Message from the Chair of the Public Service Commission

A skilled, diverse and engaged workforce is critical for the delivery of quality public services.

Through effective human resources governance, strategies and services, the Ontario Public Service (OPS) continues to attract, develop and retain a talented workforce.

In particular, the OPS HR Plan has focused on fostering an inclusive, accessible and healthy workplace; strengthening the skills and capacity of employees with new learning and leadership development opportunities, and developing strategies to enable greater organizational efficiency.

This past year, the OPS was recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers; one of the Greater Toronto Area’s Top Employers; one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers; one of Canada’s Greenest Employers; one of Canada’s Top Employers for Young People, as well as a Top Canadian Employer for Canadians Over 40.

Moving forward, the OPS is committed to remaining an employer of choice and advancing its transformation goals through effective HR management.

Angela Coke

Chair of the Public Service Commission of Ontario

Human resources in the OPS

The Public Service Commission (PSC) is the governance body that provides enterprise-wide direction for the effective management of human resources in Ontario’s public service. More specifically, the PSC is responsible for:

  • issuing directives and policies for the effective management of human resources
  • ensuring that the employment of public servants is based on ethical and non-partisan practices
  • considering various employment actions, including appointments at the assistant deputy minister level and dismissals without cause

The enterprise HR community continued to evolve throughout 2014-15, with ongoing refinements to the organization continuing through 2015-16.

Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) represents the “employer” on enterprise-wide human resource management initiatives. The Ministry leads the development of human resource policies and strategies to enable business outcomes within ministries. Key activities include:

  • management Board of Cabinet support
  • strategic HR planning and workforce analytics
  • corporate and agency governance
  • employee relations and collective bargaining
  • learning including leadership development
  • employee engagement
  • strategic enterprise policy and advice
  • public appointment

The Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (MGCS) continues to implement HR policies, and develop and deliver HR programs and services to ensure that we have the right people, in the right place, at the right time, to achieve government priorities and ministry business results. This is accomplished through human resources service delivery, service excellence and business transformation advisory services.

The OPS Diversity Office is also a close partner, and is responsible for promoting the transformation of the OPS into an inclusive organization that is both accessible and diverse at all levels.

For more information on the OPS enterprise HR community, including roles and responsibilities of the various elements of the organization please see page 25.

The OPS HR plan

Human resource management strategic planning in the OPS is guided by an extensive consultation process. The 2012-2015 OPS HR Plan maps out the path to be a modern public service and top employer, while responding to workforce trends and fiscal realities. In 2014-15, progress was made to advance the three human resource priorities:

  • building an inclusive, accessible and healthy workplace
  • strengthening skills and capacity
  • creating a more efficient organization

The next OPS HR Plan 2015-2020 is being developed. The new Plan will be based on extensive research, consultations and the results of the 2014 OPS Employee Survey. The Plan will help ensure that the OPS has the capacity and resilience to effectively respond to workforce trends and fiscal realities, and to deliver on government program and service delivery priorities. The Plan will contain strategies and measures to help us meet our organizational challenges head-on.

OPS HR plan 2012-2015 at a glance

HR vision: OPS as employer of first choice

Build an inclusive, accessible and healthy workplace

The OPS continued to build on efforts focused on ensuring that all employees can participate in a healthy workplace that is free of barriers, harassment and discrimination. In 2014-15, the OPS implemented programs and initiatives that support the implementation of employment policies that promote fair hiring practices, and that encourage employee health, safety and wellness.

Updated employment policies and programs
Disability support

The goal of the Disability Support Strategy is to enhance employment accommodation and return to work outcomes for employees with disabilities, injuries and illnesses through implementing internationally recognized standards and best practices.

2014-2015 Disability Support Strategy accomplishments include:

  • prepared for the April 2015 implementation of a new case management model to provide clients with end-to-end specialist support to achieve more effective employment accommodation and return to work outcomes
  • updated the Disability Accommodation Policy (formerly the Employment Accommodation and Return to Work Operating Policy) and the Attendance Management Policy (see below)
  • continued delivery of the Healthy Workplace, Healthy Mind initiative to increase awareness of workplace mental health and reduce the stigma associated with mental illness including quarterly speaker events, training and awareness, self-service resources on the OPS Wellness portal and cross-ministry collaboration projects
    • implementation of revised Health Information Program and related health information form to improve the tools and processes for collecting and securing health-related information
  • implementation of an improved health reassignment program to help facilitate placement of employees who are unable to perform the essential duties of their positions due to disability
  • expansion of occupational health and safety prevention through guidance and training/awareness relating to safe driving, working alone, contractor liability and ergonomics
Disability Accommodation Policy

In 2013, TBS undertook a comprehensive evaluation and stakeholder consultation

for the Employment Accommodation and Return to Work Operating Policy (EA/RTW) and the associated Health Information Program. The findings helped shape a new Disability Accommodation Policy which became effective February 1, 2015.

The modernized policy, aligned with the Disability Support Strategy, confirms our commit- ment to an inclusive and accessible workplace. It supports employment accommodation to enable persons with disabilities to participate equally in the workplace in a way that is responsive to their unique circumstances. The need to consider disability accommodation throughout all aspects of employment, and throughout an employee’s career, is also emphasized in the revised policy direction.

