'It is our responsibility to ensure public servants are paid accurately and on time for their important work'
The federal government has released its first quarterly progress report on the process of updating the Phoenix pay system.
This summer so far, Ottawa has deployed four new HR and pay best practices across departments through the Unified actions for pay, it said.
“We are improving our current operations to better serve public servants, while also working towards a system that meets the needs of the government of Canada now and in the future,” Jean-Yves Duclos, minister of public services and procurement. “It is our responsibility to ensure public servants are paid accurately and on time for their important work.”
This summer, Ottawa will also launch the MyGCPay HR integration and begin using an AI case advisor to support compensation advisors.
Spring goals for Phoenix pay system updates completed
In Spring 2024, Ottawa successfully launched the new GC Employee Pay and Benefits Facebook page to support employees. To date, the page has over 2,6000 likes and 4,000 followers.
Ottawa has also set aside $135 million under Budget 2024 to boost the development of Dayforce – which is expected to replace the problematic Phoenix pay system within the next few years. Of that funding, $112.1 million is allocated to Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and $22.7 million is allocated to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS). The total includes an allocation of $85 million to amend the contract with Dayforce to continue to expand testing and design the system to our specific needs.
In February, the PSPC found that Dayforce presents a technically viable option for the federal government’s next modern HR and pay system.
The government has also launched the Data hub initiative Request for information (RFI).
Human Capital Management Data Modernization Branch (HCMDMB) welcomes any interested parties with the opportunity to discuss the RFI requirements and looks forward to receiving general feedback and specific responses to questions within the RFI.
The request will close on July 29, 2024.
In February, On the eighth anniversary of the launch of the Phoenix pay system, three unions called on the federal government to provide additional compensation for damages to workers who have been impacted by the system’s troubles.
“All public service employees deserve to be paid accurately and on time,” said Anita Anand, president of the TBS.
“That is why we are supporting improvements to our systems by reducing the number of HR systems in the core public administration and facilitating automation. This first progress report shows that the Government is on track in exploring a new employee-focused HR and pay solution. We will continue working with all partners, including bargaining agents, to simplify human resources and pay processes.”
