Reports

chapter7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Recommendations

7.1 Introduction

It has been said that the mark of a great country is the way in which it treats its minorities. A corollary of this might be that the measure of a great public service is the way in which it treats its minorities, in this case the visible minorities. Regrettably, both visible minority employees and public service managers, including the executives, state that bias and subtle barriers against visible minorities persist in the public service. Evidence also indicates that the Canadian-born visible minority employees fare no better than their foreign-born counterparts.

Given the challenges of our increasingly diverse and globalizing world, it is imperative for the country to have a first-class, representative public service "ouverte aux talents" -- one that draws on the best talents available in its diverse population.

It is against this backdrop that we venture to formulate a few recommendations. They are, of course, greatly influenced by the thoughtful ideas that came from so many who participated in the study. The recommendations are put forward in the hope that the appropriate authorities might consider them worthy of closer examination.


7.2 Recommendations

The recommendations are grouped under the following headings:

(1) strategic planning,

(2) the environment,

(3) recruitment,

(4) selection,

(5) fair and equitable treatment,

(6) career development, and

(7) accountability.

Strategic Planning

Top management of the public sector needs to commit themselves to the process of hiring and promoting visible minority employees at rates which reflect their availability in the labour market and help correct the effects of traditional under-representation. There needs to be a crystal-clear policy on the direction and objective of the program that is essential to make the federal public service reflect Canadian diversity in the workforce. This requires careful strategic planning with the larger goals of representativeness and efficient service for all Canadians.

• We recommend that in order to come up with a workable strategy to address the issues of visible minorities in the public service, a committee headed by appropriate personnel in the Privy Council Office and with the help of the Deputy Minister's Committee now looking at "La Relθve : The Next Generation" , the Treasury Board Secretariat, and the Public Service Commission, be formed with a clear mandate and deadlines. Input from the private sector could be sought to assist in the process in view of their success in hiring, retaining and promoting visible minority employees. Lessons from the successful women's employment equity program could be of assistance in this regard.

The Environment

• There are three areas to be considered in the context of the overall environment -- Canadian society in general, the public service, and the visible minority community.
  
  

• We recommend that initiatives be taken to create a favourable environment for visible minorities in Canadian society in general. It is important to keep in mind that currently about one out of eight Canadians is a member of a visible minority group. The changing nature of Canada and the role of visible minorities and diversity should be publicized through carefully prepared information campaigns that involve appropriate departments and agencies so that the Canadian public can appreciate the benefits of providing equitable treatment to this segment of the population.
  
  

• It is recommended that public servants in general, and managers in particular, be sensitized to the need for full and fair representation of visible minority employees in their ranks. Emphasis could be placed on the contributions of visible minorities in the past and the present, and on the increasing importance of diversity for the future of the public service. The main point that needs to be conveyed is that visible minority employees do not necessarily need special treatment -- what is required is just treatment. Private sector employers that have been successful in this area could be invited to give workshops to the public servants on what was done in that sector and what benefits accrued from adequate representation of visible minority employees in their workforce.
  
  

• Visible minority communities seem to have largely written off the public service as a place for the best and brightest of their youth. The negative experiences of visible minority groups in the public service in general and of their parents and relatives in particular, lack of equal promotional opportunities and better salaries, and benefits and opportunities available elsewhere to those who are capable have made public service a less desirable place to seek employment. To most of the visible minority community, it seems to have become the last career choice. Much work needs to be done to change this image.

  Showcasing the achievements of successful visible minority public servants as role models for youth is one of the initiatives that should be considered.
  
  

  Recruitment
  
  

• The evidence presented in the study has clearly demonstrated that the private sector has been much more successful than the public service in hiring, retaining and promoting visible minority employees. Therefore, we recommend a comprehensive review of private sector practices in hiring, especially regarding representation of "client groups" and the competitive advantage to the country of drawing on Canada's diverse workforce. Such a review could examine the feasibility of increased exchanges between the public and private sectors.
  
  

• Participants expressed the view that dissemination of information on job opportunities is not taking place efficiently. It is therefore recommended that this be closely examined by the Public Service Commission with the goal of removing completely lack of awareness of opportunities as a barrier. The rule could be to post all jobs, including those for executives. The federally-regulated private sector, especially the banks, has much to offer in this regard. A combination of techniques could be used: 1-800 numbers, electronic bulletin boards, the Internet, announcements in the ethnic press, and other techniques as appropriate. In advertisements or job postings in the public service, a consistent and standardized format should be used.
  
