The results of the latest Public Service Employee Survey results are worth a closer look, offering a worrisome window into a key federal department.
I have been following this subject for over 20 years, since retiring from the federal public service after working at five different agencies. With just a little bit of probing, there is a lot of meaningful information that can be derived from the periodic Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) results, which were released last month. This latest one reveals a bit of a bombshell.
According to my analysis and ranking of the departments, there is one federal agency—a major one it turns out—that has the most disenchanted employees of almost the whole public service. Which one is it? Global Affairs Canada (GAC), the department that probably has the most potential impact on the lives of Canadians, our relations with other countries, and our collective safety. Some 14,000 employees work there. Those employees are mostly in Ottawa but are spread out across the country and across the world. They work to maintain our standing and our interaction with the rest of the world.
With the current unrest and uncertainty that exists all over the world these days, I think most Canadians would agree that having a good international reputation and a good standing with our global neighbours is crucially important, perhaps today more than ever. Likewise, having a dedicated and motivated Canadian workforce acting on our behalf, is at least important, if not paramount to achieving that result.
So what do the results of the 2024 survey have to do with all of that?
It turns out, the results suggest GAC has nearly the most disenchanted, disconnected, and disengaged workforce of our whole federal public service. It’s ranked almost at the bottom of the 70 organizations analyzed, with an overall score of 19.
Consider these responses to certain key questions in the survey:
- Only 16 per cent of employees there have a lot of confidence in their senior managers (Q34)
- Only 11 per cent feel strongly that senior management makes effective and timely decisions. (Q35)
- Only seven per cent seriously feel that change is handled well there (Q39)
- Only 12 per cent really feel that they have a good opportunity to get ahead there (Q45)
- Only 14 per cent really feel they would be well supported if they proposed a new idea (Q46)
- Only 27 per cent really feel their agency treats them with respect (Q53)
I could go on, but the responses to other questions tell the same story: Global Affairs staff are not a happy bunch. Compared to most of all the other large federal agencies, they are the worst in terms of staff engagement. I helped to develop a ranking system based on the world-leading Q12 employee survey created and still used by the U.S.-based Gallup. Using a similar process, I have taken the survey results and created a ranking system for all the larger agencies, as outlined below.
So what should we do about all of this? Prime Minister Mark Carney is apparently looking at ways to improve our public service as a way of improving Canada. I wish him well because a well-run public service with excited, engaged, and enthusiastic staff is going to be good for those employees and good for all Canadians.
I suggest Carney take a look at the latest survey results through the lens of my ranking system. Find out what the best agencies are doing to motivate their employees. Find out why Global Affairs and the lower ranked agencies are not living up to their potential. Get the best ones to help the lower-ranked ones. We will all be winners if Carney can make that happen.
Jake Cole worked for the public service for 34 years in six departments. Cole is a former environment director at the Canadian Coast Guard, national manager at Canada’s R2000 Home Program, and departmental representative for the PSES response at Fisheries and Oceans Canada. He has been tracking the ‘real’ results of the Public Service Employee Survey for some 20 years. Read more on Cole’s methodology here.
The Hill Times