Response to Ombudsman's requests for status update on initiatives regarding the civilian classification grievance process

6 June 14

Mr. Gary Walbourne
Ombudsman
National Defence and Canadian Forces
100 Metcalfe Street, 12th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 5M1
 

Dear Mr. Walbourne,

Thank you for your letter of 16 May 2014 regarding the civilian classification grievance process at National Defence.

In your letter, you specifically enquire about our submission to the Treasury Board seeking authority to award a contract to a classification firm. I am happy to inform you that this submission was approved on 10 April 2014 and that the contract was signed. Three consultants have started work in support of the grievance resolution process. A full schedule of hearings is in place for the current fiscal year.

The HR Portal was improved last year to make it easier for managers and employees to find information on the classification process in general. We also made progress in the roll-out of the new training module which addresses common misconceptions regarding classification. The course has been formatter for the Defence Learning Network and will be launched and available on the Intranet this summer. Additionally, two ‘Train the Trainers’ sessions were offered to regional staff, enabling them to deliver classroom training sessions to managers and employees in their respective regions. Feedback on these training initiatives has been very positive.

It is worth mentioning that we are moving ahead with a major change initiative called Classification Transformation, which involved centralization of classification activities and records, the streamlining and standardization of classification tools and processes and greater emphasis on data integrity.

Thank you for your continued interest in the classification function, particularly in grievance resolution.

Yours truly,
 

Cynthia L. Binnington