My Official Languages Booklet

My Official Languages Booklet: Creating an inclusive workplace for francophones and anglophones

Official Languages Langues officielles

Creating an inclusive workplace for francophones and anglophones

“Everyone has a role to play in creating a linguistically inclusive workplace, and leaders can really set the tone. By using both official languages and encouraging others to do the same, you are helping to create the conditions for a workplace culture that values French and English equally. That’s building linguistic security in Canada’s public service.”

– Raymond Théberge, Commissioner of Official Languages

Message from the Human Resources Services Branch (HRSB) ADM and ESDC’s Official Languages Co-Champions

We are proud to present you this official languages booklet. We hope that it will provide you with tools that will be useful to assist you in exercising your duties. This official languages booklet was designed to reinforce the use of both official languages in the workplace, with the aim of fostering and contributing to the creation of an inclusive environment for Francophones and Anglophones. Official languages are part of Canadian values and we have a duty to serve Canadians in the language of their choice. To accomplish this, we must foster a work environment where our own employees feel good, can contribute fully and feel comfortable using the official language of their choice, especially in designated bilingual regions. I invite you to use the tools at your disposal and contribute to making our department a leader! For any questions or comments on this booklet, do not hesitate to write to our generic mailbox: NA-OL-INFORMATION-LO-HRSB-DGRH-GD@ hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca

Darlène de Gravina Assistant Deputy Minister Human Resources Services Branch Catherine Demers and Dinesh Mohan ESDC’s National Official Languages Co-Champions

My Official Languages Booklet

We are counting on your leadership to make ESDC a leader in addressing linguistic insecurity and ensuring our employees feel included and safe to express themselves no matter what language they use.

My Official Languages Booklet

Official Languages Langues officielles

The Commissioner of Official languages released a study in 2021 entitled Linguistic (in)security at work, which surveyed over 11,000 federal public service employees. The findings demonstrated that many employees experienced feelings of linguistic insecurity in using their first or second official language at work, especially where French was concerned. This discomfort may be due, in part, to the accent an employee may have in their first or second official language. EDSC is an inclusive workplace and therefore encourages all employees to be tolerant of one another. Following discussions at the Portfolio Management Board (PMB), the Official Languages Center of Expertise and the Official Languages Co-Champions have developed a package. The objective is to strengthen language security, promote bilingualism within the department and equip management to better support the language rights of employees.

The package is comprised of the following documents:

Pledge: Commitment of senior management to promote the use of both official languages within Employment and Social Development Canada

Checklist for being an official languages leader

Fact sheet on supervision

Tips on holding inclusive bilingual meetings

Useful Tools

My Official Languages Booklet

Pledge Commitment of senior management to promote the use of both official languages within Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) By promoting best practices in respecting official languages, ESDC is contributing to the model of an institution that is accessible to both official languages communities in Canada. As a member of senior management (Deputy Minister, Assistant Deputy Minister or other Executive level) at ESDC, I am committed to demonstrate leadership in fostering an inclusive work environment with respect to official languages and to raise awareness among employees at all levels in designated bilingual regions (under my responsibility) of their right to communicate in the language of their choice. I will encourage the use of the second language in the workplace on a regular and consistent basis in order to address linguistic insecurity, by leading by example. To do so, I will: Meetings

Supervision Make managers aware of their roles and obligations with respect to official languages when supervising employees.

Documentation Encourage employees to use the language of their choice in written communications.

Ensure bilingual meetings when employees in bilingual regions are present (for example use simultaneous translation, repeat information or have bilingual co-president or other methods); Use my second language in meetings on a regular basis; Postpone agenda items if documents are not bilingual.

I will hold myself accountable for the promotion, awareness and use of both official languages within my Branch/Region. I consent to having my name posted on the intranet as a signee of this pledge. (Optional) Name: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...................................... Signature: .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .................. Date : .. . . . . . . . . . . . . ............... Please send the completed form, in PDF format*, to the Official Languages Center of Expertise: NA-OL-INFORMATION-LO-HRSB-DGRH-GD@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca

* You can download the PDF format of the flipbook by clicking on the accessibility icon in the upper left corner of the flipbook interface.

