
policy framework, to attract, retain, motivate, and renew the
workforce required to deliver business results to Canadians. TBS
is developing a comprehensive compensation framework, which will
assist in shaping the federal government's approach to
compensation, including the development of collective bargaining
mandates. A discussion paper will be released in the summer of
2003 with the intent of having a policy approved in autumn
2003.
The government remains committed to the principle of equal pay
for work of equal value regardless of gender in accordance with
the Canadian Human Rights Act. TBS will continue to
introduce innovative gender-neutral approaches into our
classification standards design, work description writing, and
job evaluation procedures. The Bilson Pay Equity Task Force,
appointed by the Ministers of Justice and Labour, is
anticipated to report later this year. It will provide further
options and recommendations for possible reform.
Criteria to Set
Priorities
Our operational approach to classification reform begins with sound research and analysis of the business needs of
departments. We appreciate the extensive work done by
departments and bargaining agents to develop business cases for
classification reform. To facilitate this process, we:
- Created a consultative framework through which we invited,
and jointly developed, business cases for classification
reform;
- Developed a set of criteria and diagnostic tools to evaluate
the business cases and set priorities for action;
- Organized the business cases into two groups: those requiring
classification reform, and those requiring alternative human
resource solutions (such as a reorganization of work or the
adjustments of the classification of certain functions);
and,
- Launched a series of reform initiatives that will impact more
than half of the public service employees for whom the TBS is the
employer.
Analysis work began a year ago with three occupational groups
that were identified as possible initial candidates for the first
wave of classification standards reform. Within months, we also
analyzed and made decisions on 16 other requests for
classification review that were received from among the 29
existing occupations groups. Most of these requests have been
incorporated into the existing three-year plan for classification
standards reform. Some will be addressed in collaboration with
human resources leaders outside of the classification reform
program. This latter group includes: the internal audit
community, accident investigators at the Canadian
Transportation Safety Board, translators, and
disability specialists at Human Resources Development
Canada.
Three occupational groups were identified last year as
potential candidates for the first wave of classification
standards reform: Foreign Service(FS), Program
and Administrative Services (PA), and
Economics and Social Science Services (EC)
Groups. Each of these projects is proceeding on a
timetable that reflects departmental needs, our collective
capacity to implement the new standard, and the associated
collective bargaining schedule. In addition, five priorities
were added to the first year of the plan (2003-2004) as a result
of our early analysis: Fishery Officers (GT),
Historical Research (HR), Research
(RE), Computer Systems (CS), and
Financial Management (FI).
Foreign Service (FS)
Group
The Departments of Foreign Affairs/International Trade and
Citizenship and Immigration Canada asked TBS to design a new
classification standard for the FS Group to support departmental
business needs. The new standard is nearing completion and is
being tested by departments. Consultations with the Professional
Association of Foreign Service Officers (PAFSO) are underway to
get its input on the standard.
The new classification standard is based on a proposed
four-level structure and allows for full recognition of the
varying types of work carried out at senior levels of the group.
The standard also allows for a dual track career path for senior
foreign service work. The new standard was designed to meet the
timetable for the upcoming round of collective bargaining. The
current agreement expires on June 30, 2003. Implementation,
however, will depend on whether and when the associated pay
structure can be negotiated. Whenever the bargaining process is
complete, TBS will support the departments to implement the new
classification standard and establish a timetable for conversion
in accordance with the new collective agreement.
Program and Administrative Services
(PA) Group
We made progress in working with several departments that have
large complements of staff in the PA Group. Our analysis
centered on the largest departmental employers of the PA Group
(Human Resources Development Canada, Public Works and Government
Services Canada, Department of National Defence) as well as
Correctional Services Canada. A job level structure is emerging
that could be applied in these departments. We need to continue
our analysis and to consult with the other federal departments
and agencies as well as the Public Service Alliance of Canada
(PSAC) to fully define the issues and desired outcomes and decide
on the best solution. This is necessary because the PA Group
touches every department and function of government and is the
largest single occupational group within the public service.
This work will not be completed in time for the upcoming round of
bargaining in the summer of 2003 but will be targeted for the
next round.
Economics and Social Science
Services (EC) Group
We are at the early stages of developing a new classification
standard for the EC Group, which comprises economists,
statisticians, and social sciences support workers. The pay
rates of this occupational group were harmonized during the last
round of collective bargaining, which provides a basis for the
development of a new classification standard. We expect to
complete the design of the classification standard this fiscal
year and be ready for the implementation at the next round of
collective bargaining.
