FOREWORD

Improved human resources management (HRM) is vital to all enterprises, private and public. The government acknowledged this in its October 1999 Speech from the Throne when it committed to "focus on recruitment, retention and continuous learning of a skilled federal work force."

Several challenges exist in this area. The significant exodus of experienced public servants expected in the near future makes staffing and recruitment critical. Competition for knowledge workers - upon whom the Public Service depends - is becoming fierce. You, as a manager, want the staffing system to be more flexible, affordable and efficient, all the more so because of the heavy workload you face.

Canadians continue to value and expect a competent, non-partisan and representative Public Service. They also expect fair, transparent and equitable treatment by their government. Thus, as you begin a specific staffing or recruitment process, you have a responsibility (derived from the Public Service Employment Act) to take into consideration not only the current job you have to fill (e.g. the duties to be performed) but the present and future needs of the Public Service of Canada. Your challenge, as a manager, is to simultaneously respond to the government's Throne Speech commitments, practice good HRM, and protect and promote merit.

The PSC's response to this challenge is to create a more flexible staffing system by delegating more authority and promoting a values-based approach to staffing. In other words, to give you, managers, greater freedom of action coupled with greater accountability for your decisions and for upholding the law.

The PSC's 1996 Consultative Review of Staffing recommended that staffing focus more on the values that underpin the system and less on the rules that have defined it for the past 30 years. I have faith in this direction because it mirrors the same management philosophy as recent initiatives such as managing for results, and because I know that Public Service managers are motivated to do the right thing and will strive to find the right balance.

One reason I am certain of this is that, in recent PSC consultations with managers and human resources advisors, managers said they not only wanted to work with their staffing experts, their HR advisors, but they also wanted a handbook to put basic information on staffing, including examples of the values-based approach, at their fingertips. This handbook outlines the staffing process, options and recruitment programs available, and I hope you will find it a valuable aid.

Adopting a values-based approach to staffing makes an essential contribution to the government's HRM renewal objectives, particularly those regarding recruitment and retention as set out in the Speech from the Throne and will help ensure a Public Service capable of helping Canadians secure the future.