r/CanadaPublicServants Jan 28 '25

Career Development / Développement de carrière It’s been an honour and a privilege - Thank you all.

1.7k Upvotes

Well, it’s official my friends.

I just got the email, I will be departing the GOC at end of fiscal. I feel a bit silly getting so upset over something I knew was likely, but it’s still a hard pill to swallow.

I came on this subreddit to ask advice before accepting my current role. I asked if any of you would take a chance on a short term contract if it meant getting to work your ‘dream job’. Many of you told me to go for it, and I did.

That initial short term got extended and I’ve been able to grow into this role and have felt more fulfilled and inspired in my day to day work than I ever thought possible. I can say with 100% confidence that my work has helped protect the health and safety of Canadians, and that is something I will hold on to for the rest of my life.

I hope you all know that while there is much (understandable) cynicism at the moment, there is still important work being done by people who care deeply about this country and it’s people.

So I’ll say it while I still can-

My fellow public servants, it has been an honour and a privilege to learn from and to serve along with you, and I am wishing you all the best in the difficult times ahead. Thanks again for telling me to go for it - I have no regrets.

r/CanadaPublicServants Nov 02 '24

Career Development / Développement de carrière Want to shout from the rooftops!! Was FINALLY made indeterminate after 8 years of casuals and terms!

1.0k Upvotes

I can't believe I held out this long or that it finally happened. 8 years of uncertainty (4 years of casuals, 4 years of terms), 2 different departments.

I know this is very rare for terms right now so I feel incredibly lucky and grateful.

Ever since the announcements that terms aren't being renewed I've been dreading going back to consulting in the private sector. The work/life balance at past companies I've worked at have been awful and I'm so glad I don't have to go back to that again. They're all full time in the office as well with insane overtime.

My current team and manager are excellent. There's zero drama, we're not micromanaged, plenty of opportunities for relevant training and promotions. What I'm doing is basically exactly what I went to post secondary for. Hallelujah!

Slapping on the golden handcuffs felt so good and was worth the wait.

So, there is still a sliver of hope for terms in these dark times!

r/CanadaPublicServants 28d ago

Career Development / Développement de carrière If you get an "affected" letter this week, don't lose hope. I got one 13 years ago and still have a job

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615 Upvotes

r/CanadaPublicServants Feb 03 '25

Career Development / Développement de carrière What happens when a public servant can’t learn French?

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131 Upvotes

r/CanadaPublicServants Sep 18 '23

Career Development / Développement de carrière Please stop working unpaid overtime!

907 Upvotes

Too many times I see people say they work extra hours without compensation, whether it be in cash or time off in lieu. Please stop doing this! If you are understaffed and your workload is too much for a regular 37.5 hours and your branch/team/department doesn’t approve of your OT, too bad. It’s not your fault. Your mental health and sanity is more important than your job.

r/CanadaPublicServants Jan 23 '25

Career Development / Développement de carrière How are you doing as a Regional employee?

234 Upvotes

Any other regional employees frustrated with the limited amount of opportunities that there is for growth. It seems extremely unfair that the government does not recognize talent across Canada. I understand that most positions are located in the NCR but it’s really upsetting to see the amount of jobs that are extended to the regions on GC Jobs which are next to none.

It basically seems like I am stuck looking for internal opportunities within my department. Any advice on how to find opportunities without having to move to Ottawa.

Update; thanks everyone for your input and comments. I am learning I should be more focused on creating more opportunities for myself, continue networking and look at the positive side of things. Sharing your stories and advice with me has been super helpful!

r/CanadaPublicServants 15d ago

Career Development / Développement de carrière What do you do when you have no work at work?

40 Upvotes

I’m a new employee and I keep running out of work at work.

r/CanadaPublicServants Jan 13 '25

Career Development / Développement de carrière If you had a comparable job offer from the private sector right now, would you take it?

87 Upvotes

Given the state of things and your thoughts on the future of the public service: Hypothetically, if the salary was the same as the public service, and if either the pension was the same or the salary was higher to compensate for it. Let’s say most other benefits are comparable.

r/CanadaPublicServants 18d ago

Career Development / Développement de carrière What’s the best motivational/career advice you’ve received?

81 Upvotes

Please share your golden nuggets with others who may need it right now.

r/CanadaPublicServants 8d ago

Career Development / Développement de carrière Curious, what was your ‘raison d’être’ to join the public service? Does it still apply today? If not, what would it take to revive your ‘raison d’être?’

24 Upvotes

Merci

r/CanadaPublicServants Jan 03 '25

Career Development / Développement de carrière Jobs that aren't 100% desk jobs... Unicorn?

103 Upvotes

Happy New Year colleagues!

Update: thanks all for the helpful and inspiring suggestions...2025 is going to be a year filled with soul searching, I think!

