2003/04 Annual Service Plan Report -- BC Public Service Agency and BC Leadership Centre

Performance Measures	2003/04 Target	2003/04 Actual	Variance
Executive competencies developed and in place	100% DMs have competency development plans	100% of DM's have completed Employee Performance and Development Plans (EPDP).	0%
Performance management framework in place	50% of ministries' HR plans reflect focus on performance management for employees	All DMs made a commitment to the EPDP process. They committed to 100% of their excluded management employees having an EPDP in place for fiscal 2003/04.	All 19 ministries had a performance focus
Timeliness of new staffing process	New staffing process implemented — training and education	New process implemented, client services staff education complete; core training courses for line managers developed and implemented; additional courses in development.	Target met
Increased use of alternative dispute resolution methods	Baseline established	• The existing fast track arbitration process was further streamlined by building in a case management process. • One step in the grievance process contained in the BCGEU Master Agreement was eliminated. • Through an amendment to the Public Service Act, the Public Service Appeal Board was eliminated and replaced with an internal review process for staffing issues.	Not available — measure to be discontinued

Performance Measure	2000/01 Actual	2003/04 Target	2003/04 Actual	2003/04 Variance
Positive perception of work environment	59%	64%	63%¹ 54%²	–1%¹ –10%²

The BC Public Service Agency has undertaken a number of initiatives to support Public Service Renewal. Competencies were developed and an Employee Performance and Development Plan (EPDP) process was implemented. All deputy ministers have completed EPDPs as well as 360-degree reviews. There was also a commitment to drive this focus on performance throughout the organization, starting with the goal that 100 per cent of excluded management employees would have an EPDP in place in 2003/04.

A new approach to staffing was introduced to modernize our processes and provide managers with more flexibility and options. This included: amendments to legislation and policies, elimination of the staffing appeal process, introduction of a new merit review process, training of all client services staff in the Agency, development of an electronic toolkit for managers, and development of training courses for managers.

Another initiative to modernize processes is the continued streamlining of the alternative dispute resolution process. The existing fast track arbitration process was further streamlined by building in a case management process and one step was eliminated from the grievance process contained in the BCGEU Master Agreement. Also, through an amendment to the Public Service Act, the Public Service Appeal Board was eliminated and replaced with an internal review process for staffing issues.

Overall, there is a modest improvement in the work environment, as measured by the employee engagement index in the Office of the Auditor General's survey. The employee engagement index measures the state of intellectual and emotional involvement in an employee's work and organization. A well-performing public service requires employees who are engaged in their work and organization. There is still room to further improve the public service on an on-going basis. The employee engagement measure will be carried forward both in the 2004/05 service plan and also appears in the 2003/04 – 2005/06 Corporate Human Resource Plan.

Goal 2: Public Service Renewal — To rebuild and sustain a professional public service capable of providing quality services that meet the needs of British Columbians.