Acting Assignments – Implementation Guidelines

Note:

Please contact your Recruitment representative for the appropriate letter template.

Filling Acting Assignments

If an acting assignment is expected to last for several months, an employee development opportunity also exists. Managers are encouraged to balance operational issues with employee development needs and employment equity practices. Divisions have the discretion to decide how to fill acting assignments in accordance with the processes noted below.

Acting assignment is six (6) months or less in duration:

  1. Assigning an employee to an acting assignment

An employee may be directly placed without a competition being held if the acting assignment is up to six (6) months in duration, or the urgency of the operational need does not allow time for a competitive process. In these instances, the following considerations are recommended:

  • Fairness, equity, equal access to opportunities and special programs
  • Employee performance management objectives and actual performance
  • Available employee skill base and interest level in the acting assignment
  • The divisional succession management plan
  • Operational needs and requirements

If the acting assignment subsequently becomes permanent, the vacancy must be posted corporately and the incumbent in the acting assignment will need to compete for this permanent opportunity.

Acting assignment is more than six (6) months in duration:

When an acting assignment is more than six (6) months in duration, the temporary position must be posted as an Expression of Interest within the division/section or a Corporate Job Posting. If an acting assignment is one (1)
year or more in duration, it is recommended that consideration is given to post the vacancy corporately.

  1. Posting an Expression of Interest for the acting assignment opportunity within the division/section

Employees are advised of the acting assignment opportunity and interested employees are asked to make their interest known to the contact person on the posting.

Divisional expression of interest postings should include the following:

  • Job description, which identifies the primary responsibilities, key qualifications and reporting relationships in consultation with the Recruitment Representative (see Appendix 1 for template).
  • Job title, salary, division, location and duration of acting assignment.
  • Eligibility to apply (i.e. divisional or sectional staff only).
  • Include the following statement: “If selected, employee’s placement is conditional on the approval of their executive director/general manager or designate.”
  • The main contact and phone number (hiring manager and/or Recruitment representative, if applicable).
  • The process of application, posting date and deadline for submission of interest.
  • Type of position (i.e. management or exempt).

Selection Process

  • The acting assignment selection process is expected to adhere to existing practices, policies and meet legislative obligations.
  • If the acting assignment subsequently becomes permanent, the vacancy must be posted corporately and the incumbent in the acting assignment will need to compete for this permanent opportunity.

  1. Corporate posting of an acting assignment

  • Refer and follow existing Corporate Job Posting Procedures for posting temporary opportunities.
  • In addition, the posting should also include the following statement: “If selected, employee’s placement is conditional on the approval of their executive director/general manager or designate.”
  • The initial request to release the employee for the Acting Assignment should be approved, unless there are significant and defensible operational impacts. This approach supports:
    1. a) employee engagement
    2. b) employee development/career advancement, and/or
    3. c) succession planning.
  • When acting assignments are posted corporately and the vacancy subsequently becomes permanent, divisions can permanently appoint/promote the acting assignment incumbent into the permanent position without further competitive process, provided the original corporate posting included the statement:
    “If the posted non-union temporary job becomes permanent, it may not be re-posted.”

The employee must have been continuously employed in the same acting assignment position when it becomes permanent.

Documentation

  1. Initiating a new acting assignment

For divisional acting assignments:

  • The division provides an offer letter to the employee (please contact your Recruitment representative for the template).
  • The division prepares an Alternate Position & Return to Base Form and forwards it to Payroll & Benefits Processing section.
  • For payroll processing purposes, acting assignments are effective at the start and end on the last day of a pay period.
  • The form must be dated and approved by the immediate supervisor and manager. A copy is retained at the divisional level.
  • The documentation for an acting assignment is established for a maximum period of two years.
  • If an acting assignment is within the same or at a lower pay grade than the employee’s base position salary, paperwork is still prepared for record keeping purposes.

For corporate postings of acting assignments, if a Recruitment representative is involved, they will prepare the paperwork and forward it to Payroll & Benefits Processing section. The divisional representative obtains a position number from HR Organization Management for acting assignments that are greater than 30 days in duration.

The Payroll & Benefits Processing representative verifies the information on the form. Any discrepancies or incomplete information are noted, and the initiator is contacted for correction, addition, or clarification.

