National Public Service Week Guide

Foreword

Since its creation in 1992, National Public Service Week (NPSW) has earned an increasingly high profile in both the general population and the public service community itself. Since its inception, NPSW has demonstrated its worth in terms of fostering morale, building interdepartmental and intradepartmental networks, and enhancing the public's awareness of the value of the services rendered by Public Service employees.

Over the years, NPSW has become a truly national campaign that respects and reflects the diversity of the Public Service of Canada and the country itself. It is an opportune time to be creative and inclusive, to raise pride in our community and to develop partnerships with other communities. We are positive that, with your hard work and enthusiasm, NPSW 2013 will prove to be as successful as it has been in previous years.

This guide has been developed to assist you and your volunteers in planning and organizing your events. It details the national-level planning process, the promotional material available to you and the steps involved in planning major events. It also includes information on leading practices and tips for success.

We hope that this tool will help you to plan a very memorable NPSW — one that will create pride in your roles as federal public service employees.

Good luck and, above all, have fun!

Awards and Recognition Team
Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Table of contents

1. Introduction
2. National Advisory Committee
3. Call Letter to Deputy Heads and Heads of Agencies
4. Request for Funding
5. Roles and Responsibilities
6. Communications Material
7. NPSW Website
8. Step-by-Step Events
9. Internal Communications
10. Tips for Success
11. Some Successful Ideas
12. Final Reports
13. Contacts
14. Conclusion

1. Introduction

National Public Service Week (NPSW) was created in 1992, following the passage of the National Public Service Week: Serving Canadians Better Act. Its objective is "to recognize the value of the services rendered by federal public service employees, [and to] acknowledge the contribution of federal public service employees to the federal administration." NPSW was designed to promote pride in and recognition of the Public Service of Canada by providing internal recognition, and by raising Canadians' awareness of the excellence of the public service. The third week of June is set aside each year to celebrate NPSW.

NPSW 2013 will take place from June 9 to 15.  The annual theme is "Proudly Serving Canadians".

2. National Advisory Committee

The Awards and Recognition Team of the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer (OCHRO) is responsible for the national coordination of NPSW. Each year, in the Fall, it invites representatives from large and small departments, and Regional Federal Councils (RFCs) to take part in the National Advisory Committee.

The National Advisory Committee provides strategic advice on the overall approach to NPSW. The Committee defines the theme for the year and determines best practices. It also makes key recommendations for communications products.

3. Call Letter to Deputy Heads and Heads of Agencies

A call letter signed by the Chief Human Resources Officer, inviting all departments and agencies to participate in and contribute to NPSW, is generally sent to deputy heads and heads of agencies in January. The letter also reinforces the objectives of NPSW and requests that a coordinator for the Week be appointed. 

4. Request for Funding

The call letter requests a financial contribution based on a fixed amount per employee. The amount requested in any given year reflects the scale and scope of planned activities. More than 90 percent of the funds collected are distributed to Regional Federal Councils for interdepartmental events. The remainder is retained for national coordination and communication product development.

5. Roles and Responsibilities

5.1 The Awards and Recognition Team, OCHRO - Our Role

The OCHRO is the national coordinator of NPSW. In this capacity, the Awards and Recognition Team develops a national communications strategy, including a theme, corporate messages, and promotional material for use by departments and agencies. The Team is also responsible for collecting funds from deputy heads and heads of agencies to contribute to a central fund and for distributing the funds to RFCs for interdepartmental activities across Canada.

The Awards and Recognition Team is available to help you at any time. In fact, the success of NPSW is dependent on our solid partnership.

5.2 National Departmental Coordinators - Your Role

Each department and agency is responsible for appointing its own coordinator to organize its departmental activities, and the RFC coordinators are responsible for organizing the interdepartmental events in their respective regions.

The NPSW coordinator is key to the success of the Week. It is the coordinator's responsibility to coordinate events that align with his or her organization's business lines.

5.3 Regional Coordinators (Regional Federal Councils) - Your Role

Each RFC must name an individual to coordinate the organization of the interdepartmental activities that will take place in its respective region.

The people responsible for NPSW in regional offices are asked to contact their RFC coordinator to work together on the interdepartmental activities.

5.4 Don't Work Alone!

The planning of NPSW activities is an opportunity to network with your colleagues and other public service employees. Establish an employee advisory committee with representatives from all sectors of your organization. Advertise for volunteers early in the process. Invite summer students to participate.

Also, use this occasion to build partnerships with other organizations. Often the most successful events are those that have been organized in partnerships.

A list of this year's departmental coordinators and RFC coordinators is posted on the website.

