Now is the time to complete the Public Service Employee Survey

November 30, 2022 - Defence Stories

The 2022-23 Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) is your chance to help shape the future of the Public Service and work environment of the Department of National Defence (DND).

Your opinion matters. By completing the survey before February 5, 2023 and anonymously sharing your views on your workplace, you are helping to drive real change at Defence. As we adapt to a hybrid workforce, your input matters more than ever before.

Completing the survey is as easy as 1-2-3

Employees will receive an email from Statistics Canada inviting you to complete the PSES. The survey takes on average less than 30 minutes to complete, and your manager will ensure that you have enough time during your workday. The survey administrator will ensure that your responses remain confidential and used for statistical purposes only. “Statistics Canada / Statistique Canada” will appear in the “From” field on the message delivered to your inbox.

In the context of a hybrid workplace, not all employees use the same email accounts each day to complete work. Therefore, the survey will be sent as follows:

• Week of November 21, 2022: sent to DWAN forces.gc.ca emails
• Week of January 9, 2023: sent to D365 ECN emails.

You can forward your survey link to your D365 ECN or personal email address to complete it from a personal device during working hours. However, do not forward or share your link with anyone else.

If you have not received an email invitation to participate in the survey by November 28, 2022 or require an accommodation, please contact Statistics Canada at 1-877-949-9492 (TTY: 1-800-363-7629) between Monday to Friday (except holidays), from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) or send an email to infostats@statcan.gc.ca.

Feedback from the last Public Service Employee Survey resulted in efforts being made to improve the workplace across Defence, including:

• Leadership: L1s were encouraged to host and participate in regular town halls, information sessions, and communicate on priorities and expectations more frequently;
• Job Fit and Performance: There has been a focus on enhancing awards and recognition programs (accessible only on the National Defence network) across the Department and introducing new ways to recognize achievements like Virtual Shout-Outs (accessible only on the National Defence network), as well as ensuring performance agreements are in place with clear, measurable, and fair expectations;
• Harassment and Discrimination: DND is continuing to address sexual misconduct, systemic racism, harassment and discrimination, and support diversity as well as inclusion through the creation of the Chief, Professional Conduct and Culture (CPCC) (accessible only on the National Defence network) and the Anti-Racism Secretariat; continuing the Civilian Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan; and using Gender Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) to inform decision making; and
• Workplace Well-Being: The Defence Team Total Health and Wellness Strategy has been implemented to help build and maintain a working environment that promotes the importance of overall health and wellness. DND also aims to prioritize flexibility and balancing employee preferences with operational effectiveness as we transition to a hybrid workforce.

Do you enjoy a little friendly competition?

Check out the informal PSES Response Tracker (accessible only on the National Defence network) featuring L1 survey completion rates that will be updated on a regular basis to see which group closes out the survey with the highest response rate. Bragging rights with your friends and colleagues in other organizations are on the line, so don’t delay; give your opinion today!

Do you supervise civilian employees at DND?

Managers and supervisors of public service employees are encouraged to check out the PSES toolkit on the Defence Team's PSES intranet page (accessible only on the National Defence network) for resources to help encourage employees to complete the survey.

Overall departmental results will be available in spring 2023.