Summary of the Evaluation of the informal conflict management system

The Canadian Grain Commission was established by the Canada Grain Act in 1912 as the federal government agency mandated to, “in the interests of producers, establish and maintain standards of quality for Canadian grains and regulate grain handling in Canada to ensure a dependable commodity for domestic and export markets”.

About this evaluation

This report presents the results of a program evaluation of the Canadian Grain Commission’s Informal Conflict Management System (ICMS). The goal of this program is the prevention, management and early resolution of conflict at the lowest possible level. The program provides a systematic approach to managing and resolving conflicts in the workplace in a constructive manner using Alternate Dispute Resolution. The evaluation was recommended by the Canadian Grain Commission’s 2019 Employee Survey Working Group to increase accountability and quality assurance of the program.

The evaluation was conducted in accordance with the Treasury Board’s Policy on Results, which requires departments to measure and evaluate performance and use the resulting information to manage and improve programs, policies and services. The evaluation was undertaken by the Audit and Evaluation Services team of the Canadian Grain Commission during the 2022 to 2023 fiscal year, as required by the Canadian Grain Commission’s Risk-Based Audit and Evaluation Plan. The evaluation considered the period between program design and launch in the 2006 to 2007 fiscal year until the end of the 2020 to 2021 fiscal year.

About the program

Federal mandate

The Public Service Labour Relations Act was passed in 2003 to modernize human resource management in the Public Service of Canada and implement new ways of improving labour-management relations.

Section 207 of the act states:

“Subject to any policies established by the employer or any directives issued by it, every Deputy Head in the core public administration must, in consultation with bargaining agents representing employees in the portion of the core public administration for which he or she is deputy head, establish an informal conflict management system and inform the employees in that portion of its availability.”

In response to this legislation, all federal government departments and agencies were mandated to implement an informal conflict management system. Deputy Heads became responsible for establishing an informal conflict management system and ensuring that employees were aware of it and had access to it. The Department of Justice was the first federal department to implement the system and at the time of evaluation, was unaware of any Canadian federal government department without an informal conflict management system in place.

The primary objective of an informal conflict management system is to foster a workplace culture in which staff at all levels and in all roles have the skills and resources to seek early resolution of conflicts in a constructive manner.

Hallmarks of a successful informal conflict management system include the following:

• Encouraging the resolution of conflict at the lowest level through face-to-face dialogue between conflicting parties
• Providing managers and employees with conflict management training to handle conflicts in a timely manner
• Providing employees with multiple access points, allowing them to identify and contact a knowledgeable person for advice about their organization’s Informal Conflict Management System
• Making available alternatives to formal recourse when resolving conflicts, such as self-resolution, coaching, facilitation, mediation, conflict assessments, and group intervention
• Providing employees with the option to switch from formal processes to informal recourse options without limiting their right to return to formal processes if they wish
• Building structures that support training and informal processes, and integrate effective conflict management into the organization’s daily operations

In essence, an informal conflict management system helps foster an environment where employees and managers can interact in a constructive, collaborative manner.^{Footnote 1}

Canadian Grain Commission Program

In 2006, the Canadian Grain Commission established a working group to respond to this new requirement and to design and implement an informal conflict management system specifically for the Canadian Grain Commission. Bargaining agents, divisional representatives, and staff from Human Resources were invited.

The Canadian Grain Commission’s Informal Conflict Management policy was created with stakeholder consultation. The objective of this policy is for the program to be “the preferred approach to resolving workplace disputes.” In 2007, this working group launched the Canadian Grain Commission’s Informal Conflict Management System. The program is accessible to all employees at the Canadian Grain Commission and is heavily based on the federal system outlined above.

The Canadian Grain Commission’s Informal Conflict Management policy stipulates the following:

“The Canadian Grain Commission promotes a workplace that respects core values, builds morale, and encourages a high level of productivity. It is committed to creating an organization where differences are respected and addressed collaboratively in a way that promotes satisfying work relationships, and reinforces the values and operating principles of the Federal Public Service. The Commission recognizes that in order for this to occur, a conflict resolution system must be implemented to both prevent conflicts and to address workplace disputes that will inevitably arise.”^{Footnote 2}

Findings, recommendations and management action plans

The table below summarizes findings and recommendations identified during the program evaluation that require management action plans. Similar recommendations (regarding training plan and collaboration with internal committees and program partners) have been combined to allow for overall MAP response to more than one recommendation. ***

Summary of key findings that do not require a MAP response