  

• The Public Service Employment Act and regulations should be examined to see if and how they adversely affect visible minority representation in the public service. For instance, the Public Service Employment Act, reads that "...whenever it is in the best interest of the public service... to give preference in appointments to qualified candidates who reside in the area served by a local office over qualified candidates who do not so reside." Use of this provision should be tracked to see if, on balance, it is having a negative effect on visible minority candidates. Similarly, if the Public Service Commission is to delegate staffing authority and confer flexibility in its systems, it must ensure that the staffing actions collectively do not have a negative effect on designated groups, especially visible minority employees. Furthermore, a monitoring and accountability mechanism should ensure consistency in the implementation of policies, procedures and practices with regard to the use (or lack thereof) of employment equity provisions for visible minority groups and provide a mechanism to review carefully the impact of discretionary decision-making powers.
  
  

• The usefulness of outreach as a dynamic means of passing on job-related information to under-represented visible minority communities has been well recognized in the private sector. A youth-oriented program along the lines of the "Leadership for Tomorrow Today" to help visible minority youth to find summer jobs and secure mentors could be considered. Term appointments would be helpful for visible minority recruits to learn about the public service and for the public service managers to observe the capabilities of visible minority employees.
  
  

• Tomorrow's public service executives are more likely to come from Canadian universities with an ample representation of visible minority youth. Without an adequate campus recruitment program, it would not be easy to get them into the public service. Therefore, revival of campus recruitment would be in order.
  
  

• Foreign credentials often pose a problem for visible minority candidates as seen in the focus group discussions. The PSC can be a repository of information on equivalencies on the basis of work that has been accomplished in several provinces such as Alberta, Ontario, and British Columbia. A pilot project on this could be established in Ottawa with the assistance of the three universities and community colleges in the Ottawa-Hull area.
  
  

  Selection
  
  

• Both employee and management groups have indicated that the public service managers and human resources personnel lack sensitivity for, and knowledge of, visible minority cultures. Therefore, sensitivity training and cultural education for all involved in hiring and managing should be compulsory. In particular, tests should be reviewed to ensure that they take cultural differences into account.
  
  

• The private sector has introduced innovative techniques for screening candidates. It is recommended that the use of "behaviour-focused interviewing" be considered for screening out candidates rather than lack of Canadian experience. In assessing experience, the visible minority candidates' experience in their former country, if they are foreign born, should not be ignored in the context of the diverse skills required in the modern-day workplace.
  
  

• Visible minority employees have indicated that selection boards are often devoid of visible minority representation. This needs to be changed. There should be credible visible minority representation on all selection boards as was customary while the employment equity program for women was in full gear. If such persons are not available within the public service, they should be brought in from the outside.

• Public service employee participants, both visible and non visible minorities, have stated that selection criteria used for jobs are often not relevant to the jobs in question. We recommend that this receive close scrutiny to make such selection criteria more relevant to the jobs in question.
  
  

• The subjective use of "personal suitability" was said to be a major barrier for visible minority groups in getting access to employment and promotional opportunities in the public service. The way in which "personal suitability" is defined and assessed should be changed. The elements that presently come under "personal suitability" should be made transparent by clearly spelling out what is being looked for and by publicizing the requirements along with qualifications for the job. Alternatively, it is proposed to drastically reduce the marks given for personal suitability with no separate minimum fixed for this factor.
  
  

  Fair and equitable treatment
  
  

• The process and procedures for investigating allegations of racial discrimination and other human rights violations in the public service seem to be less than adequate, as reported by visible minority employees and agreed to by a segment of hiring/managing staff. We recommend that those responsible for implementing anti-discrimination policies should ensure that there is complete and speedy investigation of all complaints of racial discrimination or harassment. The investigation should be conducted by impartial persons not involved in the incidents, and those responsible should be made aware of what the consequences will be if the allegations are founded.
  
  

• Lack of appropriate representation of visible minority employees in the public service is partly the result of lack of training and briefing of management and those involved in hiring/managing functions. In order for the authorities to ensure that fair and equitable treatment is accorded to all potential candidates, such training/briefing should occur. The training should emphasise the moral and legal context of the government's obligations to make the federal public service representative of all its diverse components including the visible minority community. It is important to appoint as employment equity co-ordinators those who really understand and are fully committed to the program and its goals.
  
  

• The new Employment Equity Act, which now covers the federal public service, recently came into effect. In preparation for the implementation of the Act, upper and middle managers should be provided a thorough briefing on the principles and practical implications of the legislation. Adequate resources should be made available to implement the new Act.
  
  

  Career Development
  
  

• Visible minority support or advisory groups have been functioning in a number of departments and agencies and their presence and advice have been positive for visible minority public servants. In order to enable such groups to continue more effectively, official status and material assistance should be granted to such groups in departments and agencies. They should be established in departments and agencies where they currently do not exist. Among their activities could be coaching of visible minority employees on how to break the "glass ceiling" and on North American management styles.
  
