VI

La Relève

Introduction

In today's global environment, the quality of the public sector will continue to make a significant difference to the performance of nations. A high quality public sector contributes to competitiveness, provides countries with a comparative advantage in their competition for trade and investment, and contributes to the quality of life and the standard of living of citizens.

Any country would be handicapped if it could not rely on a strong, competent, professional public service. Any government would be handicapped if it did not have a high quality public service to carry out its policies and programs.

Canadians and their elected representatives have always been able to rely on a public service that is one of the best in the world. This situation should not be taken for granted. The men and women now in public life and in the Public Service of Canada have an obligation to ensure that it will continue to be the case.

The previous chapters have provided a progress report on the last 12 months and have given an indication of the reforms to come. The challenges facing public servants most recently have been to help government regain its fiscal sovereignty and to redefine its role.

The focus is now shifting to

• Reinventing the way we serve

• Ensuring a modern and vibrant institution to meet the needs of Canada and Canadians now and in the future

This chapter is about the people serving in the public sector of the Government of Canada. People make the difference in any organization. In the public sector, they develop the policies, they identify the alternative courses of action and the consequences of those actions, they provide services and they contribute to shaping the future. To perform well, the public sector must constantly retain, motivate and attract a corps of talented and dedicated public servants. There are indications that this could be the most difficult challenge that the Public Service of Canada will face over the coming years.

To meet this challenge, we need to recognize the signs of malaise in the Public Service and understand the factors that have contributed to the current situation. We also need La Relève: our words for our challenge, our commitment, and our duty to develop and pass on a vibrant institution staffed by highly qualified and committed professionals.

The situation today

There is growing evidence that it could become increasingly difficult to retain, motivate and attract people essential to the work of the Public Service over the coming decades.

There is a "quiet crisis" under way in the Public Service today. It is quiet because few people are aware of the crisis and even fewer people have started to do something about it. The responsibility to act rests first with the Public Service. Public servants must take charge and do all in their power to remedy the situation. Their actions will provide the necessary credibility for them to ask elected officials and Canadians to join the effort.

The problem is showing up in various forms.

• After years of downsizing, some public servants, for the first time, are questioning their career choice.

• Others are not convinced that their skills and abilities are being used effectively.

• Still others, after an exemplary career, would not advise their children to follow in their footsteps.

• Some students would not consider a career in the Public Service if presented with other options.

These are some of the signs of the problem, but they are not the cause. The problem results from what has happened and what has not happened over the past 10 or 15 years. And it will take just as long to change the course of events.

In order to address the cause, it is important to understand better the situation prevailing today. The following list of factors and observations is intended to be illustrative not exhaustive.

1. The Public Service of Canada has been dealing with downsizing for a prolonged period of time.

Downsizing started in the early 1980s and has progressively accelerated. More recent program decisions will lead to reducing the work force over a four-year period by approximately 55,000 full-time staff. No organization, public or private, could manage downsizing of this magnitude, and over such an extended period of time, without suffering the consequences.

Those who are leaving the Public Service are facing uncertainty and fear for the future. Those who remain are also facing considerable stress and uncertainty. Downsizing will not translate immediately into less work for those who remain. This will occur as some activities are eliminated and the work is re-engineered. During the transition, many have faced an unrelenting workload increase that is unsustainable over the long term. The lengthy period of stress and uncertainty has led many to question what the future might hold for them in the Public Service.

2. Criticisms have affected Public Service pride.

The debate surrounding the realignment of the role of government and the efforts of government to adapt to society's modern needs and to live within Canadians' collective means has affected the public servant's sense of pride.

It is easy to cross the line from the necessary debate about government priorities, role, programs and services to judgmental, and sometimes derogatory, comments about the people who provide those programs and services.

As well, some management literature has been critical of the public sector in general and of public sector management in particular. Briefly, this literature argued that many of the problems of the public sector could be resolved if only it were run like a business. This is a serious oversimplification. Academics specializing in public administration have repeatedly stressed the importance of the distinction between service to citizens and service to customers and the importance of due process to preserve the rights and entitlements of citizens. But their voice has too rarely been heard in this debate.

It is not surprising then that some of the most highly talented and motivated undergraduates and graduates are not showing their usual enthusiasm for a career in the Public Service. It is not surprising either that all this has had an impact on the morale of public servants.

