Monitoring the staffing system

With the implementation of the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) on December 31, 2005, deputy heads received delegated authority for nearly all staffing activity in their organizations. The Act gives deputies and, through sub-delegation, their managers, unprecedented flexibility in choosing what staffing processes to use and how. With this increased flexibility, departments and agencies are still expected to respect both the core values of merit and non-partisanship, as well as the guiding staffing values of access, transparency, fairness and representativeness. Managers must also conform to the legislative requirements of the Act and the PSC’s appointment policies.

But the question remains — in a highly delegated system, how can we be sure that staffing is being conducted properly?

Part of the answer lies with a tool called the SMAF – the Staffing Management Accountability Framework. This framework describes the PSC’s expectations for deputy heads. It also identifies the indicators that the PSC will look for in determining whether a federal organization is carrying out its staffing authorities properly.

Deputy heads are required to demonstrate that they meet the indicators set out by the SMAF, which are mandatory for all delegated organizations. They must also:

• ensure that their organizations maintain accurate information that provides a fair and reliable representation of their activities;
• ensure that staffing management practices, controls and results are actively monitored in their organization, whether the staffing is done internally or by an external service provider;
• adjust and improve their staffing systems and practices, as required;
• report to the PSC in time for the PSC to report to Parliament; and
• participate in the PSC’s oversight requirements, such as audits, investigations and special studies.

The SMAF plays an important part in how the PSC oversees the staffing system, but it is not the only means by which we do this. The PSC also uses other oversight mechanisms, such as audits, studies and investigations.