2018 Public Service Employee Survey (PSES)

Methodological Report

Prepared For:
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer

Contract Information

  • Supplier Name: Advanis Inc.
  • Contract number: 24062-180203/001/CY
  • Contract Value: $254,589.79 incl taxes
  • Award date: April 26, 2018
  • Delivery date: March 25, 2019
  • Registration number: POR 089-17

For more information on this report, please contact PSES-SAFF@tbs-sct.gc.ca

Ce rapport est aussi disponible en français.

This public opinion research report presents the results of an online survey conducted by Advanis Inc. on behalf of Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. The research was conducted with 163,121 employees of the federal public service between August 20 and October 25, 2018.

This publication may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes only. Prior written permission must be obtained from Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. For more information on this report, please contact PSES-SAFF@tbs-sct.gc.ca

  • Catalogue number: BT43-195/2018E-PDF
  • International Standard Book Number (ISBN): 978-0-660-30507-3
  • Related publications (registration number: POR 089-17):
    Catalogue number BT43-195/2018F-PDF (Final report, French)
    ISBN 978-0-660-30508-0

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Secretary of the Treasury Board, 2019

Executive Summary

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) has conducted the comprehensive Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) every three years since 1999. Beginning with this 2018 PSES, The Government of Canada will conduct the survey annually.

The objective of the PSES is to provide information to support the continuous improvement of people management practices in the federal public service. The PSES provides federal departments and agencies with ongoing evidence on key people management issues and allows them to address these issues in a timely manner. Topics covered by the 2018 survey relate to Treasury Board policies and government priorities, such as harassment and discrimination, performance management, leadership competencies, respectful and ethical practices and workplace well-being.

The target population was all active Government of Canada employees of departments and agencies in the core public administration and of participating separate agencies listed in Schedules I, IV and V of the Financial Administration Act. The target population included indeterminate, term, seasonal, casual and student employees, as well as Governor in Council appointees. Minister’s exempt staff, contracted individuals and employees on leave without pay were not included.

The 2018 PSES was a voluntary census and was completed by employees online, on paper (mailed back to Advanis), or by phone (calling in to speak to an Advanis interviewer).

A total of 84 departments and agencies chose to participate in the 2018 PSES, representing 99% of the federal public service population. Of the 282,615 employees eligible to participate, 163,121 completed the survey, for a response rate of 57.7%. 137,991(85%) completed the survey in English and 25,130 (15%) completed in French. 160,291 (98.3%) completed the survey online, 2,824 (1.7%) completed it via paper, and 6 (0.004%) completed it via the phone. Considering that the survey was administered as a census, the results can be extrapolated to the broader population of employees within the core public administration and participating separate agencies.

Political neutrality certification

I hereby certify as Senior Officer of Advanis that the deliverables fully comply with the Government of Canada political neutrality requirements outlined in the Policy on Communications and Federal Identity and the Directive on the Management of Communications.

Specifically, the deliverables do not include information on electoral voting intentions, political party preferences, standings with the electorate, or ratings of the performance of a political party or its leaders.

Signed
Nicolas Toutant
Vice-President, Research and Evaluation
Advanis

Appendices

Tabulated Data

Results for the overall public service and aggregate datasets for each department are found on the Public Service Employee Survey pages of the www.canada.gc website: https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/services/innovation/public-service-employee-survey.html.

Sample Size, Sampling Procedures, and Dates of Research Fieldwork

The target population was all active Government of Canada employees of departments and agencies in the core public administration and of participating separate agencies listed in Schedules I, IV and V of the Financial Administration Act. The target population included indeterminate, term, seasonal, casual and student employees, as well as Governor in Council appointees. Minister’s exempt staff, contracted individuals and employees on leave without pay were not included.

The bilingual survey was a voluntary census with a cross-sectional design. The census was taken with each of the 84 federal departments and agencies that participated.1 Data were collected for all units of the target population; therefore, no sampling was done. Put differently, since the entire population of public servants meeting the criteria above was invited to participate in this study, there is no margin of sampling error to be estimated or reported. The potential impact of non-sampling error due to non-response is discussed in a following section. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the sampling frame on the main known characteristics.

The sample frame was created using the most current available lists of all eligible employees provided by human resources services in each participating department or agency. TBS provided an Excel template to the HR contact which specified the fields required to conduct the survey. TBS then verified, cleaned, and combined these lists to create the entire sample frame and provided it to Advanis.2 The sampling unit is an employee.

On a weekly basis during the fieldwork period, Advanis provided lists of bounced and otherwise invalid email addresses to TBS, and TBS provided these to departments and agencies in order that they could be corrected, if possible. Also, on a weekly basis during field, departments and agencies could provide TBS with additional employee email addresses (e.g., new hires) and indicate email addresses that should be deleted (e.g., for employees who left the public service during fieldwork).

The online survey of employees in participating organizations was conducted from August 20 to October 25, 2018. There were some exceptions, as listed below:

  • The online survey was accessible to Treasury Board Secretariat and Parks Canada employees one week earlier, on August 13. For Parks Canada, the additional week would allow more time to capture as much of their student population before the end of the summer work term. For Treasury Board Secretariat, it was an opportunity to conduct a soft launch to identify and correct any technical issues before the August 20 launch to the rest of the federal public service.
  • The paper surveys were shipped to departments between August 3 and 8 and were distributed by departments thereafter. Paper surveys were accepted and included in the final data if they were received on or before October 28, 2018.