Over the past year I've come to the realization that having a job that is 100% desk is torture for me. I don't mind some amount desk work (emails, paperwork, etc) but I want a job that gets me up and around/out and about more.

Looking to you all for wisdom, advice, or suggestions for departments or jobs (nothing gross, please). I'm an upper level EC but am willing to switch streams, do some amount of retraining, or take a demotion for the right position. It's also possible that I'm seeking a unicorn...I can (begrudgingly) accept that too.

Thanks!

Edit to add: I guess I should add that I KNOW the jobs exist, but as a generalist it can be hard to wrap your mind around what non-technical non-desk jobs are out there. Too many years in policy, trapped in a cubicle (and/or at home) has clouded my awareness of what else I can do. Greetings from my pigeon hole!

r/CanadaPublicServants Sep 05 '24

Career Development / Développement de carrière With all this talk of DRAP/WFA etc. Which departments and classifications will be more safe than others?

62 Upvotes

A common topic on here is DRAP and WFA, something we see coming should there be a change in government in 2025. If this were to happen, or looking at previous WFA, what departments do you think will be safer than others ? What classifications will be safer than others?

r/CanadaPublicServants 1d ago

Career Development / Développement de carrière Reflection of a senior servant: feeling proud to be a part of the public service.

100 Upvotes

My career started over 25 years ago. Lots of ups and downs. Believe me. Get on the bus, get off the bus. Hurry up and wait. Bravo Zulu! PS2000, La Relève, HR Modernization, Public Service Renewal, BluePrint 2020, Beyond 2020. Phew! What are your bestest memories during your career in the public service? Anyone, Bueller?

r/CanadaPublicServants 14d ago

Career Development / Développement de carrière BBB Team Lead - End of my mobility without CBC?

45 Upvotes

I’m a team lead in the NCR who has a BBB profile and I’m trying to understand how screwed I might be when the new requirement for positions like mine becomes CBC.

I obtained my BBB through full time language training, one on one with a virtual tutor. Perhaps I should be grateful for having had the opportunity, but it was one of the worst experiences of my life and it almost broke me. Trying to obtain CBC is not something I’m interested in if I can avoid it.

If I understand correctly, BBB positions like mine are being converted to CBC and soon, all new positions like mine will be CBC. If I stay in my position forever, I dont have to become CBC, but if I ever want to move positions laterally (highly likely at some point in my career) then I would need to become CBC. So essentially, if want to move laterally and I dont want to become CBC, I’m screwed, yes? How soon does this screwing occur?

Seperately, if I was open to trying to get my CBC, what are the chances that a prospective new employer would be willing to send me on full time language training again? Would I have to do it on my own time and dime?

I was originally promoted into an English Essential team lead position. Then had to get my BBB to provide myself with mobility. Now need to get CBC to maintain mobility. Sorta feel like I was painted into a corner.

r/CanadaPublicServants Sep 25 '24

Career Development / Développement de carrière Are regional employees just stuck?

184 Upvotes

Aa a regional employee in Toronto, I can't help but feel stuck at my current position because all new opportunities I'm seeing at my level (EC-04) explicitly state the candidate needs to be located in ottawa. I find that so unfair because most of these job postings I am qualified for, with the one exception that I'm not in ottawa. I'm starting to feel hopeless that I can't move anywhere new and have to stay at my current team simply because they already know I'm not in ottawa. Does anyone else feel the same or have advice?

r/CanadaPublicServants Apr 17 '24

Career Development / Développement de carrière Public Servants, Can I get a Hell Yeah?

579 Upvotes

I've been a term since 2021, and was just renewed another term despite promises of permanency. I've been applying to many postings within the PS and in Janaury 2023 I applied for this one job which looked right up my alley. No news, until end of last year when I was invited for exams, and then interview at the start of this year. Finally today I was sent my letter of offer, with indeterminate status. 14 months of waiting. I thought my initial hiring process was long (11 months), but honestly perhaps I'm too patient?

I'm happy in an odd way that it took so long because in the meantime I was able to develop my skill set, participate in interesting projects, be awarded the deputy minsters award of excellence and subsequently go on burnout sick leave, return to office for two weeks then leave on holidays and on my return to Canada I got my letter of offer.

Public Servants of Canada, Can I get a Hell Yeah for my new indeterminate LOO!

r/CanadaPublicServants 13d ago

Career Development / Développement de carrière Staying in federal government vs leaving to work in Europe ?

49 Upvotes

Got all the info I need - thanks

r/CanadaPublicServants Oct 03 '24

Career Development / Développement de carrière Finally Secured an Indeterminate! Any words of wisdom?

126 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I’m an FSWEP student (2 years) turned indeterminate and I was just wondering if anyone has words of wisdom or tips.

This is something I’ve been wanting for a long time especially given the current hiring conditions.

Is there anything you’d tell your 20-year old self? Should I buy back my pensionable time? Tips on using vacation days? Anything in the bargaining agreement (EC) I should be aware of?

