Staffing review for internal applicants

The staffing review process ensures hiring decisions in the BC Public Service follow the principle of merit and fairly assess each applicant’s qualifications. Employees can request a review of the staffing decision for eligible positions to ensure the selection process was applied consistently, fairly, and in line with the Public Service Act.

On this page

• Overview
• Eligibility
• Steps in the process

Overview of the staffing review process

The principle of merit guides staffing decisions and the hiring review process across the BC Public Service.

Under section 8 of the Public Service Act, appointments to and within the BC Public Service must be:

• Based on the principle of merit
• The result of a process designed to appraise the knowledge, skills, and abilities of eligible applicants

If you are an unsuccessful employee applicant and have grounds to believe section 8 of the Public Service Act was not upheld, you may be eligible to request a review of the staffing decision.

A review of the staffing decision focuses on how the hiring decision was made and examines whether the selection process was designed and applied to fairly assess each applicant’s qualifications for the role.

This includes reviewing whether:

• Relevant factors such as education, experience and past work performance were appropriately considered
• Applicants were assessed based on the knowledge, skills and abilities required for the position
• The process was applied consistently and fairly to all applicants

IMPORTANT: This is not a review of the decisions made about the duties of the position, the skills, abilities and competencies required for the position, or the specific methods and tools used to assess eligible applicants.

Eligibility for the staffing review process

Eligibility for a review of a staffing decision is limited to:

• Current employees, or employees on layoff with seniority intact at the time the posting closes
• Staffing decisions for regular appointments and temporary appointments longer than 7 months

The following types of appointments are not eligible:

• Auxiliary appointments
• Lateral transfers
• Direct appointments
• Temporary appointments of 7 months or less

Steps in the staffing review process

Step 1: Request feedback from the hiring manager

• Must be requested within 5 calendar days of receiving the final regret notification
  • A final regret notification is a communication sent to all unsuccessful applicants once the hiring decision has been made
• Learn more about requesting feedback from the hiring manager

Step 2: Inquiry by the deputy minister (or organization head)

• Must be requested within 5 calendar days of receiving feedback in step 1
• Learn more about deputy minister inquiries

Step 3: Staffing review by the merit commissioner

• Must be requested within 5 calendar days of receiving the results of the inquiry in step 2
• Learn more about staffing reviews by the merit commissioner

Definition of five calendar days

Calendar days include weekends and statutory holidays. If the 5th day falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day.

Examples

• Decision received on Friday: Day 1 is Saturday, and Day 5 is Wednesday. The deadline is Wednesday.
• Decision received on Tuesday: Day 1 is Wednesday, and Day 5 is Sunday. Since Day 5 falls on a weekend, the deadline moves to Monday.
• Decision received on Thursday (with a holiday): Day 1 is Friday, and Day 5 is Tuesday. If Tuesday is a statutory holiday, the deadline moves to Wednesday.