Work Environment - DPR - 2013-14

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Work Environment

Employment Equity/Diversity

Military

The Department of National Defence (DND) and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are committed to increasing diversity by creating a workforce that is reflective of the Canadian labour market, and seek to retain their current, valued employees by fostering an inclusive work environment. CAF and DND will need to take appropriate measures to keep pace with the growing diversification of the Canadian population.

As Canada’s demographics change, a diverse workforce allows the CAF and DND to effectively support the implementation of the Canada First Defence Strategy (CFDS) and the Strategic HR Plan 2012-15.

  • The review of the Employment Equity (EE) governance structure is ongoing with options having been developed and discussed for feasibility with both the CAF and DND EE Programs. There has been an impact on the expected implementation of a revised governance structure due to several changes with key stakeholders in FY 2013-14. A final option will be presented for joint approval by CAF and DND EE functional authorities, Chief of Military Personnel (CMP) and Assistant Deputy Minister (Human Resources - Civilian) (ADM(HR-Civ)) respectively;
  • The planned 2013 EE and Diversity workshops were not conducted, however, an aide-memoire was produced that will be distributed to all EE and Diversity officers throughout the CAF;
  • The review of the Harassment Prevention and Resolution Policy is on-going and expected to be completed in FY 2014-15;
  • Considerable progress was made on the amendment to the CAF EE Regulations with the draft amendments finalized in consultation with staff at the Labour Program and then submitted to the National Defence Regulations Section (NDRS) for further review;
  • The development of an Elders’ Council Fire initiative is ongoing. This initiative will be readdressed by the CAF leadership to ensure that the CAF is providing adequate spiritual guidance and support for CAF personnel from Aboriginal communities;
  • Special Measures for the recruitment of Women were put in place for FY 2013-14. EE self declaration was implemented and during the selection process, when there were equal competencies (equal competencies means an equal military potential score), priority could be given to the female applicant.
  • Full monitoring of the 2010 CAF EE Action plan was completed in February 2013 and a progress report was rendered to the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) in July 2013. Uncompleted action items will be considered in the development of the new CAF EE Plan;
  • The CAF Employment Systems Review (ESR), Qualitative Component Report, as well as Quantitative reports on the CAF Diversity Climate and CAF Members’ Knowledge of Policies and programs were completed in FY 2013-14. Additional reports on recruiting and retention in the CAF will be published. The CAF Recruiting Survey was completed this spring and is available. Administration of the CAF Regular Force Retention Survey was completed several months ago and the report will be completed by end of 2014. The report on the Primary Reserve Retention Survey is in translation and will be available summer 2014. Delays with respect to the new CAF EE Plan can be, in part, attributed to the finalization of these supporting research and reports, as well as the requirement for new Labour Market Data (2011 census), which are expected late summer of 2014 and the on-going efforts to revise the CAF Workforce Analysis Methodology. The next CAF EE Plan is expected to be published in late FY 2014-15;
  • The third phase of the Public Opinion Research on Visible Minorities Recruitment and the Canadian Armed Forces is on-going and expected to be completed in 2014. As part of the research, focus groups have been conducted at six locations across Canada. Online survey data collection is nearing completion (summer of 2014);
  • The Public Opinion Research Study into the recruitment and employment of Women in the CAF is pending;
  • The initial procurement of posters to promote inclusiveness amongst CAF personnel and to communicate the CAF vision of a work environment that is respectful of the rights and dignity of all was actioned in FY 2012-13 and distributed to all CAF units. It is not intended to produce a new series of posters in the near future, as a sufficient quantity of the original posters are still available and can be distributed when requested;
  • Two Defence Administrative Orders and Directives (DAOD), DAOD 5516-0 (Human Rights) and 5516-1 (Human Rights Complaints) were published in FY 2013-14. Progress was made on the Religious and Spiritual Accommodation DAOD. The DAOD is expected to be published in FY 2014-15; and
  • To maximize and standardise the impact of the national champions, the joint production of the Champion roadmap and toolkit was achieved.