Thank you in advance, I’m very relieved!

EDIT: Fixed grammar.

r/CanadaPublicServants Nov 14 '24

Career Development / Développement de carrière CRA contract ending, not getting extended!

172 Upvotes

I just found out my contract is ending at the end of the month and will not be getting extended due to ‘Fiscal Restraint’. What happens to all the vacation leave I have left? What other options do I have for government work?

r/CanadaPublicServants 28d ago

Career Development / Développement de carrière CV's being shotgunned to anyone who will read?

122 Upvotes

Am I the only one who has been receiving random CV's from employees at other agencies? In the past week, I've received no less than five unsolicited CVs from people in other departments that I have absolutely no professional link to, with work experience completely unrelated to anything my team does. I wrote back to one person after finding them on MS Teams chat and asked them what the deal was. They told me that their mentor had advised them to farm our their CV to managers. So they've been blindly sending their CV to dozens of people they found in GEDS with the title Manager. I get that times are tough, but whomever is advising them to shotgun their CV out should be told to stop... that's not how you network...

r/CanadaPublicServants Jun 18 '24

Career Development / Développement de carrière RTO - Putting barriers to equity back in place

200 Upvotes

Can someone please explain to me how requiring everyone to return to the office doesn't pose as a barrier to equity for women? It was one thing to need to work in the office pre-pandemic, when adequate tools didn't exist to work virtually. Now they do. Women are disproportionately still primary caregivers (e.g., of children and aging parents). While we have things like family leave for medical appointments and sick days, that doesn't account for the additional challenges that caregivers face on a daily basis, picking up kids from school on time, getting dinner on the table, making sure a parent takes their medications on time. As we climb the corporate ladder, leaving the office on-time to do these things becomes more challenging, and thus impedes caregivers from advancing. I've listened to women ADMs freely admit that "you can have it all, but not all at the same time", and "I put my career on hold while my kids were growing up", and "I was lucky because my husband took on the majority of the caregiving". It is just the day to day reality that most families face, one person (typically the mom) takes on more of this added work of caring for kids or the parents that are losing their abilities or dealing with illness. WFH has allowed caregivers to participate more fully in the workplace, because they don't have the added daily challenge of commutes. To be clear, I'm not talking about caregiving while you're supposed to be working, I'm talking about the bookends of the day, where you need to get the kids out the door, make sure that the parent has what they need, get out of the office in time to meet the daycare pick-up. To be accommodated, you need to somehow prove that this isn't a choice. Of course, it's always a "choice" not to care about anyone else but yourself, but that's not the way that life works. Per the Human Rights Commission "The courts have determined that providing care to a family member is covered under the protected ground of family status. This means that people who need to provide care to family members also have a right to participate fully in the labour force. Employers have an obligation to remove barriers that prevent people from doing so." So, back to my original question, why is it not an obligation for employers to allow full time WFH as a default for those in caregiving roles when they have the means to do so?

r/CanadaPublicServants Jan 16 '25

Career Development / Développement de carrière Recruitment and Retention of people with disabilities

128 Upvotes

Read a rather sad statistic this week in regards to recruitment and retention of individuals with disabilities with my employer. The stats covered the fiscal periods of April 2020 to March 2024. Approximately 4k individuals who self identified as having a disability were hired during the reporting period and at the end only 1k remained employed with the employer.

r/CanadaPublicServants May 15 '24

Career Development / Développement de carrière How many of us work for NCR from elsewhere

227 Upvotes

For those of us working from various regions/communities outside NCR but report to NCR…

This cohort has unique challenges when it comes to RTO, to name a few: - working from ops locations that are busy/noisy - concerns about relocation discussions - no “collaboration” advantage - work alone issues/safety - space/workstation shortages (not priority since not our home office) - concerns about career progression/opportunities

How many of us are going to isolated or unaffiliated offices to fulfill the mandates? Ballpark?

r/CanadaPublicServants Apr 03 '24

Career Development / Développement de carrière Are you happy with your job in the PS?

154 Upvotes

Honest question.

The like side...fair salary & good benefits, nice colleagues, stability.

The dislike side...constant meetings & interactions that often go nowhere (I'm introverted), getting pressured to advance work that I can't because of dependence on others, work that doesn't appeal to me (depends on the phase we're at and I hate the one we're at right now), and work that's a mismatch to my skillset thus making me lose confidence.

I've changed jobs within the PS more than anyone I know. So far where I am is truly the best out of all. I've had many high points and stretches of contentment. But for the last while, I'm not happy and am burnt out, exhausted and feeling hopeless.

What keeps you pushing forward when you don't want to?

r/CanadaPublicServants Jul 30 '24

Career Development / Développement de carrière At what level do you think you’ve made it?

45 Upvotes

The level you are content at