Attendance Support and Management Program

Effective April 1, 2015, the Attendance Management Policy was revised to extend the Attendance Support and Management Program (ASMP) as a mandatory requirement for employees exceeding the enterprise attendance threshold. The ASMP provides a non-disciplinary, structured process to assist employees with attendance difficulties due to injury or illness.

The policy continues to have one enterprise attendance threshold that was set at seven (7) sick days for 2015. Employees with disabilities, who receive Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB) or long-term disability benefits are precluded from the program. MGCS Cen- tre for Employee Health, Safety and Wellness (CEHSW) developed guidance and manager e-learning about the ASMP and how to use the new attendance management tracking system.

Workplace Discrimination and Harassment Prevention Policy

On an annual basis, the OPS reviews its health and safety policies. These policies include the:

  • Occupational Health and Safety Policy
  • Workplace Discrimination and Harassment Prevention (WDHP) Policy
  • Workplace Violence Prevention Policy

A comprehensive evaluation of the WDHP policy and program, undertaken every five years to ensure effectiveness, is currently underway by TBS. Within the context of this review, the OPS will also examine the issue of sexual harassment.

Sexual Harassment Prevention Action Plan

In order to identify and implement measures to further address sexual harassment in the workplace as part of a broader provincial initiative, the OPS will review relevant policies and practices that seek to enable a more inclusive, healthy and respectful workplace culture free from discrimination and harassment.

2014-2015 Sexual Harassment Prevention Action Plan accomplishments include:

  • completion and announcement of an action plan approved by the Deputy Ministers’ Committee
  • sharing of the action plan with all staff by the Secretary of the Cabinet
  • integration of specific performance commitments into managers’ performance plans to reinforce accountability and zero tolerance of sexual harassment
Fair Hiring Strategy

The Fair Hiring Strategy was developed by HR Service Delivery Division, MGCS to help address employee perceptions of fairness in hiring practices. The objective of the strategy is to increase the transparency of staffing decisions, clarify the range of staffing strategies available to hiring managers, and provide hiring managers with the resources and tools to make timely, informed and transparent decisions.

The strategy includes all facets of the hiring process, from posting a job ad to informing candidates of the outcome of a competition. The second phase of the fair hiring strategy was launched in 2014-15 and focussed on the post-competition feedback process. This process provides unsuccessful candidates with an opportunity to better understand why they were not selected and how they can improve their interview skills.

The resources that were developed include:

  • a video demonstration and tip sheet to help managers improve the quality of post-competition feedback
  • a tip sheet to assist employees in seeking and applying post-competition feedback

In 2015-16, the HR Service Delivery Division will introduce a Recruitment Inclusion Lens  for non-executive recruitment processes. Hiring managers and recruitment consultants may use the new resource to help plan and conduct inclusive recruitment processes. It will complement existing fair-hiring and barrier-free recruitment resources and contribute to the ongoing commitment to embed inclusion in the recruitment process.

Ethical and business conduct

The promotion of the ethical framework for public servants in Ontario continued to be a priority in 2014-15.

The ethical framework in the Public Service Act of Ontario, 2006 (PSOA) includes rules and restrictions governing oaths of office and allegiance, conflict of interest, political activity and the disclosure of wrongdoing (whistleblowing). The framework helps to maintain a high standard of ethical conduct in the OPS by providing guidance and direction to public servants. It is supported by regulations, corporate directives and guidelines.

Building on the momentum from previous years, efforts to help public servants better understand and meet their ethical obligations under PSOA continue. Highlights from the previous year include:

  • “Ethics 101” eCourse: this new interactive course for all employees explains the oaths/ affirmations made by all public servants and provides an overview of public servant responsibilities, rights and restrictions with respect to conflict of interest, disclosure of wrongdoing and political activity
  • quarterly communications: a strategic communications approach was implemented featuring quarterly information items, reminders, new or updated fact sheets and articles for all staff about various aspects of the ethical framework
  • disclosure of wrongdoing recommendations: action was taken to address many of the recommendations from a 2013 statutory review of Ontario’s disclosure of wrongdoing (whistleblowing) framework. Report recommendations focused on enhancing public servant awareness and understanding of the associated rules, processes and reprisal protections. Actions included reviews and updates to Disclosure of Wrongdoing Directives, new and updated fact sheets, and enhanced reporting tools
  • conflict of interest financial declarations: a pilot process was carried out to implement the PSOA’s conflict of interest requirements affecting certain ministry employees who work on matters that might involve the private sector. Over 100 affected employees were directed to disclose specified personal financial holdings to the Conflict of Interest Commissioner and follow any subsequent direction. A pilot process for minister’s office staff is also under development
Employee engagement: 2014 Employee Survey

The results of the 2014 Employee Survey were compiled and distributed across the organization. Several innovations marked this survey, including:

  • broader corporate stakeholder consultation to fine tune the survey and better inform policy and program decisions
  • “major findings” analysis to extract corporate issues and trends
  • lower reporting threshold (down from 20 to 10 respondents) to give managers the information they need to address local workplace issues
  • in-depth analysis of staff comments providing senior leaders with summarized qualitative information to help inform the statistical results
  • new online survey analysis tools at the ministries’ disposal to facilitate probing data and reporting results

This initiative, with its innovative approach in surveying and reporting, lays the building blocks for the next generation of employee surveying. Research has begun on a measure- ment program with more frequency, greater ministry discretion in approach and scope; new tools for managers and other innovations that are being considered to form a more complete picture of the employee experience in the OPS.

