• Employees should be provided with the appropriate training they need to do their jobs effectively. Job specific training should be provided to term employees, similar to permanent employees, commensurate with the duties they are expected to perform. In the event that term employees are denied job related training opportunities, the reasons should be based on operational requirements and should be clearly communicated to the employee(s) concerned.

• It was agreed that the message indicated directly above be incorporated into the Manager's Toolkit or other communication material which will be provided to regional/branch management across the Agency in the implementation of the Term Study recommendations.

• Manager’s Toolkit - outline that term employment for work that is temporary in nature consistent with current policy

• Integrate message into manager’s delegation training

• Manager’s Toolkit

• Clarify Guide to Administering the Recognition program

• The practice of withholding pay, overpayment practices, and direct deposit for term employees, and frequent changes in the hours of work will be further reviewed in terms of conducting a cost-benefit analysis. Additional analysis will also be undertaken relating to issues in changes in levels.

• Most of the above issues should be resolved when Net Pay is implemented.

• Analysis regarding direct deposit for terms under 6 months is being considered in the Compensation Service Delivery and Renewal project.

• Manager’s Toolkit - refer to the Performance Management web site. Information about performance pay has been posted on the Infozone since August 2004.

• As part of Effective People Management for MG, managers are responsible for making decisions and behaving in accordance with the Agency's values as well as communicating openly and in a multi-directional fashion.

• Manager’s Toolkit – communicate the consistency of performance standards to all employees.

• The above message should also be communicated to term employees (i.e. orientation package, Questions and Answers on Employee’s Corner, etc).

• As part of Effective People Management for MG, managers are responsible for making decisions and behaving in accordance with the Agency's values as well as communicating openly and in a multi-directional fashion.

There is inconsistent use of the rehire process in relation to the consideration of performance and experience, i.e. administration of tests to qualify for rehire.

Employees do not know on what basis term employees will be rehired and/or extend and perceive that the criteria for selection changes.

There is a feeling that experience is not properly valued in the re-hire process.

• Rehire decisions should be based on performance, as stipulated in the current Directive on Re-hire of Term employees.

• Term employees should not be subjected to standardized tests nor should they have to re-compete for their own position.

• In consultation with the union, clear and consistent guidelines should be developed on the application of performance in the rehire process and particular attention should be given to defining the assessment of dependability.

• Efforts should be made to have more transparency in rehire decisions. Rehire criteria should be communicated to term employees at the beginning of their assignment and, consistent with the current directive, term employees should be advised of their chances of being rehired at the end of their contract.

• Experience and performance will be the critical factors used in making rehire decisions.

• Draft staffing bulletin on the use of various methods of assessment in re-hire and term extension decisions. The use of standardized tests in re-hire and term extension decisions will be discouraged. This would include how the performance and experience of candidates/employees, and locally developed tests can determine the extent that candidates/employees possess qualifications. Guidance on the assessment of dependability will be outlined in the staffing bulletin. Consultation with management and the Unions will occur.

• Manager’s Toolkit – communicate that using experience and performance as critical factors in re-hire decisions as well as communicating re-hire criteria at the beginning and end of their contract.

• Manager’s Toolkit - outline that breaks in service should be based on operational requirements, explain reasons for breaks in service

• Integrate message into manager’s delegation training

• Term employees are valuable to the Agency and their input is important. The Agency should ensure a work environment where term employees do not fear reprisals for speaking up.

• Consistent with current collective agreement provisions, there should be an orientation sessions for employees that includes a joint union-management communication of processes, rights and entitlements.

• A memorandum to all Assistant Commissioners was sent in December 2003 to advise that management should extend an invitation to the local Union representatives to all current and future orientation programs/sessions and to provide the opportunity for new employees to be introduced to their Union representatives.

• Additional message relating to introducing union representatives at orientation programs/session will form part of the Manager's Toolkit

• This message will also be reinforced through awareness sessions on harassment, code of ethics and conduct, etc.

• In order to minimize the stress and uncertainty term employees experience and to avoid needless interruptions in pay, every effort should be made to ensure that term employees are provided the maximum amount of notice possible regarding term extensions.

• Managers should also better plan their human resources needs to minimize the number of short-term extensions.

• Manager’s Toolkit - communicate staffing decisions to employees consistent with transparency staffing principle

• Develop tools (e.g. method to monitor end dates of temporary appointments, HR planning component as part of MG course) to assist managers in better planning human resources needs.

Resourcing and Career Management, Resourcing and Recourse

Resourcing and Career Management, Strategic Policy and Quality Assurance

• The committee recognizes that seasonal indeterminate employment is one of the viable alternatives to term employment in the Agency.

• The committee recommends that further analysis of seasonal indeterminate employment be conducted with a view of implementing this form of employment in the Agency.

Resourcing and Career Management, Resourcing and Recourse

Assessment and Client Services

• Integrate financial, business and HR planning more effectively.