Note that the fieldwork period for the online survey was originally scheduled to end on September 28, 2018. It was extended by one week because during fieldwork, it was discovered that some departments’ email systems started “blocking” emails from Advanis even though they were initially configured not to.

Footnotes

  • 1 As with past versions of the PSES, the National Capital Commission was invited to participate, and this time, the Locally-Engaged Staff of Global Affairs Canada as well as the Regular Member and Civilian Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were also invited. However, these organizations are outside of the target population as defined herein. Therefore, the results for these three organizations are not included in the tabulated data, nor are these three organizations included in the number of participating organizations and response rates.

  • 2 Personal Record Identifiers (PRIs) were not provided to Advanis.

Discussion of the Potential for Non-Response Bias

Although the 2018 PSES was a census, the response rate was 57.7%. There is the potential for non-response bias in that response rates varied by organization and for certain demographic characteristics (for example, response rates for employees in operational occupational groups tend to be lower than for other occupational groups). To adjust for this possible source of error, Advanis weighted the data following the same procedures that Statistics Canada used in previous versions of the PSES.

Weighting Procedures, the Confidence Interval, and the Margin of Error

The procedures used to adjust for non-response were similar to those used by Statistics Canada for previous versions of the PSES.

Weights were calculated using the ratio of the population and respondent counts for each occupational group within each department and agency (excluding micro-organizations), where the occupational group population count was 35 or more. When occupational group population counts were low, weights were developed by combining with occupational groups in the same occupational category, as defined by TBS. A weight was then calculated for each respondent.

The purpose of adjusting for non-response is to account for the under-representation of occupational groups in the respondent group by aligning to the population counts. In this way, the respondent group will better represent the department’s composition of occupational groups.

Since the entire population of active Government of Canada employees of departments and agencies in the core public administration and of participating separate agencies listed in Schedules I, IV and V of the Financial Administration Act was invited to participate in this study, there is no margin of sampling error to be estimated or reported. The potential impact of non-sampling error due to non-response is discussed in the previous section. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of all active public servants on the main known characteristics.

Other Relevant Information about Execution of Fieldwork

Questionnaire Development and Testing

The PSES has been conducted triennially from 1999 to 2017. Starting in 2018, the survey will be conducted on an annual basis. The 2008 PSES was greatly modified from previous versions, including changes to the response scale from a four-point to a five-point scale for many of the questions. Due to these changes, comparisons with results from previous survey cycles should not be made.

With each iteration of the survey, consultations are held with key stakeholders to determine new survey content. TBS arranged for new or modified 2018 survey content to undergo qualitative testing at a focus testing facility with an experienced moderator. Six focus testing sessions (three in English and three in French) were conducted with between eight and ten public service employees located in the National Capital Region from various departments and agencies. Observations were discussed and consolidated in a report of recommendations. Only questions that pass focus testing are included in the PSES.

The 2018 PSES was shorter than the 2017 version, with 91 questions, 73 opinion questions and 18 demographic questions. Participating departments and agencies were also given an opportunity to add up to five supplementary questions to be administered to their employees and 13 departments did so.

The 2018 questionnaire was formatted as an electronic survey (to be completed online) and as a paper survey. Employees also had the opportunity to phone Advanis to complete the survey with an interviewer. The average time to complete the survey online was 21 minutes.

It was a requirement for the online survey to be fully compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, level AA or higher. Thus, the online survey development process was very exhaustive. Advanis worked with the Government of Canada to subject the survey to thorough testing and review, and the result was a fully compliant and accessible survey. The questionnaire was also fully tested by both Advanis and then TBS to ensure that all questions in the online version matched those in the questionnaire provided to Advanis, and that all skip and branching in the survey worked as intended.

The paper questionnaire included the same cover letter and question formatting as that of the online survey, as well as the inclusion of separate pages showing a reference list of occupational group acronyms and an organizational unit list, which was tailored to individual departments and agencies. The paper version of the survey followed the format and look of previous PSES paper questionnaires and was reviewed by Advanis and then TBS (both electronic/PDF and then paper proof versions) before printing and distribution.

Survey Administration

As noted, the questionnaire was largely administered online (98% of completed surveys). TBS provided Advanis with a list of employee email addresses for each department and agency, as well as the text for an email invitation. Each email was personalized for the employee, in that it had a unique link to the survey. This unique link allowed the employee to stop the survey and return to it at another time, exactly where they left off. It also meant that each employee could only complete the survey once.

Prior to the launch of the survey, TBS arranged a group meeting between Advanis and Information Technology (IT) representatives of departments and agencies so that Advanis could share information that would allow departments and agencies to ensure that emails from Advanis would be accepted by Government of Canada servers and reach employees. Advanis also sent a specially-designed survey to the IT representatives which allowed them to test the process themselves.

Advanis used its proprietary software to send email invitations and up to three reminder emails to each employee. Advanis sent emails to TBS and to Parks Canada on August 13, one week before the main launch of the survey, to ensure that the process worked properly. As required, Advanis then sent the email invitations to the other departments and agencies over five days from August 2024, 2018. For some large departments, such as Canada Revenue Agency, Advanis sent the emails over a few days to reduce overload on their servers.

