Attention managers of civilian DND employees: July 31 is the deadline to close 2019-20 year-end performance management assessments

July 9, 2020 – Defence Stories

While the COVID-19 Pandemic has had an impact on the way we work, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) has reinforced that managers of civilian employees must continue to manage employee performance in the context of Covid-19.

Following best practices for performance management during this time will support how we all can contribute to the Defence Team in the most effective way possible.

Closing the 2019-20 Cycle:

The deadline to close the 2019-20 performance cycle in the PSPM App is July 31. Performance should be rated on the annual cycle which ended on  March 31, 2020.

It is important that managers acknowledge and take into consideration the impact that Covid-19 has had on employees’ work and personal lives when assessing their performance.

The TBS is advising that departments minimize the administrative burden that can be associated with year-end reviews panels under the current circumstances. For FY 2019-20, review panels should target mainly performance improvement and talent management plans.

Opening the 2020-21 Cycle:

To open the current performance cycle, managers should create cascading objectives for their team that align to organizational deliverables and explain to each employee how their work contributes. It is recommended to set 3 to 6 SMART (accessible only on the National Defence network) work objectives and create clear performance indicators for work objectives and core competencies (accessible only on the National Defence network).

Given the current context, managers are encouraged to keep individual work styles, circumstances and virtual work environments in mind as well as to focus on achievable outcomes within reasonable timelines. Establishing effective methods of communication and the frequency for ongoing performance discussions with their team will facilitate working in a new remote environment.

PSPM App Access

Ability to access the PSPM App via the DND DWAN is not yet consistent across the department. As such, the following is recommended for accessing the PSPM App:

• DWAN Access: If both the manager and employee have official access to the DWAN, please complete assessments and establish agreements in the PSPM App as per the usual process by July 31.
• No DWAN Access: Managers should hold a telephone or virtual meeting with their employees and keep a record of their performance discussions offline for future reference and to transfer to the PSPM App at a later date once full access has been reinstated. Please do not share performance feedback by e-mail as it is considered Protected B information. Note that an employee’s work objectives are not Protected B information and can be shared by e-mail.

For specific questions related to the PSPM App, please visit PSPM App Web site(accessible only on the National Defence network) for online support and resources or contact the PSPM App Support Team:

• PSPM App Support Request Form (accessible only on the National Defence network)
• Email: PSPM App Support - Support de L'application GRFP
• PSPM App Info line:
  • NCR: 613-901-6649
  • Regions: toll-free: 1-844-898-0070

For all your HR-related questions, please contact the HR Connect RH team at 1-833-RHR-MDND (1-833-747-6363) or consult the HR GO App which will be kept updated.