Tackling Challenges at Work: Resources and Guidance
Here are key resources to help you navigate common workplace challenges:
Local 70008 – Understanding Performance Management & How Your Union Can Help
What Is the Performance Management Program?
The federal Performance Management process is promoted as a tool to help managers and employees set clear, realistic, and measurable expectations for the work to be done.
In theory, it’s meant to:
- Define goals and expectations
- Make them measurable and achievable
- Support regular discussion between employees and managers about progress
Your Role as an Employee
The Treasury Board Secretariat has an Employee Kit on Performance Management that explains your role in the process, including:
- Participating in setting goals
- Tracking your progress
- Discussing results with your manager
📌 Important:
When you sign your performance review, you are confirming that you have seen and read it.
You are not saying that you agree with everything in it.
If you disagree with part or all of your evaluation, you still sign it to acknowledge receipt—and then talk to your union about next steps.
How Local 70008 Can Support You
Your Local 70008 representatives have reviewed the employer’s guidance for both managers and employees. We understand how the system is supposed to work and can help ensure the process is fair and consistent.
We can help you:
- Understand what managers are required to do under the program
- Check whether your manager is following the guidelines
- Respond if expectations or ratings seem unfair, unrealistic, or not supported by evidence
For example, before a manager labels performance as “not met,” they should be able to show:
- Documented examples of missed or delayed targets
- Evidence that support was offered (coaching, mentoring, training, clarification of expectations)
- That targets and standards were reviewed for realism and adjusted if needed
Performance management is not meant to be a “surprise” or a punishment—it should be a structured, ongoing conversation.
Performance Management Is a Shared Responsibility
Performance management is not something that belongs only to the manager. It is a shared responsibility between you and your supervisor:
- The manager is responsible for setting clear expectations, providing feedback and support, and documenting performance fairly.
- The employee is responsible for asking for clarification, flagging barriers, and raising concerns early.
Local 70008 is here to:
- Answer your questions
- Help you prepare for performance discussions
- Support you if you believe the process is being misused or if you feel targeted
Union–management relationships don’t have to be adversarial. Our goal is to promote fairness, respect, and problem-solving, not conflict for its own sake.
Leave Management & Performance – Address Issues Early
Frequent or chronic absences are often a sign of an underlying issue, such as:
- Personal or family crisis
- Medical or mental health condition
- Burnout, anxiety, or a toxic work environment
These situations are manageable, especially if addressed early.
Stress and anxiety that are ignored can:
- Affect your attendance
- Show up in your performance review
- Create problems that are harder to fix later
Talk to Your Union and/or Your Manager
If something serious is going on in your life:
- You do not have to share personal details, but it helps to let someone know that you are struggling.
- Your union representative can:
- Listen and help you clarify what’s happening
- Suggest options like EAP (Employee Assistance Program)
- Help you think about whether accommodation may be needed
In some cases, short-term accommodations might include:
- Temporarily adjusted hours
- Reduced workload or modified tasks
- A temporary change in responsibilities
- A medically supported temporary leave to regroup
The earlier we talk about it, the easier it is to put helpful measures in place before things escalate.
Why Early Action Matters
Using up sick leave a day at a time, without addressing the root cause, usually doesn’t solve the problem—and can create new ones:
- A depleted sick leave bank
- A pattern of absenteeism that may be raised in a performance review
- More stress and worry about how things “look” on paper
If a medical or personal situation is affecting your work, it’s better to:
- Involve your doctor,
- Talk to your union representative, and
- Inform your manager (at least at a high level)
before the performance review is written, not after.
That way, Local 70008 can help seek accommodations and supports, rather than trying to repair damage once your credibility or performance record has already been questioned.
Duty to Accommodate
The Employer has a legal duty to accommodate employees’ temporary and long-term needs related to disability and other protected grounds, up to the point of undue hardship.
This usually involves:
- Your health-care provider explaining what limitations you have (without necessarily disclosing your diagnosis)
- The employer and union working with you to identify reasonable adjustments
- Regular review of the plan as your situation evolves
Your doctor should be involved early, and treatment or support should be part of the way forward.
Local 70008 can help you:
- Understand your rights
- Work with your doctor on appropriate documentation
- Navigate discussions with management about accommodation
Bottom Line – Advice for Members
- Read the Employee Performance Management materials.
Understand what is expected of you—and of your manager. - Contact Local 70008 early if:
- You have questions about the process
- You’re worried your evaluation may be unfair
- You’re struggling with health or personal issues that affect your work
- Don’t ignore problems or “run from” the process.
Avoiding performance discussions or hoping things will go away can create serious career and financial problems down the line. - You are not alone.
