Management Response and Action Plan - Audit of Regional Internal Services - Human Resources - December 2013

Audit of Regional Internal Services - Human Resources - December 2013
Recommendations Management Response and Planned Management Action Deliverables Expected Completion Date Responsibility
Recommendation 1

It is recommended that the Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services Branch:

  • conduct an analysis of the non-compliance issue;
  • continue to conduct peer reviews for staffing and compensation; and
  • implement peer review for classification as it relates to relativity assessments.
Management agrees with the recommendation.

The Human Resources Directorate has reviewed all staffing files where deficiencies were identified by the audit and undertaken to make the needed corrections. While these processes and documentation errors are important and constitute a failure to meet conditions of employment, in the files reviewed by the Directorate there was nothing that indicated that individuals appointed were not qualified.

Review completed October 2013 Director General, Human Resources
Re-communicate rules governing staffing peer review process November 2013
The staffing function has a peer review process that will be re-communicated to all regions. The approach for peer review will continue to be based on risk and will continue to be applied to all non-advertised processes as expected on the staffing file checklists. The role of peer reviewer will be further communicated to staffing advisors during staffing compliance workshops.
 
Staffing compliance workshop completed November 2013
The classification function will implement peer review through mandatory consultation between regions, including National Capital Region so that relativity assessments are performed (mechanisms to be determined). Additionally, mandatory consultation with corporate classification will take place when a consensus is not reached between regions or for any classification actions that are precedent setting.
 
Peer review process implemented in classification March 2014
The compensation function has been audited and will be transferred to Miramichi over the next two years. The Virtual Pay Unit has recently begun operating and has incorporated best practices for peer review in the application of overtime. These exemplary peer review practices will continue to support the function until its transfer to Miramichi.
 
Peer review implemented in Virtual Pay Unit October 2013
Recommendation 2

It is recommended that the Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services Branch develop and implement standardized procedures and practices to process staffing, classification compensation transactions

Management agrees with the recommendation.

The Human Resources Directorate has developed and is in the process of implementing the Common Human Resources Business Platform which includes standardized procedures and practices for staffing, classification and compensation. Most importantly the initiative provides procedures for the standardized data entry in PeopleSoft.

Mandatory learning activities are presently being conducted across the country on the newest version of PeopleSoft v9.1. The training is expected to result in consistent application of the tool leading to increased data integrity.  In addition, PeopleSoft generates monthly error reports which will also be used for purposes of data integrity and training.

Communiques will continue to be used to inform the human resource community on standard procedures for data entry into PeopleSoft. These communiques remain on the common drive and are readily accessible to the human resource community of practitioners.

PeopleSoft training activities November 2013 Director General, Human Resources
PeopleSoft monthly error report sent to regions March 2014
Recommendation 3

It is recommended that the Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services Branch update policies and the lists of delegated authorities in the human resources framework.

Management agrees with the recommendation.

The ongoing Human Resource Business Transformation Initiative is a review of strategic human resources instruments that will facilitate the harmonization of practices within human resources. These activities will bring clarity to the processes, streamline and foster alignment between the National Capital Region and the regions, supporting consistency at the national level.

The People Management Policy Suite and service standards are being reviewed as a part of the Human Resource Business Transformation Initiative to support the human resource community and most importantly to support line managers in understanding their sub- delegated accountability.

More specifically, Human Resources will be updating the policy and directive on generic job descriptions; the Policy on Organizational Change; and classification community procedures on position file management.

Included in the Human Resource Business Transformation Initiative is the review of the Human Resources Delegation and Accountability Instrument. The revised delegation instrument will be available by December 2013. As well, the Human Resources Services Directorate will be implementing additional controls for maintaining current lists of Health Canada sub-delegated managers.

Updated People Management Policy Suite March 2014 Director General, Human Resources
Updated Human Resources Delegation and Accountability Instrument March 2014
New internal control for maintaining lists of sub-delegated managers March 2014
Recommendation 4

It is recommended that the Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services Branch develop a monitoring framework for classification and carry out regional monitoring and reporting for staffing classification and compensation.

Management agrees with this recommendation.

A national classification monitoring framework will be implemented, beginning in the regions. This first round of monitoring will address issues raised in the audit such as: assessment of intra and inter- departmental relativity; classification action request; expanded position and action request (EPAR PeopleSoft); work descriptions and organization charts. Classification controls and objectives have been included in the draft Corporate Services Branch Management Framework.

New classification monitoring system January 2014 Director General Human Resources
Quality assurance on 50 classification files December 2014
Staffing monitoring will continue on an annual basis and will be updated to include regional human resources activities. Staffing controls and objectives have been included in the draft Corporate Services Branch Management Framework.
 
Revised Staffing Monitoring Framework March 2014
Conduct  annual staffing monitoring exercise March 2014
Quality assurance on 50 staffing files December 2014
Given that the compensation function has been audited and will progressively transfer to Miramichi over the next two years, file verification is being done on accounts as they transfer. Monitoring will be implemented in the highest risk area, which is related to the nursing accounts through the newly created Virtual Pay Unit. Monitoring will continue to be required until the full transfer of the function which is scheduled for 2013-14. Virtual Pay Unit October 2013
Monitoring review December 2014
Quality assurance on 50 compensation files December 2014

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