Managing Collaborative Arrangements: A Guide for Regional Managers

F. Arranging for non-financial contributions

Accommodation and equipment

Finding space and necessary equipment for a horizontal project can pose particular challenges. It is important to structure horizontal projects to take account of existing departmental realities, with regard to equipment and space. Try to find solutions that incorporate existing conditions and systems (what computer systems people have, for example) instead of looking at introducing a whole new approach.

Existing technology and equipment in a particular department often determines the level at which a new partnership operates. This can certainly cause tension within the group, unless all agree that it is necessary to work within the context they are given.

Human resources

On occasion, cooperation arrangements will require the creation, within the federal government, of positions that are needed specifically to perform functions related to the activities of a partnership initiative or project. Essentially, the same rules and policies that apply to normal departmental human resources actions will apply to these special situations, although the need to coordinate with other departments may bring some added complexity.

In selecting staff for a collaborative initiative, managers will have the same range of options available and decisions to make as they do for their regular responsibilities. But the collaborative project's accountability arrangements and the length of the project will be important factors in choosing the best course of action.

Specifically, managers must be cautious in creating ongoing resource commitments for projects of limited duration. Regardless of the length of the project, it will be important to determine clearly in advance who will have supervisory responsibility for the individuals employed through the project, and what will happen to employees when the project is completed.

Below is a brief discussion of the various staffing elements that should be considered in developing the project plan.

Tenure of positions

Managers will want to weigh the pros and cons of a variety of staffing strategies. Possibilities include executive interchanges, assignments, secondments, developmental assignments, targeted opportunities for employment equity candidates or Aboriginal people, term positions or casual contracts, as well as indeterminate positions. A combination of strategies could be used depending on the number of staff you need. Your choice will be guided by the specific factors of the project. Your staffing advisor will be able to decide on the best approach.

Classification

For horizontal federal projects, it may be that departments can “lend” positions to the project, i.e., the position and the classification level attached to the position. For new openings, it will be necessary to write a new job description and have it classified.

There is a common misconception that a department cannot classify a job that does not already exist in some form in its organization. For example, if a department does not traditionally have PM positions, they can't create a PM job. This is not the case. A department can create any position as long as the description of work justifies it. Again, your Human Resources personnel should be able to advise you on developing the job description and arranging the classification. The length of time this takes will vary depending on resources and expertise available in the department or region.

Your staffing strategy may also affect decisions about group and level. If you are considering staffing through deployments and assignments and there is a reasonable expectation that individuals will return to their home department after the project, it may be easier and more efficient to stick to the types of job classification already in existence. Under the current classification regime, it is easier for employees to “travel” between some job groups than others.

Supervision and record-keeping

Assignment to horizontal projects can offer indeterminate employees good opportunities for development and growth. Unfortunately, they can also inadvertently result in “loss of profile” within their own department, especially if their experience and development isn't properly tracked during the assignment. Partnership arrangements should clearly delineate ongoing supervisory responsibility for staff, including record keeping for such things as annual performance reviews. Arrangements should also cover training and development for employees, as well as an agreement on how staff adjustments will be made, including during the wrap-up of the project.

Coverage of benefits and other "hidden" personnel costs

Do not forget that salaries are only one part of the cost of personnel. Employee benefits and special items that may be available such as northern cost of living, or performance pay, should also form part of the budget plan. Partners should discuss whether costs for training and development are appropriate in the circumstances; whether there may be a need to cover relocation expenses, and so on.

In tallying each partner's contribution, be sure to consider below-the-line costs for each contributor that may include the time and expertise of staffing officers and pay administrators or the cost of “back-filling” a position for a period of time if a department is supporting the assignment of one of its employees.

When hiring new staff, it is first necessary to determine which department will house the staff, if new employees are being hired or seconded to work on the particular project. Legislation is written in such a way that departments are the ones who must hire staff for horizontal projects, which requires that there be a lead department willing to take on responsibility for staffing the project.

The hiring process itself can pose particular challenges. Depending on which types of groups are involved in the horizontal project, certain elements of hiring must be agreed upon by the partners:

• In-house staffing or outsourcing
• Classification
• Terms of employment (including duration)
• Payment of employee benefits plan (for federal employees)
• Skills and training required
• Incentives for participation in horizontal work

Options for staffing collaborative arrangements¹⁷

In most cases, collaborative arrangements do not involve any special staffing action. However, on occasions, there may be a need to establish a secretariat or coordination group for the duration of the collaborative initiative (as was the case for the Strength in Diversity Program in the Atlantic Region). In these situations the following peripheral, or alternative, resourcing options may better address the needs of managers of collaborative arrangements:

• For non-employees:

  • Casual employment
  • Part-time work under the Exclusion Approval Order
  • The use of temporary help agencies

• For employees under the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA):

  • Deployment
  • Assignment and secondment
  • Seasonal employment

Casual employment

Casual employees are not the same as term employees. Casuals do not have employee status under the PSEA. They can be hired for a continuous period of not more than 90 calendar days, and for a total of no more than 125 working days a year.

Pros—Speed and flexibility

This is a fast and easy way to hire someone, one that allows them to respond to workload increases and emergencies with less red tape than traditional resourcing methods entail. Casuals are therefore often used as fast hires and quick operational fixes. Engaging casual employees allows getting around many of the traditional classification, staffing and security procedures.

Managers can also use casual employment arrangements to obtain specialized skills that they may need for only a short period of time. This option is particularly useful in areas where staff, such as research professionals, is expensive.

