Mr. Speaker, in keeping with my commitment to provide regular updates to Members of the House on Human Resources matters, I’m pleased to speak today about a couple of areas where we have made progress in and about services in place as we move forward.
Since the summer of 2006, we have been implementing e-tools to improve the quality and accuracy of pay and information for employees and managers. In December 2007 Aurora College and the divisional education employees started using the self-service Human Resources information system. All government employees of the Northwest Territories are now on self-service, with the exception of fieldworker employees in areas such as firefighters. Employees can now enter their time and leave as they earn or use it and can keep their own personal information up to date.
This program also includes a feature which allows pay to be divided between more than one bank account. Approved overtime is now paid in the period it is earned rather than being weeks behind. This provides both quicker payment for employees and more accurate expenditure information for managers.
Through the Employee and Family Assistance Program, the Government of the Northwest Territories offers employees and their immediate family members access to a confidential counselling and support service to assist with a number of issues in people’s lives.
Over the past year one of the priorities was to increase active services for G.N.W.T. employees in all communities. The most recent quarterly report from the Employee and Family Assistance Program provider shows a marked increase in the number of employees accessing services from outside Yellowknife. Employees are also taking full advantage of the variety of service options, from personal counselling to online assistance.
Over the past five years the Northern Student and Graduate programs have proven to be very successful in bringing Northern post-secondary students and graduates into the G.N.W.T. workforce. The programs for 2008 and 2009 are already in the application and review stages, with applications being received from many students interested in summer work. In the Intern Program, departments are now interviewing potential graduates for placement beginning in the summer, and work is currently underway with planning for placements of nursing graduates.
This week all G.N.W.T. employees will be invited to once again participate in an employee engagement and satisfaction survey. This survey is part of a national initiative by all territorial and provincial jurisdictions which began three years ago. The G.N.W.T. is committed to doing this survey every two years. The survey results are then compared to the results from all other jurisdictions, allowing us to determine what areas we are stronger in and which areas need additional work. Survey results will be available and shared with Members in June 2008.
As we look forward to the weeks ahead and the difficult decisions that will take place around priorities, the Department of Human Resources is prepared to help mitigate the impact on G.N.W.T. employees. This government has made a clear commitment to the retention of staff through the Staff Retention policy, where the emphasis is on keeping the knowledge, skills and abilities that employees have gained during their time with the G.N.W.T.
We will work with deputy ministers to ensure we maximize opportunities for affected employees to find alternative work within the G.N.W.T. As well, individuals have been designated within Human Resources to support employees through changes that are affecting them or their workplace. As I’ve previously noted, employees have access to the Employee and Family Assistance Program, which offers a range of services related to personal and professional change.
Mr. Speaker, we are constantly working to improve human resource management programs and services. My door is always open to Members about issues and ideas so we can improve services, address concerns and develop programs that support the recruitment and retention of a strong public service.