6. Communications Material

Communications material for National Public Service Week, as well as graphic identifiers and web buttons, are available in downloadable versions on the Coordinator’s Corner Web page.  

6.1 Poster

The National Public Service Week poster is available in full colour (8.5" × 11"). It contains the slogan for National Public Service Week, “Proudly Serving Canadians,” and the graphic identifier. It is available in two bilingual versions: English-French and French-English. The poster can be displayed in areas such as building lobbies, cafeterias and bulletin boards in your building.

6.2 Recognition Certificates

Bilingual recognition certificates are available in English-French and French-English. They are to thank volunteers for their participation in an event or to thank a colleague, employee or a superior for his or her work, collaboration or team work. Recognition certificates are a good way to recognize the work done during National Public Service Week.

6.3 Graphic Identifier

Use the official graphic identifier for National Public Service Week for all your promotional events. It is available in both official languages.

6.4 Web Button

Post a web button for National Public Service Week on your departmental intranets. This is also available in both official languages.

7. National Public Service Week Website

The website contains useful information for you to use in promoting events and activities in your department or region.

7.1 Tools You Can Download

Online tools are not available at the moment and will be added as soon as possible.

7.2 Information You Can Use

The following information is available on the NPSW website:

• Links to the RFCs that describe the events and activities held in the regions throughout Canada
• The Coordinator's Corner page with tips and best practices
• Lists of national and regional coordinators
• Links to other interesting sites

8. Step-by-Step Events

8.1 Exhibitions

Exhibitions are information fairs where federal organizations inform the public about their services. These events foster pride among employees, help inform the public about the products and services available, and help establish a dialogue among federal organizations. Planning of such events should begin early, and exhibits should be as interactive as possible.

8.2 Open Houses

Organizing an open house in your department is also a great way to reach out. It creates greater awareness of what you do and increases exposure. This type of event can be open to your clients, other departments and the general public.

8.3 Internal Newsletters

In-house newsletters or magazines by and for public service employees are also excellent outreach opportunities. Articles that emphasize the important contributions of public service employees can be included to reinforce pride and recognition. Salute the outstanding employees in your department or highlight your NPSW activities through this medium.

8.4 Other Outreach Ideas

• Tours: Offer tours of facilities that are not usually open to the public or behind-the-scenes tours of more familiar sites.
• Blood donor clinic: Set up a clinic with Canadian Blood Services and/or Hema-Québec.
• Workshops: Hold workshops for citizens in your community on health issues, agri-food topics, museums or other subjects.
• Community service day: Hold a recycling day to bring attention to the government's role in keeping the environment clean. Arrange for painting or yard work for the elderly or disabled residents of your community.

These are only a few ideas for reaching out. Just remember that you don't have to do everything at once. If this is the first time you have been involved in planning events to reach out to the public, determine what you are comfortable doing the first year, then build on your success in following years.

9. Internal Communications

Internal publicity is critical to the success of your event. Use in-house newsletters, and consider devoting a whole issue to your employees' contributions and excellence. You can also use your organization's intranet to publicize your NPSW events. When doing internal publicity, consider the following points:

• Communicate all your activities through multiple media to reach as many people as possible.
• Arrange for posters to be displayed in high-visibility areas.
• Tell the stories of public service employees who do innovative, critical, or lifesaving work.
• Tell the stories of employees who, through their unfaltering hard work and dedication, make steadfast contributions day in and day out.
• Reinforce pride, dignity and respect among public service employees.
• Reinforce how diversity in the workplace enhances everyone's experience.
• Showcase efforts being made to improve the work experience of employees.
• Reach out to a potential employment pool, especially young people.
• Arrange to have a photographer at your events and post photos on your intranet.

10. Tips for Success

• Have a champion nominated at a senior level.
• Determine what events you would like senior managers to attend and advise their offices as soon as possible.
• Begin planning now—the earlier the better. Set up a planning meeting and create an organizing committee as soon as possible.
• Advertise for volunteers as soon as possible. Get students and volunteers within the Public Service to help you organize your events—they are very dynamic and full of great ideas.
• Contact your regional offices to have NPSW representatives appointed. In this way, you can help ensure that your regional offices are engaged in the Week at the departmental or interdepartmental levels. It is important to invite these representatives to contact the regional coordinator of their RFC so that they can work together in organizing interdepartmental activities.
• Create a timeline of steps to take; many ideas are simple but need to be scheduled far in advance of NPSW.
• Use a suggestion box in your department to get innovative ideas.
• Appoint media outreach people and let them get started on publicizing your events.