Invitations were also sent to the following employees, who are not part of the target population but were surveyed as a courtesy, as in past iterations of the PSES: 3

  • National Capital Commission employees
  • Regular and civilian members of the Royal Canadian Military Police
  • Locally engaged staff of Global Affairs Canada

Advanis provided support to employees three ways: via a customized support website; via email; and via telephone.

Advanis created a support website (pses-saff.advanis.ca) so that employees could get help with common issues very quickly, and at any time of the day or night, seven days a week, throughout the data collection period. When departments and agencies communicated about the PSES to employees, they provided the link to this site. The email invitation to each employee also had a link to this support website, as did the login page of the survey. By visiting this support website, employees could:

  • Request a link to the survey
  • Access information about the survey
    • Overview
    • Confidentiality information
    • Eligibility criteria
  • Send comments to TBS about the questions in the survey
  • Find a toll-free number to call and an email address to contact for further support

Thousands of employees visited the support site. In particular, a total of 9,411 different employees chose the “Request a link to the survey” option, doing so a total of 10,669 times. Put differently, 1,018 employees visited the site more than once (163 employees more than twice). Employees needed to “request a link” for the following reasons:

  • 50% (5285) because it was after August 24th and they hadn’t yet seen an email invitation
  • 28% (2965) because they deleted or couldn’t find the email invitation
  • 15% (1595) because it was after August 24th and they were a new employee
  • 6% (646) because their link “didn’t work”
  • 2% (178) because they shared the link with someone else

Advanis monitored and responded to 1,975 emails from employees who needed support. Some employees emailed for multiple reasons. The breakdown of the reasons for emailing is as follows:

  • 51% (1102) requesting a link
  • 17% (377) technical issue
  • 5% (118) refer to TBS
  • 5% (104) requesting link for new employees
  • 3% (67) wants to change answers or re-do entire survey
  • 2% (47) general question about survey
  • 2% (39) refer to phone support team
  • 2% (33) opt out from further reminders
  • 1% (28) shared a link; request for new one
  • 1% (20) need clarity on how to answer a question
  • 1% (14) requesting mail-out, copy of questions, or results
  • 0.2% (5) don't have access to the Internet
  • 0.2% (4) not a government employee
  • 10% (221) other reasons

Advanis provided a toll-free number that employees could call with questions and dealt with 172 calls. If the number was dialed outside of extended business hours, employees could leave a voice mail which an Advanis interviewer would return the next business day. Employees called for these reasons:

  • 74% (128) resent link
  • 14% (24) survey started on phone, finished online
  • 3% (6) survey completed on phone with Advanis interviewer
  • 3% (5) general question
  • 2% (4) technical issue
  • 3% (5) other

For those surveys completed via paper, TBS provided Advanis with a list of 53 departments that wished to receive paper surveys. For each department, TBS provided one or more contact names and shipping points, as well as the number of printed surveys to be shipped to each department (ranged from two to 2,954 surveys shipped to 115 shipping points). Advanis printed, collated, boxed, and shipped most of the surveys from its office in Montreal from August 3, 2018 through August 8, 2018. A few additional surveys were shipped after August 8 to departments who wanted extras and to TBS. Employees who filled out the paper survey mailed it back to Advanis’ Montreal office in the business reply envelope enclosed with the survey. Advanis staff entered the data into a form specifically designed for the purpose, doing so twice to allow for comparison and validation of the data.

Footnotes

  • 3 The responses of the respondents in these three groups were not included in the overall results for the public service. The datasets for these three groups were subject to the same suppression rules to protect the confidentiality of responses that were applied to the overall results.

Database Management

Data coding and cleaning procedure

Advanis used SPSS statistical software for our detailed data work. All data cleaning tasks were performed in syntax files with intermediate data files saved out along the process. This ensured that the original raw data files were never overwritten, and that each time data was produced, it incorporated all changes (unlike manual procedures).

To ensure that data cleaning and tabulation was accurate, Advanis first cleaned and checked the data. Advanis developed syntax that, among other things, handled:

  • Checking questionnaire skip patterns;
  • Checking response ranges;
  • Assigning questions that respondents did not answer to be missing, using the coding for missing as defined by TBS so as to be consistent with historical data;
  • Addressing invalid data per specifications from TBS;
  • Identification of outliers for certain question types and recoding of same (e.g., occupational level not possible for a specific occupational group, occupational group does not exist within a certain department).
  • Identification and removal of cases as they were out of scope (e.g., contracted individuals, Minister’s exempt staff).

Checking syntax was run on test data first. Next, it was finalized by being run on pre-test data. This also ensured that data coming from the final survey would be accurate. During field, checking and cleaning continued. It was done regularly to ensure that the data continues to be valid and correct and to identify any “new” issues that might appear as more data was collected.

Micro-data File

Advanis provided micro-data files in SPSS, SAS, and comma-separated values (CSV) formats to TBS for their internal use by select analysts of the TBS PSES Surveys Team. The micro-data files including a micro-data file for the overall public service, and separate micro-data files of survey responses for the National Capital Commission, regular and civilian members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and locally engage staff of Global Affairs Canada. The micro-data files included the weights for each case.

