SUMMARY OF DISCUSSIONS:
1. Opening Remarks
The Union Committee Co-chair opened the meeting by welcoming all attendees and shared his appreciation for the opportunity to meet. He then stated that the Union appreciates the recent collaboration with management as feedback provided has been incorporated to various projects. Richard Weintrager was then introduced to the committee as he will be replacing Andrea Holmes at the end of March 2025.
The Management Committee Co-chair also welcomed all attendees and also shared on her appreciation towards the recent collaboration with the Union, especially on the Accountability Framework (AF) tool. Management then discussed the possibility of removing Carolyn Stanley from future committee meetings if AF updates are no longer required and the tool has been successfully integrated into the workplace.
2. Ratio of permanent vs. contract employees by contact centre / Debt Management Call Centre (DMCC) update / Contact Centre Services Directorate update
Jennifer Cave, Director Collections Directorate, provided updated statistics for the Collections and Verification Branch (CVB). As of January 2025, the percentage rate for permanent employees is at 39% and the branch is meeting service level standards. She also stated that almost all vacation requests were approved during the last holiday season.
Also, CVB has been experiencing system issues affecting outbound calls. The branch is currently working to fix the issue while moving agents to inbound calls in the meantime.
The Director concluded the update by mentioning that, as of April 1st, 2025, CVB will be increasing the ARNI team from around 39 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) to a total of 146 working exclusively on this workload.
The Union asked if the increase in the ARNI team is due to the reduction in Term employees. Management stated that this team is separate from DMCC with a mix of phone duty and other inventories. The purpose of this upcoming increase is to offer more flexibility in the field and improve service to Canadians. The regions are responsible for managing the increased staffing requirements, finding the right perm to term ratio using the allocated budget.
The Management Committee Co-chair also provided updated statistics for the Assessment, Benefits and Services Branch (ABSB). The percentage of permanent employees, as of February 2025, is at 54% for the business line and 44% for the individual line. Currently, the branch has around 2 200 Term employees. Management also shared on the Terms re-hiring expectations following the current tax filing season. Although it is too early to confirm official numbers, the plan is to extend a small number of terms into 2026. The budget will then be reduced to base funding in 2026-27. Additional funding in the upcoming years will potentially be more focused on new technologies to support agents and Canadians, rather than hiring phone agents.
Furthermore, ABSB Management provided a brief update for the Contact Centre Services Directorate (CCSD). The current platform, Hosted Contact Centre Service (HCCS), contract is coming to an end and the initial procurement process for the new system has started and management is currently receiving bids for the new system. Although it is still too early in the process to provide specific details, the intent is to purchase a system that will integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) that will assist agents by rapidly pulling information from various sources. Management’s goal is to reduce agent’s need to search for information and instead have them only validate the information retrieved by the system. This will ultimately make the agent job easier and decrease call handle times. The plan is to have a contract by the end of June 2026. Management confirmed that the Union will be consulted on implementation and roll-out, through both this committee and the Technological Change committee once more information is available.
Management also provided an update on the Internal Multi Factor Authentication (IMFA) tool which was recently successfully launched. The system provides an authentication code to the taxpayer after self identification, which will then be given to the phone agent handling the call. This reduces the need for knowledge questions saving the agent and caller time and aggravation.
The Union raised concerns regarding this automated self identification process as agents have received poor quality evaluations for not repeating the authentication code to the taxpayer, which the Union believes is an unnecessary extra step. Management agreed this may be an unnecessary step and will look into it to see if there is a way to improve this part of the self identification process.
Management then touched on the vacation coverage expectations for summer 2025. Base approval percentages have been provided to the regions, which are similar to last year. Management will readjust and allow as much flexibility as possible, as new information becomes available, with the objective of offering employees maximum opportunities to take time off.
The Union shared concerns regarding term vacation denials, which has been a continuous concern. With the current vacation booking methodology used, it is nearly impossible for term employees to book vacation during the holiday periods or during the summer time, and they are left with vacation options outside of these two high demand periods. Management stated that the booking methodology is in accordance with the Collective Agreement, which does not allow for more flexibility during vacation peak periods. The contact centre reality is different from the rest of the Agency as operational requirements are tighter. Management will look at opportunities to increase vacation percentages if the possibility is there. The Union concluded the subject by mentioning that discussions on the scheduling of vacation leave will take place at the next collective agreement round of bargaining and this may help to resolve some parts of the recurring disagreements.