Diversity, accessibility and inclusion

The OPS recognizes that by fostering an inclusive and accessible organization we will be better able to recruit and retain the best talent from a diverse population, respond to the needs of diverse communities, improve our services and service delivery, and increase employee engagement.

There are four priorities to build inclusion into the day-to-day business of the organization. These priorities, along with key achievements of the Diversity Office, include:

  1. investing in the capacity of our managers to become inclusive leaders
    • developed and piloted the Culture for Inclusion Inventory. The program supports managers to engage their staff teams in dialogue and build inclusive leadership practices
  2. promoting an inclusive workplace culture for all
    • developed and piloted the Inclusion Continuum and User’s Guide to bring staff teams into the conversation about inclusive culture and develop action plans for individual and team growth in the area of diversity and inclusion.
    • rolled out bias awareness training to senior OPS leaders
  3. making inclusion a fundamental part of all business and demonstrating leadership in accessibility
    • partnered with key ministries to refine and enhance the OPS Inclusion Lens
    • delivered inclusive culture change programming to senior leadership and staff on bias awareness and inclusive leadership
  4. using evidence to inform action, measure impact and report progress
    • continued to use evidence-based approach to program evaluation through qualitative and quantitative assessments
    • developed and shared a report on 2014 OPS Employee Survey results by demographic group with OPS staff and senior management tables, supporting accountability for progress toward an even more inclusive OPS

The OPS is the first organization to comply with the regulations under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA). In 2012, the OPS released a Multi-Year Accessibility Plan that outlines efforts to remove and prevent accessibility barriers for its employees and the people it serves. Accomplishments during 2014-15 include:

  • the I+IT Assistive Technology Support Service launched to simplify the process for acquiring and supporting assistive technology to help OPS employees with disabilities perform their work, barrier-free
  • a new topic (Accessibility in the Built Environment) was featured in the award-winning Accessibility@Source campaign, a transformative information and awareness initiative that is helping staff build accessibility considerations into programs, policies and services at the design stage
  • the OPS partnered with the Ontario Job Opportunity Information Network (JOIN), an organization specializing in recruitment of persons with disabilities and disability in the workplace, to deliver a conference on accessibility that was attended by approximately150 OPS employees
  • accessibility performance commitments were built into the performance plans of all senior managers
  • mandatory e-courses about employment, information and communications accessibility standards were launched
  • in addition, as part of the Disability Support Strategy, a “Disability Accommodation” e-learning program for managers was introduced in February 2015
Examples of Ministry-level progress

Looking beyond corporate level achievements, individual ministries have implemented programs and initiatives aimed at ensuring that the OPS continues to be an inclusive, accessible and healthy place to work. Examples of ministry-level progress can be found across the OPS.

The Deputy Ministers of the Ministry of Correctional Services and Community Safety (MCSCS) demonstrated strong support for OPS and Correctional Services employee network:

  • The Deputy Minister of Community Safety, Matthew Torigian, demonstrated inclusive leadership by supporting the OPS South Asian Network as its Executive Sponsor.
  • Deputy Minister Stephen Rhodes communicated with all Correctional Services staff, supporting all employee networks. The memo, called Employee Networks: Our Strength In Diversity, was posted on the MCSCS intranet site and featured on the Diversity Office intranet site as an example of inclusive leadership in action.
  • Correctional Services approved a new ministry-specific employee network called “Correctional Services – Nation to Nation.” This is a network of First Nation, Métis, and Inuit professionals and their Aboriginal contract partners within Correctional Services who are committed to supporting each other, the employer, the people of Ontario, Ontario’s First Nations and home territories by honouring collective traditional values. Membership is open to all ministry employees.

Correctional Services also developed an inclusive recruitment strategy – unique in the OPS – to attract and retain top Correctional Officer talent that reflects the diversity of the population we serve. The innovative strategy has positioned the province to be a leader in its inclusive approach to Correctional Officer recruitment in Canada and was nominated for an Amethyst Award in 2014. The new inclusive recruitment process began in March 2013 and has successfully employed 450 recruits as of October 2014.

The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change developed and delivered in-person diversity and inclusive training and awareness sessions across the Province. The program:

  • fosters an inclusive organization by investing in our staff
  • promotes and increases employee knowledge of how diverse we are as an organization and as a province while providing them with the right tools and resources
  • improves our organization and responds to the needs of our diverse communities

The Ministry also developed “Diversity Bingo”, a fun and interactive game that promotes OPS-wide inclusive programs, tools and resources. The tool incorporates adult learning principles and can be played individually or as a team. The ministry will continue to promote the game, and measure and analyse its success.

Strengthen skills and capacity

Learning and development

The OPS recognizes the importance of learning in building a capable and engaged workforce.

In 2014-15, 129,850 learning opportunities were completed by employees through the TBS Centre for Leadership and Learning (CFLL). Efforts over the past year have focused on increasing the use of technology, modernizing the delivery of programs and resources, and enhancing leadership assessment and development.