3. The Public Service is losing some of its most experienced members.

The generation that entered the Public Service during the period of growth in the 1960s is now eligible for retirement. Over 30 percent of the current executive group will be in a position to retire by the year 2000, and this will rise to about 70 percent by 2005. A similar pattern exists in some of the professional and scientific categories.

These people have served their country well and for many years. They are entitled to retire, to pursue a different career, or to seek out a less demanding lifestyle if they so desire. However, with their departure, the institution will lose a wealth of knowledge, experience and know-how. To prepare the people who will take over will in itself be a major challenge. But there is evidence that an even more troubling trend has started to emerge.

Some of the best of the next generation of public servants are leaving well before their time and before they reach the top levels of the Public Service. Their decision is the result of many factors, including some mentioned in this list. But some are telling us, in their exit interviews, that their decision is also related to the fact that

• Their talents are not being used fully.

• Their desire to bring about change has repeatedly been frustrated.

• After many attempts, they have given up hope that necessary reforms to the management of the public sector will take place.

• Their commitment to serving the public interest remains intact, but they doubt whether they could make a difference in this environment.

4. It is not possible to talk about morale and motivation in the public sector without raising the question of pay and overall compensation.

Public servants do not expect the same monetary reward offered in the private sector. It should, however, be possible for public servants who are fully experienced and at the top of their profession to have working conditions, a working environment, and general compensation arrangements that allow them to pursue a career dedicated to the public interest. It should not be necessary for them to leave the Public Service in order to afford to raise a family or to put children through university.

The prolonged salary freeze in the public sector, combined with downsizing and lack of upward mobility, has created anomalies that need to be corrected.

5. The private sector is actively recruiting Public Service senior managers and professionals.

Public servants are "knowledge workers" and managers of knowledge workers. They are well trained in dealing with complex issues, reconciling multiple objectives, developing strategic alliances, creating consensus and organizing networks. These skills are increasingly in demand in the private sector today. While competition with the private sector has always been present, it has been heightened by a new and global economy.

6. The situation prevailing today is not just the result of factors which are outside the control of the Public Service. In hindsight, it is now clear that today's situation is also the result of not taking corrective measures at the appropriate time.

Public Service managers did not pay sufficient attention to the combined effect of downsizing and demographic trends in the Public Service. As a result, not enough effort was put into introducing mitigating measures. For instance:

• Over the past 10 years, most departments have substantially reduced their external recruitment. The effect of this will be felt for many years to come. There are already shortages of qualified people in some categories. A reduced inflow of new talent also has an impact on the creativity of the organization. Furthermore, with little recruitment, the Public Service has not kept pace with the changing profile of the Canadian population as a whole.

• Mobility, particularly interdepartmental mobility, is at an all-time low despite the fact that the changing nature of service delivery and policy issues requires managers and policy analysts to acquire a broad diversity of knowledge and experience. As a result, excellent employees have not been given the chance to prepare adequately for future needs.

• With downsizing came less opportunity for promotion and upward mobility. No corporate measures were initiated to mitigate the effect of this and thus ensure that future leaders would be ready to take over when the time came.

In summary, the attention given to human resource management at all levels has been insufficient to prepare adequately the organization and its people for the future.

La Relève: Our greatest challenge

There are serious challenges ahead, but the situation is not all bad. It is important to keep things in perspective. For example, the Public Service can count on the strength of its people -- their expertise, their experience and their commitment. As well, over the past few years there has been real and tangible progress.

• The government provided Public Service managers with the tools they needed to manage downsizing, which they have done responsibly and competently, thus enabling the continued productivity of the work force. With the help of the human resource community, very few people have been laid off involuntarily, and many of those have found employment outside the Public Service.

• With the role of government largely redefined and governments regaining their fiscal sovereignty, we should see the end of downsizing in the public sector.

• The government has put an end to the wage freeze and reinstated wage increments and performance pay.

• Treasury Board is working with labour leaders to prepare for a return to collective bargaining.

Furthermore, a career in the public sector continues to have great appeal. No other career offers the same diversity, breadth of experience, complexity or excitement. This is the base from which to develop a sense of pride and to rethink our approach to human resource management.

A rewarding career for public servants is one that provides

• An opportunity to contribute to the public good and to make a difference. The very deep satisfaction associated with making a contribution to Canada and Canadians should not be underestimated. It is the most important motivation of public servants.

