Human Resources Management Function (98/005)

Notice 2017-06-22: Federal Public Service Employee Personnel files at LAC

Library and Archives Canada (LAC) will no longer accept the personnel files of former Federal Public Service Employees for long-term retention. 

This is aligned with LAC’s mandate to acquire and preserve archival records, but which does not require the storage of dormant records. Managing the personnel files was a historical role but was not continued under the Library and Archives of Canada Act (2004).

What does this mean moving forward?

  • Personnel files currently in the Central Canada Regional Service Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba will be managed by LAC until the end of their retention period. 
  • New Disposition Authorizations being issued to Government of Canada institutions will provide for disposition of Human Resources records at the end of their retention periods.

Questions or comments can be addressed to bac.centredeliaison-liaisoncentre.lac@canada.ca

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The National Archivist of Canada, pursuant to subsection 5(1) of the National Archives of Canada Act, consents to the destruction of all records described in the appended Functional Profile when institutions subject to the Act decide that these records have no remaining operational or legal value. Only the employee personnel file must be transferred to the National Archives of Canada when an individual leaves the Public Service. Excluding the employee personnel file, all records subject to this Authority may be destroyed or otherwise disposed of upon the expiry of the retention periods established for them within federal government institutions.

Appendix I - Terms and Conditions for the Disposition of Common Administrative Records in support of the Human Resources Management Function of the Government of Canada

A. Key definitions

Common Administrative Records
Records created, collected, or received by a federal government institution to support and document broad internal administrative functions and activities common to or shared by all federal government institutions (for example, finance and the management of human resources).
Operational Records
Records created, collected, or received by a federal government institution to support and document business functions, programmes, processes, transactions, services, and all other activities uniquely or specifically assigned to that particular institution by legislation, regulation, or policy.
Human Resources Management Function (of the Government of Canada)
Encompasses the functions, processes, activities, and transactions of administrative business concerning the management of human resources commonly conducted in and across all federal government institutions to facilitate the application of operational policies and the delivery of programmes and services. The main legislation underpinning the Human Resources Management Function includes the Financial Administration Act, the Public Service Employment Act, the Public Service Reform Act, and the Public Service Staff Relations Act. For the purposes of identifying and explaining records disposition requirements, the Human Resources Management Function has been divided into the following eleven sub-functions: staffing; training and development; performance assessment; occupational safety and health; staff relations; compensation and benefits; human resources planning and utilization; classification; official languages; employment equity; and special programmes. (The Functional Profile provides a more complete description of these sub-functions).
Office of Primary Interest
The federal government institution -- department, agency, board, office, or commission -- to which the authority, responsibility, and accountability to perform a particular function on behalf of the Government of Canada has been specifically assigned by legislation, regulation, policy, or mandate.
Personnel or employee file
The official institutional file -- containing documentation on service of an individual employee of the Crown -- made or received by the institution in which that person is employed. According to Federal Employee Information Banks, an individual employee's personnel file is often divided into parts.

B. Scope of the authority

C. Authorization to destroy

All records created, collected, or maintained in any medium by federal institutions in support of the Human Resources Management Function of the Government of Canada may be destroyed provided that:

A strict application of the above definitions, exclusions, and the prioritized use of the various Records Disposition Authorities will ensure that there are no records of archival value amongst the remaining common administrative records in support of the Human Resources Management Function of the Government of Canada. Except for the personnel or employee file, all such records may therefore be destroyed upon the expiry of their retention periods established for them within each federal institution.

The personnel or employee file shall be retained by the employing institution for the duration of employment plus one (1) year; the institution shall then transfer it to the National Archives' Federal Records Centre (FRC) Manitoba Region [Contact the Personnel Records Unit at 204-983-4495 for complete instructions]. The National Archives will destroy the civilian personnel file when the individual turns eighty (80) years of age or after the individual's death, assuming there is no further action pending.