Increased use of technology

Shifting demographics, a growing need for “just-in-time” learning, combined with travel restrictions, has increased the demand for more technologically facilitated learning solutions. In response, the OPS continues to expand existing offerings to support learning beyond the classroom:

  • 110,000 e-Learning courses were completed, an increase of 17% from the previous year
  • five new e-Learning courses were developed and launched. Topics included: Ethics 101 – Public Service of Ontario Act, Common Service Standards and Supporting and Managing Attendance for Managers
  • 2,400 OPS staff participated in 75 webinars, a 10% increase over last year
Modernize delivery of program and resources

The OPS continues to look for greater efficiencies in the delivery of learning, while also striving to improve employees’ learning experiences:

  • In December 2014, the OPS implemented LearnON, an enterprise-wide learning management system (LMS). Employees can enjoy online access to a wide range of learning opportunities, including course registrations, e-Learning, books, articles and videos at any time and from anywhere with an internet connection. LearnON has also reduced the I&IT footprint by collapsing multiple learning systems, while ensuring compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. LearnOn also enabled consolidated enterprise tracking and reporting on employee learning.
  • The Greening Strategy aims to reduce the OPS carbon footprint and increase efficiencies within learning and development. Meet Smart and Travel Smart Webinars were launched, which share best practices on how to host effective virtual meetings using tools like WebEx and Adobe Connect. Also under this initiative, course content is being reviewed to reduce printing and move to digital formats where possible. An early success is the WDHP for Managers course which went from using over 1,100 sheets of paper to 144 sheets per session. This translates to significant cost savings in both printing and shipping, as well as better, more learner-focused learning materials.
Executive recruitment in the OPS

The Executive Programs and Services Branch, TBS supports the organization’s goal of sourcing, attracting and hiring top executive talent. A top priority continued to be the executive recruitment diversity and inclusion strategy. The strategy has three main goals:

  1. outreach: identifying diverse labour markets at the executive level, targeting outreach and increasing capacity to assess internal and external candidates
  2. skills development: enhancing recruitment skills for those involved in the selection and hiring of executives
  3. process: applying diversity and inclusion principles and practices throughout the executive recruitment process

In order to reach these goals the following actions were taken in 2014-15:

  • Executive recruiters worked closely with hiring executives to ensure that the sourcing strategy aligned with the ministry’s inclusion and diversity goals. This, coupled with the continued use of the Executive Recruitment Inclusion Lens, ensured that potential barriers to inclusive hiring were identified and addressed.
  • The OPS continued to use LinkedIn to source and reach a broader, more diverse group f potential executive employees.
  • Executive recruiters participated in learning events designed to explore their personal biases and cultural awareness in order to mitigate their impact on executive recruitment decisions.
Enhanced leadership assessment development

In 2014-15, the OPS enhanced its support to leaders by launching three new initiatives to enhance leadership assessment and development:

  • The Leadership Inventoryis a 360-degree assessment tool for managers and directors. Developed in-house, the tool reflects the competencies and attributes of the OPS’ Leader-Manager Competency Model and aligns with the OPS talent management framework. This assessment helps managers and directors enhance their leadership effectiveness through increased self-awareness and knowledge about their leadership strengths and development opportunities. In addition to comprehensive feedback, the Leadership Inventory provides participants with targeted learning activities to enhance their development and growth for each of the 72 assessment items.
  • Senior Leadership Potential Assessment (SLPA) is designed to help ministries identify individuals who they would like to develop for future senior leadership positions. SLPA nominees underwent a battery of psychometric assessments that measured leadership competencies, emotional intelligence, critical thinking and learning agility. The tool  was piloted during the nomination process to select candidates for the Leadership Development Program and Leadership 2.0 programs.
  • Leadership 1.0: Orientation to Management is a mandatory course for all new OPS managers. This two day in-class course uses a practical, interactive approach to equip new managers to build leadership capacity. The focus of the course is to provide best practices in managing people and on building self-awareness.
Leadership development

A range of initiatives continued in 2014-15, to help ensure the OPS continues to have the capacity to develop, recruit and retain the next generation of employees:

  • The Learn and Work Program (LWP) is a leading example of how the OPS models corporate leadership. The LWP is a specialized co-op to re-engage high school students from selected priority communities in Hamilton, Thunder Bay, Toronto and Windsor. It provides priority youth with the opportunity to earn credits towards their high school diploma and gain meaningful paid work experience. In 2014-15, the LWP placed a total of 141 students across the OPS in these four cities with a program completion rate of 89%.
  • The Ontario Internship Program (OIP) attracts recent post-secondary graduates to the OPS, easing their transition into the Ontario labour market, and supporting onboarding and development through paid work placements. In 2014-15, the OIP supported 170 graduates to successfully transition from school to work. The OIP program has an average post-internship retention rate of approximately 80%.
  • The OPS Internship Program for Internationally-Trained Professionals (ITI) encourages active participation of newcomers in our economy by working in the OPS. It is important not only for the personal success of newcomers but also for the future economic growth of the province. ITI interns make a significant contribution to the OPS workforce, increasing the diversity of perspective and experience across the organization, while helping newcomers gain valuable Canadian work experience. In 2014-15, 40 Internationally-trained interns gained OPS paid work experience.
  • The CFLL partnered with the Policy and Innovation Leadership (PIL) Secretariat to deliver a dynamic orientation for interns and policy co-op students last fall. The ‘green’ session demonstrated corporate leadership, leveraged content from the recent Top  100 Employer submission, and profiled enterprise learning communities and employee networks. The CFLL further hosted a first-ever, highly successful orientation for the ITI interns mirroring the successful format of the OIP & PIL co-op orientation.
  • A comprehensive program review of the OIP and ITI is currently underway to evaluate the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of these corporate programs. The results will serve to transform these corporate internship programs in order to best support OPS workforce renewal. Program evaluation will conclude in late summer/fall 2015, with implementation scheduled for 2016.
OPS modelling exceptional leadership

