You may remember an article we posted last year, entitled Surviving being declared surplus, about a member who had just been declared surplus for the third time.
That member was Connie Gress, and she was kind enough to follow-up with us one year later. Luckily, once again, she was able to find an indeterminate position within the federal government.
“Thanks to workforce adjustment, I actually got a better job,” wrote Gress, who now works for the coast guard in Victoria, British Columbia, after working for Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada for almost 26 years.
For all its complex language and snakes-and-ladders-like flow-charts, the provisions of workforce adjustment are really there to protect employees. In many cases, they allow them up to a year to secure a new job or to transition to the job market, with training to make them a more viable candidate – a far cry from the 2-week notice period typical in the private sector.
Gress was able to choose between two job offers on the island. She said she considers herself lucky to have gotten the job at the coast guard.
“This was a big decision for me,” said Gress, “I left all my family and friends behind in Saskatchewan, which is the only place I had ever lived. But sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do.”
Gress also credits her take-charge attitude in landing herself this new job. While workforce adjustment provisions are there to protect employees, at first glance, the process looks downright complicated. It can be overwhelming, especially for someone who’s just been told they might lose their job.
Gress said she read everything about WFA that she could get her hands on.
“I took personal responsibility for understanding it all – and being able to make that decision with all the information.”