• An opportunity to develop one's talents to their fullest potential and to work with colleagues who are equally talented and committed.

• An opportunity to be exposed to the richness and diversity of the organization; to learn, to grow, and to pursue one's personal development.

These are the rewards of a public sector career. This is the base from which we must motivate public sector employees and, by so doing, improve our ability to retain and attract the talent the organization needs now and will need in the future.

La Relève is

• A challenge to build a modern and vibrant institution able to use fully the talents of its people.

• A commitment by each and every public servant to do everything in their power to provide for a modern and vibrant organization now and in the future.

• A duty, as the guardians of the institution, to pass on to our successors an organization of qualified and committed staff ready to face the challenges of their time.

Over the years, there have been many studies on ways to improve the management of human resources, but the results are not commensurate with the efforts. We need a bias for action. Our approach should be to try, to experiment, and to learn as we go. Public servants will more easily forgive their Public Service leaders for a few errors along the way than they will forgive a lack of trying.

La Relève is everyone's responsibility and it will require everyone's commitment, but it will be particularly demanding for managers. It cannot be done by one person or one department acting alone, and it will require a co-ordinated and sustained effort over a long time. Every individual, every department, every agency and every unit has a role to play.

We need to turn our attention to rebuilding motivation and pride. We need to create, through initiatives by everyone, an environment where people are valued, recognized, provided with opportunities for self-development and treated in accordance with the core values of the Public Service. Every department will be called upon to take initiatives to ensure that the focus on people is real and sustained. We need to strike a new balance between corporate responsibility and individual responsibility. It is unfair to put the burden on individuals alone. There is a departmental and a corporate responsibility.

Departmental planning

To date, the Public Service has had a poor track record for human resource and career planning. However, some departments, such as Statistics Canada and Natural Resources Canada, have been showing us the way and have taught us that focussing on the medium- to long-term can bring meaningful results. We need to learn from them.

Each department has been asked to analyse its human resource situation and to prepare a plan of action.

• What can be done in each department and at the corporate level to build a modern and vibrant organization that can fully use the talents of all its people?

• What can be done to expose employees to the diversity and richness of their institution and thus prepare them to take charge in the future?

• What can be done to build an institution that is more representative of those we serve?

• What can be done to remove the impediments to employees' desire to make a contribution and bring about the changes needed to better serve Canadians?

As departments shape their plan of action, they will also shape the corporate agenda.

Corporate support

At the corporate level, we should undertake only those initiatives that cannot be achieved at another level. Much of La Relève can be addressed through departmental initiatives. However, there is also a need for corporate action. Central agencies owe it to departments to support their efforts and act decisively in areas requiring corporate attention.

Deputy ministers have already begun to identify corporate issues requiring urgent attention. While some of these corporate initiatives will focus on the executive group, it is important to note that La Relève is not just about executives or high flyers. Nor is it concerned only with younger members of our work force. La Relève addresses the human resource requirements of the whole Public Service. All employees must have the skills and tools that are essential for their work; they need a supportive work environment; and they need to understand the valuable contribution they make to the quality of life of their fellow Canadians. As departmental action plans are completed, other initiatives requiring corporate action will be identified and acted upon.

Some issues for corporate action have already been identified. A more comprehensive list will be developed by the end of June 1997. To date, the corporate initiatives include

• Accelerated executive development

• Prequalification of potential assistant deputy ministers

• Appointment to level for assistant deputy ministers

• Compensation and retention

• Support for professional communities

• External recruitment

Accelerated executive development

A prolonged period of downsizing, along with fewer opportunities for promotion and for interdepartmental mobility, has led to little opportunity for managers and potential managers to obtain the diversity of experience that would have prepared them to take over the institution in the future. To help remedy this situation, early in 1997 we are introducing an accelerated development program for executives with high potential. Executives interested in the program will self identify and will go through a rigorous assessment.

Prequalification of potential assistant deputy ministers

In order to open up the appointment process and provide greater opportunity for advancement and diversity of experience, executives will be invited to volunteer for prequalification to the assistant deputy minister level. Invitations seeking applicants for a generic rather than a position-based ADM pool will be issued regularly. Applicants will be assessed and, if successful, will form a pool of prequalified candidates available for deployment as the need arises.