Aggregate Data Files

TBS provided historical datasets to Advanis, and where appropriate and possible, Advanis merged the historical data with the 2018 data from the micro-data file to create various aggregate data files for TBS to:

  • Publish results and open data on the PSES web page, and
  • Provide departmental datasets, including results for the overall public service and for individual departments and agencies, broken down by demographic characteristics and organizational structure, to participating departments and agencies.

These aggregate data files were subject to suppression rules, as described in the next section.

Applying suppression rules to protect the confidentiality of responses

In order to protect the confidentiality of employees’ responses, some results needed to be suppressed:

  • Results were suppressed for groups with fewer than 10 respondents.
  • For sensitive questions (e.g., harassment, discrimination), results were suppressed for response categories with only 1, 2, 3 or 4 respondents.
  • Results were suppressed for sub-questions where the results from a main question were suppressed (e.g., suppression of results for sources of harassment if results for incidence of harassment were suppressed).
  • If only one group’s results for a question were suppressed, then the results for the group with the next lowest number of respondents from the same demographic variable were also suppressed (with the exception of allowing a single suppression for gender).
  • Suppression ensured that related demographic groups were consistently suppressed (e.g., if a specific occupational group was suppressed, then all levels for that group were also suppressed).

In applying the suppression rules, results were flagged that needed to be suppressed prior to creation of the final aggregate datasets. Advanis used this flag to programmatically handle the suppressions in a consistent manner across similar datasets, hiding results from some datasets and removing entire rows in others.

After suppression rules were applied to aggregate datasets, TBS conducted their own review to ensure that rules were applied. A number of iterations between Advanis and TBS occurred to ensure rules were applied properly and consistently with past versions of the PSES.

Response Rates

Overall Response Rate

Of the 282,615 employees eligible to participate, 163,121 completed the survey, for a response rate of 57.7%. 137,991(85%) completed the survey in English and 25,130 (15%) completed in French. 160,291 (98.3%) completed the survey online, 2,824 (1.7%) completed it via paper, and 6 (0.004%) completed it via the phone. To support tracking and comparability over time, survey response rates are calculated using the formula established by Statistics Canada.