Appendix II - Functional Profile of the Human Resources Management Function of the Government of Canada

The purpose of the Functional Profile is to facilitate the application of the Terms and Conditions (Appendix I) relating to the disposition of common administrative records created, collected or maintained by the Government of Canada in support of the Human Resources Management Function. It consists of a template describing the major eleven sub-functions associated with the federal Human Resources Management Function, each major sub-function further sub-divided into tasks, activities and processes, as appropriate.

1. Staffing

This sub-function generally encompasses the business processes and activities which produce records created in the course of identifying human resource needs in a federal institution. Inventories of candidates are developed and maintained based on the organization's anticipated human resources requirements, candidates are selected and appointed as these requirements materialize and, therefore, the staffing sub-function includes more specifically recruitment and promotion; probation; transfers and postings; deployments, assignments, and secondments; recourse; employment equity as it relates to staffing; and staffing bilingual positions.

Recruitment and promotion

Includes information relating to all aspects of initial hiring and subsequent promotion, including the following:

Probation

Includes material on all appointments from outside the public service relating to an employee's probationary period, such as explicit standards and expectations, notice of rejection, and documentation relating to the performance levels of the employee.

Deployments, assignments, and secondments

Includes material on all aspects of deployments, assignments, and secondments, such as letters stating new job, departmental policies and procedures on deployment, the Record of Staffing Transaction, complaints about deployment and reviews of complaints, and documentation notifying employees of their right to refer complaints to the Public Service Commission.

Recourse

Includes material on all aspects of appointments that are appealed, once the necessary documentation has been provided to the PSC Appeals Directorate, and on the application of the Treasury Board Policy on Harassment in the Workplace.

Employment Equity (as it relates to Staffing)

Includes material on all aspects of employment equity as it relates to staffing, such as documentation on broad training and development programmes, employee services, central agency supporting activities, and recruitment programmes, and documentation on specific programmes and services, including the Management Trainee Program, the Career Assignment Program, the Interchange Canada Program, the Diversity Management Technology Centre, Technology Assisted Diversity, job accommodation, career progression towards executive levels, and all employment equity programmes related to staffing.

Staffing bilingual positions

Includes material on all aspects of staffing bilingual positions, such as documentation relating to imperative and non-imperative staffing (including non-imperative deployments), language proficiency assessments (including Second Language Evaluation tests), recourse, special submissions to exempt employees from language training, and related policies and procedures.

2. Training and development

This sub-function encompasses the business processes and activities which produce records created in the course of identifying human resource needs in a federal institution. More specifically, it provides public servants with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to fulfil ongoing and anticipated human resources requirements.

Training and development

Includes material on all aspects of training and development, including plans based on human resource requirements, and all documentation related to employment equity, courses, schedules, cost, granted leave, TB policies and standards and service-wide training goals, management training, communications training, language training, health and safety training, employee orientation, professional development training for trainers, and operational or in-house training; and all documentation such as audits, annual management reports, and departmental reports on training produced according to Training Information System (TIS) requirements.

Development of supervisors, managers, and executives

Includes material related to all aspects of planned and continuous learning of present and future managers, including documentation on departmental policy; career development plans; participation in larger investment developmental programmes and activities, such as Interchange Canada Program, self-funded leave, and Management Trainee Program.

3. Performance assessment

This sub-function encompasses the business processes and activities which produce records created in the course of identifying human resource needs in a federal institution. More specifically, the performance of employees in their assigned tasks is evaluated based upon regularly established objectives. Performance evaluation supports the identification of training requirements and the enabling of future career moves.

Performance assessment

Includes material relating to all aspects of performance assessment, including departmental policies and procedures, and related documentation, such as employee objectives and expected results, and formal performance assessments.

4. Occupational safety and health

This sub-function encompasses the business processes and activities which produce records created in the course of identifying human resource needs in a federal institution. More specifically, it ensures the provision of a safe working environment for employees, including monitoring of injury on duty, injury prevention programmes, and the administration of the Employee Assistance Program.

