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Managing the Workforce Impact in a Government Transformation The Government of Canada Experience to date. Margaret Van Amelsvoort-Thoms Executive Director, Office of the Chief HR Officer Government of Canada April 4, 2013. Overview.
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Managing the Workforce Impact in a Government TransformationThe Government of Canada Experience to date Margaret Van Amelsvoort-Thoms Executive Director, Office of the Chief HR Officer Government of Canada April 4, 2013
Overview • Overview of the Government of Canada’s Budget 2012 announcement • Managing the Workforce Impact of Budget 2012 – What worked well • Managing the Workforce Impact of Budget 2012 – Opportunities for improvement • Success Factors
Leading up to Budget 2012 Announcement • Budget 2012 - expected to transform government operations and impact the existing workforce. • Strong indication that significant program and workforce changes were imminent: • Comprehensive assessment of government program spending • Administrative Services Review • New service delivery models applied (Shared Services, consolidation) • Operating budget freeze (coming from Budget 2010) • Details unclear. “Pre-planning” efforts had to begin and had to leverage an integrated approach that focused on: • Enhancing communications between central agencies and departments. • Gathering recent, relevant and reliable data. • Enhancing collaboration across Government. • Reaching out and working with key stakeholders (i.e. Unions)
Budget 2012 Announcement • Transforming government operations with emphasis on reducing program expenditures to enable a more productive, efficient, and responsive Government. Achieving this transformation will be done through: • Refocusing government and programs. • Making it easier for Canadians and businesses to deal with their government. • Modernizing and reducing the back office (HR, Finance, IT). • Expected Outcomes (announced in Budget 2012): • Balanced budgets by 2015/16 • Achieve ongoing savings of 6.9% in program spending (2011/12 baseline) • Efforts to begin in April 2012.
Workforce Impact Resulting from Budget 2012 Announcement • As of March 2012, there were 278,092 Federal Public Servants serving more than 35 million Canadians • Announced that the Canadian Public Service workforce would be impacted: • Reduced by 19,200 or 4.8 per cent by 2014/15. • 12,000 positions affected, the remainder (7,200) will be eliminated by attrition • Of those 19,200 positions, 600 are executive positions. This represents 7.4 per cent of the Executive population. • People Management Governance – Department Heads have the authority to make decisions about their own workforce planning and management based on their organization’s mandate.
Managing the Workforce Impact of Budget 2012 – What Worked Well • What worked well in managing the workforce impacts resulting from the transformation: Pre announcement of Budget 2012 • Established key principles for an integrated approach early on: • Evidence-based, comprehensive approach • Enterprise-wide coherence • Collaboration and mutual support • Fair and transparent decision-making • Governance • CHRO met with departmental leaders weekly • Collaboration across Central Agencies • Nimble, able to respond quickly
Managing the Workforce Impact of Budget 2012 – What Worked Well (cont.) • Promoted planning and understanding of current and future organizational needs • Ongoing Communications • Constant info sharing with Senior Officials • Hosted info sessions for key internal players (HR, Managers, Executives) • Importance of reliable data • Know your inflows/outflows • Share the data with leaders / decision-makers • Advice directly to front-line Managers • Handbook for Managers • Alternate solutions • Redeployment or guaranteed reasonable job offer • Alternation / Job swapping • Union Engagement – up front and early on
Managing the Workforce Impact of Budget 2012 – What Worked Well (cont.) Post-announcement of Budget 2012 • Communications – a massive effort to get information to line managers quickly (Budget announced March 29, 2012; workforce impacts began mid-April) • Recruitment continues – cannot stop bringing in talent • “Crowdsourcing” – leveraging the community • Innovation and Creativity • Virtual Career Fair to enable continuous employment • Alternation Forum
Managing the Workforce Impact of Budget 2012 – Opportunities for Improvement • What could we have done better in managing the workforce impacts resulting from the transformation: • Planning capacity is key to allow for informed decision-making • Maintain up to date and accurate aggregate data • Determine what you will need as key competencies for your workforce of the future
Workforce Planning and Management: Success Factors • Establish and communicate leadership/vision • Create and sustain integrated governance • Strong partnerships between the Central Agencies • Enabling rather than directing departments • Recent and relevant workforce data and information, available at the right time • Integrated approach to resolve issues • HR and Management capacity to deliver • Innovation and creativity • Communications • Multi-level, cascading and targeted
Questions? Thank you!