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Section II – Analysis of program activities by strategic outcome

Strategic Outcome - To provide Canadians with a highly competent, non-partisan and representative public service, able to provide service in both official languages, in which appointments are based on the values of access, fairness, transparency and representativeness.

Performance information

The Public Service Commission’s (PSC) 2009-2010 Departmental Performance Report presents the results achieved against planned performance expectations as set out in our 2009-2010 Report on Plans and Priorities.

To ensure consistency, the indicators and performance measures for the PSC’s strategic outcome have been revised to reflect those of the PSC’s Annual Report. The progress towards each element of our strategic outcome is reported below. More information can be found in the PSC’s Annual Report at www.psc-cfp.gc.ca

INDICATOR - Flexibility and Efficiency	PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
Indicator 1: Managers’ satisfaction with flexibility to carry out staffing processes in an efficient manner Performance measure: Level of satisfaction compared to previous year	In the PSC Survey of Staffing - Managers: 2008-2009,* 89% of managers were satisfied to some or to a great extent with their flexibility to carry out staffing processes in an efficient manner, compared to 86% in the previous year.
Indicator 2: Length of time for hiring process Performance measure: Average time for hiring processes compared to previous year	In the PSC Survey of Staffing – Managers: 2008-2009,* the average time to staff for advertised processes was 23 weeks, compared to 23.5 weeks in the previous year. In regard to non-advertised processes, the average time to staff in 2008-2009 was 13.1 weeks, compared to 13.5 weeks in the previous year. The average time to staff in the case of collective processes decreased to 24.7 weeks from 27.4 weeks in the previous year.
Indicator 3: Candidates’ satisfaction regarding duration of appointment process Performance measure: Level of satisfaction compared to previous year	In the PSC Survey of Staffing – Candidates: 2008-2009,* overall, 6 out of 10 candidates in advertised processes were either neutral, satisfied or very satisfied with the elapsed time taken to complete the process, consistent with the previous year’s survey results.

INDICATOR - Merit (Includes Competencies and Official Languages)	PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
Indicator 1: Managers’ satisfaction with quality of hires Performance measure: Level of satisfaction compared to previous year	Of managers who indicated, in the PSC Survey of Staffing - Managers: 2008-2009,* that they had sufficient opportunity to observe the performance of the appointee, 97% were satisfied to a moderate or great extent with the quality of the hire for the last position that they staffed during the reporting period, compared to 98% in the previous year.
Indicator 2: Official language qualifications in staffing (non-imperative appointments where the person does not meet the official language profile within the time periods prescribed by regulations) Performance measure: Number of non-compliant cases compared to previous year	A total of 55 cases exceeded two years and are non-compliant with the Public Service Official Languages Exclusion Approval Order or its Regulations, down from 69 last year.
Indicator 3: Candidates’ perceptions on whether they were assessed for the actual job requirements of the position Performance measure: Level of perception compared to previous year	In the PSC Survey of Staffing – Candidates: 2008-2009,* 79% of candidates indicated that, within their work unit, advertised job requirements reflected the requirements of the position to be filled to a moderate or great extent, compared to 78% in the previous year.**
Indicator 4: PSC founded investigations into staffing Performance measure: Number of investigations compared to previous year	Of the 80 PSC investigations into appointment processes, 32 were founded. This compares to 15 founded investigations of 73 completed investigations into appointment processes in 2008-2009.
Indicator 5: Deputy head investigations into staffing Performance measure: Number of investigations compared to previous year	Of the 25 in-house investigations - into appointment processes by deputy heads, 10 were founded.