11. Some Successful Ideas

11.1 Events Requiring Minimal Planning

• Thank-you popcorn: Arrange for supervisors to serve up fresh popcorn in bags that say "thank you." This event adapts easily to various situations.
• Decorations: Decorate strategic areas with balloons, banners or other decorations to create a festive atmosphere.
• Breakfast or network café: Have an opening ceremony to launch the Week. Invite senior management to say a few words with regard to your organization's direction and goals. Senior management could also serve coffee and doughnuts. Your calendar of events for the Week could be distributed at this time, and employees could be encouraged to participate.

11.2 Events Requiring a Moderate Amount of Planning

• Opening ceremony: Plan an opening ceremony or special activity to launch the week. Guests of honour could be members of your organization or celebrities.
• Sporting events: Challenge another division or department to a softball game or other sporting event and invite your colleagues and family members to come.
• Learning events: Create an opportunity for employees to enhance their skills while having fun. Set up a panel discussion on what constitutes true "leadership" and challenge commonly held perceptions. Consider employee well-being by having seminars on retirement planning, work–life balance, stress management, etc. Why not think of having a theatrical troop come in to perform a skit on recognition practices so that employees can learn how to recognize each other on a day-to-day basis? The sky is the limit when it comes to subjects for learning events.
• Thank you from the Deputy Minister: Have your DM send a note or a letter to all employees thanking them for their contributions to the department's success.
• E-cards: Employees could be encouraged to send a thank-you card to fellow workers; recognition can be practiced at all levels.
• Computer messages: Arrange with your computer system administrator for messages about NPSW to pop up on each computer screen when the computers are turned on during the Week.

11.3 Events Requiring a Great Deal of Planning

• Luncheons: Have daily potluck lunches with employees and management from different divisions throughout the Week. A different division could host the lunch each day. Employees could share their work experiences and learn about other activities in their department or agency.
• Youth events: Hold an event for young public servants, through your internal Youth Network. This could be a breakfast, picnic, or other type of gathering where senior management could be on hand to network and share their experiences as public service employees.
• Barbecues: Arrange for a barbecue or picnic for the members of your department, or partner with other departments. Invite senior managers to give a thank-you speech. Ask them also to discuss the goals and objectives of your organization. Knowing why your organization is doing what it is doing is fundamental in building pride in our roles as employees. In addition, an outdoor sporting challenge could be organized. Team activities are an excellent way to network with other members of your organization whom you would not normally have the chance to meet.
• Awards ceremonies: Managers can use the opportunity presented by NPSW to organize any type of award and recognition ceremony.
• Talent lunches or shows: Hold an employee talent lunch or talent show with performances by a choir or musicians, or set up a photo, painting, or collection exhibit where employees can showcase their artistic skills.
• Contests: You can hold different types of contests during NPSW, such as talent, recipe, poetry, or photo contests or history quizzes. These types of events help to highlight the diversity of the federal public service, as well as the many hidden individual talents of public service employees.
• Booths, open houses, and information fairs: Booths could be installed in building lobbies or other areas to present or promote your products and services to other departments, the public, families, and staff. Have some music, coffee with cake, or popcorn to offer your visitors.
• Health day: You could hold a health day during NPSW to promote the importance of taking care of our health and well-being.

12. Final Reports

12.1 Departmental and Regional Reports

In order to keep track of our successes in highlighting the contributions of employees, OCHRO will send departmental and RFC coordinators an evaluation questionnaire to fill out or to use as a reference in preparing their activities report. This report must then be returned to OCHRO before the end of July.

12.2 National Report

A national report on NPSW 2013 will be completed in the Fall of 2013. It will serve as the key document for the NPSW National Advisory Committee, which will be convening in the Fall to discuss an overall approach, communications, departmental needs, and coordination requirements for NPSW 2014.

13. Contacts

13.1 Departmental Coordinators

You can find the list of all departmental coordinators and RFC coordinators on the website.

13.2 Awards and Recognition Team

The Awards and Recognition Team will be happy to answer all your questions.

Treasury Board Secretariat Public Enquiries
Telephone: (613) 957-2400
Toll free: 1-877-636-0656
TTY: (613) 957-9090
Email: publicenquiries-demandesderenseignement@tbs-sct.gc.ca

14. Conclusion

Celebrating NPSW would not be possible without the support of committed coordinators like you. We have given you a lot of information. If you have not previously participated in NPSW, we recommend that you work in collaboration with others, so do not hesitate to contact us for the names of coordinators who have organized events in previous years and who would be willing to share their experiences with you.

We are continually pursuing potential partners to make each NPSW a great success. The important thing is to do something—starting small is better than doing nothing. The Awards and Recognition Team is available to answer questions or offer guidance and encouragement. Please do not forget to enjoy this week as well—you deserve it!