Anticipated Result: Enhanced Human Resources management, which contributes to a knowledgeable and skilled workforce in the right place at the right time

The CCRA is one of Canada's largest employers. Currently, the Agency workforce numbers more than 43,400 employees. The Agency employs about 33,700 permanent employees and 9,700 temporary employees. Reflecting the nature of our work, the majority of the temporary employees are hired to respond to recurring seasonal or program work.

Figure 23 The CCRA Permanent/Term employee ratio has remained relatively stable through the years*

* 2004 data excludes the more than 10,000 permanent and term staff transferred to the CBSA in December, 2003.

This anticipated result measures how well we made changes to address the problems and challenges faced by our previous human resources regime. Success at delivering this anticipated result is measured in our delivery of projects intended to change the HR infrastructure, the extent to which our workforce is fit to perform its duties, and the level of workforce satisfaction within their work environment.

The CCRA's 1999 Human Resources Reform and Renewal (HRR&R) strategy has guided the Agency's HR agenda for change. In 2003-2004, progress against components of the strategy included:

• Assessing our overall progress on HR reform: As part of the planning and management process associated with HR reform, this year, in our “Taking Stock and Moving Forward” analysis, we reviewed our progress to date. Though most initiatives and programs of our ambitious HR reform agenda are now either fully operational or near completion, we recognize that some will take longer than five years to fully implement and, for others, there is room for improvement. In consultations with CCRA managers across the country, we heard that:
  • the Agency needs to set priorities and obtain results in various areas;
  • initiatives need to be better co-ordinated and integrated with one another;
  • managers need to see real results in the short term, particularly with regards to staffing under the Pre-Qualification Process (PQP); and
  • the CCRA needs to increase its focus in areas such as accommodating organizational change, the implications of an aging workforce, funding pressures, and others.

In response, the CCRA is developing the Workforce Change Strategy and a new HR Service Delivery Model.

• Staffing/Competencies: Base competency profiles for employees and the Management/Gestion (MG) group were developed in 2003-2004 and are intended to simplify and accelerate the staffing process. We are developing a set of streamlined assessment tools that will also contribute to facilitating the staffing process, although development is taking longer than planned due to design challenges and implementation delays.
• Classification: The CCRA advanced its Classification Reform initiative by streamlining the Classification Redress process, enhancing its automated systems, and moving forward with generic work descriptions. The CCRA also began development of a gender-neutral classification standard for the Program Delivery and Administrative Services (SP) group, but its completion and implementation were put on hold primarily due to the transfer of the Customs program to CBSA.
• Compensation: Work has progressed as planned on streamlining the payroll function. The first release of the Compensation Service Delivery Model, the Employee Self-Service module, was prepared for delivery in May 2004. Continuing our efforts to seek efficiencies, existing compensation service delivery sites will be consolidated, where appropriate, for more efficient management of compensation service provision.
• Dispute Management: The number of staff relations grievances decreased this year by more than 2,600, or about 44 per cent. This decrease can be partially attributed to reaching agreements with the unions regarding the procedure for the filing of mass grievances. Compared to last year, harassment complaints rose, but are still below the 2001-2002 level. We are addressing this upward trend through a range of programs including the CCRA's 2002 Code of Ethics and Conduct, the Preventing and Resolving Harassment Policy, the ongoing provision of awareness sessions to managers and employees, and the use of the Alternative Dispute Resolution approach.

A recourse review has shown that the CCRA has complied with Section 59 of the CCRA Act, regarding recourse methods. External consultants 1 confirmed that the CCRA has developed a strategic intent to promote the use of more informal, interest-based dispute resolutions while still protecting access to legislated rights-based dispute processes. This supplements existing rights to recourse by using avenues that are often more cost-effective and tend to resolve underlying problems more quickly. The consultants also identified some shortcomings in CCRA's execution of this strategy, and a responsive action plan is being developed. Overall, they considered CCRA's approach to recourse to be developing into a best practice, (see Schedule C).

• Learning: In striving to maintain a skilled and knowledgeable workforce, the CCRA invested about 5% of its payroll on learning, which is less than the 6% invested in learning last year. We were more cost-efficient this year in delivering training. The Canada School of the Public Service (CSPS) and the CCRA jointly launched Campusdirect, a self-directed, electronic learning program that has achieved a high employee subscribership rate since its launch last year.
• Employment Equity: The Canadian Human Rights Commission audited the CCRA Employment Equity (EE) Program and found the CCRA to be in compliance with the twelve statutory requirements of the Employment Equity Act. National representation of all four EE designated groups continues to meet or exceed labour market availability.
• Official Languages: 96% of the CCRA executives classified from EX-01 to EX-05 met their bilingual requirement. Following the introduction of the EX-01 IT group in 2001, we developed a Language Training Plan for this new group. Overall, 85% of the CCRA executive cadre meet the bilingual requirement for their position. About 77% of employees who provide service to the public met their bilingual requirements, about the same as last year.

The CCRA's experience with HRR&R was reviewed in the development of the Public Service Modernization Act 2003, by the Modernization Task Force. Review areas included Labour Relations, Compensation, Staffing Reform, and Training and Learning. CCRA is well advanced in key areas identified in the PSMA.

There is evidence that the HR management in CCRA is improving:

• The CCRA was within a reasonable variance (5%) of its budgeted resources, indicating that business program areas had in place sufficient staff to carry out the CCRA mandate;
• The separation rate of CCRA employees in 2003-2004 was 3%, continuing a pattern of decline over several years; and
• The 2002 CCRA Employee Survey 2 found that 86% of employees who responded told us that “CCRA is a good place to work,” and 94% of employees who responded said “I am strongly committed to making my organization successful.”

1 “Canada Revenue Agency Recourse Assessment”, Revised June 15, 2004, © 2004 Deloitte & Touche LLP and related entities, Executive Summary page 1-70.

2 The 2002 CCRA Employee Survey was administered by Statistics Canada. The CCRA designed the survey. The response rate was about 60%.

Date modified:

2004-10-28