Civilian

  • Two workshops were forecast for delivery within FY 2013-14, namely one at CFB Petawawa and one at 3 Wing Bagotville. These locations were selected due to the fact that they were not visited during the FY 2011-12 series of workshops and the cost of travel. These workshops were not delivered in 2013-14 due to competing requirements and scheduling conflicts.
  • The Civilian Employment Equity Plan (CEEP) 2014-17, which pertains to all civilian members of the Defence Team was finalized and approved during FY 2013-14. It came into effect on 01 April 2014. It represents the Department’s forward agenda for building and supporting a representative and talented workforce that is reflective of Canada’s diverse labour market. It considers various trends, challenges and opportunities in the departmental operating environment that would have an impact on the implementation of the Employment Equity Plan. More precisely, it sets out the key goals, activities and initiatives that will be pursued over the next three years toward recruiting, developing and retaining members of designated groups.
  • Consultation occurred at various levels and degrees with stakeholders during the development of the CEEP, including the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC), L1 organizations, Defence Advisory Groups (DAG) and bargaining agents. As articulated within the approved CEEP, bargaining agents and DAG are asked to continue to provide their advice, support and engagement towards the effective implementation of the activities included within.
  • In order to communicate the approved CEEP to the workforce, a communication campaign, including a message to L1 organizations, fact sheets, an article in the Maple Leaf, posts on the Defence Team site, was conducted under the slogan “Employment Equity: DND has a Plan”.
  • Effective 20 March 2014, the Department of National Defence received the final departmental Employment Equity Audit Report from the CHRC. The compliance review audit has been completed and the Department has presented sufficient evidence to CHRC demonstrating compliance with the nine Employment Equity Act statutory requirements.
  • Stemming from the Employment Systems Review, the DND Self-Identification Study was conducted to gain a better understanding of the factors that influence whether or not designated group members choose to self-identify and to determine the extent to which civilian employees are aware and knowledgeable of the purpose and benefits of self-identification. The official results stemming from the Self-Identification Study will not be made available until this summer by Director General Military Personnel Research and Analysis (DGMPRA), in collaboration with Directorate of Diversity and Well-Being (DDWB). However preliminary findings and recommendations have been incorporated into the Civilian Employment Equity Plan. This study is unique in the whole of the Federal Public Service and, as such, has generated a lot of interest from other government departments.
  • EE representation and mobility reports (i.e. hires, promotions and departures) are provided annually to Groups and Commands in accordance with the Civilian Employment Equity Planning and Reporting Cycle. This data is intended to assist with human resources planning and address under-representation issues within the four designated groups (i.e. women, persons with disabilities, visible minorities and Aboriginal Peoples).
  • A “Champion In-brief” has been developed and shared with the Defence Employment Equity Champion, as a tool kit to guide them on their roles and responsibilities and to inform them on specific information and issues related to their respective designated groups. “Champion Roadmaps” were also developed and shared with the Defence Employment Equity Champions in order to provide them with pertinent points of engagement to further advance employment equity and diversity within the military and civilian programs. The Defence Employment Equity Champions were as well supported for their respective National Commemorative Event.

Official Languages

The focus remained on the implementation of the Official Languages Action Plan 2012-17 – “Lead with respect” – and towards overall compliance with the Official Languages Act (OLA). Significant work on the Official Languages Strategy was also made in consultation with Official Languages Champions and L1s.

Identification of accurate linguistic requirements improved during FY 2013-14 with approximately 6,200 military and 1,200 civilian positions corrected during the year. Work, including several trials, was initiated to verify all military and civilian positions in the coming year. These trials were required to test the passage of information within the organization during the actual position review which, by its nature, will be a complex and complicated task involving every organization and unit within the CAF and DND.

A Senior Review Board (SRB) was created under the authority of the Chief Military Personnel, to facilitate the progression of the development of an OL policy framework. This board has engaged stakeholders to identify policy gaps, a necessary step toward the development of policies. This SRB was also mandated to engage key players in the development of mechanisms to efficiently build and manage the CAF linguistic capacity.

The strategic communication plan is under implementation to ensure that DND employees and CAF members are fully cognisant of their linguistic rights and obligations. Efforts were made to equip Bilingual Organizations and Units (BOU) with awareness tools to ensure that work environments are truly conducive to the use and retention of both official languages.

Continued improvement in performance measurement and reporting occurred, a performance measurement dashboard was published and internal reporting was expanded within DND.

The resolution of official languages complaints continues to assist with the implementation of corrective measures and contributes to a better understanding of official languages rights and obligations within the DND and the CAF.

Alternate Dispute Resolution

The DND/CAF Conflict Resolution Program completed its transition from a local to a regional model with four Conflict Resolution Centres (CRC):

  • CRC Western/Northern. This CRC is located in Edmonton and responsible for delivering ADR services in the Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia; and the Yukon, Northwest and Nunavut Territories;
  • CRC Central. This CRC is located in Kingston and responsible for delivering ADR services in the Province of Ontario (less the National Capital Region);
  • CRC Eastern. This CRC is located in Ottawa/Gatineau and responsible for delivering ADR services in the National Capital Region, the Province of Québec and to Defence Team members located outside of Canada; and
  • CRC Atlantic. This CRC is located in Halifax and responsible for delivering ADR services in the Atlantic Provinces.

In FY 2013-14, a communication strategy for the DND/CAF Conflict Resolution Program was approved to inform the Defence Team of the transition and ensure greater visibility of the program. This communication strategy was achieved through a variety of mechanisms including an article published in the Chief of Military Personnel Newsletter and on the Defence Team Homepage in January 2014, an article in the February 2014 edition of the Maple Leaf and a CANFORGEN issued in February 2014.