INDICATOR - Non-partisanship	PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
Indicator 1: Managers’ perceptions of external pressure to select a particular candidate Performance measure: Level of perception compared to previous year	Although the nature of external pressure was not identified in the PSC Survey of Staffing - Managers: 2008-2009,* 9% of managers indicated that they felt external pressure to select a particular candidate to some or to a great extent, compared to 10% in the previous year.
Indicator 2: PSC investigations related to political influence in staffing Performance measure: Number of investigations compared to previous year	Consistent with the previous year, no allegations of political influence in staffing were brought to the attention of the PSC.
Indicator 3: PSC investigations related to the political activities of public servants Performance measure: Number of investigations compared to previous year	In 2009-2010, the PSC received a total of 16 new requests to investigate allegations related to improper political activities, as compared to 22 such requests in the previous year.

INDICATOR - Fairness	PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
Indicator 1: Candidates’ perceptions of the fairness of the assessment process Performance measure: Level of perception compared to previous year	In the PSC Survey of Staffing – Candidates: 2008-2009,* 69% of candidates indicated that the areas on which they were assessed were evaluated fairly to a moderate or great extent, a proportion that has remained unchanged from the previous year**.
Indicator 2: Percentage of acting appointments with subsequent indeterminate appointment at the same occupational group and level Performance measure: Monitor trends	The rate of acting appointments with subsequent promotions dropped from 41.2% to 33.5% between the periods of 2004-2007 and 2007-2009 as revealed in the study Acting Appointments and Subsequent Promotions in the Federal Public Service (Update).
Indicator 3: Percentage of indeterminate hires coming from (a) casual and (b) term positions Performance measure: Monitor trends	Of the indeterminate hires in 2009-2010, 10% came from casual positions, 34.8% came from term positions. In the previous year, 8.5% came from casual positions, 36.8% came from term positions.

INDICATOR - Transparency	PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
Indicator 1: Organizational staffing priorities and strategies are communicated on organizations’ Web sites and contents are clearly communicated to managers, employees and employee representatives, where applicable Performance measure: Percentage of assessed organizations demonstrating acceptable or strong performance compared to the previous year	Based on the 2009-2010 Departmental Staffing Accountability Report (DSAR) results, 71% of organizations were assessed with acceptable performance in ensuring transparency regarding their staffing priorities and strategies, the same as the previous year.
Indicator 2: Candidates’ perceptions of openness and transparency in internal staffing Performance measure: Level of perception compared to previous year	In the PSC Survey of Staffing – Candidates: 2008-2009,* 71% of candidates described staffing within their work unit as being conducted in a transparent manner, compared to 68%  in the previous year.**

INDICATOR - Access	PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
Indicator 1: Percentage of external appointments that are non-advertised Performance measure: Monitor trends	In 2009-2010, 27% of external processes were non-advertised, compared to 26% in the previous year.
Indicator 2: Percentage of external processes advertised nationally compared total external advertised processes Performance measure: Monitor trends	In 2009-2010, 100% of external processes were advertised nationally or were not advertised nationally for appropriate reasons. This includes 95% advertised nationally and 5% using appropriate exclusion or exception requirements.
Indicator 3: Percentage of internal appointments that are non-advertised Performance measure: Monitor trends	In 2009-2010, 43% of internal processes were non-advertised, compared to 45% in the previous year.

INDICATOR - Representativeness

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Indicator 1: Staffing-related provisions or initiatives to increase representativeness Performance measure: Percentage of assessed organizations demonstrating acceptable or strong performance compared to the previous year

Based on 2009-2010 DSAR results, 80% of organizations demonstrated acceptable or higher performance in ensuring the use of provisions and initiatives to increase representation. The recruitment rate for Aboriginal peoples was 4.6% in 2009-2010 and 4.2% in 2008-2009, as compared to the workforce availability (WFA)*** of 3%. The recruitment rate for visible minorities was 21.2% in 2009-2010 and 18.8% in 2008-2009, as compared to the WFA*** of 12.4%. The recruitment rate for persons with disabilities was 3.1% in 2009-2010 and 3.3% in 2008-2009, as compared to the WFA*** of 4%. The recruitment rate for women was 55.5% in 2009-2010 and 57.1% in 2008-2009, as compared to the WFA*** of 52.3%.