Occupational safety and health

Includes material relating to all aspects of occupational safety and health, including documentation on the Canada Labour Code, Labour Canada (HRDC) and Health Canada directives (including the Public Service Health Program), occupational safety and health programmes, TB policies and standards, training, employee assistance services, monitoring (including inspection reports, investigation reports, testing reports, statistical reports, annual management reports, and multi-year human resources plans), cost, advice, research, and special studies.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Includes material relating to all aspects of the EAP, including policies and directives, Code of Ethics, assessments of the programme, contracts for outside services, advice, medical diagnosis, referrals, training, monitoring (including statistics and summaries, and audits).

Working conditions

Includes information relating to all aspects of working conditions, including the following:

5. Staff relations

This sub-function generally encompasses the business processes and activities which produce records created in the course of identifying human resource needs in a federal institution. More specifically, it relates to the management of relationships between labour and the employer which includes negotiating and interpreting collective agreements and other understandings with recognized labour representatives, including designation activities, grievance and recourse processes, and processes related to discipline and non-disciplinary demotion and termination of employment. Strikes also form part of the staff relations sub-function.

Collective bargaining

Includes information on all aspects of negotiating collective agreements, their interpretation, and administration, including the following:

Designation process

Includes material relating to all aspects of the designation process, including departmental reviews of positions, negotiations between departments and unions, referrals of positions in dispute to the Designation Review Panel, and PSSRB decisions; and all supporting documentation, such as notifications of positions to be designated, and reviews and updates of designation records.

Recourse

Includes information relating to all aspects of recourse concerning processes and decisions relating to staff relations, including appeals and conflict of interest, notably the following:

Discipline and Non-Disciplinary Demotion or Termination of Employment

Includes information relating to all aspects of discipline and non-disciplinary demotion or termination of employment, as outlined in the following categories:

Strikes

Includes material relating to strikes, such as documentation on planning for strikes, steps to take when a strike is expected, steps to take when a strike is imminent, information on the operational impact of a strike, number of employees on strike and at work, material on picketing of government premises, strike logs, and other detailed information; documentation of a legal nature, including prosecutions, back-to-work injunctions, affidavits, and supportive relevant documentary material such as objects, documents, and evidence from witnesses.

Union dues check-off

Includes material relating to all aspects of deduction and remittance of union dues, including starting and stopping dues deductions, changing dues deductions, completing and distributing required forms, collecting arrears and overpayment refunds, and related documentation, such as applications for exemptions, pay input documents (or request for refund forms), and PSAC payroll identification form.

Transfer of pregnant employees

Includes material relating to the transfer of pregnant employees, such as policy implementation, complaints and grievances.

Conflict of Interest and Post-Employment Code

Includes material related to the Code, such as employee certification forms, confidential reports, and documentation related to divestment of assets or curtail activities, exit arrangements, as well as all departmental reports and audit and evaluation reports on the Code's application.

6. Compensation and benefits

This sub-function generally encompasses the business processes and activities which produce records created in the course of identifying human resource needs in a federal institution. More specifically, it ensures that pay, pension, and benefits standards and practices are established that will provide a fair standard of compensation for work performed.

Compensation

Terms and conditions

Includes material relating to all aspects of terms and conditions of employment, such as pay, leave, overtime, bilingualism bonus, delegation, discipline, retirement, death benefit, casual and seasonal employees, and any reviews and audits, as well as terms and conditions of employment for employees living outside of Canada, including reviews and monitoring of related regulations and directives.

Salary Administration Policy

Includes material relating to all policies directed at specific groups of employees, including reviews and audits of the application of these policies.

Rates of pay

Includes material relating to rates of pay, including rates of pay for excluded and unrepresented employees.

Special Assignment Pay Plan

Includes material relating to the SAPP such as documentation concerning special recruitment, special projects, training and development, and pre-retirement projects; quotas, individuals taking on special assignments, rationale for the assignment, dates and possible extension of the assignment.

Retirement planning

Includes material relating to retirement planning programmes, policies, activities, including inter-departmental arrangements, and retirement documentation provided to employees.

