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Making it Real for CSC Staff

Feature interview with Cheryl Fraser

By Ryan Benson, Communications Advisor

If you ask Cheryl Fraser, Assistant Commissioner of Human Resource Management at the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC), what Public Service Renewal looks like in the context of our organization, the answer you'll get is simple: Transformation equals CSC's renewal.

From an human resources (HR) perspective, there is no distinction between Public Service Renewal and CSC renewal. A key component of our Transformation Agenda focuses on how we can deliver more efficient HR services, from planning to staffing to development.

"We're building for the future through transformation and innovation to ensure that we have the proper HR programs, planning and functions to support CSC transformation overall," says Fraser. "While the central agencies are driving Public Service Renewal, for us, we have to make it real. If it's not real for the front lines then why are we doing it? It's all about the front-line staff and making the organization work for the future."

For the Human Resource Management Sector, its own transformation began in 2006 with the development of its first Strategic Plan. Since then, it has updated its 2007-2010 plan to incorporate the specific HR recommendations contained in the CSC Review Panel report. And work is underway on developing the 2009-2012 HR Strategic Plan.

The overall goal is to make HR more efficient, cost-effective, and easier for managers. The long-term "dream" envisioned by Fraser and her team is to fully automate the HR process, so HR can go back to its roots and work with people instead of predominately with files. "If we spent our days just working with people, imagine how incredible this organization would be in terms of workplace and workforce health and wellness." In the medium term, these goals will be met by trying to move the bureaucracy out of HR to deliver better programs and services, especially at the regional and local levels.

An ambitious plan perhaps, but the steps being planned for this approach are equally comprehensive. While the list is too long for this piece (or even issue!), the broad strokes will mirror the four key priorities of Public Service Renewal itself: getting our infrastructure right; thinking about an effective and representative workforce and what shape this will take; building our learning agenda beyond the steps taken in the past, which mostly focused on development of correctional operations; and putting a focus on relationships.

In fact, CSC has developed a number of specific initiatives to complement these renewal goals. For example, CSC will be looking at implementing its Express Lane Staffing initiative nationally in the next few months, following a successful pilot in the Atlantic region, to cut the time needed for staffing processes. The processes themselves will be automated and standardized, getting away from paper forms to let managers perform this role much faster. Service standards will be established in all areas so managers know what they can expect from HR, and how to structure their work accordingly. A developmental program will be created so HR professionals will stay with CSC, getting to know the business better and providing enhanced service.

" And work is underway on developing the 2009-2012 HR Strategic Plan "

Finally, Learning and Development will be completely revamped over the next two years, including realignment of annual training priorities; partnerships with educational institutions; initiatives to emphasize retention; all topped off with the release this year of its first ever Corporate Learning Plan, based directly on the needs of employees for career development and drawn from what they and their managers have told HR.

The accompanying challenges will be significant of course, though solutions to these are already being worked into the Strategic Plan. Questions from the front lines on what Public Service Renewal is all about will be addressed to "make it real" for everyone from the wardens' offices to the sally ports. Recruitment will be revamped with an eye to retention issues, since the work of getting new employees up and running at their jobs is complemented by making sure that staff stay long enough to reach their peak performance. The health of the HR community itself will be a focus, since the workload is heavy and all these changes will have to be implemented from the ground up. All these tasks will be made easier by a better integration with operations, engaging people from the top down, and making sure the fundamental message is making people feel valued - no matter what their role in the process.

The good news is that all this ground work means that we're already ahead of the curve for Public Service Renewal and, in fact, are taking it one step further. This will mean solid support from the decision makers, since the importance of this focus can be seen in the way that deputy ministers and the Clerk of the Privy Council are talking about Public Service Renewal and HR in an engaged way. If we can successfully integrate these changes with the way we do business at CSC, this is what will make it all come together. Under our Strategic Plan, HR professionals will form a joint team with the business specialists to help make Public Service Renewal and transformation real for everyone.

"After all," points out Fraser, "we all have a core belief of making a difference in people's lives."

CSC's Transformation Agenda and Public Service Renewal -
two sides of the same coin

Change, transformation, and Public Service Renewal - these are the building blocks for CSC's future and the ways in which CSC is improving its ability to enhance public safety.

To put it simply:

• Transformation is changing the way in which CSC does business.
• Public Service Renewal is ensuring that, as CSC transforms its business, the organization continues to have the right people with the right skills, training and tools to do this work.
• This is where the dots connect - to successfully implement its Transformation Agenda, including fulfilling the specific HR recommendations of the CSC Review Panel, CSC is integrating its human resource renewal efforts with its Transformation Agenda.
• To learn more about how HR is supporting transformation and renewal, read through this issue of Let's Talk.