Fishery Officers (GT) Group
Early in the year, we were approached to assist in resolving a
longstanding classification issue at Fisheries and Oceans Canada
(DFO). The Department requested that TBS consider the
development of a new classification standard for Fishery
Officers. Working in cooperation with the Department and PSAC,
we were able to identify the underlying issues and propose a
solution to address both the Department's needs and the
concerns of the union and employees. There has been progress and
discussions are continuing. Working together has allowed us to
achieve classification-based solutions in a matter of months
instead of the years it would normally take to design a new
classification standard. We continue to work with DFO on
implementation issues.
Historical Research (HR)
Group
There is a strategic business imperative for a classification
solution to support the creation of a new organizational
structure for the planned merger of the National Archives and
National Library. Our work in this area links naturally to, and
will benefit from, the work that is underway to design a new
classification standard for the EC Group. The workforce of the
National Archives comprises more than archivists. Archival
technicians, whose positions are allocated to the EC Group, also
play a key role in the organization. Since a new EC
classification standard is under development, it is essential
that this broader work reflect the job that these technicians do
within the National Archives. It is also essential that the role
of both Historical Researchers and Archival Technicians be
integrated into an effective organization design to support the
organization's business objectives and needs. TBS is
mindful of the fact that Historical Researchers are themselves
members of the broader RE Group and that the integration into a
single structure of Historical Researchers with colleagues from
the National Library will, by necessity, link to the work of
other occupational groups such as Library Science (LS).
Consultations with the Professional Institute of the Public
Service of Canada (PIPSC), the Social Science Employees
Association (SSEA) and the Public Service Alliance of Canada
(PSAC) will be essential. This case is illustrative of the
complexity of classification reform and the need for care in
reaching a solution that supports management's needs,
retains the integrity of the occupational group structure, and
respects bargaining agent affiliations.
Research (RE) Group
We are building on the ongoing work of the scientific
community to address distinct career issues facing these
knowledge workers. TBS, in conjunction with all stakeholders,
including PIPSC, is tracking the evolution of a professional
development framework for various career levels within the
scientific community to see whether the development of a new
classification structure for this group would contribute to this
framework. In parallel, as noted earlier, TBS will carry out an
analysis with the emerging blended National Archives and National
Library organizations to determine what form classification
reform for the historical research community mentioned above, should
take.
Computer Systems (CS)
Group
TBS, PIPSC, and the Chief Information Officer (CIO) functional
community, through the Information Technology (IT) champions
committee, are seeking to address some of the key human resources
needs of the CS Group. A competency-based IT Human Resources
framework, addresses, career planning, the development and
alignment of screening and assessment criteria, and consistency
of work descriptions across the community. .
Recent discussions with members of the IT and information
management (IM) communities with regard to the CS classification
standard and its renewal, as proposed by PIPSC, have taken place
in the broader context of an overall assessment of the
government's service strategy. In the short term, the TBS
classification effort will be channeled to contribute to the work
already done by the IT and IM communities and PIPSC on broader
transformational issues. Specifically, in support of enhanced
career development, an important CS classification issue, we will
work on a concept, developed in our work on the new Foreign
Service Standard, of a dual track career path within the existing
CS classification standard, which would recognize management and
functional expert streams.
Further, TBS will work with the IT Champions Committee and
with PIPSC to seek ways of aligning the CS classification
standard and the competency profiles developed within the IT
Human Resources Framework. The result of this work will provide
useful insights on ways to link competency profiles to existing
work descriptions and streamline the process of organizational
development. In addition, TBS will carry out an assessment of
the application of the current CS classification standard across
departments this year as an early part of our new monitoring
program. The results of this work will give us a good sense of
the need for a new CS classification standard.
Financial Management (FI) Group
TBS has worked with the Public Service Commission and
departments as well as the Association of Public Service
Financial Administrators to resolve classification-related issues
of interest to the financial management community. Departments
have responded to a survey regarding the group allocation of
positions and employees working in financial management. The
occupational group definition has been reviewed and confirmed and
the selection standard for the FI Group is being revised. TBS
will continue to actively monitor the allocation of positions
working in financial management.
Radio Operators (RO) Group
DFO and the bargaining agent have identified a need to review
the existing classification standard for the RO Group, with a
view to determining whether a reform initiative is required. As
a first step, TBS has agreed to carry out a diagnostic process
this fiscal year to identify the classification related issues
and possible solutions.
