Integrated strategy for human resources and pay
Quarterly progress report: Summer 2024
The Government of Canada is changing the way it manages human resources (HR) and pay for public servants.
This report provides an update on our integrated strategy for human resources and pay. It details how we’re improving and addressing challenges with the current pay system and our operations. It also highlights our work to explore a new modern HR and pay solution for Government of Canada employees.
What’s in it for employees
The employee experience is at the center of our efforts. Over the past 3 months, we made progress to ensure employees can easily consult their HR and pay information and get adequate support when needed.
This report features key projects we are leading to support Government of Canada employees. This includes processing HR and pay transactions more quickly, improving service at the Client Contact Centre, and consulting employees so they have a say in shaping the future of HR and pay.
Strategy health
To date, the integrated strategy is progressing within the established scope, cost and milestones. This progress report will provide details for each category, as well as featured projects, each quarter.
Cost
Scope
The integrated strategy for HR and pay is divided into 2 components: current operations and transformation. Learn more about our featured projects for each component.
Current operations
Efforts continue to maintain and improve our current pay system.
So far in 2024, we achieved an enterprise-wide average biweekly payroll accuracy of 97.8%.
Work toward reducing the number of outstanding transactions also continues. Our current goal is to reach steady state, which is defined as processing transactions within service standards 95% of the time and having no outstanding transactions more than 1 year old.
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Featured project: Pay Centre virtual assistant
In October 2023, a project team was set up to collaborate on an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to help support our HR and pay operations. The goal of the project is for compensation advisors at the Pay Centre to process transactions faster, and with greater efficiency. Collaboration between different experts allowed us to develop an innovative and useful tool to support compensation advisors.
In August 2024, we completed a soft launch of a new AI tool, known as our “virtual assistant.” At the moment, the virtual assistant is able to support compensation advisors when processing acting transactions. It automatically pulls critical data. This saves compensation advisors time and significant manual effort. The assistant also provides a breakdown of the employee’s substantive position compared to their acting position. It shows the difference in the rate of pay, entitlements and allowances, union dues, etc.
Compensation advisors using the virtual assistant could achieve a 77% productivity increase in processing these transactions. That means they could process a case in less than 10 minutes.
We will use the virtual assistant for more types of transactions in the future. The scope will grow to include:
- leave without pay
- acting for executives
Status: On track.
Rolling-out more features of the virtual assistant this winter.
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Featured project: MyGCPay improvements
We're implementing several new features on MyGCPay to make it easier for employees to access their HR and pay information. We’ve made significant progress on 2 different initiatives that will be ready to launch in the next few months.
MyGCPay new human resource tab
The new HR tab in MyGCPay will provide employees with key human resource information in the same application as pay information. Employees will soon be able to view information such as:
- leave balances
- current work schedule
- benefits service date
Following a successful pilot within Public Services and Procurement Canada, we are now ready to officially launch this new feature in fall 2024. Since the system is linked to MyGCHR, this feature will only be available to employees in departments and agencies using MyGCHR.
MyGCPay external access
We’re also getting ready to implement the next phase of the MyGCPay external project. This phase of the project will allow the majority of employees to access MyGCPay outside of the Government of Canada’s network. Employees will be able to use their personal devices to view information about their pay, benefits and the status of their enquiries.
In 2023, we launched the first phase of MyGCPay external. It provided access to MyGCPay outside the government network for a limited number of employees who could not access the network.
We expect to roll out MyGCPay external out to all employees by March 2025.
Status: On track.
New HR tab rolling-out across departments in fall 2024. MyGCPay external will be available to all employees in winter 2025.
Transformation
In parallel, we continue to explore replacement options for our existing HR and pay systems and experiment with various data management models.
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Featured project: Dayforce user awareness sessions
In August of 2024, we began offering user awareness sessions for Dayforce, a potential new HR and pay solution to replace Phoenix. We are offering the sessions to more and more departments and it will soon be available to all Government of Canada employees. You will be able to experience the Dayforce solution that we have been testing and designing to meet the modern needs of the workforce.
Sessions are about 90 minutes long. During the sessions participants are asked to perform certain tasks and provide feedback. These sessions will be rolled out in 4 phases to allow for adjustments and improvements throughout the initiative.
The data collected through these sessions will inform decisions about Dayforce. These sessions are also expected to help employees become familiar with the platform, allowing a smoother potential transition to Dayforce.
Status: On track.
The sessions were initially offered to employees in Public Services and Procurement Canada's (PSPC) Human Capital Management team this summer. They will be offered to all government employees this fall.
Featured project: New Case Client Relationship Management (CCRM) tool
Over the summer, we began planning for the project to replace the Case Management Tool (CMT). Departments and agencies currently use it to manage and track pay-related transactions and inquiries.
A modern and more robust solution is needed to enhance operations and help support a possible transition to a new HR and pay solution. It will make compensations agents more efficient in assigning, tracking and processing requests.
An initial request for information was published, followed by a request for proposal for project advisory services to help plan and prepare for the transition. The contract was then awarded on August 6, 2024 to Systemscope.
The current CMT, put into service in 2012, tracks life and work events for the more than 250,000 current and former employees from departments and agencies serviced by the Pay Centre. These events include promotions, new hires and maternity and parental leave. The events are tracked as cases in CMT, and impact clients’ pay and/or benefits. In 2023, the Pay Centre processed 1.1 million CMT cases. Phoenix automation processed an additional 0.5 million cases.
