5. Conclusions and Recommendations

5.1 Conclusions

5.1.1 Relevance

OIRSO is aligned with both federal government and departmental priorities pertaining to the commitment to promote a healthy and safe workplace. The Office provides Justice Canada employees a safe space to discuss work issues and help in the resolution of conflict. Ongoing experiences of workplace conflict and increases in service demand demonstrate the continued importance and relevance of the Office.

5.1.2 Design and Delivery

OIRSO’s current design, being functionally independent of the administration and management structure of Justice, is appropriate and allows OIRSO to achieve its objectives. The Office has worked to create a neutral and safe space for employees to access a centralized group of informal conflict resolution services.

OIRSO has worked at developing collaborative relationships with other teams, both inside and outside the Department, to manage gaps in, or overlaps with, services being provided to employees. Efforts have been made to begin to integrate EDI principles and GBA Plus analysis in the activities and initiatives that OIRSO undertakes. Continued efforts to support the Department in the identification of EDI-related barriers is of ongoing importance.

OIRSO monitors its activities and the nature of issues with which it deals, effectively reporting on emerging trends and using the data to gain insight into continuous improvement opportunities for service delivery. Further efforts can be made to strengthen data sharing, collaboration and reporting practices while maintaining client confidentiality.

5.1.3 Effectiveness

OIRSO complements the capacity of other areas of the Department to address workplace conflict and provides a healthy and safe workplace for Justice Canada employees and managers. There is a steady level of conflict in the Department, and most conflicts are dealt with through an informal source, such as OIRSO services. Services are effectively supporting the navigation of available resources for better informed decision-making and referrals take place both to and from other conflict management services. Satisfaction levels are high, and customers intend to recommend the Bureau to others. The Office is using an upward feedback mechanism effectively and has developed recommendations that have been accepted and implemented to drive change in the Department. OIRSO is contributing to the well-being of employees but change in workplace culture, and increasing trust, constitute a longer-term outcome.

OIRSO is actively promoting itself, and respondents have become aware as a result of OIRSO’s promotional activities. Awareness of OIRSO may have increased over time, though still not all Justice employees are aware of the Office and the services it provides. There were also concerns expressed by key informants about the awareness levels of Justice Canda employees. Additionally, there was some indication of uncertainty around OIRSO’s mandate and guiding principles (impartiality, independence, informality and confidentiality).

5.1.4 Efficiency

Evidence suggests that the informal services being provided by OIRSO bring meaningful conflict management solutions to the Department that are less costly than formal (rights-based) processes, both tangibly and intangibly, on structures and behaviours like employee stress, performance and wellness. OIRSO services tend to be timelier, require fewer resources, and are less adversarial. It has delivered its services efficiently by meeting service standards and lowering its cost per activity delivered.

5.2 Recommendations

Based on the findings described in this report, the following recommendations are made.

Recommendation 1

OIRSO should review its communication strategy to enhance awareness and ensure that materials provide the best information on the Office’s roles and responsibilities, and clearly communicate how it operates within its mandate and the four fundamental principles of confidentiality, informality, impartiality, and independence. 

The evaluation found that some employees have a perception that OIRSO is not necessarily independent, impartial, confidential, or able to ensure employees will not experience reprisal, all of which can influence uptake of services. Justice Canada employees must be sufficiently aware and understand the Office’s ability to provide a safe space to increase trust and impact culture change in the Department.

Recommendation 2

OIRSO should continue to collaborate with partners to find opportunities to strengthen reporting on activities and trends and improve information sharing while maintaining confidentiality.

The evaluation found that stakeholders look to OIRSO for key information and trends in the Department, but that there is interest in more data transparency and data disaggregation, where possible. Additionally, there was some interest in OIRSO integrating and centralising data originating from other areas of the Department. These interests must be balanced with OIRSO’s fundamental principle of confidentiality.