* The data collection for the PSC Survey of Staffing – Managers: 2008-2009 and for the PSC Survey of Staffing – Candidates: 2008-2009 (both also referred to as Cycle 2) was conducted between January to March 2010.

** The Cycle 1 data related to the PSC Survey of Staffing – Candidates reported in the 2008-2009 DPR have been adjusted to reflect weighted data at the public service–wide level.

*** The 2006 workforce availability for the public service was provided by the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer.

Program activity 1.1.0 – Appointment Integrity and Political Neutrality

The Appointment Integrity and Political Neutrality activity develops and maintains a policy and regulatory framework for safeguarding the integrity of public service staffing and ensuring political neutrality. This activity includes establishing policies and standards, providing advice, interpretation and guidance and administering delegated and non-delegated authorities.

Program activity 1.1.0 : Appointment Integrity and Political Neutrality

2009-10 Financial Resources ($ thousands)			2009-10 Human Resources (FTEs)
Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual Spending	Planned	Actual	Difference
10,672	12,304	11,671	101	100	1

Performance information

Expected Results	Performance Indicators	Targets	Performance Status	Performance Evidence
Recruitment strategies and staffing practices and political activities consistent with the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA) and PSC strategic outcome are implemented across the public service Performance Status: Mostly Met	Performance indicator 1 (refined in 2009-2010 to include political activities): Level of success in implementing recruitment strategies and staffing practices consistent with the PSEA and the PSC strategic outcome across the public service	Satisfactory evaluation findings on the implementation of the PSEA	Met All	The PSC continued its assessment of the PSEA and will be reporting its findings to Parliament in the spring of 2011.
	Performance indicator 2: Number of delegation instruments with limitations or conditions imposed by the PSC	Zero	Somewhat Met	Four organizations were operating under imposed limitations or conditions: the Canadian Space Agency, Health Canada, the Office of Infrastructure Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
	Performance indicator 3: Level of success in creating employee awareness of their rights and responsibilities under Part 7 of the PSEA, as measured by the timeliness of their requests to participate in political processes	(refined during 2009-2010): 100%	Somewhat Met	Communications initiatives undertaken to improve employees’ awareness of their rights and legal obligations regarding political activities included: information notices placed in various municipal and association publications; election reminders provided to deputy heads with an information communiqué for employees; a revised “Political Activities and You” brochure to incorporate social networking in support of, or in opposition to, a political party or candidate; and presentations made to various stakeholders. For the PSC to grant permission for a candidacy request, it must have both sufficient information and time to consider each candidacy request on its own merits. Over half (59%) of the new candidacy requests received by the PSC did not meet the 30-day deadline required under the Political Activities Regulations. Despite the number of late submissions, there were only two cases for which the PSC was unable to access the candidacy requests and render the decisions by the date required.

Performance analysis

Following a commitment in its 2008-2009 Annual Report, the PSC introduced a streamlined approach for reviewing municipal candidacy requests, effective January 2010. Work continued improving employees’ awareness of their rights and legal obligations regarding political activities using a variety of communication approaches.

As part of the PSC’s assessment of the PSEA, the PSC continued its efforts to determine whether the PSEA has been implemented as intended and whether the expected results have been achieved, with a focus on merit, non-partisanship and recourse.

The PSC reviewed its appointment policies to ensure a values-based, harmonized suite of policies respecting the spirit of the legislation and supporting a well-functioning delegated appointment model, in which expectations of deputy heads and their delegates are clear with respect to their staffing responsibilities. Based on analysis conducted and feedback received over the past 4 years, including the most recent stakeholder consultations, the PSC proposed amendments to the 11 appointment policies and took these amendments to external consultation, where they have been generally well received. The guides for each policy have also been streamlined and reduced from 52 documents to 10, or 1 guide per policy.

In 2009-2010, a total of 740 of 2857 (26%) priority persons were appointed indeterminately into positions in the public service, in line with the previous fiscal year. The Priority Information Management System (PIMS) functionality was enhanced to improve and expand its reporting capacity. New features were introduced with the long-term goal of reducing the number of reports required from organizations.