The vision for the Conflict Resolution Program during the transition period has been and remains to ensure a continued ability to provide the highest level of Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) services to the Defence Team. To this end, during FY 2013-14, the Conflict Resolution Program has:

  • Handled 807 cases by offering intervention services to members of the Defence Team in the form of consultation, coaching, facilitation, mediation and group interventions that assisted in preventing or resolving workplace conflicts early, locally and informally by employing the principles of ADR. The nature of the conflicts have included, in order of prevalence, work relationships, harassment, grievances, career/promotion, discipline, performance evaluation, job description, classification, financial entitlement, leave, medical, and staffing. Some of these issues apply to both military and civilians while others are specific to the military or civilian work forces;
  • Educated the Defence Team on how to: resolve conflicts effectively; develop strategies to deal effectively with emerging conflict situations as leaders; develop techniques on how to intervene effectively as a leader when conflicts arise; and deal with conflicts in specific situations by:
    • Conducting 51 core ADR training courses;
    • Integrating ADR training sessions into 192 DND/CAF professional development processes;
    • Providing 43 customized training sessions to meet the clients’ requirements;
    • Overseeing a Practioner-developed training course specifically designed for CAF personnel and their family members to increase their ability to communicate more successfully in their personal relationships. Under a partnership with Military Family Services (MFS) and the Health Promotion (HP) program, ADR will act in the capacity as a consultant for course content and future revisions; and
  • Conducted 146 promotional activities to enhance the general awareness of the Defence Team of the benefits of employing the ADR principles of the Conflict Resolution Program as a first recourse to resolve disputes early, locally and informally.

Assistance Programs

Employee Assistance Program

In line with the communication strategy set in the previous fiscal year, 18 information sessions on Employee Assistance Services through Health Canada (EAS-HC) were conducted in person or by video/teleconference throughout the year to groups of employees who, by the nature of their work or their role in DND, may refer employees to this service for example, Human Resources Officers, Referral Agents, Managers, etc. Although focused on the services currently available through EAS-HC (e.g. short-term counselling, advisory services for managers, trauma response etc.), this 1 1/2 hour session introduced the DND hybrid EAP model (internal peer referrals and external EAS-HC), and provided a questions and answers period to ensure clarity around the services available. In addition, DND’s EAP was mentioned in several base newspapers, and educational materials on the program were distributed at various kiosks, such as the National DND Managers’ Symposium.

The modernization of the EAP is continuing to align with the various ongoing departmental change initiatives currently underway. This modernization is to ensure that DND’s EAP continues to meet the evolving needs of our employees. In FY 2013-14 there was an -increased focus in on data gathering and analysis of the Peer Referrals’ utilization which will be needed to develop performance measurements. In February 2014, ADM (HR-Civ) released the first Employee Assistance Program and Well-being Annual Report for Fiscal Year (FY) 2012-13. This report provides a summary of key EAP and Well-being related activities, statistics and initiatives that occurred in FY 2012-13. This first Annual EAP & Well-being Report will provide a baseline with which to assess workplace well-being for years to come. Also, in FY 2013-14, the initial work began in the development of a department-wide EAP Satisfaction Employee Survey. The results from this survey will provide critical information that will be utilized in EAP modernization. The survey will be conducted in the fall on 2014.

Civilian Well-being

There were 23 classroom deliveries of the one-day workshop “Mental Health for Managers of Civilian Employees” in 2013-14, providing 450 managers with an understanding of mental health and mental illness in the workplace as well as useful tools and guidance for managing workplace situations containing a mental health component. This represents an increase of 35% of deliveries and an increase of 60% of trained managers from the previous fiscal year.

The launching of the online version of that course was pushed to the fall 2014 to allow for developing the Road Map to Optimum Mental Health, a booklet designed to help employees understand the different aspects of mental health, raise awareness on mental health issues and to offer practical tools to develop healthy and positive lifestyle practices. This booklet is available electronically, and hardcopies will be distributed to key stakeholders in the beginning of next fiscal year.

Mental Health and Well-Being topics were also discussed regularly during the year, through presentations, lunch and learn sessions and kiosks, including the National DND Managers’ Symposium in November 2013.

Canadian Forces Member Assistance Program

The Canadian Forces Member Assistance Program (CFMAP) is a voluntary and confidential counselling service to help CAF members and their families who have concerns that affect their personal well-being and/or work performance. This program, which is purchased from Health Canada, is available 24/7 and is provided free of charge wherever CAF members serve. For FY 2013-14 there were approximately 2992 referrals to this program. This represents a slight decrease in the number of referrals from FY 2012-13. Regular force members and families represent the majority of users of this service and the main reasons for contact continue to be marital/family issues and psychological health. For FY 2013-14, CFMAP was able to manage in-house the client’s needs approximately 93% of the time.

Recognizing Individuals and Team Achievements

Military

2013 Honours & Recognition for the Men and Women of the Canadian Armed Forces may be found at http://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/home.html

Departmental

Vision Awards

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