3.1.2 The Next Wave of Standards
Reform
The workload identified in the first wave of standards reform
is challenging and will require the combined resources and energy
of all stakeholders to succeed. Some of this work will be
completed this fiscal year. Much of it, however, will continue
throughout the first three-year planning period and in some
cases, such as the PA Group, will extend beyond this three-year
plan. To respect the interests of all stakeholders, TBS will
have to be prudent in selecting additional classification work
for the remaining two years of the planning period.
The standards modernization initiatives underway from the last
year or launched during this fiscal year will directly impact
more than 57% of the population of the public service when it is
fully implemented. In some cases, full implementation will
extend beyond the full three-year plan. This work is
complemented by the initiatives underway to rebuild system
capacity and support the remaining occupational groups that will
continue to use existing classification standards.
Public Service 1.1 population as of Mar 31,
2003 : 168,864
In response to the many suggestions we received for reform
this year, consultation and diagnostic work was started and will
continue with several departments, agencies, functional
communities, and bargaining agents to assess the feasibility of
further potential cases for reform. As noted previously, our
analysis may lead to the identification of other classification
or human resources solutions that do involve the more intensive
classification reform effort. Our caseload over the coming three
years will be guided by the linkages between existing and planned
reform projects and emerging priorities. The three-year timetable
for classification standards reform also reflects departmental
priorities, our collective capacity to implement the new
standard, and the associated bargaining schedule.
In the last two years of our three-year plan, classification
reform includes, but will not necessarily be limited to, an
assessment of several other occupational groups and functional
communities: Applied Science and Engineering (AP),
Firefighting (FR), Ship Repair
(SR-East, SR-West, and Chargehands), and
Commerce (CO). As with all our work, these
assessments will be carried out in co-operation with departments,
functional communities, and bargaining agents. It is important
to note that this list may change in response to emerging
priorities and opportunities. The standards reform work
identified for the last two years of our three-year plan, coupled
with the work launched in the first year, will expand the
coverage to about 74% of the population of the public service
when full implementation is complete. We will continue to
complement this work with further initiatives to strengthen
system capacity and support the remaining occupational groups
that will continue to use existing classification standards.
Public Service 1.1 population as of Mar 31,
2003 : 168,864
For the foreseeable future, the foundation of the
classification structure of the public service will be a mix of
new and existing standards. While we design and implement new
standards, we must not lose sight of the fact that much of the
ongoing daily classification business in departments and agencies
will centre on the use of existing standards. TBS is taking
steps to make these standards more accessible and easier to
use.
Many existing classification standards are no longer available
in print. We are digitizing these standards and will make them
available in a variety of formats this fiscal year. The ten most
used classification standards, covering 68% of the public
service, are available on the TBS classification web site. The
remainder will be added over the summer. In addition, we will
update existing standards where necessary and provide guidance on
their application.
Many of the 72 current classification standards are being
mapped against the UCS-based work descriptions to ensure public
service-wide consistency of interpretation and application. So
far, 24 work description maps representing approximately 75% of
public service positions have been prepared. The benefit of
maintaining UCS-style work descriptions is that they have been
designed to capture all aspects of work and to describe work
characteristics in a manner that minimizes gender bias.
Much of our consultation and research work over the last year
confirmed the need for a focused plan to strengthen the integrity
of the existing classification system. We conducted a survey of
the classification capacity and practices across the public
service. A survey report was released to departments on May 9,
2003, which provides many useful perspectives. Based on those
findings, we introduced a strategy to provide the people working
in classification with the training and tools they need to
implement classification reform. TBS recognizes that many
departments have taken steps to begin to improve capacity since
the survey work was done but there remains much more to do.
The business of classification is changing. We are working to
support departments to better equip classification practitioners
to contribute to the evolving requirements of the public service
human resources management system.
Initiatives are currently underway to address the training and
development needs of classification professionals. To meet the
immediate need, we will continue to deliver and update existing
training programs over the next nine months and will be
delivering new training curricula, in phases, over the next two
years. This will ensure that classification specialists have the
competencies to better respond to the needs of line managers.
Given anticipated retirements to 2007, departments have taken
measures to meet current and future service demands by recruiting
and training 170 new classification consultants. We will continue
to update the curriculum and expand our training programs to
include courses for line managers and human resource
executives.