The OPS continued to be a responsible employer by modelling best-in-class leadership practices and transforming the culture of the OPS to deliver better public services:

  • Employer of Choice: the OPS was named as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers in 2015 for its employee engagement, learning and development, and community involvement. The OPS was also recognized for five special interest awards for its youth employment programs, green initiatives, inclusion strategy, and family-friendly policies.
  • Greening the OPS: the decisions the OPS makes and the resources it consumes have an impact on the environment. Building a green organizational culture has helped to significantly reduce the environmental impact of government operations and helped to transform the OPS into an environmental leader.
  • Service Culture: how OPS employees respond to the public, customers and colleagues has the power to shape the way they feel about the public service. In 2014, the OPS launched a new e-learning course “One interaction at a time” for employees to provide a consistent quality service experience across all ministries.
Succession management

The STEP (Succeeding Talent in Executive Positions) Program is now in its second year. This enterprise-wide initiative seeks to accelerate the development of individuals with executive leadership potential in order to fill priority executive positions. The program is being piloted for the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) role, considered among the most critical Assistant Deputy Minister positions in the OPS. Program participants were chosen from across the OPS through a rigorous nomination and selection process. The 13 directors and senior managers currently in the program went through an intensive assessment of their development needs. They are now undertaking learning activities including classroom learning, peer learning, action learning, mentoring, and deployment into job assignments that provide the work experience required to prepare them for the CAO role.

The pilot program will be evaluated in early 2016 to determine its effectiveness and possible expansion to other priority OPS executive positions.

Summer Experience Program

The OPS recruited 3,395 Summer Experience centrally-funded positions for the summer of 2014 and 1,952 ministry-funded positions. Recruitment is underway for the summer 2015 to fill student opportunities in over 240 locations across Ontario. Positions cover work in the OPS, as well as agencies and community groups.

Examples of Ministry-level progress

Within OPS ministries, attention continues to be placed on strengthening the skills and capacity of employees. Focusing on talent planning and development helps ensure ministries have the right people, in the right place, at the right time. In the past year, a number of programs and initiatives focused on strengthening employee skills and capacity have been implemented.

The Ministry of Transportation’s MTO 100 initiative was designed to celebrate 100 years of accomplishments and establish a vision for the future of transportation. Highlights include:

  • Three Manager Symposiums and two Directors Forums conducted and an ‘all-Ministry’ launch occurred March, 2015. Approximately 1,100 employees attended live events across the province, with over 1,000 hits on the MTO 100 webpage, 560 viewings of the Deputy Minister video, and the Minister’s video was also launched.
  • MTO community of practice for process improvement expertise (Lean; Value Analysis; Activity Based Costing) were engaged in visioning and integrated design sessions.
  • All MTO staff across the province can be involved in the various components and they will have multiple means to have their suggestions and opinions heard.

The ministry also launched the MTO Mentoring Program, designed to strengthen skills and capacity, and build an inclusive, accessible and healthy workplace. The program matched 72 mentors and mentees across the ministry, providing employees with opportunities to enter into a mentoring relationship and build knowledge of other ministry functions. It enables employees to take control of their own careers and allows mentors to further develop their leadership skills.

Create a more effective organization

Governments at every level continue to cope with both economic and demographic challenges. Fiscal realities and shifts in population are impacting the way in which the public sector conducts business. For the year 2014-2015, the OPS focussed on multiple enterprise-wide initiatives and strategies in support of a more efficient organization. These initiatives and strategies include:

Modernized job evaluation system

The goal is to develop and implement a modern job evaluation system for the OPS.

Job evaluation accomplishments for 2014-2015 include:

  • An agreement with the Ontario Public Sector Employees Union (OPSEU) on terms of reference to restart work on modernizing job evaluation systems and updating pay equity plans for the two OPSEU bargaining units.
  • Work is underway on a new system for evaluating non-bargaining manager and excluded positions, with significant progress made in testing and refining a draft system.
Professional learning and development

With the goal to build the professional capacity of HR staff, accomplishments for 2014-2015 include an emphasis on learning and development for the HR community through peer-to- peer learning.

Summer Employment Opportunity Program

In order to help achieve the goal to streamline program operations, the Summer Employment Opportunity Program automated and streamlined program delivery for 2014-15.

Employment Transition Program

In order to meet the goal to streamline program operations, the employment transition program was reviewed in 2014-15. Accomplishments included a re-engineered and streamlined program delivery model for job security by decentralizing functions  to front-line HR practitioners.

Flexible work

Flexible work arrangements are not new to the OPS. They have been part of our culture for many years. The OPS Flexible Work Strategy (introduced in 2013) and accompanying tools, however, bring more consistency to the way that these arrangements are considered, assessed, implemented and evaluated.

The OPS continues to monitor and encourage flexible work arrangements where operationally feasible. We have also maintained the Flexible Work Community of Practice which convenes on a quarterly basis. The Community of Practice allows for the sharing of flexible work success stories and best practices from across the OPS.

Employment policy

In 2014-15, the workforce adjustment section of the Employment Policy was updated to modernize and streamline the way we manage job security for middle managers and other non-represented employees. These efforts aligned some of the provisions and processes with those in place for our unionized employees.

