Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Results

Overview

Agency Goals

The Agency's strategic direction over the next three years is based on five goals:

Goal 1: Government is supported by a professional public service that has the knowledge, skills and abilities to achieve current and future objectives.

Goal 2: The public service promotes a safe and healthy workplace that supports the well-being of employees.

Goal 3: The public service is a versatile workforce that can adapt to meet changing needs.

Goal 4: Public service employees understand their roles, how their work contributes to achieving the goals of government and are focused on results.

Goal 5: Public Service employees exhibit the highest standards of conduct.

Linkage to the Five Great Goals

The government's strategic plan calls for the achievement of Five Great Goals that are intended to achieve a long term vision for British Columbia — a prosperous and just Province, whose citizen's achieve their full potential and have confidence in the future. The Five Great Goals include the following:

1. Make British Columbia the best-educated, most literate jurisdiction on the continent.
2. Lead the way in North America in healthy living and physical fitness.
3. Build the best system of support in Canada for persons with disabilities, those with special needs, children at risk and seniors.
4. Lead the world in sustainable environmental management, with the best air and water quality, and the best fisheries management, bar none.
5. Create more jobs per capita than anywhere else in Canada.

The achievement of all of these goals requires a strong and nimble public service that strives to be the leader in Canada and recognized internationally for public service excellence.

The drive toward service excellence requires every employee to challenge the status quo, to look for ways to improve performance in the organization and to turn good ideas into action. Improving the way the public service operates requires a workforce that is engaged, an ability to attract and retain top talent, flexibility to adjust to emerging priorities, an ability to grow and share knowledge freely and collaboration across various business units. Public servants are more likely to recommend the public service as a great place to work and be prepared to move beyond the status quo if they feel energized, inspired by their leaders and valued for the contributions that they make.

Cross Ministry Initiatives

This service plan identifies goals and strategies that support government's vision for a strong public service and include many corporate initiatives that support recruitment, motivation, development, and retention of a high performing public service. The Agency is also leading a number of cross government priority initiatives.

Labour Bargaining — A comprehensive and coherent labour strategy that addresses current and emerging labour relations issues, and supports ministries' plans for future change as well as government's vision for the public service.

New Relationship — The Government of British Columbia is leading the nation in developing a New Relationship with First Nations and Aboriginal people. Guided by principles of trust, and by recognition and respect of First Nations' rights and title, we are building a stronger and healthier relationship between government and Aboriginal people. By working together, we will bring tangible social and economic benefits to Aboriginal people across the Province and narrow the gap between Aboriginal people and other British Columbians. One of the priorities identified in the February 2006 Speech from the Throne includes the establishment of an Aboriginal internship program to provide learning opportunities in the public service. The BC Public Service Agency is supporting the development of this program in collaboration with the Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation.

Regulatory Reform

In efforts to modernize and streamline core government human resource policies and procedures, the Agency is replacing 30 years of prescriptive rules-based practices with a new principle-based policy framework that will provide client ministries with the flexibility needed to manage their specific needs.

Client-Centred Service Delivery

The delivery of government programs and services is contingent on a strong and diverse public service that is able to respond to changing public expectations. This service plan is designed to support client-centred service delivery by helping ministries to recruitment, retain, develop and motivate a high-performing public service.

Performance Plan

Agency Goals

The BC public service faces a potential labour shortage brought on by an aging population and increasing competition in the marketplace. At the same time, the public service is undergoing significant transformation and will need to ensure the right skills are available in the right place at the right time to deliver critical public services. The Agency will improve and streamline hiring policy, process and tools for hiring managers across government to facilitate faster and better hiring decisions. To attract high-quality applicants, the BC public service must be not just visible in the labour market but considered an attractive employer.

This goal is vital to ensure the continuation of a high-quality public service.

• Facilitate workforce planning activities across government and lead the implementation of the corporate human resource plan.
• Facilitate targeted recruitment campaigns.
• Provide training and tools to support managers to make sound hiring decisions.

• Implement a marketing and branding program to raise the visibility and appeal of government as an employer.

• Develop an occupational safety strategic plan for the public service.
• Provide client organizations the direction, knowledge, tools and support necessary to implement and maintain effective safety management programs.
• Enhance safety reporting.

• Reposition the Disability Case Management function so that specialized expertise is available to clients and employees as needed.
• Implement enhanced reporting for clients.

• Evaluate needs and develop a health strategy proposal for the public service.
• Develop and implement appropriate workplace programs and tools that are available to help reduce health risks.
• Assess needs and implement regular reporting.

Performance Measure and Targets

• Target learning to key and critical roles, such as in the finance and management streams.
• Implement a comprehensive succession management program to prepare employees for new assignments across the organization.
• Target developmental assignments to areas of highest need. This approach is a key component of accelerated leadership development used to broaden skill sets and develop executive competencies.

• Implement initiatives designed to improve the transfer of knowledge and the sharing of best practices, such as "Communities of Practice" — a forum used by staff to learn from the experiences of colleagues.

• Balance the focus of employee learning between formal and informal opportunities to learn job-related skills.

Performance Measures and Targets

A public service striving for service excellence and innovation requires a workforce that is engaged, flexible to adjust to emerging priorities and supported to get the right results. Performance management practices vary widely across government and better tools to support ministries in managing performance across the public service are required. This goal is intended to ensure employee understanding of their roles and to focus their contributions to most effectively support the organization's goals and objectives.

• Implement annual Work Environment Survey, which measures employee engagement and develop strategies to address issues that arise out of the survey results.
• Benchmark employee engagement across Canada.
• Identify best practices and disseminate a toolkit to assist ministries with improving employee satisfaction and commitment.

• Implement a corporate orientation program.

• Provide tools to improve how government manages employee performance.
• Align employee performance management processes with government strategic and business planning processes.

Performance Measures and Targets

The public service is held to a high standard due to its responsibility to the citizens of British Columbia. In order to ensure the standard is met, individual public servants must be keenly aware of the expectations of them in terms of their work and conduct on the job.

Implement an annual program for all employees to ensure their understanding of and commitment to the standards expected of all public servants.

Performance Measure and Targets