Auditor General calls for Canadian Forces to improve its human resource management
Canada’s government watchdog says the Canadian military needs an infusion of HR expertise to address immediate staffing shortages and meet long-term personnel challenges.
The annual report from the Office of the Auditor General, presented to Parliament last month, stated that while efforts are underway to recruit more people, about five per cent of positions remain unfilled and recruitment drives must be complimented with new retention initiatives.
To do this, the report recommends the Canadian Forces formally introduce an HR occupational category to ensure it has the HR expertise to identify problems, develop policy and implement changes. Currently the Canadian military does not have an occupation group specifically charged with managing its 60,000 personnel. Instead, people assume the duties on a rotational basis and often with limited experience in HR policies and planning.
“We are concerned that few military personnel assigned to military human resource management have previous experience or training in human resource policies and practices,” states the report. “While there are opportunities available to take some human resources courses, the Canadian Forces would benefit by having a knowledgeable group, trained and experienced in managing the human resource changes needed over the long term.” The Department of National Defence said it will “assess the benefits of adopting a professional human resource career field.”
The report claimed recruitment drives have not been meeting targets, but Lt.-Col. Larry Grand Maison said that the Office of the Auditor General looked at the program early in the year and by the end of 2001 the program had surpassed expectations. “This year’s (2001) target was 10,000. We picked up a little over 11,000,” he said.
The Canadian Forces have no choice but to modernize its HR practices, said Grand Maison. “We have to because we are competing with everyone else for the same people.”
He said they have dramatically increased the advertising budget and are working with an outside contractor to develop an employment brand to attract new recruits. The military offers a “good pay package” with benefits that are at least as good as those offered in the private sector, he said. New recruits start with four weeks of paid leave, for example. Beyond this, the military can also sell the sense of adventure that is associated with the military.
Signing bonuses are also being offered to attract doctors and dentists to the military where they may have to work in conditions far different from those of a private practice. “It is a unique environment,” admitted Grand Maison. “I have had my teeth filled in a van in the woods.”
The Auditor General also said while the department is doing good work to recruit people, ”it will have to address longer-term issues of human resource management.” Today’s shortages are the result of bad HR planning in the mid-’90s when cuts were made to HR management and HR managers lacked the data to make recruiting and attrition decisions. “Today, the military population is unevenly distributed; there are not enough personnel in most occupations and too many in some,” states the report.
Actions are already underway to improve the HR expertise in the Canadian Forces, explained Lt. Commander Sue Chapman. A new initiative is being launched to encourage more people to get their CHRP designation and take HR courses. As HR certification co-ordinator, Chapman will be raising awareness and educating military personnel about how they can get their designations using Ontario standards. The initiative began after a study conducted for the Assistant Deputy Minister (Human Resources – Military) identified a need to improve HR expertise two years ago, she said.
The annual report from the Office of the Auditor General, presented to Parliament last month, stated that while efforts are underway to recruit more people, about five per cent of positions remain unfilled and recruitment drives must be complimented with new retention initiatives.
To do this, the report recommends the Canadian Forces formally introduce an HR occupational category to ensure it has the HR expertise to identify problems, develop policy and implement changes. Currently the Canadian military does not have an occupation group specifically charged with managing its 60,000 personnel. Instead, people assume the duties on a rotational basis and often with limited experience in HR policies and planning.
“We are concerned that few military personnel assigned to military human resource management have previous experience or training in human resource policies and practices,” states the report. “While there are opportunities available to take some human resources courses, the Canadian Forces would benefit by having a knowledgeable group, trained and experienced in managing the human resource changes needed over the long term.” The Department of National Defence said it will “assess the benefits of adopting a professional human resource career field.”
The report claimed recruitment drives have not been meeting targets, but Lt.-Col. Larry Grand Maison said that the Office of the Auditor General looked at the program early in the year and by the end of 2001 the program had surpassed expectations. “This year’s (2001) target was 10,000. We picked up a little over 11,000,” he said.
The Canadian Forces have no choice but to modernize its HR practices, said Grand Maison. “We have to because we are competing with everyone else for the same people.”
He said they have dramatically increased the advertising budget and are working with an outside contractor to develop an employment brand to attract new recruits. The military offers a “good pay package” with benefits that are at least as good as those offered in the private sector, he said. New recruits start with four weeks of paid leave, for example. Beyond this, the military can also sell the sense of adventure that is associated with the military.
Signing bonuses are also being offered to attract doctors and dentists to the military where they may have to work in conditions far different from those of a private practice. “It is a unique environment,” admitted Grand Maison. “I have had my teeth filled in a van in the woods.”
The Auditor General also said while the department is doing good work to recruit people, ”it will have to address longer-term issues of human resource management.” Today’s shortages are the result of bad HR planning in the mid-’90s when cuts were made to HR management and HR managers lacked the data to make recruiting and attrition decisions. “Today, the military population is unevenly distributed; there are not enough personnel in most occupations and too many in some,” states the report.
Actions are already underway to improve the HR expertise in the Canadian Forces, explained Lt. Commander Sue Chapman. A new initiative is being launched to encourage more people to get their CHRP designation and take HR courses. As HR certification co-ordinator, Chapman will be raising awareness and educating military personnel about how they can get their designations using Ontario standards. The initiative began after a study conducted for the Assistant Deputy Minister (Human Resources – Military) identified a need to improve HR expertise two years ago, she said.
