Introduction
To increase opportunities for employees in federal institutions in bilingual regions to work in the official language
of their choice, it is important to create an environment conducive to the use of both English and French as languages
of work. This involves both quantitative and qualitative factors. Quantitatively, there needs to be a "critical
mix" of employees in a work unit capable of working together in both official languages before a
"conducive" environment can exist. The mix will vary from unit to unit, depending on such factors as the size
of the unit, the nature of the employees' duties, the number of employees of each language group, and their bilingual
capacities and working relationships. Qualitatively, a "conducive" environment is one that allows staff of
both linguistic groups to make a maximum professional contribution in their official language of choice. For such an
environment to exist, staff of each linguistic group must not only exercise the right to work in their official language
of choice but also be open and receptive toward the colleagues of the other linguistic group who are exercising the same
right.
Senior management, supervisors and employees have a decisive role to play in creating and maintaining a work
environment that is conducive to the use of both English and French as languages of work.
Senior management
Senior management, as a group, sets the pace and tone in an institution. Senior managers have a dual responsibility
for creating work environments conducive to the use of both English and French. As managers, they should pay particular
attention to their institution's obligations and provide the necessary leadership in official languages matters. As
individuals, they should set the example by using and encouraging the use of both official languages in their day-to-day
activities. More specifically:
as managers, in addition to ensuring that the requirements of the Policy
on Language of Work are met, they should:
- inform all employees of their language-of-work rights and encourage them to exercise these rights;
- allow employees to work as much as possible in the official language of their choice and provide employees with an
opportunity to improve their second official language;
- encourage supervisors, as appropriate, to become bilingual;
- provide opportunities for employees to obtain language training in their second official language;
- encourage employees to take developmental courses to acquire or maintain functional proficiency;
- ensure that text revision services are readily available to employees;
- encourage employees who must work in both languages to do as much of their written work as possible in the
official language of their choice;
- involve staff in planning and achieving language-of-work goals;
- take into account, in the evaluation of supervisors at all levels, their performance with regard to their official
languages responsibilities;
- encourage employees, when dealing with them, to use the official language of their choice; and
- ensure, when chairing a meeting attended by members of both official language groups, that:
- the invitation and the agenda clearly state that the meeting will be bilingual;
- both official languages are used from the beginning of the meeting and that the participants are invited to use
the official language of their choice;
- all participants are able to participate in the discussions, for example, either by repeating some information in
both official languages or, where necessary, by providing simultaneous interpretation;
- discussions in the language used less frequently are encouraged;
- participants are reminded at the end of the meeting that they may prepare their follow-up documents in the
official language of their choice; and
- minutes and follow-up documents are prepared in both languages, alternately in each language, or partly in English
and partly in French ensuring a fair balance of use of both languages;
When minutes or follow-up documents are regularly and widely used work instruments, these must be produced in both
official languages.
As individuals, senior managers should:
- take measures to maintain and improve their own second language competence;
- encourage the use of "receptive" or "passive" bilingualism (expressing oneself in the official
language of choice and understanding someone else in the other official language) where this is appropriate or
sufficient for communication;
- set an example by demonstrating a positive and open attitude toward the use of both official languages in their
work environment.
Supervisors
Supervisors in units where employees must work in both official languages have a pivotal role to play in making their
work environments conducive to the use of both official languages. Their attitude may set the tone for the entire unit.
To encourage employees to work, insofar as possible, in the official language of their choice, supervisors should:
- make every effort to maintain and improve their own second language proficiency so that they can function
effectively in either official language;
- provide opportunities for employees to work as much as possible in the language of their choice by taking into
account, when assigning work, their language skills and preferences;
- communicate with employees, insofar as possible, in their official language of choice, both orally and in writing;
- make every effort to provide employees with appraisals in the official language of their choice, irrespective of
how their positions or functions are identified;
- encourage employees to improve their second language skills;
- provide opportunities for employees of both language groups to work closely together in both official languages
(e.g., ask an English-speaking employee and a French-speaking employee to produce a bilingual document together);
- ensure in meetings with staff that employees are encouraged to use their official language of choice; and
- ask employees to suggest innovative ways to motivate staff to maintain a work environment conducive to the use of
both official languages.
Employees
Employees should take the initiative to ensure that all members of the unit can use the official language of their
choice as much as possible. For example, they could:
- make a habit of using their official language of choice when addressing their superiors or bilingual colleagues --
for example, during staff meetings, even if the others only have "receptive" skills in this language;
- look for opportunities to maintain or improve their second language skills, for example, by communicating with
colleagues of the other linguistic group.
Written communications
Written communications within a federal institution, or between federal institutions, must reflect the equality of
status of both official languages. It is the final use of written communications that determines whether or not they
should be produced in both official languages, or in one or the other alternately.
When preparing working papers, employees should be encouraged to use the official language of their choice. When
working papers are distributed for consultation or discussion, they should be in both official languages when the
distribution is country-wide or in bilingual regions when the employees consulted are from both linguistic groups. The
availability of working papers in both official languages is justified when they are nearly finalized, and when the
final version is intended for distribution in both languages.
Documents may be distributed in only one official language for consultation, especially when the distribution is
limited, provided that the above-mentioned principle of alternations is respected. In any case, employees should be
encouraged to make comments in the official language of their choice.
Offices abroad
Institutions having offices abroad where both official languages are used as languages of work should, when applying
the policy, take the particular circumstances of the office into account, including the linguistic composition of their
staff and the use made of English or French or both languages in the work environment.
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