My Official Languages Booklet

Checklist for Being an Official Languages Leader

Supervision of employees in designated bilingual regions In order to create a workplace that is conducive to the use of both official languages and maintain it, management at all levels, including executives, managers and supervisors must lead by example.

Here are a few tips to help you achieve this objective: Actions Completed

Helpful indicators

Speak and write to your employees in the language of their choice.

Most employees are more productive in the official language of their choice. If you are not sure which language they prefer, do not be afraid to ask them! At the beginning of the meeting, remind participants, in both official languages, that they are free to use the official language of their choice. If you cannot ensure that the meeting will be fully bilingual, think of simultaneous translation! Zoom offers the possibility of doing French and English simultaneous translation, where Microsoft Teams does not have that capacity yet. Verify with IT services as Zoom has limited licences within the department.

Ensure to use both official languages during meetings attended by both official languages group.

My Official Languages Booklet

Actions

Completed

Helpful indicators

Documentation includes documents for consultation/ review, agendas, agenda items, notes, emails, etc. Create a dynamic and respectful bilingual workplace where all employees feel included and free to express themselves and write in the language of their choice. Raise awareness with supervisors in your area of their responsibilities towards their employees. When discussing learning plans with your employees, bring up the topic of their language training needs. Include this in the planning exercise and ensure your employees are aware of ESDC’s Second Official Language Learning Guidelines and learning options offered by the College@ESDC.

Distribute documents simultaneously in English and French and of equal quality*. Inform all employees of their language of work rights and encourage them to exercise these rights.

Encourage and provide opportunities for employees to improve their second language skills.

My Official Languages Booklet

Actions

Completed

Helpful indicators

On a daily basis, communicate with your employees in your second official language and invite them to do the same. Doing so will promote linguistic security! Let managers know in advance that agenda items must be presented in a bilingual format. Invitation, agenda, handouts and minutes must be distributed in both official languages at the same time.

Make every effort to maintain and improve your own second language proficiency. Practice creates confidence! Postpone items at all-staff and large- scale or formal meetings (such as network meetings, trainings, events, information sessions) to a later date, if the documents are not bilingual.

*Equal quality refers to having a comparable value in both OL.

For more information, please communicate with the Official Languages Center of Expertise: NA-OL-INFORMATION-LO-HRSB-DGRH-GD@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca

Useful reading: Building a linguistically inclusive workplace: Leadership Tips

My Official Languages Booklet

Fact Sheet on Supervision Official Languages (OL) Responsibilities for Managers and Supervisors

Bilingual Region

Unilingual Region

Supervision (includes but not limited to coaching, providing feedback, assigning work, evaluating performance)

Supervise employees in the OL of their choice if the employee occupies a bilingual position or an “either/or” position (English or French). Managers and supervisors who occupy bilingual positions supervise each employee in the OL chosen by that employee regardless of the language identification of the employee’s position. Encourage employees to work in the OL of their choice, for both oral and written communication purposes, except: • When they work in points of service designated as bilingual for service to the public, the OL rights of members of the public takes precedence.

Supervise employees in the OL of the region.

Communication (written and oral)

Encourage employees to work in the OL of the region, for both oral and written communication purposes, except: • When they work in points of service designated as bilingual for service to the public, the OL rights of members of the public takes precedence.

Communication (written and oral) – continued on next page →

My Official Languages Booklet

Bilingual Region

Unilingual Region

Communication (written and oral) ...continued

• When they provide personal or central services to employees who are located in bilingual region, the OL rights of employees who receive personal or central services takes precedence. Other scenarios of communication between employees: • An employee in a bilingual region communicates with an employee in a bilingual region in the OL chosen by both parties (that is, each person communicates in the OL of their choice). • An employee in a bilingual region communicates with an employee in a unilingual region using the OL of the recipient’s region. If unilingual employees have to communicate with or receive communications from bilingual employees, managers and supervisors should put in place mechanisms to facilitate these communications.

• When they provide personal or central services to employees who are located in bilingual region, the OL rights of employees who receive personal or central services takes precedence. Other scenarios of communication between employees: • An employee in a unilingual region communicates with an employee in the same region using the OL of the region. • An employee in a unilingual region communicates with an employee in another unilingual region with a different OL using the OL of the sender’s region. The onus of understanding the communication is on the recipient. If unilingual employees have to communicate with or receive communications from bilingual employees, managers and supervisors should put in place mechanisms to facilitate these communications.