The PSC provided policy advice, interpretation and guidance to hiring managers and the HR community. The PSC responded to 327 requests for policy advice and interpretation from both internal and external stakeholders; it processed 29 requests for exceptions to the Assessment Policy and 2 for the Area of Selection Policy.

The PSC reviewed 478 Public Service Staffing Tribunal (PSST) complaints, analyzed 28 decisions rendered by the Tribunal, conducted 38 policy risk assessments of complaints proceeding to hearings before the Tribunal and reviewed 12 written submissions and/or closing arguments. The PSC’s policy advisors also attended nine PSST hearings to provide strategic policy advice.

Program activity 1.2.0 – Oversight of Integrity of Staffing and Political Neutrality

The Oversight of Integrity of Staffing and Political Neutrality activity provides an accountability regime for the implementation of the appointment policy and regulatory frameworks for safeguarding the integrity of public service staffing and ensuring political neutrality. This activity includes monitoring departments’ and agencies’ compliance with legislative requirements, conducting audits, studies and evaluations, carrying out investigations and reporting to Parliament on the integrity of public service staffing.

Program activity 1.2.0 – Oversight of Integrity of Staffing and Political Neutrality

2009-10 Financial Resources ($ thousands)			2009-10 Human Resources (FTEs)
Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual Spending	Planned	Actual	Difference
21,706	22,066	21,240	202	181	21

Performance information

Expected Results	Performance Indicators	Targets	Performance Status	Performance Evidence
Expected result 1: Organizations have implemented PSC monitoring and audit recommendations and corrective action as a result of investigations that contribute to safeguarding the integrity of staffing and political neutrality	Performance indicator (refined during 2009-2010): Percentage of PSC monitoring and audit recommendations and corrective action as a result of investigations implemented by organizations	100 %	Mostly Met	During 2009-2010, all organizations were assessed against the Staffing Management Accountability Framework (SMAF) indicators. The 49 organizations that showed weakness received recommendations for improvements from the PSC. A total of 92% of organizations that received recommendations from ongoing monitoring or audit results have acted and showed improvement on all or at least 50% of the recommendations.  Of these organizations, 49% were assessed as having acted on all recommendations and having demonstrated improvement in all recommended areas. Of the remaining organizations, 43% acted on at least half of the recommendations and demonstrated improvement. A total of 100% of organizations have implemented corrective actions stemming from investigations, where applicable.
Expected result 2:Enhanced risk-based oversight of the integrity of public service staffing	Percentage of coverage of oversight activities (monitoring, audits, studies and evaluations)	(refined during 2009-2010) Conduct entity audits for all PSEA departments and agencies within an audit cycle of five to seven years. Assess 100% of PSEA organizations against the SMAF to produce a Departmental Staffing Accountability Report (DSAR).	Met All	A total of 100% of PSEA organizations, excluding the ones being audited, were assessed against the SMAF, and results were reported to deputy heads. Furthermore, 100% of planned audits and studies for 2009-2010 were completed within the reporting period and the PSC continued to gain audit efficiencies required to go to a five year cycle.

Performance analysis

The SMAF and the DSAR processes and reporting tools were updated following consultation with key stakeholders. As a result, the number of performance indicators to be reported on was reduced from 37 to 29. A separate team was created to assess micro-organizations that use customized reporting and assessment tools. These initiatives reduced the reporting burden of delegated organizations and improved the monitoring of staffing.

The PSC completed four entity audits, one government-wide audit, one follow-up audit, two studies and four updates to previous statistical studies.

• Entity audits included Infrastructure Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency, the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada and Health Canada.
• The government-wide audit focused on the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP) and subsequent appointments through bridging mechanisms.
• The follow-up audit focused on the Office of the Correctional Investigator.
• Studies included Data collection of non-advertised appointment processes and Career progression in the federal public service – Temporary versus permanent start-ups.
• The four updates to previous statistical studies included Time to Staff; To what extent do casuals become employed under the PSEA?; New indeterminate employees: Who are they?; and Acting appointments and subsequent promotions in the federal public service.