Cons—Unequal status, high investment cost

On the down side, however, there is a growing concern about inequality. When different classes of employees, with different rights and benefits, work side by side, there can be a negative impact on employee morale.

There is also the problem of not being able to keep a good employee beyond the 125-day limit. Another consideration is the investment that has been made in training the individual.

Part-time work

Part-time workers in the Public Service fall into two categories: those employed under the PSEA, who work one-third of the regular work week or more, and those regulated under the Exclusion Approval Order, who work less than a third of the normal number of hours of work. Employees hired under the PSEA have all the benefits of public service employment, including such things as sick leave and the right to participate in the superannuation plan. People engaged under the Exclusion Approval Order are not employees.

Pros—Flexibility

Speed, efficiency, getting the work done, fresh blood, and the ability to bring back expertise are some of the advantages of part-time employment. Project-based organizations, such as research institutions, are particularly well suited to this arrangement.

Flexibility is another key feature of this option. When the workload fluctuates unexpectedly, part-time employees can be called in for a quick fix.

Many managers want to avoid a permanent financial liability when they are unsure what their future needs will be. Hiring part-time workers under the Exclusion Approval Order allows them to get the work done without putting their budgets at risk.

Cons—Organizational instability

This type of employment is not suited for organizational stability. In a long-term collaborative arrangement, this may make it difficult for managers to carry out long-term planning.

Temporary help agencies

Using temporary help is one of the better-known alternative methods of staffing in the federal government. Policies and procedures on the use of temporary help agencies have been in place for a long time and they are well understood.

Pros—Flexible financing, speedy response

Temporary help can be used for administrative support, but also to fill professional and technical needs. Pre-testing and training are done by the temporary help agency, which is a great boon to busy managers with limited time and limited budgets.

Other advantages of this option include flexibility and speed. If managers have someone in mind for a job, they are able to get the particular person they want, and there is no obligation on either side if things do not work out as well as planned. Since hiring someone through a temporary help agency involves less paperwork than the traditional staffing route, acquiring the skills needed is fast and easy.

Cons—Variable skills

Care has to be taken to avoid creating an employer-employee relationship. It is sometimes difficult to find the particular skill needed through an agency. There is also increased liability because temporary workers are not government employees. In some cases, hiring a casual employee is more convenient or appropriate.

Deployment

A deployment is the transfer of an employee from one position to another within the same occupational group or, where authorized by the Public Service Employment Regulations, to another occupational group. A deployment cannot result in a promotion or change of tenure. A deployment requires the consent of the employee being deployed unless willingness to be deployed is a condition of that employee's employment.

A deployment may be made to an indeterminate or a specified period position. Unlike assignments or secondments, an employee gains incumbency in the position to which he or she is deployed and therefore assumes the classification level and any terms and conditions of employment of the new position.

Deployment was introduced as a resourcing option in 1993, as a way for employees to move horizontally in the Public Service. In contrast to a temporary assignment or secondment, the move is permanent in that the employee does not return to his or her original position.

Pros—Staffing solutions, personal development

Deployment serves the needs of managers and employees alike. Managers often use deployment when they have found the right person for a job and want to avoid the complexities of the traditional staffing process. From the employee's perspective, deployment is a chance for personal development.

Cons—Inflexibility, staffing concerns

One of the drawbacks of the current deployment policy is that it does not allow movement of employees between occupational groups. For example, a manager cannot deploy an employee in the AS group (Administrative Services) to a PM position. (Intergroup deployment is possible under certain conditions – contact your Human Resources advisor)

Assignments & secondments

An assignment is a temporary move of an employee, within a department, to temporarily perform the functions of a position that already exists or to take on a special project. A secondment is also a temporary move but it happens interdepartmentally.

Assignments/secondments are frequently used to develop employees' skills, to retrain surplus employees or to meet temporary operational requirements. These types of movements are documented through agreements between all parties concerned.

Assignments and secondments are not appointments made by or under the authority of the Public Service Commission and are not subject to the same procedural requirements that apply to appointments.

Pros—Simplicity, flexibility, growth

These resourcing options are simple and free of red tape. Since assignments and secondments do not constitute appointments, there is no need to go through a time-consuming competitive process.

Assignments and secondments also provide the opportunity for organizational development. Most employees eventually return to their substantive positions, bringing with them new perspectives and new knowledge that they can share with the rest of the staff. One long-term benefit is that through the use of assignments and secondments, the Public Service is developing a multi-functional work force.

Flexibility is a key reason for using alternative resourcing options. In terms of assignments and secondments, flexibility means being able to get exactly the person or exactly the set of skills or knowledge required for a particular job. It also refers to the lack of paperwork involved in terminating an assignment or secondment, if either the employer or the employee is not satisfied with the arrangement.

Cons—Insecurity and staffing concerns

Some employees, fearing that their substantive positions may be at risk, are reluctant to take secondments while changes may be occurring in their home organizations. Many secondment agreements contain a one-month escape clause, which makes long-term planning difficult as employees can leave with very short notice.

Seasonal employment

Seasonal employees are appointed under the PSEA to work on a cyclical basis for a part, or season, of every year.

Although this staffing option was originally intended for indeterminate employees, it is increasingly being used for term positions.

Pros—Flexible financing

More and more, managers are resourcing for low rather than peak periods. In busy times, they can bring in extra people to help out with the increased workload. When it is possible to predict these busy periods, seasonal employment is an ideal solution.

Cons—Organizational instability

Managers have to keep in mind that these workers often take seasonal employment if it is all they can find, but are constantly on the lookout for better or full-time jobs, even casual employment.

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