Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Consolidation of Pay Services Project will gradually transfer pay administration services to a Pay Centre of Expertise within PWGSC starting in the Spring 2012 with those departments using the Government of Canada endorsed Human Resources Management System (PeopleSoft). The project will provide continued sustainability of pay services and more consistent service delivery.

Consolidation of pay services will provide continued sustainability of pay services and more consistent service delivery while addressing the high attrition and turnover rates in the compensation community.

As a result, this will provide and support more efficient Government of Canada pay administration at significantly reduced costs, providing savings of up to $78.1M per year, starting in 2016-2017.

The PWGSC Pay Centre of Expertise will provide pay services to employees and managers starting with departments using the Government of Canada endorsed Human Resources Management System (PeopleSoft). As part of its role to provide pay administration to the Government of Canada, the Pay Centre of Expertise will be managed by the Accounting, Banking and Compensation Branch of PWGSC.

The Centre of Expertise will be located in Miramichi, New Brunswick (NB), in the Miramichi Mall located at 408 King George Highway.

There is a high turn-over and attrition rate of expertise among compensation advisors. This high competition for compensation expertise is exacerbated by an anticipated short-term attrition rate of compensation advisors due to retirements. This is causing major problems in the delivery of accurate and timely pay services in departments.

The Consolidation of Pay Services Project will provide continued sustainability of pay services and more consistent service delivery to employees across the Government of Canada, while addressing the high attrition and turnover rates in the compensation community.

Pay services will be consolidated for departments using the Government of Canada endorsed Human Resources Management System (PeopleSoft) along the following schedule:

• Wave 1 – March 2012 to August 2013 (18 months), with 20 000 accounts transferred by stages.
• Wave 2 – September 2013 to February 2015 (18 months), with 40 000 accounts transferred by stages.
• Wave 3 – January 2015 to December 2015 (12 months), with 32 000 accounts transferred by stages.
• Transfer of the 92,000 remaining accounts with the implementation of the new pay solution – Spring 2015

If you have specific questions about your particular situation, you should consult your manager who can advise you on the details of your departmental transfer plan, as well as support systems available in your department. A monthly newsletter Compensation Focus: Transformation, launched in December 2010, and the Transformation of Pay Administration Initiative Web page will also keep you informed of the most recent developments.

PWGSC is working in close cooperation with departments to transfer work in a gradual, measured and deliberate manner. Departments are working with PWGSC to determine which accounts will be transferred and the associated timing, using various selection criteria. This planned approach will ensure that departmental service delivery continues without disruption and that individual employee transition plans are put into effect.

The Order-in-Council giving authority to PWGSC to provide pay services as per the announced schedule has been approved by the Governor in Council. Making changes to the schedule is not possible.

The Pay Centre of Expertise will provide the same compensation services currently offered in departments and agencies, as outlined in the Common Human Resource Business Process (CHRBP). A list of these services can be obtained from your manager.

Employees and managers will be informed as to how they will be serviced prior to their account being transferred. More detailed information will be provided as we move forward with implementation.

PWGSC will work collaboratively with departments and agencies on developing communications products that will be used by departmental Heads of Human Resources to advise their staff that pay services will be provided by PWGSC's new Pay Centre of Expertise.

We are currently finalizing a detailed instructions and tools that that will define how client files will be prepared for transfer to the Centre. This information will be sent to departments shortly.

As with any project of this magnitude and complexity, the centralization and modernization of pension services have experienced implementation challenges. These challenges can be largely attributed to the simultaneous introduction of new technology during the centralization of pension services. While it is true that the Pension Centre's service levels suffered from April to September of this year, measures were taken and the service levels have now largely returned to previous amounts. Currently, 89% of new pensioners can expect to receive their first payment within 45 days of receipt of completed documentation, and improvements continue to be made to further reduce delays.

Similarly, the Consolidation of Pay Services Project is a complex and challenging project. However, we have the advantage of consolidating a large portion of the pay services prior to replacing the current 40-year-old pay system. By leveraging lessons learned from the pension projects, the Consolidation of Pay Services Project will be able to reduce the risk of service level impacts to pay service clients.

To minimize the risk of impact on current service levels, the Consolidation of Pay Services Project will occur progressively over the next four years, in four different waves. This will allow newly hired compensation staff the opportunity to acquire the competencies and expertise required to deliver pay services. In order to further maintain current service levels, experienced compensation staff will be hired to provide knowledgeable support over the course of the transition.

