FACES OF PHOENIX
He got the new job, but the raise took a while longer
When Luc Lachapelle was considering whether to apply for a temporary post in a higher-level position in the public service, his colleagues advised him against it.
Better play it safe and stay put, they said.
“I was told it was foolish to even consider an acting position, with Phoenix the way it is now. People were telling me, ‘Don’t do this!’ ”
The federal government payroll system is infamous for generating errors when employees make a change that affects their rate of pay, whether it’s taking a new job or going on a leave.
Lachapelle ignored the warnings. “I took a chance,” he says. “It was a roll of the dice. After all, this is career advancement.”
The job turned out to be a winner. Lachapelle loves his acting position as an information officer for intellectual property with Industry Canada. He’s been in the job for 10 months.
He lost out on immediately getting the higher pay that was supposed to come with the job, though. “Phoenix dropped the ball,” he says cheerfully, calling the pay system “a complete disaster.”
The adjustment to his rate of pay has now been made. However, the government owed him backpay of about $8,000. Lachapelle just got a cheque for $3,000 of that amount, and hopes the rest will be on his next paycheque.
While that’s good news, Lachapelle fears the lump-sum payments will create complications when he pays his 2018 income taxes. Because the money he was supposed to earn in 2017 wasn’t given to him until 2018, “Canada Revenue Agency will think I was paid more than I actually was. I might get bumped into a higher tax bracket.”
Lachapelle has no regrets about taking the acting position.
Not immediately getting the extra money didn’t create a big hardship, he says, especially compared to those who Phoenix has cheated out of pay.
“Everyone around here has the same attitude,” he says.
“At least you are getting paid!” However, fear of Phoenix is preventing some public servants from transferring departments or applying for promotions and acting positions, he says.
That’s an assessment shared by some union officials, who warn that Phoenix is hampering the government’s flexibility and ability to fill internal positions.
Lachapelle also says he fears the “embarrassment” that is Phoenix might negatively affect how others view the overall competency of the federal government.
“I feel betrayed. If they can’t (fix) something that wasn’t even broken, how can they handle big changes when it comes to veterans, and Aboriginal affairs?
“I think, overall, trust has gone down a lot.”