The Government of Canada's integrated human resource systems

Abstract

Information technology has changed how the Canadian Government does business, The Government of Canada is committed to being the government the most connected to its citizens with Canadians able to access all government information and services on-line by 2004.

This impetus is equally evident in the area of human resources management. The government has adopted 4 Human Resources Management Systems (HRMS), which respond to the needs of small, medium and large departments. Departments using similar systems have clustered together to reduce the development and maintenance costs, to leverage the technology to its maximum, and as a result have made great strides through the power of partnerships.

Our HRMS offers comprehensive HR solutions. Features include global workforce management; compensation management, reporting and analysis; responsive workforce recruitment; competency, career and succession management; and comprehensive health, safety and labour relations management.

Senior management support is one of the keys to a successful implementation: commitment and financial resourcing are imperative. Implementation required a communications plan; a change management plan; a plan relating to the re-engineering of existing business processes; a training plan, a HRMS web-site and a system implementation plan.

The HRMS must be a strategic decision making tool. The data it contains must serve to influence line managers and assist them in decision making which will result in the right people available in the future to respond to ever evolving business needs. HRMS must serve as a major source of data from which major HR analyses, strategies, reports, and briefing documents for senior management are based.

Data integrity can completely destroy a system's credibility. It is essential that resources be dedicated to support and training employees responsible for feeding the system.

The use of HRMS is evolving to meet the needs and wants of its users. There is clearly a shift from housekeeping data to information that will contribute to the strategic agenda (competency profiling, career management, succession planning, matching people with work).

HRMS is a powerful tool. It will never replace the analytical skills required of our HR staff, but will prove to be invaluable to us in our role of strategic partners, agents of change, champions of staff and HR experts.