Enterprise workforce planning and analytics

Over the past year, TBS continued to develop enterprise-wide policy and strategies to support business results. Here are some of the accomplishments for 2014-15:

  • Completed the first phase in the development and testing of a new Enterprise Workforce Information Dashboard with 17 Workforce Information Network (WIN) and Talent Management metrics.
  • Completed in-depth analysis for senior executives on:
    • the history of the size of the OPS against salary and wage expenditures
    • changes to occupational groupings within the OPS over the past 10 years
    • changes to hiring patterns as they relate to hiring above the minimum of a salary range.
  • Fulfilled approximately 100 ad-hoc requests for data and analysis to support enterprise business owners, policy development, and Freedom of Information Requests.
  • Released regular monthly, quarterly, and annual workforce reports OPS-wide (e.g., Staff Strength reports, Top 20 Workforce Facts, Regional Report, Retirement Focus Report).
Workforce strategy and supports

The OPS continued to administer the successful Transition Exit Initiative (TEI) program for the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU), the Professional Engineers Government of Ontario (PEGO), the Association of Management, Administrative and Professional Crown Employees of Ontario (AMAPCEO) and the Association of Law Officers of the Crown (ALOC)/ Ontario Crown Attorney’s Association (OCAA) represented employees. The TEI program helps support the transformation of the OPS by coordinating the voluntary exits of employees across various bargaining groups.

Labour relations

Over the past year, the Government of Ontario successfully negotiated a collective agreement with AMACPEO and began negotiations with OPSEU and the Ontario Provincial Police Association (OPPA).

The AMAPCEO agreement includes a wage freeze in the first two years and a 1.4 per cent wage increase in each of the third and fourth years. The cost of wage increases in 2016 and 2017 was offset over the four-year term through changes to benefits and entitlements, making it a net zero agreement.

The greement produced savings of approximately $45 million in 2014–15 and supports the government’s commitment to fairness to employees while protecting valued public services.

The Negotiations and Security Branch (NSB) prepared submissions for interest arbitration with respect to monetary aspects of the ALOC/OCAA collective agreement in 2014/15. The ALOC/OCAA interest arbitration award was received in January 2015 and the Government provided its response to the award in February 2015.

In addition, NSB is preparing for collective bargaining with two other bargaining groups, the PEGO and the Association of Physicians and Dentists in the Public Service (AOPDPS), to take place over 2015-16. The priority in collective bargaining will continue to be ensuring the long term sustainability of public services while allowing the Government to live within its fiscal plan.

NSB has also represented the Government of Ontario before four judicial remuneration commissions (Provincial Judges, Justices of the Peace, Deputy Judges and Case Management Masters) in 2014/15, making submissions, responding to and implementing recommendations of the various commissions. It is anticipated that the report of the 1st Case Management Masters Remuneration Commission will be received in 2015-16 and that the Government will respond to the report of the 6th Justices of the Peace Remuneration Commission.

In 2014-15, over 3,300 grievances were managed, the majority of which were resolved before reaching full arbitration, with 44 percent of grievances resolved before being scheduled  for the mediation/arbitration stage. This has continued to support our shift toward a more efficient organization as it saved both time and resources that would have otherwise gone toward arbitration.

The second annual grievance report was shared with ministries in the second quarter of 2014-15. This report has enabled the strategic analysis of grievance activity and labour relations issues in the OPS. Additional achievements in 2014-15 include:

  • Labour dispute contingency plans were prepared by ministries in advance of the expiry of the collective agreements to ensure that time-critical government services continue to be provided during a work stoppage.
  • In July 2014, the employer and OPSEU established a Central Employee Relations Committee (CERC) File Review Committee, a sub-committee of the CERC to address outstanding union grievances identified by the parties. Of the 100 initially identified, OPSEU withdrew over 50 grievances. Between July and September 2014, the parties engaged in discussions around 15 grievances that resulted in nine settlements.
Security screening programs

The OPS Security Program consists of employment, Order-in-Council (OIC) and contractor screening. These programs act as a deterrent to mitigate organizational risk and protect government assets. Key accomplishments from 2014-15 include:

  • Approximately 12,000 security screening checks were processed. Over 9,600 of those checks (or 80%) have been processed by the Vendor of Record, which represents the number of checks paid for directly by applicants.
  • Screening checks previously conducted by a number of large ministries are now coordinated at the NSB, harmonization long supported by the bargaining agents. A total of 1,800 (or 69%) of all employment checks processed were submitted by these ministries.
  • Effective April 1, 2015, OPS Security Screening Programs transferred from TBS to MGCS. This realignment from TBS to MGCS was implemented to better align business functions, create one-window for ministries to access related information and services and provide for greater program efficiency and effectiveness.
Total compensation
Compensation

Compensation strategies and policies for 2014-15 continued to support a responsible and balanced plan to control compensation costs, meet operational needs, and to help the OPS be a top employer.

Compensation outcomes included targeted compensation changes to address critical compensation issues for certain groups of non-bargaining employees. These changes addressed specific recruitment and retention issues, and ensured ongoing operations of critical OPS services.

