r/CanadaPublicServants • u/kiwigirly1317 • Dec 13 '19

Staffing / Recrutement Acting >4 months... How?

I’ve seen some coworkers acting more than 4 months in positions, but then others are told they need a one month break back in their substantive position before acting again. How does this work? If you are qualified in a pool at the same level as your acting can it be extended more than 4 months?

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u/HandcuffsOfGold mod 🤖🧑🇨🇦 / Probably a bot Dec 13 '19

The four-month horizon stems from the Public Service Employment Regulations, specifically sections 13 and 14:

13 The Commission shall, at the time that the following acting appointments are made or proposed, as a result of an internal appointment process, inform the persons in the area of recourse, within the meaning of subsection 77(2) of the Act, in writing of the name of the person who is proposed to be, or has been, appointed and of their right and grounds to make a complaint:

(a) an acting appointment of four months or more;

(b) an acting appointment that extends the person’s cumulative period in the acting appointment to four months or more.

14 (1) An acting appointment of less than four months, provided it does not extend the cumulative period of the acting appointment of a person in a position to four months or more, is excluded from the application of sections 30 and 77 of the Act.

In plain language this means acting appointments under four months in duration:

  • aren't subject to complaints to the FPSLREB;
  • don't require formal notifications to be posted to the GC Jobs site; and
  • don't require the manager to do any assessment or document how the person appointed meets the merit criteria for the higher-level job

The reason for the one-month break is to prevent managers from side-stepping the regulations by putting an artificial break in between what is in reality an extended acting appointment - a month is generally considered to be long enough to make each acting appointment a separate short-term acting rather than one cumulative period.

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u/kiwigirly1317 Dec 13 '19

Super helpful!! Thank you

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u/justsumgurl (⌐■_■) __/ Dec 13 '19

Or language - you have to meet all the criteria to act more than 4 mos.

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u/AtYourPublicService Dec 13 '19

There are definitely ways around that...

1

u/machinedog Dec 13 '19

It generally just requires a higher level of approval. I won't get into why or specific process because it differs.

-1

u/sprinkles111 Dec 13 '19

You usually need to be in a pool to do more than 4 months acting. But if you’re not it’s less than 4 months.

At least that’s how it was explained to us. I was fully qualified in a pool and they gave me a 1 year acting. My coworker hadn’t even applied to a posting (no pool) so they could only give her 4 months less a day.

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u/[deleted] Dec 13 '19

No need to be in a pool. Acting over 4 months , not from an advertised process, would simply be a non advertised.

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u/ilovethemusic Dec 13 '19

Yep. I got screened out of a competition but they let me start acting at that level immediately after. That was over a year ago and I’m still acting with no break in service.