Canada's Public Service- Following the Law for Worker Classification?
"PS skirting its own hiring rules by using temp workers, watchdog warns"
By Kathryn May, The Ottawa Citizen September 21, 2010
OTTAWA — Federal departments appear to be using thousands of workers hired through temporary help agencies to circumvent their own rules and laws, says Canada's staffing watchdog.
In a letter to a parliamentary committee, Public Service Commission president Maria Barrados flagged some of the worrisome trends that have emerged in the initial phase of the commission's year-long probe of the government's $300-million a year dependence on temporary-help agencies.
Read more:
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/temp+tactics+skirt/3553968/story.html#ixzz131RvCCTl
A Professional Employer Organization’s (PEO) key benefits will directly contribute and bring the necessary solutions to the complexities the Public Service is experiencing at this time. A true PEO service is not focused on recruiting the talent but rather managing the pools of temporary workers and independent contractors that the Corporation or the Public Service can identify so well at a substantially different and lower rate than the standard staffing firm. The PEO is responsible for the management and payment of the contractor population and will release them, at no additional cost, to the Corporation or Public Service whenever requested. Tenure is managed by the PEO to assist the Corporation or Public Service in keeping the contractor population on a very temporary basis avoiding the consequences of a temporary workforce becoming a camouflage for a permanent employee. The PEO can also assist with rate management and spend control with the right technology in place and reporting capabilities.
Whether or not the watchdog's warnings go further or not, the Canadian and U.S. governments have made it clear that they are cracking down on private sector companies, looking for cases of misclassified workers, or co-employment conflicts. If you're found to be non-compliant the penalties can be very steep, legal costs alone can be extraordinary. The PEO services industry in the U.S. is somewhat more mature, but Canadian companies are also realizing that these services offer far more than risk protection, there are substantial potential cost and time savings allowing the company to function with greater efficiency. Hmmm...what's up with the government?