Response Rate by Department/Agency

Level ID Organization Total Cases Invalid Cases 1 Valid Cases Completed Online Completed Phone Completed Paper Completed Total Response Rate
na Total 288158 5543 282615 160278 18.0 2825.0 163121 57.7%
91 Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada 563 21 542 319 1.0 320 59.0%
09 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 5598 121 5477 2903 9.0 2912 53.2%
32 Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency 614 16 598 457 457 76.4%
83 Canada Border Services Agency 14970 280 14690 6377 6377 43.4%
34 Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions 328 14 314 229 229 72.9%
01 Canada Revenue Agency 41883 151 41732 28192 1.0 28193 67.6%
78 Canada School of Public Service 708 25 683 478 478 70.0%
95121 Canadian Dairy Commission 66 3 63 38 2.0 40 63.5%
47 Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency 271 0 271 259 259 95.6%
86 Canadian Food Inspection Agency 6405 96 6309 4569 1.0 4570 72.4%
25 Canadian Grain Commission 471 2 469 317 317 67.6%
20 Canadian Heritage 2020 75 1945 1249 2.0 1251 64.3%
41 Canadian Human Rights Commission 192 3 189 136 136 72.0%
35 Canadian Institutes of Health Research 507 16 491 343 343 69.9%
95103 Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat 27 1 26 19 19 73.1%
95144 Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency 69 0 69 52 52 75.4%
69 Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission 992 17 975 732 732 75.1%
31 Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunicatio... 459 5 454 363 363 80.0%
33 Canadian Space Agency 681 6 675 490 490 72.6%
54 Canadian Transportation Agency 245 2 243 154 154 63.4%
95114 Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP 66 1 65 48 48 73.8%
89 Communications Security Establishment Canada 2642 0 2642 1525 3.0 1528 57.8%
95105 Copyright Board of Canada 14 1 13 9 9 69.2%
04 Correctional Service Canada 17899 166 17733 7331 1.0 12.0 7344 41.4%
30 Courts Administration Service 763 53 710 440 440 62.0%
22 Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs 2871 101 2770 1421 1421 51.3%
24 Department of Finance Canada 759 10 749 485 1.0 486 64.9%
19 Department of Justice 4708 164 4544 2612 1.0 2613 57.5%
03 Department of National Defence 25301 760 24541 10694 4.0 5.0 10703 43.6%
02 Employment and Social Development Canada 25743 526 25217 14856 14856 58.9%
11 Environment and Climate Change Canada 7255 180 7075 4448 4448 62.9%
95109 Farm Products Council of Canada 17 0 17 8 8 47.1%
93 Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario 241 14 227 206 206 90.7%
95130 Financial Consumer Agency of Canada 130 2 128 104 2.0 106 82.8%
05 Fisheries and Oceans Canada 11613 235 11378 6013 1.0 911.0 6925 60.9%
14 Global Affairs Canada 6458 197 6261 3613 83.0 3696 59.0%
06 Health Canada 7637 93 7544 4407 28.0 4435 58.8%
23 Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada 1289 31 1258 709 1.0 710 56.4%
13 Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada 7945 186 7759 4272 1.0 4273 55.1%
95149 Indian Oil and Gas Canada 93 0 93 66 5.0 71 76.3%
17 Indigenous Services Canada 5524 147 5377 2683 1.0 46.0 2730 50.8%
82 Infrastructure Canada 541 35 506 320 320 63.2%
10 Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada 5491 70 5421 3497 3497 64.5%
95107 International Joint Commission 39 0 39 20 20 51.3%
74 Library and Archives Canada 1030 25 1005 664 664 66.1%
95119 Military Grievances External Review Committee 42 0 42 33 33 78.6%
95101 Military Police Complaints Commission of Canada 33 2 31 24 24 77.4%
75 National Energy Board 507 3 504 296 1.0 297 58.9%
92 National Film Board of Canada 400 5 395 196 196 49.6%
50 National Research Council Canada 4079 38 4041 1793 1793 44.4%
15 Natural Resources Canada 4364 77 4287 2721 2721 63.5%
81 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council 462 8 454 367 367 80.8%
52 Office of the Auditor General of Canada 560 3 557 459 459 82.4%
40 Office of the Chief Electoral Officer 688 9 679 364 364 53.6%
95110 Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicia... 60 1 59 47 47 79.7%
95139 Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada 29 2 27 27 27 100.0%
95147 Office of the Correctional Investigator 34 1 33 27 27 81.8%
95151 Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada 96 3 93 78 78 83.9%
80 Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada 188 6 182 129 129 70.9%
95143 Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada 24 1 23 21 21 91.3%
73 Office of the Secretary to the Governor General 160 3 157 111 1.0 112 71.3%
88 Parks Canada 7057 64 6993 3820 9.0 532.0 4361 62.4%
36 Parole Board of Canada 546 47 499 333 333 66.7%
95111 Patented Medicine Prices Review Board 70 0 70 52 52 74.3%
95145 Polar Knowledge Canada 81 1 80 33 33 41.3%
28 Privy Council Office 943 18 925 649 649 70.2%
70 Public Health Agency of Canada 2094 26 2068 1195 1195 57.8%
46 Public Prosecution Service of Canada 1168 40 1128 667 667 59.1%
53 Public Safety Canada 1331 127 1204 734 2.0 736 61.1%
21 Public Service Commission of Canada 836 26 810 568 2.0 570 70.4%
07 Public Services and Procurement Canada 14430 376 14054 8939 8939 63.6%
95125 RCMP External Review Committee 10 0 10 10 10 100.0%
16 Royal Canadian Mounted Police 8757 153 8604 4669 4669 54.3%
37 Shared Services Canada 6269 249 6020 2806 2806 46.6%
56 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council 219 13 206 159 159 77.2%
08 Statistics Canada 5644 60 5584 3629 1.0 27.0 3657 65.5%
94 Statistical Survey Operations 1654 0 1654 0 1021.0 1021 61.7%
95140 Status of Women Canada 192 9 183 125 125 68.3%
12 Transport Canada 5922 88 5834 3646 2.0 3648 62.5%
39 Transportation Safety Board of Canada 220 10 210 162 162 77.1%
26 Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat 2492 182 2310 1392 1392 60.3%
18 Veterans Affairs Canada 2799 32 2767 1550 1550 56.0%
95150 Veterans Review and Appeal Board 89 2 87 57 57 65.5%
43 Western Economic Diversification Canada 319 7 312 238 238 76.3%
na Missing 152 0 152 25 123.0 148 97.4%
Footnotes

  • 1 Invalid Cases are those dropped by TBS or the department's HR contact.

Research Instrument Used (Survey Questionnaire)

Introduction

2018 Public Service Employee Survey

I am pleased to invite you to participate in the 2018 Public Service Employee Survey (PSES).

The PSES provides an opportunity for you to express your opinion on important aspects of your workplace, including respect, diversity, well-being and compensation. By providing your feedback, you will help your organization identify what is working well and where improvements are required. This will contribute toward public service-wide efforts in support of a high-performing world class public service.

The PSES was developed by the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS). Advanis, a Canadian market and social research firm, is administering the survey on TBS’s behalf.

Your participation in this survey is voluntary, and your responses are protected under the Privacy Act (refer to Privacy statement below). Your identity will be further safeguarded by grouping your responses with those of other respondents when reporting results. Individual responses and results for very small groups of fewer than 10 respondents will not be reported or shared with departments and agencies. For information about Advanis and their privacy policy, please visit www.advanis.ca.

The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Please note that you have until September 28, 2018 to complete and submit the survey.

I appreciate you taking the time to share your views. Your opinion counts and contributes to creating a better workplace.

