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Q:
Over your career, what do you think has changed
the most for government executives?
Since I first joined the Public Service, there have been fundamen-
tal changes for government executives with respect to the speed
and volume of information we deal with. One example that im-
mediately comes to mind is e-mail. During my early years, letters
and memos were drafted, typed, and formatted, and ultimately
made their way to the internal or external mail systems for de-
livery. Rapid technological innovations have increased--not only
the speed with which we communicate, but also the expectations
for immediate responses and turnaround. What was unthinkable
then, has now become routine.
Communications also used to be very hierarchical. Today’s com-
munications do not respect hierarchies, and organizations are act-
ing “flatter” even if they are not. Executives can sometimes be kept
out of the loop, which creates a challenge for our accountabilities.
Q:
Are there certain areas or tasks where public
sector executives spend far too much time?
There is too much emphasis placed on process and reporting
rather than actual outcomes and results. In 2015, APEX released
a report of a May 2014 survey it conducted on the Perspectives of
Public Service Executives on their Evolving Work. When execu-
tives were asked to indicate the areas of their work that were the
most challenging, two key themes emerged. The first was the need
to have greater authority over HR and for a more efficient staff-
ing process. This would allow executives to focus more time on
the substance of their work and reduce stress and frustration. Sec-
ondly, executives at all levels noted that they are spending more
and more time dealing with the personal issues of their staff (e.g.,
mental health and other health issues) which, in turn, affects per-
formance.
Q:
Are there certain areas or tasks where public
sector executives should focus more attention?
Executives need to focus on how to serve Canadians at the highest
possible level. They need to ask themselves on a continuous basis
how the work they are doing in the Public Service is contributing
to making Canada a better place for Canadians.
Q:
Executives tend not to fare well in employee sur-
veys. Why do you think this is the case?
The last 2014 Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) showed that
generally employees were more positive about their immediate
supervisor than about their senior management. This gap has
grown over time. Roughly three quarters of employees expressed
12
/ Canadian Government Executive
// May 2016
The Interview
Michel G.
Vermette
Michel G. Vermette
was appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Association of Professional
Executives of the Public Service of Canada (APEX) in September 2015. Prior to coming to APEX,he
was Deputy Commissioner, Vessel Procurement in the Canadian Coast Guard. Vermette spent much
of his public service career in various parts of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, except for a
few years during the 1990s when he worked for Canadian Blood Services. Craig Dowden, a regular
contributor to CGE and an expert in Human Resources, interviewed Mr. Vermette recently. Vermette
graduated with an MSc from the University of Ottawa and an MBA from the Ivey Business School at
Western University.
Talking Leadership with
CEO of APEX