Benefits

Balancing cost management and plan sustainability with the need to provide a competitive, current benefits plan that meets employees’ needs continues to pose a challenge. Accomplishments during 2014-15 include:

  • implementation of the first phase of changes to non-bargaining employees’ insured benefits, including the introduction of a Health Care Spending Account, and rollout of a comprehensive benefits information package
  • movement towards alignment of group benefits coverage terms across the service
Pensions
  • The Ontario Pension Board is celebrating 25 years as administrator and fund manager of the Public Service Pension Plan. The OPSEU Pension Trust is celebrating 20 years as administrator and fund manager of the OPSEU Pension Plan.
  • Going-concern funding valuations as of December 31, 2013 were filed with the Financial Services Commission of Ontario for both the OPSEU Pension Plan and the Public Service Pension Plan. Both plans realized experience gains attributable, in part, to ongoing compensation restraint and significant improvements in asset growth. The OPSEU Pension Plan is fully funded and the Public Service Pension Plan is 97% funded.
  • To realize economies of scale, Ontario has announced plans to establish a new asset management corporation that would merge the internal investment resources of the Ontario Pension Board and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. This new entity would initially administer the pooled assets of the Public Service Pension Plan, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board Pension Plan and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board insurance fund.
Examples of Ministry-level progress

The Ministry of Community and Social Services, and the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, undertook significant organizational changes to better ensure effective and efficient program delivery. The Regional Modernization project supports an integrated and seamless approach to service delivery for children, youth and adults across the province. The transformation is also focused on promoting improved capacity, account- ability and organizational efficiency. Some of the objectives of Regional Modernization, which align with the OPS HR priorities include:

  • role clarity: clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and reporting processes, program-by-program
  • efficiency: use of efficient processes and leveraging tools, technology and competencies to drive productivity
  • consistency: standard and consistent processes so clients and agencies receive consistent levels of service
  • advanced use of information and knowledge: effectively uses and interprets data, information and expertise to understand the local community and service providers, to make operational decisions and to support strategic ministry decisions
  • strengthens the workforce by better integrating teams and creating synergies/ collaboration within a unit to improve services and supports to the Ministry
Looking forward

Over the past year, the OPS has continued to make progress toward its goal of having an inclusive, highly skilled and competent workforce. Organizational efficiency and accessibility continue to be drivers for change. Maintaining this focus will allow the OPS to move forward into the future as a more open, skilled and efficient organization.

While the OPS will continue to build on the successes of past years, focus will increasingly be placed on the need to undergo organizational transformation. Fiscal pressures and shifting workforce demographics will continue to impact the way in which our organization does business. As we move forward, particularly with the development of the forthcoming 2015-2020 OPS HR Plan, we will need to develop human resource strategies that address these concerns while also ensuring that the best interests of our employees are respected.

Looking back on what we’ve accomplished as an organization, it is clear that we can continue to deliver in the face of whatever challenges come our way. This past year is proof, as we have simultaneously implemented programs focused on ensuring that we remain an employer of first choice, as well as initiatives focused on allowing our organization to effectively operate within the current economic climate.

Public Service Commission members

(As of March 31, 2015)

The Chair of the Public Service Commission is the Associate Deputy Minister of Ontario Shared Services, Ministry of Government Services: Angela Coke.

The secretariat support is the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Centre for Leadership and Learning, Treasury Board Secretariat: Kerry Pond.

Below is listed the structure:

  • Public Service Commissioner, Secretary of the Cabinet: Steve Orsini.
  • Public Service Commissioner, Deputy Minister of the Treasury Board Secretariat, Secreatary of Treasury Board and Management Board of Cabinet: Greg Orencsak.
  • Public Service Commissioner, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing: Laurie LeBlanc.
  • Public Service Commissioner, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs: Deborah Richardson.
  • Public Service Commissioner, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Government and Consumer Services: Wendy Tilford
  • Public Service Commissioner, Deputy Minister, Ministry of the Attorney General: Patrick Monahan.
  • Public Service Commissioner, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities: Deborah Newman.
  • Public Service Commissioner, Deputy Minister, Correctional Services and Mnistry of Community Safety and Correctional Services: Stephen Rhodes.
  • Public Service Commissioner, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care: Bob Bell
  • Public Service Commissioner, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Ministry of Rural Affairs: Deb Stark

Enterprise HR Community

The Enterprise HR Community falls within the purview of two Ministries: the Treasury Board Secretariat and the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (which encompasses the Diversity Office).

The structure is:

  • Secretary of the Cabinet, Chair of the Executive Development Committee
    • Treasury Board Secretariat
      • Bargaining and Compensation
        • HR Policy and Planning Branch
        • Labour Relations Secretariat
        • Employee Relations Division
          • Total Compensation and Strategy Branch
          • Centre for Employee Relations
          • Negotiations and Security Branch
        • Centre for Leadership and Learning
          • Corporate Leadership Branch
          • Executive Programs and Services Branch
          • OPS Learning and Development Branch
    • Ministry of Government and Consumer Services
      • Ontario Shared Services
        • Pay and Benefits Services Davison
          • Payroll Business Support Branch
          • Project Management Branch
          • Payroll Operations Branch
      • HR Service Delivery Division
        • HR Program Management Branch
        • Centre for Employee Health, Safety and Wellness
        • Transformation Consulting Services Branch
        • Job Evaluation Initiatives Branch
        • HR Advisory and Recruitment Services: Land Resources and Learning
        • HR Advisory and Recruitment Services: Central Agencies and Health Services
        • HR Advisory and Recruitment Services: Labour, Transportation and Child and Youth Services
        • HR Advisory and Recruitment Services: Justice and Economic Development
        • Strategic Business Units (dual Reporting – also reports to Ministry Chief Administrative Officers)

Treasury Board Secretariat, Bargaining & Compensation

Employee Relations Division
Negotiations and Security Branch

Represents the Crown as employer in collective bargaining for unionized employees, and for management of employee relations matters for unrepresented employees; responsible for labour relations or human resources matters during an emergency.