Employee services

Includes material relating to all employee services such as travel and accommodation, taxis, and relocation guarantees.

Pay administration

Includes material relating to pay administration such as documentation on collective agreements; terms and conditions of employment; pay rate selection; pay rate change; additions to basic pay; deductions from pay, including mandatory deductions such as pension and voluntary deductions; recovery of amounts due to the Crown; part-time, casual, and seasonal employees; and termination of employment.

Benefits

Life insurance

Includes material relating to life insurance plans and policies for employees, including those excluded from collective bargaining, such as documentation on the insurer, the Board of Trustees, legislative authorities, pay, and eligibility.

Health insurance

Includes material relating to all aspects of health insurance, such as all documentation on programmes concerning the following: general health care, supplementary coverage for employees in Canada, comprehensive coverage for employees serving outside Canada, the Executive Group, provincial health insurance, and eye and dental care.

Sick leave and long-term disability insurance

Includes material relating to all aspects of sick leave and long-term disability insurance.

Compensation for work-related injury or death

Includes material relating to all aspects of work-related injury or death, including employment injury benefits (workers' compensation), provincial benefits, injury-on-duty leave, and related plans.

Maternity benefits

Includes material relating to all aspects of maternity benefits, including documentation on the supplemental unemployment benefit plans, parental benefits, maternity leave without pay, sick leave, vacation leave, and compensatory leave.

7. Human resource planning and utilization

This sub-function encompasses the business processes and activities which produce records created in the course of identifying human resource needs in a federal institution. More specifically, it includes the identification of future human resource requirements and the development of plans to meet these requirements. Resources are monitored and utilized in planning in the form of feedback to employees and management, allowing adjustments in resource allocations to take place over a period of time.

Human resource planning

Includes material relating to all aspects of human resource planning, including documentation leading to the determination of departmental and service-wide objectives, all levels of plans addressing human resource considerations, from individual career management to corporate level Multi-Year Human Resource Plans, and related documentation such as analyses, studies, reviews, and audits.

Human resource utilization

Includes all material relating to the utilization of resources for planning purposes, such as documentation on performance, attendance, leave, and FTE utilization.

8. Classification

This sub-function encompasses the business processes and activities which produce records created in the course of identifying human resource needs in a federal institution. More specifically, job classification, or evaluation, involves the analysis of functions resulting in the formulation of an organization structure and its positions. Classification actions are initiated and reviewed, and classification standards, policies, and procedures are developed and implemented. Employees may grieve classification decisions. The classification sub-function is based on Treasury Board policies relating to the classification system, classification delegation, training and accreditation, and classification grievances.

Classification system

Includes material relating to discrete occupational groups, occupational categories, relative salaries, pay rates, classification standards, notices of standard classification review, problems encountered in the application of the classification standards, data relating to the conversion of positions, and information on the development, review, and promulgation of classification standards.

Classification delegation

Includes material relating to the delegation to deputy heads and their delegates to make classification decisions, such as their responsibilities for internal audit and review procedures, triennial review assessing the quality of classification decisions, job description (classification decision) approval and certification of effective date of duties, quarterly reports on corrective action, reviews prior to the reclassification of occupied positions, annual reports on classification monitoring, triennial reports on the review of a sample of classification decisions against established performance targets; quarterly inputs to any Treasury Board Secretariat positions information system; internal audit reports on the management and administration of classification.

Training and accreditation

Includes material relating to all aspects of training classification specialists, including minimum requirements and departmental accreditation criteria, course information (e.g., Introductory Course in Classification), and written assessments of course participants' performance.

Classification grievances

Includes material relating to classification grievances, including reviews of grievances, recommendations, and management's replies to classification grievances, as well as documented methods and time frames and decisions prepared as part of the monitoring of this policy.