The DSAR process assessed all organizations against key success factors and used a risk-based approach for the assessment of appointment statistics and survey of staffing results. For each indicator, only those organizations whose results were in the fourth and fifth quintiles (weaker performers) were required to report on appointment statistics and survey results. They explained their operational context and reported on how they are managing the issues being assessed. As this was the first year of the use of survey of staffing results, organizations were required to comment on their communication of the results and their commitment to follow up and take action.

The results of the independent Oversight Review were accepted in 2009, thus setting the goal of auditing departments and agencies on a cyclical basis of five to seven years. The PSC continues to build its capacity to meet the Oversight Review’s recommendations.

Refinement in methodologies and increased communication with departments and agencies on expectations over the reporting period will allow for increased efficiency and understanding in the audit process.

The PSC is developing new strategies to share its methodologies and tools with the internal audit community. It provided methodological material and documents online in July 2010 and has planned presentations and meetings with internal audit representatives.

Compliance with service standards for investigations ensures that the vast majority of complaints related to appointment processes are resolved quickly and thoroughly. In 2009-2010, 84% of cases were completed within the standard of 215 days. The average completion time was 125 days.

Program activity 1.3.0 – Staffing Services and Assessment

The Staffing Services and Assessment activity develops and maintains systems that link Canadians and public servants seeking employment opportunities in the federal public service with hiring departments and agencies. It provides assessment-related products and services in the form of research and development, consultation, assessment operations and counselling for use in recruitment, selection and development throughout the federal public service. This activity also includes delivering staffing services, programs and products to departments and agencies, to Canadians and public servants, through client service units located across Canada.

Program activity 1.3.0 – Staffing Services and Assessment

2009-10 Financial Resources ($ thousands)			2009-10 Human Resources (FTEs)
Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual Spending	Planned	Actual	Difference
30,660	38,389	35,494	405	437	(32)

Performance information

Expected Results	Performance Indicators	Targets	Performance Status	Performance Evidence
Expected result 1 (refined during 2009-2010): Staffing and assessment services and products that meet the needs of federal departments and agencies operating within a more fully delegated staffing environment under the PSEA Performance Status: Mostly Met	Performance indicator 1: Level of client satisfaction with PSC staffing and assessment services and products	(refined during 2009-2010) High level of satisfaction following client feedback in terms of quality, timeliness and effectiveness	Somewhat Met	The PSC collected information/client feedback on current offerings and sought guidance in adapting products and services to better meet evolving client needs. Feedback was captured through both the client satisfaction survey and consultation groups. A new approach to the survey process was put in place in 2009-2010. Over 1300 surveys were sent to clients for whom work had been completed, 11% of clients responded. Results indicated that 86% of clients who responded to the survey were satisfied with the response time and 57% were satisfied with the quality of service received. Results also confirmed that 25% of respondents chose the PSC due to a lack of internal capacity. When asked whether they were satisfied with the costs associated with the services received, 70% responded ‘yes’. Clients who provided details on what they would like to see improved said that hiring managers should be involved in the outreach activities, that the clients wish to be consulted during the upcoming fee structure review process and that additional effort should be made to reduce delays experienced with the billing process. Enhancements to the client satisfaction survey, the survey process and reporting are planned in 2010-2011 in order to ensure a better response rate and improved analysis of results.
	Performance indicator 2: Degree of consistency of staffing and assessment services and products with the PSEA and the PSC’s strategic outcome	Satisfactory audit and study findings	Mostly Met	In 2009-2010, a formative evaluation of PSC-led pools and inventories was conducted. The evaluation confirmed the relevance of PSC-led pools and their consistency with government and PSC policies and priorities. Recommendations touched on the need to align these pools with other products and services, to develop tools to guide clients on the creation, management and monitoring of pools and to monitor client satisfaction. A program evaluation of the Post Secondary Recruitment (PSR) program was also undertaken, which confirmed the relevance of the program and its annual campaigns as an integral means of recruiting new graduates for entry-level positions in the public service. Concrete recommendations related to areas in need of improvement, such as communications and marketing, led to a re-design of the program in order to meet organizational manager needs.
Expected result 2: To generate projected revenues for 2009-2010 while streamlining the business processes and continue the development of an enabling infrastructure to operate a successful cost recovery business Performance Status: Mostly Met	Amount of projected revenues earned	Generated projected revenues	Mostly Met	More rigorous efforts were made to collect and analyse sales data (including client and product volumes), in order to identify trends and patterns and establish more reliable benchmarking. An Expenditure Management Model (EMM) was also developed, showing a split between appropriation and cost recovery for forecasts, budget and actual spending. In order to better focus our sales activity for 2010-2011, revenue targets were set, key performance indicators were developed and a tracking and reporting system was established. Together, these changes provide senior management with a fast and easy monthly assessment of performance in support of management decisions related to sales, service, billing and forecasted revenues and expenditures. The PSC completed the fiscal year with $11,300,000 in earned revenues.