Anne Marie Smart

Chief Human Resources Officer

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Privacy Statement:

The information you provide is collected under the authority of the Financial Administration Act and will be protected in accordance with the Privacy Act. Because survey responses are not attributed to any one individual, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat will not be able to provide rights to access or correction of information you have submitted. For additional information regarding this activity, please refer to Personal information Bank – PSU 938 (Outreach Activities) in Info Source. If you have any privacy concerns, please contact the TBS Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator by email at atip.aiprp@tbs-sct.gc.ca or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

2018 Public Service Employee Survey Questionnaire

My Job

Q1. I get the training I need to do my job.
Q2. My job is a good fit with my interests.
Q3. My job is a good fit with my skills.
Q4. I have support at work to balance my work and personal life.
Q5. I get a sense of satisfaction from my work.
Q6. I receive meaningful recognition for work well done.
Q7. I have clear work objectives.
Q8. I know how my work contributes to the achievement of my department's or agency's goals.
Q9. Overall, I feel valued at work.
Q10. I am proud of the work that I do.
Q11. I have opportunities to provide input into decisions that affect my work.
Q12. I am encouraged to be innovative or to take initiative in my work.
Q13. I have support at work to provide a high level of service.
Q14. Overall, I like my job.
Q15. I can complete my assigned workload during my regular working hours.
Q16a. I feel that the quality of my work suffers because of constantly changing priorities
Q16b. I feel that the quality of my work suffers because of lack of stability in my department or agency.
Q16c. I feel that the quality of my work suffers because of too many approval stages.
Q16d. I feel that the quality of my work suffers because of unreasonable deadlines.
Q16e. I feel that the quality of my work suffers because of having to do the same or more work, but with fewer resources.
Q16g. I feel that the quality of my work suffers because of overly complicated or unnecessary business processes.

My Work Unit

Q17. I am satisfied with how interpersonal issues are resolved in my work unit.
Q18. In my work unit, every individual is accepted as an equal member of the team.
Q19. In my work unit, unsatisfactory employee performance is managed effectively.
Q20. In my work unit, individuals behave in a respectful manner.
Q21. The people I work with value my ideas and opinions.

My Immediate Supervisor

Q22. I receive useful feedback from my immediate supervisor on my job performance.
Q23. I can count on my immediate supervisor to keep his or her promises.
Q24. My immediate supervisor keeps me informed about the issues affecting my work.
Q25. My immediate supervisor seems to care about me as a person.
Q26. I am satisfied with the quality of supervision I receive.
Q27. Are you a supervisor?

Senior Management

Q28. I receive the support I need from senior management to address unsatisfactory performance issues in my work unit.
Q29. Senior managers in my department or agency lead by example in ethical behavior.
Q30. I have confidence in the senior management of my department or agency.
Q31. Senior management in my department or agency makes effective and timely decisions.
Q32. Essential information flows effectively from senior management to staff.

My Organization (Department or Agency)

Q33. My department or agency does a good job of communicating its vision, mission and goals.
Q34. If I am faced with an ethical dilemma or a conflict between values in the workplace, I know where I can go for help in resolving the situation.
Q35. My department or agency does a good job of promoting values and ethics in the workplace.
Q36. I feel I can initiate a formal recourse process (e.g., grievance, complaint, appeal) without fear of reprisal.
Q37. My department or agency does a good job of supporting employee career development.
Q38. I believe I have opportunities for promotion within my department or agency, given my education, skills and experience.
Q39. I feel I would be supported by my department or agency if I proposed a new idea.
Q40. My department or agency implements activities and practices that support a diverse workplace.
Q41. I think that my department or agency respects individual differences (e.g., culture, work styles, ideas).
Q42. Overall, my department or agency treats me with respect.
Q43. I would recommend my department or agency as a great place to work.
Q44. I am satisfied with my department or agency.
Q45. I would prefer to remain with my department or agency, even if a comparable job was available elsewhere in the federal public service.

Mobility and Retention

Q46. Do you intend to leave your current position in the next two years?
Q47. Please indicate your reason for leaving.

Harassment

Harassment is normally a series of incidents, but it can be one severe incident that has a lasting impact on the individual.

Harassment is any improper conduct by an individual that is directed at and offensive to another individual in the workplace, including at any event or any location related to work, and that the individual knew or ought reasonably to have known would cause offence or harm. It comprises objectionable act(s), comment(s) or display(s) that demean, belittle, or cause personal humiliation or embarrassment, and any act of intimidation or threat. It also includes harassment within the meaning of the Canadian Human Rights Act (i.e., based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, family status, genetic characteristics (including a requirement to undergo a genetic test, or disclose the results of a genetic test), disability or conviction for an offence for which a pardon has been granted or in respect of which a record suspension has been ordered).

Q48. Having carefully read the definition of harassment, have you been the victim of harassment on the job in the past 12 months?
Q49. From whom did you experience harassment on the job? (Mark all that apply.)
Q50. Please indicate the nature of the harassment you experienced. (Mark all that apply.)
Q51. What action(s) did you take to address the harassment you experienced? (Mark all that apply.)
Q52. Why did you not file a grievance or formal complaint about the harassment you experienced? (Mark all that apply.)
Q53. I am satisfied with how matters related to harassment are resolved in my department or agency.
Q54. My department or agency works hard to create a workplace that prevents harassment.

Discrimination

Discrimination means treating someone differently or unfairly because of a personal characteristic or distinction, which, whether intentional or not, has an effect that imposes disadvantages not imposed on others or that withholds or limits access that is given to others. There are 13 prohibited grounds of discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act (i.e., based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, family status, genetic characteristics (including a requirement to undergo a genetic test, or disclose the results of a genetic test), disability or conviction for an offence for which a pardon has been granted or in respect of which a record suspension has been ordered).

