Message from the President - A fresh start

It's a new year and a fresh start. This is especially true for those of us who manage human resources in the public service. The new Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) came into effect on December 31, 2005 and, with that, we are working in a brand new human resources (HR) management regime.

	"It's official!" says Maria Barrados, President of the Public Service Commission. The new Public Service Employment Act came into effect on December 31, 2005.

That's not to say that these reforms haven't been a long time coming. Over the past 40 years, there have been studies, projects, task forces - but none of the changes made were major. For the first time, we have an opportunity for significant change to how staffing is conducted in the public service. The question now is: are we going to use it?

Organizations and transition

Many departments and agencies made great headway last fall preparing for the new regime. No doubt, organizations who prepared themselves well are making the transition to the new system more easily than those who were less prepared. But does that mean that departments and agencies who were late getting started are out of luck? Not at all. It does mean some extra effort for those organizations to position themselves to take advantage of the new Act.

The new PSEA provides the flexibility to allow your organization to design processes that work for you. Using the high-level policies, tools and guides of the Appointment Framework, your organization can tailor its staffing systems to meet its specific needs.

Undoubtedly, the most difficult part of this transition will be the cultural shift that must take place. Managers must now be fully engaged in managing human resources. This takes work and investment, but the payoff is the unprecedented flexibility managers will now enjoy in hiring and managing employees. For example, the definition of merit as the "right fit," as opposed to the "most qualified," allows managers to hire more efficiently, with future as well as current organizational needs in mind.

PSC role

The modernized HR management regime also sets the Public Service Commission (PSC) on a new course. We have the same mission, but a different way of achieving it. We will no longer be running parts of the system. Instead, we will be overseeing it.

The PSC meets with federal councils and other stakeholders across the country to underline the continued support available under the new PSEA.

This does not mean that you can no longer access our services. On the contrary, the Services Branch of the PSC continues to provide a common portal for Canadians to access public service jobs. It continues to be a centre of excellence in assessment, and it still manages national recruitment programs such as Post-Secondary Recruitment. The Services Branch also offers tailored recruitment services.

We also have a technological solution available to help organizations screen applicants. A recent change to our policy on area of selection will progressively provide Canadians across the country with greater access to public service jobs. I believe that our automated staffing tool - the Public Service Resourcing System - will be an invaluable tool for organizations as they begin managing larger volumes of applications.

Opportunity for change

The key challenge for the public service at this time is to take full advantage of the opportunities presented by the modernized staffing regime. It's up to managers to embrace the flexibilities now available to them. HR specialists will advise - and sometimes challenge - managers on how to do this the right way, in keeping with the staffing values in the Act. HR specialists and managers will work collaboratively to ensure that individual staffing actions are in line with and support a good HR plan. This is a lot of responsibility - for every player in the system - but the rewards of doing it right will make the investment worthwhile.

If we simply re-create the old system, we'll have missed a chance to free ourselves from the rigid, rules-heavy practices that bogged the public service down for years. Let's not rely on the old manuals; let's use the new tools and flexibilities that are now available.