• Modify financial management practices to allow for multi-year funding, more stable funding, earlier budget allocations and financial risk management at a broader level.

• Develop longer term vs. short term resourcing, recruitment and succession planning strategies.

• More information relating to the integration of financial, business and Human Resources planning may be available in Spring 2005.

• Discussions have been held with various functional heads regarding the development of a Business Change Integration Framework that would ensure the closer integration of business, financial and HR planning at all levels of the CRA. It would entail looking at business changes and determining their impact from a variety of different perspectives (i.e. HR, real property, etc.) on the various branches and regions. A proposal is under development to move forward with establishing this framework and the processes that would support it.

• The proposal will be included in a Union briefing on the implementation of the government-wide Expenditure Review after the Budget Speech in February or early March 2005.

• It has been the objective of Agency financial management practices to provide for multi-year funding, more stable funding and earlier budget allocations. As part of the implementation of the Modern Comptrollership Business Model, financial risk management is a key component of its implementation. Ongoing efforts will continue to be made to address all of these issues.

• This will be addressed at the corporate level.

Strategic Branch Management

Finance and Administration

Resourcing and Career Management, Strategic Policy and Quality Assurance

Term employees should be treated in accordance with the current policy and have equal access to the reimbursement of educational assistance.

The current policy should be amended to provide more discretion to managers to allow for approval of exceptions that are in the best interests of the Agency.

• To obtain educational assistance, an employee must be employed with the Agency before, during and after the completion of the learning activity. The Application for Course Approval/Advance and Reimbursement of Eligible Tuition Costs was recently updated to clearly communicate to an employee the eligibility for reimbursement will be conditional upon successful completion of the course as well as upon continued employment with the Agency at the time of the reimbursement claim.

• Manager’s Toolkit - reference to the Learning Policy & Educational Assistance Guidelines – Frequently Asked Questions site that outlines the required conditions to qualify for educational assistance. Communicate to all employees when the distribution of funding takes place.

• Manager's Toolkit or other communication material that will be provided to regional/branch management: Reinforce message that an individual who occupies an indeterminate or term position with the Agency, excluding students and term employees under 3 months, is eligible for educational assistance.

• The term employment policy needs to be better communicated and understood by managers and term employees.

• The policy should contain the following elements:

• A statement that term employment is a legitimate form of employment and provides the flexibility the Agency needs to meets its goals and objectives.
• Outline circumstances where use of term employment is appropriate.
• The current review period should be changed to 2 years.
• The reviews of long-term term situations should be conducted annually and linked to the staffing planning process.
• Outline clear and transparent process that should be used to conduct the 2-year review including who is responsible for the review and both employees and the Union should be advised that a review has been conducted and the results of the review.
• Where there is an ongoing need, a decision to undertake a change in tenure or a selection process must be taken.
• Change in tenure is the preferred outcome of the 2 year review
• Outline circumstances where change of tenure is not appropriate.
• Clearly define any situations that do not constitute an ongoing need, such as leave replacements, and parameters for use
• Provisions for ongoing and rigorous monitoring and reviews at the national and regional levels, which include union participation
• Consistent with the current policies and practices in the Agency, the policy should contain a process through which employees who have not been placed as a result of the review are informed of the reasons for this decision and have an opportunity to have this decision reviewed.

• The effective management of term employment and the equitable treatment of term employment should be part of managers’ performance agreements.

• Draft staffing bulletin on the use of various methods of assessment in re-hire and term extension decisions. The use of standardized tests in re-hire and term extension decisions will be discouraged. This would include how the performance and experience of candidates/employees, and locally developed tests can determine the extent that candidates/employees possess qualifications. Guidance on the assessment of dependability will be outlined in the staffing bulletin.

Consultation with management and the Unions will occur.

• Manager’s Toolkit - outline ongoing management of long-term acting situations

• Currently the Staffing Program provides for the approval of acting appointments greater than twelve months without selection process by ML-02. The approval of these appointments at this level provides a mechanism for review of the staffing situation.

• Employees should be entitled to be considered in multiple pools.

• Unless program delivery would be jeopardized, term employees or those eligible for rehire, should not be denied access to opportunities based on their availability. Managers should consider employees’ career aspirations, fair access to a higher level of pay and providing opportunities for continued employment when making placement and rehire decisions.

• Manager’s Toolkit - outline current flexibility to place employees in re-hire pools in similar position/level to the position last occupied with similar qualifications, fairness and transparency in providing access to opportunities in placement and re-hire situations

• Convene working group of managers, particularly from the Tax Centres, to share best practices on how to use the availability criteria to balance meeting operational requirements with term employees access to job opportunities.

In consultation with the union, a policy, action plan and implementation strategy should be developed, including identification of responsible authorities, within six months of the approval of these recommendations.

• Communication, training and education on policy changes should be conducted jointly

• Implementation should be costed and appropriately funded

• Conduct ongoing monitoring of policy implementation and application

• Review process within 3 years to determine if desired results are being achieved.