It is the responsibility of the acting assignment organizational unit to process the employee’s time and attendance reporting. There is an automatic transfer of access to the acting assignment organizational unit, once the employee is assigned a new position number.

  1. Extension of an acting assignment

  • Payroll & Benefits Processing section provides notification i.e. Alternate Rate/Acting Assignment Extension turnaround letter to the division two months prior to the expiration of the assignment.
  • The division completes the extension turnaround letter to either cancel or extend the acting assignment and forwards it to Payroll & Benefits Processing section.
  • The acting assignment is automatically terminated unless an extension letter is received in Payroll & Benefits Processing section prior to the expiration date.
  • When an extension is required, information on the letter must include the recommended expiry date and the reason for the extension.
  • The acting assignment (AA) manager discusses the extension (or expiry) of the acting assignment with the base position manager and notifies the employee in writing (please contact your Recruitment representative for the template).
  • If the Acting Assignment has exceeded 24 months and is being extended, a business case is required to be submitted from the Acting Assignment Manager to the Division Head for approval.

  1. Cancellation of an acting assignment

  • Acting assignments can be cancelled at management’s discretion.
  • When an acting assignment is cancelled prior to the current expiry date, the AA manager:
    1. Notifies the base position manager of the acting assignment cancellation and discusses its effective date, employee’s; transition to base position and performance in the acting position;
    2. Notifies the employee in writing (please contact your Recruitment representative for the template);
    3. Checks off the “End AP” box on the Alternate Position & Return to Base Form, indicating the assignment end date, and sends it to Payroll & Benefits Processing section.

Acting Assignments – Year-End Performance Review

A Year-End Performance review is where an employee receives an assessment of individual performance, based on their time in their eligible role(s). Upon the completion of the year-end performance review, eligible employees are provided a performance rating for each eligible position held within the performance year.

Performance ratings are then translated into performance pay and applied to the applicable salary, based on their time in the role. Some performance ratings may not be eligible for performance pay. Performance pay increases are subject to Council approval as a part of budget deliberations.

Only performance pay is administered through this program, no other salary adjustments will be applied.

Below outlines how Acting Assignments are assessed during the performance management process.

  1. Employee holds a base position and takes on an Acting Assignment

At the start of an acting assignment, the base position manager completes a closing performance review, performance ratings will not be shared until the year-end performance review process. Dates to be provided (annually) by Talent Management. Eligible for performance pay depending on the performance rating assigned.

  1. Acting Assignment Starts and Ends within the performance year

If the acting assignment starts and ends within the same calendar year, the Acting Assignment manager completes a closing performance review providing only performance feedback before the employee returns to the base position (for performance management purposes only). Not eligible for performance pay.

  1. Acting Assignment starts in one performance year and carries over into the next

If the acting assignment carries over from one performance year to the next, the AA manager conducts a performance review. Performance ratings and feedback will not be shared until the year-end performance review process. Dates to be provided (annually) by Talent Management. Performance pay will be calculated. Eligible for performance pay depending on the performance rating assigned.

  1. Employee Held an “As Required” (ARR) within the performance year

Non-union employees can be placed on an ARR in non-administrative positions for legislated (i.e. need to maintain certain staffing ratio in accordance with various legislation) or operational reasons (e.g. Emergency Medical Services, Fire Services, shelters, security staff) when the absence of a non-union employee requires that someone else perform the whole job for that absence.

No performance reviews are required for employees in an acting assignment on an “as required” basis (ARR). Not eligible for performance pay.

  1. Employee’s base role is unionized, and employee takes a non-union acting assignment.

a) If the acting assignment starts and ends within the same performance year, the Acting Assignment manager completes a closing performance review providing only performance feedback before the employee returns to the base position (for performance management purposes only). Not eligible for performance pay.

b) If the acting assignment carries over from one calendar year to the next, the AA manager conducts a performance review. Performance ratings will not be shared until the year-end performance review process. Dates to be provided (annually) by Talent Management. Eligible for performance pay depending on the performance rating assigned.

Approved by

People & Equity

Date Approved

July 5, 2001

Revised

July 2024

Related Links

Acting Assignments Policy