Performance analysis

The PSC continued to offer staffing and assessment services for the public service that complement services available within federal organizations and target economies of scale.
Demand for specialized recruitment programs such as FSWEP, PSR, and the Recruitment of Policy Leaders program continued, with many clients returning annually to access these time-saving targeted inventories.

A total of 51 PSC-led pools and targeted inventories were created and maintained, giving organizations time-saving access to partially or fully assessed candidates.

Demand for Executive (EX) Resourcing Services continued to decrease for the third year, due in part to the transitioning of this business line to cost recovery and organizations now having EX staffing delegation at the deputy head level. Clients continued to turn to the PSC for complex and/or sensitive files, volume management and collective staffing and for our centre of excellence.

In order to make searching faster and easier for job seekers, while providing more useful search results, new features were also introduced to the jobs.gc.ca Web site.
Promotional activities outlining the advantages of becoming a Direct Access Department continued in 2009-2010, resulting in a total of 32 organizations having direct access to the Public Service Resourcing System (PSRS), an e-staffing system for all external and student hiring for the Government of Canada on either a partial or national basis.

During 2009-2010, the PSC delivered a wide range of optional and mandatory assessment services, including 90554 occupational tests and over 7900 second language evaluation (SLE) reading and writing tests. An additional 26300 SLE oral proficiency tests were also delivered, with service standards met consistently throughout the fiscal year. Executive counselling and coaching services were also provided to a total of 1044 clients, over 800 of whom were new in 2009-2010.

The PSC continued to determine accommodation measures for both PSC and non-PSC tests and modified and updated PSC tests and related products, including 119 alternate formats for persons with disabilities.

Two studies for new and existing tools were also completed. This included research and pilot studies for two un-proctored Internet tests, along with a drop-off study that analyzed the performance of employment equity group members on key standardized PSC tests.

In 2009-2010, the PSC improved its billing process resulting in better control of commitments, expenses and volume management. It also introduced infrastructure changes that have enhanced product delivery. More rigorous efforts were made to collect and analyse sales data, including client and product volumes, in order to identify trends and patterns and establish more reliable benchmarking. Sales plans and key performance indicators were developed and an EMM was introduced, showing the split between appropriation and cost recovery for forecasts, budget and actual spending.

Together, these changes have enabled the PSC to improve its decision-making process and the accuracy of the cost recovery budgeting.  Revenue of $11,300,000 was generated in 2009-2010.

Program activity 2.1.0 – Internal Services

The Internal Services program activity develops and monitors corporate management planning frameworks and policies related to the Management Accountability Framework (MAF), finance, HR management, information technology (IT), communications and other administrative and support services; provides central services and systems in support of all PSC programs, including the offices of the President and Commissioners; and formulates and implements policies, plans, guidelines, standards, processes and procedures to support the decision-making process of the Commission.