3. Accountability Framework (AF)
Management provided an update on the AF initiative. They opened the subject by thanking the Union for providing their feedback, which has been used throughout the designing process of the tool. The Director, Program Monitoring Division, ABSB, mentioned that the Quality Evaluations (QE) process has successfully been implemented in the workplace.
The Union highlighted an issue in relation to the QE process implemented. They mentioned that, in some cases, the QE evaluations report results identifies an area where coaching is needed. If this occurs at the end of the testing period, it has occurred that the same agent will get an additional QE before having had the opportunity to get the necessary training. This situation can negatively affect the re-hire ranking for term employees. The Union suggested the implementation of a waiting period, allowing enough time for the completion of the desired training. Management stated that the QE are spread throughout the month and the scorecards are designed to demonstrate the agents overall results, as opposed to a single evaluation. Furthermore, Management mentioned that they will continue to evaluate the process and see if improvements can be implemented to avoid such scenarios. More specifically, management will evaluate the option of having scorecards very two months as opposed to every month in order to better support employee’s improvement/learning where gaps and improvement needs have been identified in scorecards.
The Director then stated that management is currently looking at possible measures to be taken for agents struggling with soft skills. The QE process has been designed to identify this issue and the idea is to have team leaders listen to additional calls to validate. If agents are hanging up on taxpayers or not responding, then Labour Relations are to be involved and disciplinary actions may be applicable. Management confirmed that such scenarios will not be part of the scorecards. The Union shared on the importance of including positive feedback into the agents QE scorecards to demonstrate good service abilities, in a same way that service complaints are included.
Additionally, the Director mentioned that positive feedback was received regarding the various workshops on the AF tool across the country. She was pleased to observe the high level of engagement and the meaningful conversations which will ultimately contribute to a successful product. She then stated that some of the next steps are the creation of the MG-03 and SP-05 scorecards. Once completed, the scorecards will be shared with the committee, which management anticipates should be completed by the end of summer 2025, for the MG-03.
The Union asked how call handle times are being measured and if there is a scoresheet demonstrating agents’ results. Management responded that local offices receive agents’ average call handle time, which also includes after call activities.
4. Update on article 60.01 of the Collective Agreement
The Union stated that the Newfoundland office has recently asked employees to stop using timecode 040 despite a national communication sent months ago indicating to no longer use this code. Although the Union does not agree with the removal of the code, they believe it should be used consistently across the country. Management mentioned that incorporating time to complete timesheet into the flex time already included in adherence, as opposed to allow the use of the timecode 040 is a national measure and they will communicate with regional management to ensure the message is clear.
5. Union Issues
a. Team leader training
The Union shared concerns regarding team leaders’ in local offices poorly managing duty to accommodate requests. This situation is creating frustration amongst Union members as many team leaders lack basic knowledge on the subject. This is resulting in a high number of denials that keeps increasing. Management responded that the Human Resources Branch is responsible for the duty to accommodate requests, but they will follow up with regional management to ensure this issue is addressed.
b. Screen Recording Pilot
The Union enquired about the progress of this initiative. Management stated that it is currently on hold as there has been some technical difficulties. The recording tool has not yet been installed on employees computers.
c. Morale and Mental Health
The Union shared concerns regarding the overall morale of their members in the contact centre environment. They stated that positive reinforcement is needed to reduce the negativity affecting employees’ mental health. Management stated they will have discussions with the regions to suggest team lunches, cultural events etc as an attempt to instil positive reinforcement.
d. Rehire Protocol
The Union stated that the rehire protocol has been inconsistent nationally as some offices are using some type of testing which is not used across all regions. Management mentioned that they will look into the issue.
e. Details on Average Call Handle Time (ACHT) for skillsets
The Union shared positive feedback on the topic as they appreciate the recent collaboration with management. They stated having observed improvements since the last committee meeting.
f. Vacation for terms
Topic was discussed earlier during this meeting.
g. Time Between Calls
The Union asked if there is a determined lapse of time between calls used nationally. Management responded that the time between calls is set at 10 seconds.
h. Update on Quality Monitoring Section (QMS) Qualifications
The Union enquired about the qualifications needed for an SP-05 to apply on the position and if the speech minor qualification is required. Management responded that speech minor qualification is not required. Management further confirmed that the staffing board is working on the NOJO and it will be shared with the Union when ready.
6. Round table / Closing remarks
The Union Committee Co-chair thanked all participants for the opportunity to meet and discuss important issues. He also shared his appreciation towards the recent collaboration with management on the development of the AF tool, for which the Union has brought valuable expertise.
The Management Committee Co-chair also thanked all participants and shared her appreciation for the recent collaboration with the Union.