Phoenix Pay System - Shit's Horrible

[Colin Parkinson]

What the Union can do is threaten selective striking, aiming at vital stuff or stuff that makes the government money and minimizing impacts on the public and maximizing impacts on politicians, ministers and senior management. Say like IT not fixing blackberry stuff for a few days.

 

[dapaterson]

Focused strikes, against government priorities or intended to embarrass the government (backdrops for announcements etc) may be the way to go.

Or even schedule a day for the public service to call in sick - #SickOfPhoenix.

But status quo mealy mouthed "We don't like this" efforts by union leadership have done precious little; I expect the next rounds of elections may see more aggressive leadership installed, and a return to a much more tumultuous relaitonship between government and organized labour.

 

[garb811]

I don't have any direct report civilians right now but out of curiousity, I took the manager training that is currently being offered online.

All I can say it was eyeopening.  Some of the most basic design and workflow choices they made in the programming of that system guarantees that even in the best case scenario where the system was working 100%, people are doomed to having to escalate their problems to Miramichi, even for something as minor and simple as a new manager not being able to retroactively approve your overtime prior to their arrival.  Ludicrous.

Yeah, our pay system may be from the 1990s but, aside from the occasional hiccup, newer isn't always better.

 

[Good2Golf]

'Newer', had it been appropriately alpha and beta-tested and implemented in an incremental manner with appropriate training for operators, mangers and users, might have been better.....alas, it would seem now that 'the fix' may end up costing far more than the projected savings, let alone the impact to so many rank and file of the PS.

Regards
G2G

 

[dapaterson]

There's an artificial lull in departures, as people want to get pay sorted before they leave (did I mention that once you leave or are on leave you can't access your pay information any more?).

Once people either (a) get their stuff sorted out or (b) realize that waiting will do nothing, expect higher than average attrition.  (DND public service attrition is already higher than Reg F attrition - it's going to get worse).

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

If Phoenix doesn't know enough about you to pay you right, how would it even know that you have left the civil service.  :Tin-Foil-Hat:

[We need an emoticon that automatically plays the X-Files theme, dammit.]

 

[dapaterson]

I have one friend whose pay eventually stopped once he retired.  As I recall, it was about four months of both pay and pension, and periodic calls to the pay office, before his income was reduced to a single stream.  And knowing him, he'll repay the slowest way possible - and probably ask for detailed breakdowns in writing, which will only further delay the day of reckoning.

 

[daftandbarmy]

I just met with a senior civil servant, a truly great leader who cares about their people, who is leaving because they can't help their staff through the Phoenix nightmare. They're getting no support from on high, and no one apparently cares.

I asked how many other senior leaders were thinking of doing that too and they said "Most of the good people I know."

Oh.... Canada....

 

[dapaterson]

It's going to take a DM from a large department to break in public from the party line and call for a new pay system.  Until the senior leadership admits failure, we'll continue to circle the drain.

(From my perspective: you know it's bad when you find yourself saying "Well, it's only $10K they owe me... it could be worse...")

 

[c_canuk]

I expect this will only be resolved expediently if the PSU calls a general strike.

 

[Gunner98]

I just met with a senior civil servant, a truly great leader who cares about their people, who is leaving because they can't help their staff through the Phoenix nightmare. They're getting no support from on high, and no one apparently cares.

I asked how many other senior leaders were thinking of doing that too and they said "Most of the good people I know."

Oh.... Canada....

But doesn't the act of walking away and washing your hands of it leave those subordinates with one less person who cares?  Don't great leaders lead throughout and despite the turmoil and despair?  In most cases those subordinates can't walk away and are now leaderless!

 

[runormal]

I just met with a senior civil servant, a truly great leader who cares about their people, who is leaving because they can't help their staff through the Phoenix nightmare. They're getting no support from on high, and no one apparently cares.

I asked how many other senior leaders were thinking of doing that too and they said "Most of the good people I know."

Oh.... Canada....

Wouldn't now be the time for this individual to go all in and out and "put their neck on the line"?

If your career is over, wouldn't that be that be time to do that?

 

[daftandbarmy]

Wouldn't now be the time for this individual to go all in and out and "put their neck on the line"?

If your career is over, wouldn't that be that be time to do that?

They pushed as much as they dared, several times, and even supported the public protests here in Victoria.

After banging your head against the wall for 2 or 3 years you get a little shell shocked, I would imagine.

 

[runormal]

They pushed as much as they dared, several times, and even supported the public protests here in Victoria.

After banging your head against the wall for 2 or 3 years you get a little shell shocked, I would imagine.

I suppose, I guess it isn't that simple.

We've very high profile go "toe to toe" with shared services, but still.

Shared Services Canada was a battle chief statistician couldn't win
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/shared-services-canada-was-a-battle-chief-statistician-couldnt-win

Canada's top cop said it would be 'reckless' to keep using federal government's IT service
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ssc-rcmp-it-public-safety-1.4373232

U.S. consultants slam Shared Services Canada for failing projects
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/shared-services-canada-it-gartner-consultants-email-brison-harper-management-1.4143071

 

[mike63]

The advice in my last recent pension course was to get a letter from your manager stating the last day you worked and at what level. The pension office will use that as a baseline to start your pension and make any corrections when Phoenix finally coughs out your last day and pay calculations. They also recommended that your last day coincide with a payday to make payout easier.

Thanks Colin, email request was sent to my supvr for this today.

 

[dapaterson]

An old one but a good one: CTV collected Phoenix stories from civil servants: https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/community/phoenix-pay-system-under-fire

 

[Loachman]

... "As for Phoenix employees. Nothing but sympathy, God help them all. I'd have long ago gone on sick leave, quit, sent damning emails to DG's, and mailed dog excrement to phoenix project managers."

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Listening to my co-worker trying not to throttle someone on the phone, he transferred from EC to us in November, Phoenix is still sending everything to his old e-mail he can't access, he is getting paid the wrong amount, can't access his leave balance, among other issues. Oh what a cluster.

 

[McG]

https://ipolitics.ca/2018/02/19/pay-system-future-feds-ready-start-looking-phoenix-replacement/

Does that mean hope is gone?

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Hope gave up when it's pay cheques stopped.......