To help rebuild the classification community and provide more
informal opportunities for learning and training, TBS will
sponsor the first ever annual classification symposium in June
2003. Follow-up events will be planned in regions across Canada
over the next few years.
Monitoring Framework
TBS worked in collaboration with several departments to
develop a classification monitoring program. This program
respects the principles of active monitoring under which
departments are expected to assess the state of their
classification practices. TBS is expected to monitor the overall
situation across the public service. To build a solid foundation
for implementation, the Secretary of TBS has informed departments
of the key elements of the framework and encouraged them to make
capacity building in this area a priority.
The program will be implemented during the 2003-2004 fiscal
year on two levels. At the departmental level, we will assist
classification managers to build their own active monitoring
program or to align their current program with the active
monitoring approach. At the corporate level, TBS will test and
refine its methodology by monitoring two occupational groups
across several departments: Computer Systems (CS)
and Financial Management (FI). TBS will also work with a particular department, Natural Resources Canada, to test the department-wide application of its monitoring methodology, and will report on results.
On-Line Tools
The Government On-Line initiative has made a commitment to
provide electronic access to information and services of
importance to Canadians. To improve access to classification
standards information and assist departments in the consistent
application of the existing classification standards, we are
putting classification standards on-line. We will update these
classification standards and add web-based support tools in
accordance with departmental needs. For example, we worked with
departments and internal partners to give departments access to
data they need to make informed classification decisions and
ensure consistency and relativity across the Public Service.
Soon, departments will have restricted access to selected fields
of data contained in the Position Classification Information
System (PCIS). We are also working on the development of other
tools to assist departments to analyse this classification data
and generate reports that will provide information in a
consistent way across departments.
Thinking
Ahead: The Future of Classification
Classification reform is a challenging program that has begun
and will continue to deliver a set of concrete accomplishments as
well as a process for continuous improvements in the way we
structure work and manage our workforce. Over the next three
years, we will meet the challenge to simplify and modernize the
job classification system of the core public service with a
series of initiatives that will proceed on a paced schedule that
balances the timetable for classification standards reform with
the need to strengthen the integrity of the classification system
and support the people who make it work.
Our commitment must go beyond delivering our current plan.
Anticipating and shaping the future is part of effective
leadership. We will not get lost in the moment, instead we will
pursue new possibilities to fundamentally reshape classification
and contribute to the enhancement and modernization of human
resource management. TBS will analyze emerging trends, learnfrom
classification approaches that have worked in other organizations
and countries and find ways to apply this experience to the
Public Service of Canada. One of these trends is the increasing
use of competency profiles as a complement to existing work
descriptions as the basis for building organizations. Over the
coming years, in concert with all stakeholders, we will
investigate ways to develop a flexible, blended approach
incorporating the strategic use of competency profiles, generic
work descriptions, and the establishment of qualification
standards.
This TBS annual classification update began with a vision for
classification as a key determinant in the equation to get the
right people into the right jobs faster. The expanding use and
acceptance of generic job descriptions, a positive legacy of the
UCS work, provides an essential building block in the realization
of this vision. But alone, it is not enough. Intelligent and
pervasive delegation to line managers across the public service
offers the best hope for quicker classification decisions about
an employee's job and level. This can only be achieved
through a complementary mix of pre-approved generic job
descriptions, training to prepare managers to deal with this
accountability, and an effective two-tier monitoring program to
ensure the integrity of the system. Moreover, we rely on
professional classification specialists who can assist managers
with value-added advice on organization design and expected
relativity impacts within their organizations, and beyond. TBS
recognizes that this state will not be accomplished in the near
future but we have charted the path and we will lead the way
toward achieving this vision.
TBS is committed to modernizing classification in the public
service. This must be done in a way that helps us attract and
retain the talent we need to serve Canadians and treats women and
men equitably.
It is evident that we made a substantial investment of time
and energy in pursuit of a “universal” approach to
classification that proved unworkable. We regret that this much
anticipated outcome did not fully achieve the result intended.
Much of the work done to prepare for UCS has proven to be a
worthwhile investment. But, much remains to be done. Under TBS
leadership, new approaches to classification services need to be
explored. Since the Treasury Board President's
announcement on May 8, 2002 of a group-by-group approach to
classification reform, all stakeholders, working together, have
made solid progress. We are trying hard not to repeat the
missteps of the past as we collectively manage a complex and
challenging change management agenda. With the goodwill and
energy of all, we will succeed.