Q55. Having carefully read the definition of discrimination, have you been the victim of discrimination on the job in the past 12 months?
Q56. From whom did you experience discrimination on the job? (Mark all that apply.)
Q57. Please indicate the type of discrimination you experienced. (Mark all that apply.)
Q58. What action(s) did you take to address the discrimination you experienced? (Mark all that apply.)
Q59. Why did you not file a grievance or a formal complaint about the discrimination you experienced? (Mark all that apply.)
Q60. I am satisfied with how matters related to discrimination are resolved in my department or agency.
Q61. My department or agency works hard to create a workplace that prevents discrimination.

Stress and Well-Being

Q62a. Overall, to what extent do the following factors cause you stress at work?

Pay or other compensation-related issues

Q62b. Overall, to what extent do the following factors cause you stress at work?

Heavy workload

Q62c. Overall, to what extent do the following factors cause you stress at work?

Unreasonable deadlines

Q62d. Overall, to what extent do the following factors cause you stress at work?

Not enough employees to do the work

Q62e. Overall, to what extent do the following factors cause you stress at work?

Overtime or long work hours

Q62f. Overall, to what extent do the following factors cause you stress at work?

Balancing work and personal life

Q62g. Overall, to what extent do the following factors cause you stress at work?

Lack of control or input in decision-making

Q62h. Overall, to what extent do the following factors cause you stress at work?

Competing or constantly changing priorities

Q62i. Overall, to what extent do the following factors cause you stress at work?

Lack of clear expectations

Q62j. Overall, to what extent do the following factors cause you stress at work?

Information overload

Q62k. Overall, to what extent do the following factors cause you stress at work?

Physical work environment

Q62l. Overall, to what extent do the following factors cause you stress at work?

Accessibility or accommodation issues

Q62m. Overall, to what extent do the following factors cause you stress at work?

Harassment or discrimination

Q62n. Overall, to what extent do the following factors cause you stress at work?

Issue(s) with my co-worker(s)

Q62o. Overall, to what extent do the following factors cause you stress at work?

Issue(s) with individual(s) with authority over me

Q62p. Overall, to what extent do the following factors cause you stress at work?

Issue(s) with individual(s) working for me

Q62q. Overall, to what extent do the following factors cause you stress at work?

Issue(s) with other individual(s) (e.g., members of the public, individuals from other departments or agencies)

Q62r. Overall, to what extent do the following factors cause you stress at work?

Lack of job security

Q62s. Overall, to what extent do the following factors cause you stress at work?

Personal issues

Q63. Overall, my level of work-related stress is…
Q64. After my workday, I feel emotionally drained.
Q65. My department or agency does a good job of raising awareness of mental health in the workplace.
Q66. I would describe my workplace as being psychologically healthy.

Compensation

Q67. To what extent has your pay or other compensation been affected by issues with the Phoenix pay system?
Q68. Please indicate which of the following pay or other compensation issues you have experienced. (Mark all that apply.)
Q69. Please estimate the number of hours you have spent, at work or outside of work, attempting to resolve your pay or other compensation issue(s).
Q70. Have all your pay or other compensation issues been resolved?
Q71. I am satisfied with the support (e.g., regular information, follow-up, making enquiries on my behalf, offering emergency or priority pay) I received from my department or agency to help resolve my pay or other compensation issues.
Q72. I am satisfied with the support I received from the Pay Centre to help resolve my pay or other compensation issues.
Q73. To what extent have issues with the Phoenix pay system affected your decision to seek or accept another position within your organization or the federal public service?

General Information

The following questions ask for general information that will be used to better understand the survey results. To ensure confidentiality, please be advised that your responses will be grouped with those of other respondents in your department or agency. Individual responses and results for very small groups are never published or shared with government departments or agencies.

Q74. For which department or agency are you currently working?
Q75. In which organizational unit are you currently working?
Q76. Are you currently a shift worker?
Q77. What is your current employee status?
Q78a. Please indicate your occupational group.
Q78b. Please indicate your level.
Q79. With which of the following communities do you most closely identify in relation to your current job?
Q80. In total, how many years have you been working in the federal public service?
Q81. In total, how many years have you been working in your current department or agency?
Q82. What is your first official language?
Q83. Do you occupy a position in which you provide services directly to the public as a regular part of your job?
Q84. In which province or territory do you work?
Q85. What is your age group?
Q86. What is your gender?
Q87. Are you an Aboriginal person?
Q88. Are you a person with a disability?
Q89. Are you a member of a visible minority group?
Q90. What is you sexual orientation?
Q91. Have you ever served in the Canadian military?

Supplemental Questions

Global Affairs(14)

1. I am aware of the “Competency Based Approach (CBA)” initiative in my organization.
2. Please indicate your employee category/type
3. If you encountered a situation where you suspected wrongdoing, would you report it internally to GAC? (e.g. to either your supervisor or to the Senior Officer for Internal Disclosure- Values and Ethics).
4. For which reason(s) would you not use the department’s disclosure mechanisms to address suspected wrongdoing? (Mark all that apply)
5. My department has practical tools and services available to help me better manage health and security issues in the workplace. (By health issues, we mean: work-related or non-work related injuries and/or illness affecting mental and/or physical health.)

Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (69)1. When I raise an issue with my immediate supervisor, I am confident that he or she will address it in a timely manner.

2. I am encouraged to work collaboratively with others outside of my work unit.
3. My immediate supervisor addresses incivility in a timely manner.
4. I am encouraged to let my professional opinion be known (at work or through external publication).
5. The CNSC is on the right path to becoming the best nuclear regulator in the world.

Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (23)

1. I have the capabilities (abilities, processes, tools) to deal with harassment and discrimination when I encounter it. (Mark one only)
2. Which of the following would prevent you from talking to someone at IRB if you were being discriminated against? (Mark all that apply)
3. I understand my responsibilities under the Code of Values and Ethics for the Public Service.
4. If I experienced a health issue, I would be comfortable discussing it with my immediate supervisor. (By health issues, we mean: mental health, leave of absence from the workplace due to illness, injury, return to work after health related absence, etc.)
5. My department has tools available to help me to better manage health issues in the workplace. (By health issues, we mean: mental health, leave of absence from the workplace due to illness, injury, return to work after health related absence, etc.)

Communications Security Establishment (89)

1. I have confidence in my supervisor's ability to guide my work team through organizational challenges (reorganization, changing priorities, etc).
2. I feel comfortable in my ability to adapt to ongoing changes and transformation in the department.
3. I feel that management is providing me with the appropriate support to allow me to adapt to ongoing changes and transformation in the department.
4. I receive regular informal feedback from my supervisor on my job performance.
5. I would feel comfortable raising concerns with management.

Department of National Defence (03)

1. I feel like I belong in the department or agency I work for.
2. I feel free to be myself at work.
3. I am aware of the resources provided by my department to support employees and managers regarding return to work after an illness, injury or disability.
4. I feel supported by my immediate supervisor to participate in mental health and well-being initiatives.
5. I would feel comfortable raising harassment incidents with appropriate resources within the department.

Statistics Canada (08)

1. I feel like I belong in the department or agency I work for.
2. I have positive working relationships with my co-workers.
3. I feel free to be myself at work.
4. I feel isolated at work.
5. You may belong to one or more racial or cultural groups on the following list. Are you…? (Select all that apply question)

Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (47)

1. I feel comfortable in my ability to adapt to ongoing changes and transformations in the department.
2. My supervisor helps me prepare for future and manage ongoing changes in the organization.

Department of Justice (19)

1. My immediate supervisor leads by example by demonstrating the values of the Public Service.
2. My immediate supervisor is committed to minimizing unnecessary stress at work.
3. Disrespectful behaviour in my workplace is addressed effectively.
4. I would feel comfortable approaching my immediate supervisor to discuss issues related to my mental health.
5. I have conversations with my immediate supervisor about my career development and aspirations.

Public Safety (53)

1. The amount of work I am expected to do is reasonable for my position.
2. My immediate supervisor would respond appropriately if I talked to him or her about workload management issues.
3. Current employee behaviours in my department support a values-driven culture (the values of Public Safety are: Service, Unity, Respect and Excellence).
4.  Disrespectful behaviour in my workplace is addressed effectively.
5. My immediate supervisor is committed to minimizing unnecessary stress at work.

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (26)

1. To what extent are you aware of the “Every Day” commitment?
2. With whom, and where have you discussed the “Every Day” commitment?Select all that apply.
3. My manager demonstrates the positive behaviours that are aligned with the “Every Day” commitment.
4. My manager has taken concrete actions to address issues raised during the discussion(s) on the “Every Day” commitment.
5. Which of the following topic related to the “Every Day” commitment would you say require the most improvement within your team?
6. Do you think the “Every Day” commitment has made a positive change within your sector since its launch in November 2015?

Department of Finance (24)

1. Which of the following would prevent you from talking to someone at the Department of Finance if you were being discriminated against? (Mark all that apply)
2. Which of the following would prevent you from talking to someone at the Department of Finance if you were being harassed? (Mark all that apply)
3. I would feel comfortable approaching my supervisors to discuss issues related to my mental health.
4. When I raise an issue with my supervisors, I am confident that they will address it in a timely manner.
5. My supervisors support my learning and career development needs.

Employment and Social Development (02)

1. In my department, different work units collaborate effectively to get the job done.
2. I am encouraged to work collaboratively with others outside of my work unit.
3. My work unit has clearly defined client service standards.
4. In my work unit, there are mechanisms in place for linking client feedback or complaints to employees who can act on the information.
5. I have the flexibility to adapt my services to meet my clients‘ needs.

Canada Revenue Agency (01)

1. I would feel comfortable raising issues with management. (e.g., issues with staffing, security,wrongdoing, harassment or discrimination).
2. a) I would use the formal mechanisms within the CRA to address these issues.
2. b) For which reason(s) would you not use the CRA’s formal mechanisms to address these issues? Select all that apply.
3. Do you think the “Respectful Workplace and Well-being Strategy” has made a positive change within your workplace since its launch in October 2016?
4. Disrespectful behaviour in my workplace is addressed effectively.
5. My immediate supervisor demonstrates the CRA's values and ethical behaviours.

RCMP (non-public servants only)

These questions should be considered as demographic questions. Therefore, for RCMP non-public servants, results to questions in the main survey should be broken down by these demographic variables.

1. What is your category of employee?
2. Please indicate your rank. (If you are in an acting position, specify the group of the acting position.) (Go to end of survey)
3. Please indicate your occupational group. (If you are in an acting position, specify the group of the acting position.)
4. Please indicate your level. (If you are in an acting position, specify the level of the acting position.)

End