9. Official Languages

This sub-function encompasses the business processes and activities which produce records created in the course of identifying human resource needs in a federal institution. More specifically, official languages policies and guidelines flow from the legal obligations imposed on the Treasury Board and federal institutions by the Official Languages Act (1988) and its pursuant regulations. Policies cover such areas as service to the public, language of work, and equitable participation, and the programme management measures to ensure that the policies are respected and successfully implemented.

Service to the public (communications with the public)

Includes material on all aspects of service to the public in both official languages, including directives on the application of provisions of legislation, and actual communication with the public in various forms, such as signs, advertisements, information booklets sent to all citizens, publications, reports, documents on health, safety, or security, information sessions and consultations, participation or hosting of a national or international event; and particular agreements with Treasury Board on the application of provisions of legislation, as well as reviews and reports of the success of the application.

Language of work

Includes material on all aspects of ensuring that the language of work meets the requirements of the Official Languages Act, such as rules and directives for designated bilingual or unilingual regions, the right to grieve in either official language, the right to have performance appraisals in the official language of choice; and including the provision of bilingual personal and central services (including information technology systems), and work manuals and forms.

Equitable participation

Includes material on all aspects of equitable participation of members of the two official language groups, including policies and procedures.

Programme management

Includes material on all aspects of managing official languages programmes, including documentation on the identification of functions or positions classified to reflect linguistic operational needs, departmental and Treasury Board requirements for communication with the public, language of work, and equitable participation, as well as translation; documentation which respects official languages legislation in the staffing process and in access to language training for employees; and documentation relating to the Bilingualism Bonus Directive; as well as all other documentation on administrative measures put in place to ensure policies are respected.

10. Employment equity

This sub-function encompasses the business processes and activities which produce records created in the course of identifying human resource needs in a federal institution. More specifically, it includes programmes to ensure that the Public Service is representative of the Canadian population, and that civil servants are fairly compensated for the work they perform.

Employment equity

Includes material relating to all aspects of employment equity, including enabling equitable representation and distribution of women, Aboriginal people, members of visible minority groups, and persons with disabilities, such as documentation on personal identification, analyses, consultations, action plans, and any policies and advice.

Provision of services for employees with disabilities

Includes material relating to all aspects of provision of services for employees with disabilities.

11. Special programmes

This sub-function encompasses the business processes and activities which produce records created in the course of identifying human resource needs in a federal institution. More specifically, some special programmes have an impact on how employees of the Government of Canada are managed such as the Work Force Adjustment. Other special programmes in place constitute incentives to employees, or options to pursue. Some special programmes have a limited life span, others do not.

Work force adjustment

Includes all material relating to work force adjustment, such as documentation on Early Retirement Incentive, Early Departure Incentive, and alternate placement; reasons for the action, the number, occupational groups, and levels of employees concerned; notices served; employees placed without retraining and needing training; new levels of surplus employees, cost of salary protection; lump sums paid to employees; and plans to minimize the effect of work force adjustment, including committee work and cooperation with other departments to redeploy or retrain.

Termination of employment due to alternative delivery situations

Includes all material relating to the termination of employment of public servants due to alternative delivery situations, such as documentation on principles and guidelines for the treatment, identification, and termination of employment of departmental employees affected by the transfer of any work, business, or undertaking.

Incentive Award Plan, Award Plan for Inventors and Innovators, and Scholarships

Includes material relating to all aspects of the Incentive Award Plan, such as documentation on all long service, merit, special and suggestion awards; all corporate awards of excellence, outstanding achievement, and senior officer retirement certificates; all awards for inventors and innovators, including departmental award plans, payment structure of those plans; and all scholarships, fellowships, and bursaries.

Workplace day care centres

Includes all material relating to the establishment of workplace day care centres, including surveys, statistics, policy evaluation data, and annual data from the lead department and the custodian department.

Executive group

Includes all material relating to the EX category of employees, such as documentation on delegation of organizational authority; use of ADM and other ADM titles; classification of Executive Group positions; performance review and employee appraisal; deployment of executives; terms and conditions of employment; salary administration; National Defence Medical Centre Services; and pensions.

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