recruitment Archives - Amanda Bernardo

The role of HR in retaining talent

admin — Wed, 28 Jun 2023 18:21:00 +0000

In the public service, proving oneself to secure growth opportunities or promotions can often involve a lot more steps than those finding themselves in the private sector. We hear it all the time: “Private sector companies can see talent and promote it, public sector requires an eight month competition or longer – among other factors.”

That said, in principle, we know why these HR hurdles are designed … to ensure transparency, accountability, and fairness in decision-making. However, as a result, we are slowly creating systemic challenges in recruiting, retaining and developing talent, thus inadvertently hindering our ability to grow the public service with the diverse skill set and perspectives needed.

Like the private sector, we do have mechanisms to see talent and promote it – the non-advertised appointment is one of them. The challenge, these alternative means are the exception and not the norm. And yet, we all know such alternatives are being used for some but not others, depending on the hiring manager or organization. But why couldn’t we use it with existing proof points already in place – other than competitions?

Each year, managers assess their employees using the PMA cycle.

“Performance management is an ongoing process that involves planning, developing, coaching, providing feedback and evaluating employee performance.” – TBS

Why couldn’t we then use successful PMAs, and indicators that employees are ready for advancement, to support their growth in lieu of forcing additional competition to demonstrate further proof? The PMA is meant to speak to work experiences and competencies but in many organizations it has become another process whose purpose is lost on paper. Some organizations are using them to do exactly what I am proposing here, however, many more are not, and many others are not leveraging them equitably across the board. So, the circle brings us back to the need for competitions instead.

When we talk about a fair, equitable and modern workforce, we need to think about the role HR plays in that in order for us to continue to retain talent. While this post explores options, HR broadly across government needs to be reviewed and updated to meet today’s realities.

Horizontally we manage talent at the executive level but maybe we need to start considering ways to manage the rest of the public service in a similar manner so that we can identify talent, help to grow it, and more importantly, keep it in the GC. If one department can’t offer the right opportunities, send them off to another. Surge capacity during the pandemic proved how powerful this interchange of talent can be.

Ultimately, we must prioritize HR to meet the present and future needs of Canadians. But like technology in government, perhaps HR needs an improved enterprise approach as well.

The post The role of HR in retaining talent appeared first on Amanda Bernardo.

How can leaders support employee growth

admin — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 18:27:00 +0000

As leaders, it’s natural to feel a twinge of concern when a talented team member decides to spread their wings and pursue new opportunities. However, as leaders in the public service part of our job should be to encourage just that – growth not only in our respective departments and agencies, but broadly in the federal public service as well. If we’re unable to continue to support that growth, we need to then shift our perspectives and recognize that it’s not only okay but also incredibly valuable to have employees leave our teams and keep growing as leaders in their own right.

Here are just a few reasons why:

1️⃣ By nurturing employee skills, fostering a culture of continuous learning, and providing development opportunities, we empower them to thrive. When they decide to move on, it’s a testament to their growth and our role as catalysts for their success.

2️⃣ When team members leave, they become ambassadors of our organization in their new ventures. Their positive experiences and the growth they achieved while working with us become a testament to our organization’s ability to develop talent, attracting others in the process.

3️⃣ Each departing employee takes with them a wealth of knowledge and experiences gained during their time with our team. While it’s bittersweet to bid them farewell, their departure allows for fresh perspectives and new voices to join our ranks. It fosters a continuous cycle of knowledge exchange that fuels innovation and drives progress.

4️⃣ When employees leave, they often forge new connections and expand their professional networks. By maintaining positive relationships with departing team members, we open doors for collaborations, partnerships, and future opportunities. We become part of an extended network that can benefit both parties in the long run.

So, how can we as leaders embrace this natural process and support our employees’ growth without fear?

Create an environment that encourages curiosity, learning, and self-discovery. Provide opportunities for employees to explore different areas of interest and gain new skills, even if they may lead them beyond our team.

Act as a mentor and guide, helping employees navigate their career paths. Support them in setting goals, identifying strengths, and exploring their passions. By investing in their growth, we build a foundation of trust that lasts beyond their time on our team and invites future collaboration.

Remember, as leaders, our ultimate goal is to develop exceptional talent and empower individuals to reach their full potential. So, while it may be odd to support an employee’s departure, if we no longer can support that growth, then we need to encourage their growth elsewhere in the federal public service in lieu of them leaving. Retention and recruitment is something we collectively need to do in the federal public service if we want to continue to deliver the best services and policies to Canadians.

The post How can leaders support employee growth appeared first on Amanda Bernardo.

Hiring Right: How to improve recruitment

admin — Sat, 27 May 2023 22:23:00 +0000

Our timelines (and methods) for recruiting talent in the public service still need a lot of work. In a world where we are now competing for talent not just locally and nationally, but globally as well (thanks to many remote opportunities), strong delays in processing candidate information reduces our ability to attract and retain the talent we need. This is true of both external talent, but also internal talent seeking new opportunities within the public service.

If the average hire externally requires 275 days (give or take) … that’s almost a year of uncertainty on whether an offer will pan out.

Worse, external or not, communications on the status within competitive processes is often a black hole with few updates until a milestone in the competition – leading many to consider other opportunities instead.

Prolonged recruitment processes can also be costly for organizations. Vacant positions can disrupt workflow, leading to decreased productivity and increased workloads for existing employees. Additionally, the longer a position remains vacant, the more resources are spent on sourcing, screening, and interviewing candidates. In some cases, organizations may need to rely on external recruitment agencies, which can further escalate costs.

Not to mention the stop gap measure of consultants that often fills this gap. With pressure to reduce these costs in Budget 2023, stronger emphasis should be put on recruitment, retainment and development to obtain and maintain the skills needed for today’s public service.

Extended recruitment processes can furthermore lead to decreased morale among existing employees. When a position remains unfilled for an extended period, existing employees may feel overwhelmed by additional responsibilities, leading to burnout and decreased job satisfaction. This can result in higher turnover rates and further recruitment challenges. It also can discourage the competent talent in your very team who could be promoted to fill the role rather than waiting 275 days.

This raises the question on some of our methods and whether we’re doing what we can to truly develop staff and encourage them to grow within the public service. We make employees jump through 30 question competitions to prove themselves and yet, we have at our disposal PMAs that speak of their readiness for advancement. We have programs flagging the readiness of various groups to increase our diversity and inclusion that don’t get leveraged nearly as often as they should. We know staffing actions like non-advertisements are possible, but we see it’s limited use plagued with personal and proximity biases.

We also have part of our workforce questioning if they have a future given their regional positioning. How can we encourage them to keep applying and working in the public service without feeling like their career will plateau without living in the NCR. I’d love to see more commitments by depts to have a % of their workforce regionally hired.

To mitigate these negative impacts, organizations should strive to streamline their recruitment processes, ensure clear communication with candidates, leverage technology for efficient applicant tracking and assessment, and prioritize prompt decision-making to secure the best talent in a timely manner. They should also consider the talent at their fingertips, and how they can support the development of existing employees. We don’t always have to look elsewhere for talent. Where we need to do better is truly getting to know the talent we have available across the public service, encourage its development, help it move around various departments to gain new experiences and skills, and stop making them jump hoops but instead challenge them with real work experiences that will benefit both your organization and the public service in the long-run.

The post Hiring Right: How to improve recruitment appeared first on Amanda Bernardo.