Public Service Employee Survey, 2008 [Canada]

The first Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) was conducted in 1999 and was repeated in 2002, 2005 and 2008. Almost 65.8% of the workforce participated, providing important information about how employees viewed their work and workplace. Departments and agencies launched a number of initiatives to address the workplace issues identified by Public Service employees in the 1999, 2002, 2005 and 2008 PSES. As a follow-up to the 1999, 2002, and 2005 Public Service Employee Survey, the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada (PSHRMAC) asked Statistics Canada to conduct a fourth voluntary survey of all Federal Public Service employees. For this cycle, the Agency invited separate employer agencies such as the Canada Revenue Agency, National Energy Board, etc. to participate. This increased the number of participating organizations from 77 in 2005 to 88 in 2008. The fourth Public Service Employee Survey took place in November and December of 2008. The 2008 PSES used a similar questionnaire as for the 2005 survey. The major change to the questionnaire was on the scale used for opinion questions which went from a 4-point scale to a 5-point scale. As in the 2005 PSES, the 2008 survey will enable departments and agencies to identify areas where the Public Service is doing well and point to other areas where improvement is still needed. The survey solicited views of Public Service employees on their work environment and overall job satisfaction. Employees expressed their opinions on their work unit, their communication with their supervisor, skills and career aspirations, client services and labour management relations. General information such as age, gender, years of service and province of work were collected and questions were asked on specific themes such as staffing fairness, official languages, health and safety, harassment and discrimination, and retention issues.