My Official Languages Booklet

Bilingual Region

Unilingual Region

Meetings and teleconferences

Must be bilingual when: • They involve employees working in a bilingual region; or • They involve employees working in unilingual regions for which the OL differs. May be unilingual when: • All the attendees have indicated the same OL preference. Provide employees with regularly and widely-used work instruments and electronic systems in both OL, such as: • manuals and handbooks of policies, procedures and directives; • handbooks and documentation needed to deliver services to the public or to employees; and • lexicons, official institutional publications, forms and templates that employees consult and other similar tools that they use in performing their duties. With regard to electronic systems, those provided to employees as information sources or work tools must allow navigation and access to information in either OL.

Are generally in the OL of the region, if all participants are from that region or from another region with the same OL. Must be bilingual when: • They involve employees working in a bilingual region; or • They involve unilingual regions for which the OL differs. Provide employees with regularly and widely-used work instruments and electronic systems in the OL of the region. Employees who occupy bilingual positions are provided with work instruments in both OL if they require them to communicate or provide services to the public or employees in both OL.

Work instruments and electronic systems

My Official Languages Booklet

Bilingual Region

Unilingual Region

Training and professional development

Ensure employees have access to training and professional development in the OL of their choice.

Ensure employees have access to training and professional development in the OL of the region. When feasible, ensure employees who occupy bilingual positions may be provided with access to training and professional development in the OL of their choice. Ensure emails sent by employees, including from generic mailboxes, have a bilingual signature block regardless of the employee’s work location or regardless of the language identification of the employee’s position. Ensure employees who occupy bilingual positions have bilingual voicemail and automated messages that are fully in both OL. Ensure employees who occupy unilingual positions in offices designated as bilingual for service to the public include an active offer (Hello/Bonjour) in their email and voicemail messages.

Email signature blocks

Ensure emails sent by employees, including from generic mailboxes, have a bilingual signature block regardless of the employee’s work location or regardless of the language identification of the employee’s position. Ensure employees who occupy bilingual positions have bilingual voicemail and automated messages that are fully in both OL. Ensure employees who occupy unilingual positions in offices designated as bilingual for service to the public include an active offer (Hello/Bonjour) in their email and voicemail messages.

Voicemails, out-of-office messages, and other automated messages

My Official Languages Booklet

Bilingual Region

Unilingual Region

Staffing processes

Ensure candidates and employees can participate in a staffing process in the OL of their choice. This includes ensuring all communications (exams, interviews, invitations, informal discussions, etc.) are in the candidates’ OL of choice and board members have the appropriate language proficiency to evaluate candidates in their OL of choice. Plan your workforce to ensure there is a sufficient composition of unilingual positions and bilingual positions in order to meet OL obligations for services to employees or services to the public. For bilingual positions, objectively identify the language skill level needed based on the duties and functions of the positions. Make use of non-imperative staffing in accordance with the departmental guidelines.

Language requirements of positions and bilingual capacity

My Official Languages Booklet

Bilingual Region

Unilingual Region

Personal or central services

Ensure employees have access to personal/central services in the OL of their choice. Ensure employees can file a grievance in the OL of their choice and respond to grievances in the OL chosen by the employee.

Ensure employees have access to personal/central services in the OL of the region. Ensure employees can file a grievance in the OL of their choice and respond to grievances in the OL chosen by the employee.

Grievance

Additional Information → The bilingual regions of Canada are: • National Capital Region • Province of New Brunswick • Parts of Montreal

• Other parts of Quebec • Parts of Eastern Ontario • Parts of Northern Ontario

→ Infographic for communications between regions → Email management standard for signature blocks → Examples of bilingual out-of-office messages

→ Staffing processes templates for communicating with candidates → Guideline on Identifying Language Requirements of Positions