Program activity 2.1.0 – Internal Services

2009-10 Financial Resources ($ thousands)			2009-10 Human Resources (FTEs)
Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual Spending	Planned	Actual	Difference
32,082	40,159	38,363	281	277	4

Performance information

Expected Results	Performance Indicators	Performance Status	Performance Evidence
Sound and effective management practices and support functions for the delivery of the PSC’s mandate Performance Status: Mostly Met	Performance indicator 1: Clean audit opinion from the Office of the Auditor General on the PSC’s financial statements	Met All	The PSC received a clean audit opinion in 2009-2010 for the fifth consecutive year.
	Performance indicator 2: Maintain acceptable MAF results for the PSC	Met All	The PSC received acceptable ratings from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) during Round 7 of the MAF assessment.
	Performance indicator 3: Organizational performance measurement framework supports decision-making (i.e. monthly reports, quarterly reporting on operational plan and ongoing financial reporting)	Met All	Reporting documents in support of decision making and performance measurement were produced in an efficient and timely manner during the reporting period and were adjusted to satisfy management’s changing requirements.
	Performance indicator 4: Successful implementation of key IT systems, including the Record, Document and Information Management System (RDIMS), the Public Service Resourcing System (PSRS) and PeopleSoft (an HR management tool)	Met All	The implementation of the RDIMS and the PeopleSoft HR management system was completed during the reporting period. In addition, the PSRS 2009-2010 project objectives were implemented.
	Performance indicator 5: Meet or exceed corporate service standards	Mostly Met	The PSC allocated its financial resources to programs three months before the beginning of the fiscal year and managed its financial resources very closely throughout the year. This resulted in re-allocation to emerging priorities and the PSC’s planned carry-forward (surplus) was within the 5% limit. The PSC fully met all its reporting requirements to central agencies and obtained a 100% rating in timeliness and accuracy of its reports to the Receiver General. The PSC initiated an early adoption of some of the new TBS policies, such as a policy on Internal controls and Future Oriented Financial Reporting; these are well within service standards. The PSC reviewed processes to ensure more accurate monitoring of planned versus actual staffing. The PSC implemented its new HR system to enhance HR reporting with regard to established service standards in the areas of classification, staffing and remuneration. Overall, the PSC is still working to improve its tracking and reporting on corporate service standards.

Performance analysis

In 2009-2010, the PSC continued to build on the model organization that it has established over the past several years—an organization that ensures sound, effective and efficient management practices and employee engagement to support the delivery of the PSC’s mandate.

Robust financial and management controls were in place during the reporting period, as exemplified by the strong rating in financial management by TBS that the PSC received in the MAF assessment. We also obtained a clean audit opinion given by the Auditor General of Canada on the PSC’s 2009-2010 financial statements. In addition, improved integrated HR, information management/technology and communication planning contributed to the PSC’s overall strong performance and acceptable MAF rating.

During 2009-2010, a Web site was created to allow PSC employees to familiarize themselves with the Talent Management program and a questionnaire was created for employees at the EX minus 2 occupational level or higher.

Responses from the PSC Employee Engagement Survey indicated very positive results in terms of employee satisfaction and engagement. These results have been made available to all PSC employees and bargaining agents. A total of 97% of respondents agreed that they had productive working relationships with co-workers and 83% agreed that senior managers (President and Vice Presidents) are responsive to employees’ concerns—an increase of 4% from the previous survey. In addition, areas for improvement were identified and action plans were brought forward in the areas of career development (i.e. Talent Management and mid-year performance reviews) and communications.

Satisfaction with services from the Communications and Parliamentary Affairs Directorate is high. In May 2009, an internal survey showed an average satisfaction rate of 92% for the directorate's support of the PSC in communicating strategic and operational priorities to stakeholders and target audiences.

Finally, Internal Services continued to support the President in providing answers to Parliamentarians in bilateral meetings with members of Parliament and senators or at appearances before Parliamentary committees.

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