Dear members,
We wish to thank everyone who took the time to complete the recent comprehensive survey of our membership. Launched on November 12, and running for a full month, the 2021 Triennial Survey explored a wide range of topics from your satisfaction in the workplace, the Employer’s response to the pandemic, your thoughts about the future, to an evaluation of how well PAFSO’s programs and services are serving you. The resulting data will be used to decide how we set the course for the Association’s near future. What follows is a snapshot of what we learned from your responses. For a more in-depth look at the survey results, you can download the full report on MyPAFSO.
Your Current Position
The latest survey shows that the general makeup of our membership has not changed greatly since 2018, with the exception of the addition of the International Assistance stream to the FS family.
- 77% of PAFSO members are employed at GAC and the remainder at IRCC.
- 48% are stationed abroad, while 52% are in the National Capital Region, although significantly more IRCC members are abroad 68% and Management Consular Officers at 60%
- While on average, 12% of members have served in 5 or more hardship (levels I-V) posts, 27% of IRCC FS have served 5 or more times in levels I-V postings.
- Most PAFSO members living with a disability are located in the National Capital Region.
- 32% of our members are working in acting positions, the majority of FS are at-level.
- The average number of years our members have worked in the federal public sector is 16.1 years. This is up slightly from 14.4 years in 2018.
Your Work Assignments
We were not surprised to learn that for most GAC employees (and to a lesser degree IRCC), the Employer’s assignment process and posting opportunities continue to be sources of frustration.
- 57% of our members report having experienced unfair treatment from the Employer. These reports appear to be more prevalent among our female members.
- Members identify family accompaniment, access to health care and educational opportunities for children as the most important factors influencing their decision to apply to postings.
Your Future
Overall, most of you report having a positive view of your future within the Foreign Service.
- In 2021, slightly more of our you reported being generally satisfied with your circumstances at work than three years ago.
- More of you report being likely to retire directly from the Foreign Service than in 2018: 47% up from 44%.
- The principal issue cited as a possible reason for leaving the Foreign Service is feeling undervalued and demoralized, followed by limited opportunities for career development.
Demographic Makeup
No significant change to the demographic makeup of our membership has occurred between 2018 and 2021.
Despite our membership being evenly split between men (44%) and women (53%) there are significant differences in responses to some questions. For example, 82% of women reported an increased workload due to the COVID-19 pandemic versus 33% of men; concerns over accommodation of dependents with disabilities at some missions (95% of women and 70% of men); and 32% of women vs 53% of men believe that the Employer should be able to direct officers to an assignment abroad, even if the FS Officer did not identify the assignment in their preferences.
- The female to male demographic split is similar to what we found in 2018 at 53% to 44%.
- 16% of PAFSO’s members identify as belonging to a visible minority. 7% identify as persons living with a disability. And 10% identify as belonging to the LGBTQ+ community.
Partner and Spouse Issues with Employment
Unsurprisingly, our members continue to report that finding work – and relevant work in particular – continues to be an issue for accompanying spouses or partners.
- 12% of our members report that their spouses or partners were willing but unable to find work at post. And 22% report that the work found by their spouses or partners was not suitable to their area of expertise.
Your Workplace and Career Progress
A large portion of you report feeling that there is support for diversity in the workplace. Those who most disagree are those who identify as visible minorities or as people living with a disability.
The importance attributed by our members to work-life balance has increased in importance to our members since the 2018 survey.
- 69% of members agree that diversity is supported in the workplace
- Visible minorities and those living with a disability are most likely to disagree, 40% and 56% respectively.
- According to our members, the biggest factors adversely affecting career progress are: proficiency in a second official language, their gender, and their family status (37%, 37% and 36%)
- 71% of you report having worked at unhealthy mission with 75% of those reporting never having been informed about the risks at post.
- 2021 saw a large increase in members reporting having been diagnosed with psychological condition (41% vs 30% in 2018) This increase could be attributed to two factors. The first is the added stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The second might be the increased openness to issues of mental health that we have seen in the last few years.
COVID-19 and the Pandemic
The pandemic was an issue of concern for our members in 2021. However, most reported being satisfied with the response from the Employer. It is important to note that this data precedes the more transmissible but less pathogenic Omicron variant wave.
- 72% of our members report being satisfied with the COVID-19 protocols the employer has implemented in the workplace.
- 65% report being satisfied with hybrid working model although this number is lower amongst IRCC FS (November 2021)
- 75% report not feeling pressured to return to work
- Members relocating during the pandemic have reported their most significant issues being related to movement of personal goods (54%), documentation (42%), and advances (33%).
- 49% of our members report a significant workload increase due to the pandemic with the number jumping to 79% amongst IRCC members only.
The Phoenix Pay System
Five years after its implementation, the Phoenix Pay System remains an irritation for many of you.
- 62% (86% of IRCC members) of you report having experienced issues with the Phoenix Pay System. Though down from 75% in 2018, it is still surprising that so many issues with Phoenix persist to this day.
- The two principal sources of Phoenix issues reported by our members involved inaccuracies with acting pay and delays in receiving salary increases.
PAFSO and its Programs
Overall, our members seem satisfied with the association’s communications, advocacy, awards program, labour relations services and response times to general inquiries.
The membership’s opinion the value of the PAFSO Awards program and bout de papier magazine as tools to promote their profession appears to be evenly split. Two thirds of our members report that the events organized by the Professional Committee were relevant to their careers.
- 83% of respondents report that they have not attended an Awards gala since 2017 however IRCC members appear to be significantly more engaged with 26% having nominated someone for an award in the last five years vs 9% of GAC members.
- 50% of respondents report having read the latest issue of bout de papier in hardcopy
- 65% of respondents report not having attended any events put on by the Professional Committee since 2019
- More members (33%) consider Professional Committee events as unimportant rather than important (29%). The remainder are neutral or unsure.
- 87% of our members report reading the President’s bi-weekly message
- 86% of members report being satisfied with PAFSO’s internal communications
- 55% report being satisfied with PAFSO’s (external) advocacy efforts
- Our members report an extremely high likelihood (95%) of getting a response when they contact PAFSO
Strategic Plan
- Only one third of members report being aware of the Strategic Plan
Once again, we wish to thank everyone who took the time in participating in the 2021 triennial survey. These exercises are important for the future of the association. They allow us to take stock of our membership, to get a sense of any trends that may be emerging, and to identify where we can best invest our time, efforts, and resources to better serve you, our members. The above is but a brief overview of the information we have gleaned from the data. For a more comprehensive dive into the results, feel free to download the full report from MyPAFSO. Should you have any questions or concerns about the survey, do not hesitate to send us an email at info@pafso.com.
Thank you
PAFSO COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
March 16, 2022