My Official Languages Booklet

Tips on Holding Inclusive Bilingual Meetings To ensure your employees can fully participate to your meetings, have you thought of the following? As a supervisor or manager, we encourage you to build a work environment that is dynamic and respectful of diversity, which includes enabling employees to work in the official language of their choice. In designated bilingual regions, both Francophone and Anglophone employees have the right to participate in meetings using either of Canada’s two official languages. During the meetings, ensure that the discussions take place in both official languages at the choice of the participants. This is especially important in interregional teams, and in teams that have a mix of unilingual and bilingual employees. These tips will help make your employees feel comfortable using either of Canada’s official languages (OL) at meetings and allow them to fully comprehend the meeting’s content and meaning. Before the Meeting Participants ☑ Think about who will be attending your meeting: • Will the meeting take place across Canada or in bilingual regions? • Do you know if the participants will all be bilingual or if there could be unilingual participants as well? • Do you know the OL preference of the participants? • Do you expect a large number of participants or a small number of participants? ☑ Based on these considerations, there are different options to hold a bilingual meeting: • Bilingual session: Conduct the meeting in both English and French. To ensure that unilingual participants may fully understand and participate, you should recap all the main points in the other OL throughout the meeting. If you are not comfortable in your second OL, you can ask a co-chair to help you with translating into the other OL. With this option, it is recommended to book a longer meeting duration to account for the time it takes to recap in the other OL.

My Official Languages Booklet

Before the Meeting (continued) • Separate French and English sessions: For long discussions or for large numbers of participants, you could organize two separate meetings, one in English and another in French. • Simultaneous translation: For large-scale meetings where it is not possible to have separate sessions in each OL or where it would be too difficult for the chair to recap in the other OL throughout the meeting, you can use simultaneous translation services. Chair(s) ☑ Have you considered a bilingual chair? If the chair is not bilingual, seek a co-chair or moderator who will help ensure that both OL are used in an equitable approach from start to finish. ☑ Consider a chair that is flexible and sensitive to the linguistic needs of all participants. Invitation, agenda and documentation ☑ Share the invitation, agenda and meeting materials in both OL at the same time. If it is not available in one OL, we do not recommend sharing until available in both OL. ☑ Provide information about arrangements for unilingual participants in the invitation. ☑ Advise employees or speakers they may prepare any documents for the meeting in their first OL, but these documents should be translated before the meeting. Minutes (meeting notes): ☑ Your choice of person who will be taking meeting notes is important to the success of a bilingual meeting: • Advise this person what are your linguistic objectives for the meeting. • The person who is taking notes should be skilled in both OL so that comments made in each OL are reflected in the minutes. • If required, have two note takers: one for English content and one for French content.

My Official Languages Booklet

During the Meeting ☑ Invite participants at the start of the meeting to not hesitate to use their preferred OL. ☑ Explain the meeting format to participants at the start of the meeting. For example, explain that the chair(s) will recap the main points in the other OL throughout the meeting. On the other hand, advise participants that simultaneous translation (in writing and/or verbally) is available. ☑ While balancing the need to use both OL, be mindful to not change language mid-sentence or too frequently, as that could make it more difficult for employees or translation services to follow the discussion. ☑ Remind employees before the question period or round table period that they may use their preferred OL. ☑ Remind participants that they may prepare documents for the meeting in their preferred OL. ☑ If sharing information on a screen during the meeting (such as a PowerPoint deck), prepare a bilingual format that alternates OL to ensure both OL are represented or have both OL appear on the screen simultaneously (side by side bilingual format). ☑ Respond to questions in the OL they are asked. ☑ Summarize in the other OL the key points raised by participants speaking English or French.

After the Meeting ☑ Prepare minutes in both OL to share with participants, if applicable. ☑ As a good practice, ask participants what they thought about the format of the meeting. Feedback can help adapt and improve your next meeting or event.

My Official Languages Booklet

Useful Tools Reading

Flip-Ready Email As leaders, we encourage you to promote Canada’s fundamental value of linguistic duality and personally commit to making efforts within your directorates to respect and promote the official languages rights of employees to ensure that everyone feels included and safe to express themselves.

In order to facilitate the sharing of the information contained in this document, you will find below a ready-to-send email including all attachments.

My Official Languages Booklet

Notes

My Official Languages Booklet

Notes (continued)

My Official Languages Booklet

The purpose of this toolkit is to strengthen language security, promote bilingualism within the department and equip management to better support the language rights of employees. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

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