Status: On track.
The request for proposal for project advisory services closed in July. It will help plan and prepare for the next steps. The new Case Client Relationship Management solution will be launched to replace the Case Management Tool in preparation for a transition to a potential new HR and pay solution.
Cost
It’s crucial that we invest in the current HR and pay systems and operations so the 430,000 current and former employees across the public service receive their bi-weekly pay. This includes employees serviced by the pay centres of their own departments and agencies. Investments are also needed to resolve backlog transactions from past years. At the same time, we’re testing a new, modern and integrated HR and pay solution designed to meet the current and future needs of the public service.
Fiscal year 2024 to 2025
Current operations
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Current operations (2024 to 2025)
These are projections for this fiscal year. It's expected that amounts may move depending on requirements and priorities through the year.
- $350.3 million (44%) for the Pay Centre and its compensation advisors to handle pay and benefit transactions for over 250,000 employees, as well as reduce outstanding transactions
- this includes processing transactions like acting, new hires, transfers and promotions
- $234.6 million (29%) for pay applications and information technology (IT) support, which includes programming, and improving the pay and HR systems, as well as 24/7 IT operations to ensure systems work correctly
- this amount includes the contract with IBM Canada valued at $120.2 million (taxes included) for critical 24/7/365 technical and payroll processing support, software updates, and more
- this amount includes the contract with Oracle valued at $8 million (taxes included) for a new pay system database, licenses, and support
- $101.3 million (13%) for pay administration, which is responsible for managing pay and benefits (bi-weekly pay) for over 430,000 current and former employees, ensuring data is accurate, implementing collective agreements, issuing tax slips, conducting audits, and more
- $63.9 million (8%) for business support and internal services, including program oversight, training, reporting to management and other departments, and more
- $50.5 million (6%) for the Client Contact Centre, which answers questions from all public servants and retirees and handles simple issues
- this funding also supports the MyGCPay application, which helps employees understand their pay and benefits
- $350.3 million (44%) for the Pay Centre and its compensation advisors to handle pay and benefit transactions for over 250,000 employees, as well as reduce outstanding transactions
Transformation
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Transformation (2024 to 2025)
These are projections for this fiscal year. It's expected that amounts will move depending on requirements and priorities through the year.
- $85 million (52%) for Dayforce to continue to support us in expanding testing more complex scenarios and configuring the system to our specific needs while we continue to asses if this is a viable system
- this total includes $2 million of unspent funding from 2023-24
- $55 million (34%) for PSPC to continue exploring a new modern HR and pay solution
- this includes expenses such as salaries for public servants, internal services, training, and more
- $22.7 million (14%) for the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat to pursue simplifying HR processes and procedures, as well as to support initiatives such as the new central data hub
- $85 million (52%) for Dayforce to continue to support us in expanding testing more complex scenarios and configuring the system to our specific needs while we continue to asses if this is a viable system
Milestones
The project milestones allow us to track and publicly report on our progress.
Checkmark = Completed; Circle = In progress
2024
Spring
- Completed: Launch of the new GC Employee Pay and Benefits Facebook page to support employees
- Completed: Budget 2024 provided funding for the exploration of a new HR and pay system
- Completed: Launch of the Data hub initiative Request for information
Summer
- Completed: Publish the first quarterly progress report
- Completed: Deployment of 4 new HR and pay best practices across departments, through the Unified actions for pay
- Completed: Begin using an AI virtual assistant to support compensation advisors
- Completed: Launch of the Case Client Relationship Management tool initiative request for information and request for proposals for advisory services
- Completed: Launch the new phone menu options at the Client Contact Centre to better help employees
- Completed: Start of the Dayforce user awareness sessions available to Human Capital Management employees to continue testing this new potential HR and pay solution
Fall
- Completed: Publish the second quarterly progress report and hold engagement sessions with employees, unions, media and parliamentarians, as part of the Transparency by design initiative
- In progress: Upgrade the pay system database to a new solution offered by Oracle
- In progress: Engage all Government of Canada employees with the Dayforce user awareness sessions, to get the most participants to test this potential HR and pay solution
- In progress: Start to proactively release internal documents relating to HR and pay initiatives on the Open Government Portal
- In progress: Launch improvements and expansion of MyGCPay to include additional HR information
- In progress: Publish 5 new how-to videos to support employees
2025
Winter
- In progress: Launch MyGCPay external for all government employees
- In progress: Add features for the AI virtual assistant to help compensation advisors process leave without pay transactions and acting for executives
- In progress: Publish the third quarterly progress report and continue engagement sessions as part of the Transparency by design initiative
- In progress: Process all priority backlog transactions
- In progress: Deploy 3 new HR and pay best practices across departments, through the Unified actions for pay
Project spotlight
Each quarter, we put the spotlight on an element of work being done to improve HR and pay to better service employees.
Client Contact Centre improved services
The Client Contact Centre (CCC) is continuously looking to improve its services and the support it provides to all Government of Canada employees. This fiscal year, we answered 78% of incoming phone enquiries within 3 minutes.
In August, following user experience testing, we updated the menu options for clients calling the toll-free number. These new options better address client enquiries. Agents are now assigned to queues based on their experience and skillsets. For example, some agents can provide technical/navigational assistance with the Compensation Web Applications (CWA), while others are able to complete specific types of transactions, if applicable.
Employees can also contact the CCC by submitting a request through the My Pay Enquiry form.
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