Local 70008 has:- Knowledge of performance management and accommodation processes
- Experience with mediation, problem-solving, and advocacy
- The skills needed to support difficult conversations between members and management
If you’re unsure where to start, start with us.
Reach out to Local 70008—confidentially, without judgment, and at any stage.
Guidance on Workplace Leave Issues
Question – I have been on sick leave without pay for a year and a half. My employer advised me that my substantive position is being filled with an indeterminate employee and, if and when I return to work, I will be on a priority list. The manager said something about the possibility of “termination for medical incapacity”. Can you explain what that is and how it occurs?
Answer – Termination for medical incapacity may occur under the following conditions: the employee has exhausted their paid sick leave credits; and the employee has been unable to work for an extended period; and the employee is unable to return to work within the foreseeable future (as determined by medical assessment).
An employee who is being terminated for medical incapacity should be offered a medical retirement (depending on the length of time that the employee has been on sick leave and the likelihood of a partial or full recovery). Health Canada (at this time) is the only medical opinion that can approve a medical retirement.
Local 70008 – “Operational Requirements” and Denied Leave
As Local 70008 President, I regularly hear from members who’ve been told their leave is denied “due to operational requirements.”
Let’s be clear:
There are rare situations where genuine operational needs justify refusing leave.
But those situations are the exception, not the rule — and “operational requirements” is not a magic phrase that lets the employer ignore the collective agreement.
What Are Operational Requirements Really?
Under arbitral case law and PSAC guidance, operational requirements must:
- Be tied to the actual work that needs to be done, not convenience, habit, or vague “busy periods.”
- Be based on real, demonstrable needs, not administrative preferences or budget issues.
- Not be justified simply by overtime costs or financial considerations.
In other words, “it might cost overtime” or “we’re trying to save money” is not a proper basis for denying a right in your collective agreement, including leave.
Each situation must be assessed on its own facts. The employer can’t simply declare “operational requirements” as a blanket excuse.
Who Has to Prove What?
When a member grieves a leave denial:
- The employee (with union support) must first show that the employer’s reliance on “operational requirements” doesn’t seem valid or is questionable in the circumstances.
- Once that is done, the employer has the heavier burden of proving that legitimate operational needs actually justified denying the leave.
The employer’s burden is heavier because:
- They control the information about staffing, workload, and scheduling.
- The collective agreement grants you rights (e.g., to certain types of leave), and any “operational requirements” clause is meant to be a narrow exception, not the default.
If the employer cannot back up their claim of operational requirements with concrete, defensible evidence, they risk violating the collective agreement.
The Employer Must Plan So You Can Use Your Rights
Arbitrators have been very clear:
- The employer must organize work and staffing so that employees can actually exercise their rights under the collective agreement.
- Chronic staff shortages, poor planning, or routine training demands are not valid excuses for systematically denying leave.
“Operational requirements” does not mean:
- “We didn’t plan ahead.”
- “We’re short-staffed because of decisions we made.”
- “We don’t want to call in backup or move people around.”
The employer is expected to consider real alternatives, including using other staff, adjusting schedules, or reorganizing work. Refusing to consider options does not automatically make a leave denial reasonable.
When Can Operational Requirements Be Legitimate?
There can be genuinely unusual, temporary situations where the employer may restrict leave for a defined period, such as:
- A major, time-limited operational surge
- A planned rollout or transition where demand is predictably higher
- A short window where specific expertise is absolutely required on-site
Even then, the employer should:
- Clearly explain the specific reasons for the blackout period
- Limit it to the shortest possible timeframe
- Apply it fairly and consistently
These are exceptional cases — not everyday operations.
What Local 70008 Expects from Management
Local 70008 expects the employer to:
- Treat “operational requirements” as an exception, not a routine justification
- Provide clear, factual reasons when leave is denied
- Demonstrate that alternatives were considered and not arbitrarily dismissed
- Respect that the collective agreement creates real rights, not “nice-to-have” perks
When these standards are not met, we will support members in challenging decisions through discussions, recourse, and, where appropriate, grievances.
What You Can Do if Your Leave Is Denied
If your leave is refused “due to operational requirements”:
- Ask for the reasons in writing.
- Document the context: staffing levels, workload, past approvals, etc.
- Contact Local 70008 as soon as possible.
We can help you:
- Assess whether the denial appears legitimate
- Identify whether your rights under the collective agreement may have been violated
- Decide whether to pursue informal resolution, a grievance, or other action
You are not expected to navigate this alone.
Local 70008 is here to push back when “operational requirements” is misused and to defend your right to use the leave you’ve earned.