Mishall RehmanAbove image: Bill Matthews Deputy Minister of National Defence and Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre.
All Defence Team members, civilian or military, will now be evaluated based on whether they demonstrate inclusive behaviours starting April 1, 2022.
The announcement, made recently by Gen. Wayne Eyre Chief of the Defence Staff, and Bill Matthews Deputy Minister of National Defence, is part of a series of new initiatives by the Department of National Defence (DND) and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to create an inclusive environment for all military and civilian members.
“Inclusive behaviour is a key component of treating one another with dignity and respect, both of which build critical trust between team members. It’s not a new expectation of Defence Team members; however, previous performance management and assessment tools did not explicitly define or identify inclusive behaviours, leaving staff and supervisors alike unclear about what was expected. This is why we are phasing in changes to make expectations more clear, and all of us more accountable for meeting them,” stated the announcement.
Performance Evaluations
Since performance management and evaluations should involve continuous feedback throughout the year, team members can expect that identifying, understanding, and demonstrating specific examples of inclusive behaviour will now be part of the performance management process.
“As a member of the Defence Team, you will strive to demonstrate inclusive behaviours throughout the year, and you will have discussions with your supervisor about these behaviours as part of your performance evaluation,” noted the announcement.
Supervisors have been encouraged to familiarize themselves with examples of inclusive behaviours and make use of the variety of resources and tools that will be made available through the upcoming year to support their staff.
Previous Initiatives
In the fall of 2021, the Chief, Professional Conduct and Culture, released the Initiating Directive on the Integration of the Measurement of Inclusive Behaviours in the Defence Team. Many of those recent initiatives have included changes such as allowance for religious leave and compassionate leave; and the creation of lactating pods.
Additionally, the CAF also incorporated explicit expectations into the way that performance is managed among public service executives and senior military officers.
“Being purposeful in our use of inclusive behaviours will help ensure all our teammates can bring their authentic selves and diverse perspectives to the workplace. In turn, we will all benefit from having access to the broadest possible range of creativity, innovation and talent available.
“While changing the culture of an organization rooted in history and tradition can be challenging, we encourage Defence Team members to keep being open to and engaged in the change, individually and collectively. Let’s seize this opportunity together,” noted the announcement by Matthews and Gen. Eyre.
Resources Available on Internet
Public service employees can get more information on what these changes mean for them here.
ADM (HR-Civ) Initiating Directive on Inclusion and Performance (accessible only on the National Defence network).
CAF members can read more about how the new change will affect them here.
