Appointment Process: Suggested Activities at the Different Decision Points

This document identifies the potential contributions or activities of the different players at the various decision points in an appointment process. It reflects the activities for an appointment process internal to the public service, as all the stages are then included; in an external appointment process, the informal discussion and notifications stages do not apply.

• Activities and Contributions of the Manager
• Activities and Contributions of the HR Specialist
• Activities and Contributions of the Employee
• Activities and Contributions of the Bargaining Agent

The following illustration was prepared assuming that the organization has:

• obtained delegated authority from the Commission;
• sub-delegated authority within the organization;
• established its policies in consultation with bargaining agents;
• established criteria for the use of non-advertised appointment processes
• disseminated policies to all employees and bargaining agents; and
• provided the necessary training to all sub-delegated managers.

General Decision Points

	Planning		Establish Merit Criteria		Choose Process		Assessment
	Consider business plan in conjunction with HR and EE Plans		Set: Essential Qualifications Asset qualifications Operational requirements Organizational needs		Consider priorities Choose advertised or non-advertised Set area of selection		Choose and apply assessment instruments

						Informal Discussion

Lessons Learned

Appointment

Notification

Selection

	Plan for future Report on results				Respect waiting period Make appointment		Choose "right fit" Recognize ranking no longer required
			After Appointment
			Respond if any complaints to Public Service Staffing Tribunal (internal only) Carry out investigations, take corrective action or revoke, if necessary

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Activities and Contributions of the Manager

Planning

• Develop and communicate business plan including HR plan component.
• Forecast short and medium term HR needs and availability of skills required.
• Determine training and development needs of staff to meet future needs.
• Take into consideration any public service needs that may have been established by the Employer, such as a representative workforce (EE) and service to the public in both official languages (OL).
• Consider staffing options.

Establish Merit Criteria

• Take into consideration issues raised in planning and labour market availability.
• Set essential qualifications, including official language proficiency, asset qualifications, operational requirements and organizational needs.
• Consider how merit criteria will be used in the process to identify person(s) for appointment.

Choose Process

• Consider persons with priority entitlements and appoint if they meet the essential qualifications.
• Otherwise, consider HR plan in choosing type of appointment process, advertised or non-advertised, internal or external, as well as other factors such as urgency, immediate availability of skills, organizational criteria for non-advertised processes, etc.
• Set area of selection based on Commission and organizational policy, keeping in mind the labour market.
• Issue advertisement in the case of an advertised process.

Assessment

• Choose and/or develop appropriate assessment instruments to effectively assess qualifications.
• Determine how the merit criteria must be met, e.g., minimum requirement. (Note: there is no need to have an order of merit.)
• Determine the sequence that merit criteria will be applied (to achieve efficiency). For example, if an operational requirement such as shiftwork will be mandatory, it may be more efficient to determine which persons can meet this requirement before proceeding with an assessment of the essential qualifications.
• Carry out assessment/evaluation, keeping in mind that only qualifications are "assessed" while for other merit criteria such as operational requirements, it is determined whether or not they are met.

Informal Discussion (Internal Appointment Processes Only)

• Be available and prepared to discuss and explain decisions, and to reconsider in the face of new information.
• Provide opportunity for discussion upon request throughout the process.

Selection

• Apply asset qualifications, operational requirements and organizational needs as necessary in making final selection for appointment, keeping in mind the objective of "right fit" for the job.
• Not all asset qualifications, operational requirements or organizational needs need to be applied to each and every appointment being made from a process.

Notification (Internal Appointment Processes Only)

• Issue notification for considering an appointment.
• If necessary, based on new information, review original decision with potential to change it.
• Respect waiting period of at least 5 days.
• After waiting period is over, issue notification of appointment or proposed appointment.
  • At the Public Service Staffing Tribunal:
    • Respond to complaints received at PSST.
    • If there is an upheld complaint, implement ordered corrective action, possibly including revocation if the appointment was already made

Appointment

• Ensure that letter of offer was received and acceptance of offer is returned in writing.
• If the person to be appointed is from outside the public service, or from an organization not under the PSEA (e.g. Parks Canada), Oath must be administered before appointment becomes effective.

 Lessons Learned

• Review process with HR, management team, etc. for ways to improve.
• Plan for future processes in consultation with HR, making adjustments to plan as warranted.

Activities and Contributions of the HR Specialist

Planning

• Provide manager with demographic information and assist in developing
  strategies to meet HR needs taking into consideration policy framework
  and departmental HR/EE/business plans.
• Research labour market.

Establish Merit Criteria

• Provide advice and guidance on effective, appropriate and timely use of different types of merit criteria.

Choose Process

• Assist with assessment of priority candidates.
• Provide advice on labour market and process pros and cons.
• Identify links with departmental HR plan.

Assessment

• Provide advice on effectiveness of assessment instruments and assist in development or choice of proper instruments.
• Provide guidance on how to carry out assessments effectively and efficiently.

Informal Discussion (Internal Appointment Processes Only)

• Provide manager with advice and guidance on how to conduct informal discussions and what information to convey.
• Remind manager of organizational policy.

Selection

• Assist manager in appropriate sequencing and application of merit criteria.

Notification (Internal Appointment Processes Only)

• Provide advice, guidance, and assistance on review of decision and impact of change, if any.
  • At the Public Service Staffing Tribunal:
    • Provide advice and guidance to manager on responding to a complaint to PSST (internal only)

Appointment

• Assist manager with appointment activities.

Lessons Learned

• Provide advice to manager.
• Report on results.

Activities and Contributions of the Employee

Planning

• Discuss career aspirations as part of performance review.
• If applicable, connect with functional community and/or regional community for support and network.
• Identify training or development to further career aspirations, including workshops on career management.
• Look for opportunities to expand experience and skills.

Choose Process

• Look for available opportunities.
• Apply on those of interest, ensuring that essential qualifications, including language proficiency, can be met (self-screen).

Assessment

• Prepare for assessment by researching the job and the organization.
• If an EX process, seek help from PPC (e.g., executive counseling).

Informal Discussion (Internal Appointment Processes Only)

• If eliminated from consideration, seek feedback to understand why.
• Raise issues of concern.

Selection

• Respond to requests for information required for application of merit criteria.

Notification (Internal Appointment Processes Only)

• If first notification is the first point of elimination from consideration, request informal discussion.
  • At the Public Service Staffing Tribunal:
    • Prepare for hearing at PSST (with union representative if applicable).

Appointment

• If given offer, accept or reject.
• If required, take Oath.

After Appointment

• If not satisfied with final result, after notification of appointment or proposed appointment, can make a complaint to PSST in cases of abuse of authority.

Lessons Learned

• Use feedback to prepare for future opportunities.

Activities and Contributions of the Bargaining Agent

Planning

• Be advised about business plan and impact on human resources.
• Provide feedback at organizational union/management committee.

Informal Discussion (Internal Appointment Processes Only)

• Provide advice and support to employee on informal discussion process.

Notification (Internal Appointment Processes Only)

• Provide advice to employee on notifications and appointment processes and recourse.
  • At the Public Service Staffing Tribunal:
    • Assist with complaints to Public Service Staffing Tribunal (internal only)
    • Represent employee at PSST (internal only) or during investigation process.

Lessons Learned

• Incorporate information for future discussions with management.