Centre for Employee Relations

Provides advice to ministries on a full range of labour relations issues; leads the management of all grievances including coordination of policy grievances and grievances with corporate implications; manages and advises on collective agreement interpretation and administration; facilitates relationship with the bargaining agents through joint committees. Leads contingency planning activities and essential services negotiations.

Total Compensation Strategy Branch

Provides policy advice on all aspects of compensation, including pensions, benefits, and pay, and leads initiatives to manage executive compensation arrangements in the broader public sector. Manages government’s relationships with external compensation stakeholders such as pension plan administrators and insured benefit carriers, and insurance appeals committees.

HR Policy and Planning Branch

Develops enterprise-wide non-compensation HR directives, policies and strategies; develops workforce analytic tools, reports, workforce planning solutions and program services. Implements the Public Service of Ontario Act, 2006 and its regulations. Provides advice and support to the OPS HR service delivery community, to ensure program services align with HR-related legislation, directives and policies.

Labour Relations Secretariat

Tracks trends and best practices, providing advice and developing strategies to inform government decision-making related to broader public sector collective bargaining.

Centre for Leadership & Learning
Corporate Leadership Branch

Builds enterprise-wide leadership and management culture. Helps to drive leadership capacity. Implements strategies to attract, recruit and retain youth and new professionals across the public service.

Executive Programs and Services Branch

Develops, implements and provides advice to ministries on a wide range of senior management HR programs and initiatives (e.g. executive recruitment and talent management). Provides advice and secretariat services to the Executive Development Committee and the Public Service Commission.

OPS Learning and Development Branch

Provides corporate training programs and services for leader-managers, professionals and staff in ministries across the province.

Ministry of Government and Consumer Services, Ontario Shared Services

HR Service Delivery Division
HR Advisory & Recruitment Services

Delivers HR advisory and recruitment services to directors and managers. Services include, but are not limited to, organization and job design, position management, employment transition, talent attraction and recruitment, performance management, organizational culture and ethics for specific portfolios.

Job Evaluation Initiatives Branch

Provides enterprise job evaluation advice and services for positions in executive, non-bargaining and bargaining classifications. Advises on organization design and exclusion criteria. Leads initiatives to modernize job evaluation.

Transformation Consulting Services Branch

Provides consulting services, advice and support to deputy ministers and executive leads who are undertaking large-scale organizational transformation initiatives; develops organizational transformation capacity across OPS.

HR Program Management Branch

Provides program planning, development and business solutions management for HR advisory and recruitment functions. Promotes capacity-building for the OPS HR community through human capital planning, talent and succession management, leadership development, recognition and learning strategies. Manages enterprise summer employment, employment transition, employment and OIC security screening programs, and HR communications programs and services.

Centre for Employee Health, Safety & Wellness

Develops and delivers programs and services (including occupational health and safety, employment accommodation, WSIB claims and payments, disability and attendance management, and workplace discrimination and harassment prevention) that promote the health, safety and wellness of employees enterprise-wide. Facilitates compliance with legislation, policies and best practices. Fosters collaborative relationships between managers and employees (and representatives) in promoting a positive and respectful work environment.

Pay and Benefits Services Division
Payroll Operations Branch

Administers $5.3 billion annual payroll, and provides pension and benefits enrollment and advice on benefits coverage. Processes hires, exits, temporary assignments and leaves of ab- sence, and self-service functionality to record and approve time and attendance. Administers payments to over 1,000 third-parties, such as the Canada Revenue Agency, pension boards and bargaining agents valued at $2.5 billion annually.

Payroll Business Support Branch

Provides payroll business support and identifies and documents system change requirements; develops business processes, procedures and tools; conducts systems user-acceptance testing; monitors data quality; provides client communications and training.

Project Management Office

Provides project and portfolio management services, methods and technologies for all project management and business improvement initiatives for payroll and benefits services.

OPS Diversity Office

Responsible for leading the implementation of accessibility legislation in the OPS by guiding ministries and OPS business areas toward compliance, co-ordinating enterprise planning, and facilitating enterprise-wide reporting on compliance. In collaboration with key enterprise partners, supports ministries, program areas, policy owners and other stakeholders to ensure that inclusion is embedded into all OPS programs, policies and services.

Ministry Strategic Business Units
  • 17 ministry-based branches provide strategic, ministry-specific HR advice to senior executives (deputy ministers, assistant deputy ministers) consistent with enterprise policies and best practices.
  • Provide strategic advice to build ministry’s capacity to deliver on mandate commitments through:
  • organization  design
  • workforce planning and (in some instances) position management
  • organizational capacity (talent and succession management)
  • labour  relations
  • health and safety
  • employee engagement
  • Consult and engage with partners in HR service delivery, pay and benefits, bargaining and compensation, and leadership and learning to provide best advice to executives
  • Has dual reporting to ADM HR Service Delivery Division, OSS, MGCS.