Appointment to level for assistant deputy ministers

Assistant deputy ministers are key to the leadership of the Public Sevice of the future. However, in the wake of downsizing, interdepartmental mobility for ADMs has also been more difficult. They have not always been able to benefit from the diversity of experience that a career in the Public Service should permit.

Surveys have shown that assistant deputy ministers would welcome corporate feedback and corporate support, particularly in developing career plans and in acquiring a greater diversity of experience. To provide ADMs with greater support and assistance, the sharing of responsibility between individuals and the corporation must be rebalanced.

The system that we have now -- the system that served most of us very well in a period of growth, the system in which every man and woman is on their own to look after their personal career needs -- is not working as well in the current environment. And it will not meet our needs in the future. It does not give individuals or the Public Service enough opportunities to diversify experience through mobility, nor does it give corporate support for career development. We need to correct the balance and provide opportunities for mobility. Moreover, assistant deputy ministers should benefit from corporate feedback, corporate assessment, corporate support, and corporate plans for assignment and reassignment.

Deputy ministers and associate deputy ministers are a corporate resource that has long been nurtured through corporate assessment and feedback, rotations, sabbaticals and training. The time has come when the public sector as a whole must take on more responsibility for fostering the development of the assistant deputy minister community.

We will, therefore, move to an appointment-to-level system for new appointments to the assistant deputy minister level. Appointment to level means qualification to a level and not a job; it means assignment and reassignment; and it means a commitment by the organization as a whole to give the candidate feedback and training on his or her next assignment.

The rights and personal preferences of assistant deputy ministers who were appointed under the current regime and who choose not to join the corporate system will be respected. An open invitation will be extended to all ADMs to join the new system if it meets their career expectations.

It may be that the whole executive community would be better served by a similar system. But we will begin at the assistant deputy minister level. We will proceed pragmatically, involving ADMs and the executive community in the design of a system of rotations that can best meet the needs and expectations of individuals and the Public Service as a whole.

Compensation and retention

The compensation policy of the Government of Canada must ensure that the public sector will be able to retain and attract people with the skills it will need to serve Canadians in the future. Some of these issues will be addressed in the context of a return to collective bargaining.

In order to obtain independent advice concerning executives, deputy ministers, and other governor-in-council appointees, the President of the Treasury Board has established an external consultative committee that will provide advice on compensation strategies and principles and on overall management issues.

But compensation is not the only, nor the most important, factor required to ensure that the Public Service can motivate, retain, and attract the talent it needs. A number of factors are necessary to ensure that public servants have the working conditions that support their commitment to serve the public good. These conditions include recognition and respect; support for necessary reform; an opportunity to contribute, to learn, and to acquire diverse experience. These conditions also include fair compensation.

Support for professional communities

Some professional groups will also need collective attention. For one, the policy community is examining ways to improve practices in recruiting, training and managing the careers of people engaged in policy work. As well, the communications community is looking to enhance its function. This includes developing core competencies for the director-general level and identifying opportunities for lateral assignments and interchanges. A third community, the scientific professionals, is working on a comprehensive strategy for its people.

Other professional communities, such as human resources, informatics, and information management, are beginning to examine ways to renew their ranks and meet their special needs. We need to encourage and support these groups as they identify options and make recommendations on how best to renew their communities.

External recruitment

Recruitment from universities is at an all-time low. Programs designed to attract highly talented and motivated graduates to join the Public Service are not working well. Some programs, such as the Management Trainee Program and the Accelerated Economist Training Program will require greater corporate attention. For example, the Management Trainee Program is intended to recruit university graduates and current public servants with high management potential and develop them through assignments for positions at the middle management level. While the quality of candidates is high, the program is not living up to expectations. Departments have significantly reduced their demand for participants, and trainees often find that their assignments lack substance and challenge. These issues will be reviewed in the context of each department's plan of action.

Conclusion

La Relève is first and foremost the individual and collective commitment of public servants to do all in their power to make the Public Service a better place and to leave behind an organization that is better than the one they inherited.

This commitment is the most important ingredient in building a modern, vibrant institution that will meet the needs of Canadians now and in the future.

This is an important and exciting challenge. In dealing with the challenge, we will show a bias for action -- which will speak louder than words about the importance of the public sector and of public servants.

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