  

• The private sector has greatly benefited from career information available to all employees so that meritorious and ambitious employees can further their careers. In the public service the network has been informal and only available to "insiders". Therefore, a career information network should be created in the public service to be helpful in particular to visible minority employees.
  
  

• A data bank of visible minority employees should be set up to help managers interested in reaching out to possible visible minority candidates. This should be based on the use of a combination of performance appraisals, interviews and expressions of aspirations, usually by a committee outside the division where the public servant works. A "competency model" to identify persons with potential for different levels should be developed and those who are chosen be given training to prepare themselves for higher level positions.
  
  

• The performance appraisal system in the public service has been criticized by employees, while the private sector extols its virtues as a career planning tool. The use of objective criteria for performance appraisals might be developed. The public sector could try to learn from the private sector in this regard. Performance measurement, if possible quantitative, should be established for all staff.
  
  

• Mentoring or the "buddy system" was mentioned by the private sector and the visible minority employees as a means of giving the visible minority employees a fair shake in the public service, as it did informally for women. Therefore, we propose the creation of a system of official "mentors" for all staff and particularly for visible minorities.
  
  

• In the modern workplace, training and skills hold the key for career advancement. Therefore, provision should be made for training and upgrading the skills of visible minorities.
  
  

• The evidence suggests that visible minority employees do not get as many acting appointments at higher levels compared to other employees. Therefore, we recommend that visible minorities be given more acting and targeted assignments on an organised basis so that they can get the necessary experience to compete more effectively for higher level positions. A corollary to this would be the establishment of a developmental program for potential executives from the visible minority group that would include placing such staff in acting positions, and sending them on the Career Assignment Program, with appropriate follow up on their career path.
  
  

• Most focus group participants stated that acting appointments to higher level positions go on for an unlimited period. This leads to frustration for the acting employees, loss of morale and charges of exploitation. Therefore, we recommend that in acting appointments, a person be confirmed in the acting position after two years to stop the practice of always asking them to act but never being appointed.
  
  

• More visible minorities should be placed in feeder groups on a systematic and planned basis to provide those with the interest and the talent the opportunity to enter the middle and senior management levels.
  
  

  Accountability
  
  

• We recommend that greater stress be placed on accountability for public service managers and that, with the strategic plan developed as a framework and a regime of targets and time-tables (system-wide and departmental), bench marks be established against which progress can be judged. Managers should be rewarded for meeting such targets and penalised if they fail to do so.
  
  

• Visible minority advisory committees should be given access to the Deputy Minister's office to provide advice and feedback on progress in employment equity for visible minority employees; to help serve as mentors; to play a role in vetting job descriptions; to participate in "outreach" activities; and to help in the search for outside candidates for selection boards.
  
  

  In conclusion, it may be stated that if no corrective action is taken, the public service in future will lag even farther behind the private sector with respect to visible minority representation. This is evident from the low rates of visible minority hires in the public service in recent years, as seen in Annex 3. The public service needs to remove systemic barriers that may have an adverse impact on visible minority candidates, to make sure that real merit is recognised and rewarded. Incentives should be provided to managers at all levels to ensure diversity is achieved in their workforce. As a last resort, managers who do not seem to be impressed by the arguments for diversity should be pressed through accountability mechanisms to advance the goals of fairness and equity in public service employment practices. 

Summary: Chapter 7 Recommendations The following is a summary of recommendations aimed at improving the representation of visible minorities in the federal public service. • Consistent senior-level commitment to employment equity in the public service must be demonstrated. One step in this direction would be the establishment of a PCO based committee to oversee work in the area. • Education is essential. Both the wider public and public servants should be provided with information on the benefits of diversity, and "success stories" should be showcased for visible minority communities. • Efforts should be made to ensure that all employment systems and procedures are clear and fair; and that job requirements and assessment tools are relevant and objective. • A mechanism is needed to widely disseminate information on employment opportunities so that all interested and qualified candidates can apply. • Visible minorities representation should be nurtured through outreach initiatives, mentoring and career development programs, and targeted training. • The Public Service Commission should establish data banks containing information about foreign credentials and their equivalencies, so that visible minority candidates are not unfairly screened out on that basis. • Visible minority employees should be provided with more opportunities for acting appointments and all employees in an acting position for over two years should be confirmed in that position. • The public service should review its policies and procedures related to harassment and discrimination. These should be evaluated and improved, drawing from best practices by specific government departments and private sector employers. • Visible minority consultation committees should be established in each department and have access to Deputy Ministers. • Managers should have greater flexibility for achieving related objectives and should be held accountable for results.

 

ANNEX 1

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