The Consolidation of Pay Services Project will improve services because it will be delivered from a single site where Compensation Advisors and support staff will be following standardized business processes. Creating satellite Centres of Expertise across Canada is essentially maintaining the decentralized model that exists today, which does not address the high attrition rate of Compensation Advisors. Furthermore, consolidating pay services in a single region allows for some immediate efficiency savings due to economies of scale.

The transformation of pay administration will create approximately 550 public service jobs in Miramichi, NB, starting in 2012, and reaching its full staff complement by 2015-2016.

The transfer of work to the Pay Centre of Expertise will be done gradually. Reductions will be managed with the help of attrition, retirements, deployments to other parts of an employee's home organization. For those interested in remaining in compensation, an interdepartmental steering and placement committee, comprised of Peoplesoft and non-Peoplesoft departments, has been established to match employees' interests with vacant positions. Individual employee transition plans will be used to identify placement options.

Compensation employees will be declared affected at the start of each wave as work transitions to the Pay Centre of Expertise. This will help maximize employment opportunitites.

PWGSC has provided key workforce management tools, such as the Transition Toolkit to assist in departmental HR planning and the development of individual employee transition plans. In addition, an interdepartmental Employment and Business Continuity Steering Committee has been established and will assist in ensuring individual employee transition plans are carried out and will monitor progress of the employee placement activities.

The PWGSC Compensation Employee Placement Process will provide both departments and compensation employees with a means through which alternate opportunities in the compensation field will be identified and aligned with individual employment requirements. More details on the process will follow shortly.

Recruitment for the Pay Centre of Expertise is ongoing. The next wave of recruitment will start in mid 2012 where deployment, internal and external, processes will be used to staff 197 employment opportunities at the Pay Centre of Expertise.

Between waves, qualified compensation staff interested in a deployment to the Pay Centre of Expertise, should forward their resume, along with a cover letter indicating their interest and associated qualifications to RecrutementMiramichi.RecruitmentMiramichi@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca.

Level of positions will be similar to the ones that currently exist in departmental compensation offices. The compensation advisor level will be AS-01 (trainee) and AS-02.

The language requirements of the positions to be created will be based on operational needs. A significant number will be bilingual as the Pay Centre of Expertise will be providing a national service.

Yes, relocation costs will be borne by the Employer in accordance with the NJC Relocation Directive.

Information on Miramichi, New Brunswick is available on the City of Miramichi Web site.

A common government-wide approach to HR planning and staffing, as well as a personalized transition plan for each employee, are being used to successfully manage the workforce during the transition and maximize employment opportunities. PWGSC is actively involved in assisting departments and agencies fill vacancies within their organizations. Key information on existing vacancies is being collected, and PWGSC will create and maintain an ongoing database of available resources. Prior to posting compensation positions, departments and agencies are asked to contact PWGSC to review possible matches in terms of requirements and timing.

In addition, the Employment and Business Continuity Steering committee was established to help ensure the sustainability of pay services and maximize placement opportunities during the transition.

PWGSC will work closely with departments and central agencies to ensure that a government-wide approach is adopted to manage the movement of compensation staff during the transition.

Compensation employees are critical to the success of the Transformation of Pay Administration project. Some key considerations to successfully manage the workforce during the transition and maximize employment opportunities include a common government-wide approach to HR planning and staffing, as well as a personalized transition plan for each employee.

The normal rules around retirement will apply throughout the transition and the implementation of the Consolidation of Pay Services Project.

The Consolidation of Pay Services Project formalized its union management consultation framework with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and established the Transformation of Pay Administration – Union Management Consultation Committee (TPA-UMCC) earlier this year.

Various tools have been developed in consultation with PSAC, namely the Workforce Transition Toolkit which is being used by departments to develop individual employee transition plans and will facilitate finding placement opportunities for employees interested in remaining in the compensation field. The bargaining agent will continue to be advised and consulted on a regular basis of project specifics.

Tools have been developed and are available through your manager and Head of HR.

PWGSC will continue to engage with Heads of HR and will provide communications tools to assist Heads of HR in engaging with compensation staff. PWGSC will continue to provide project updates through Compensation Focus: Transformation, the project's monthly online newsletter.

A fully qualified compensation advisor should require minimal training. We expect that everyone will need some skills development and orientation around the use of the new technology and procedures.

A professional development program, similar to the one which currently exists in departments, will be used. Those appointed to the AS-01 position will be part of the program which is composed of a combination of classroom, on the job training and coaching. The program lasts 18 months and, if successful, the employee is appointed to the AS-02 working level.