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Temporary appointment approval

Last updated on May 3, 2024

Temporary appointment (TA) opportunities are open to all BC Public Service employees and do not require the approval of the immediate supervisor. However, a conversation between supervisors is required to determine start dates.

Restrictions

Employees are not eligible for a TA in the following circumstances:

  • Employee has not completed their probationary period
  • Extraordinary circumstances where a significant adverse impact to either the delivery of critical services for the public or a critical project directly aligned with the ministry’s mandate is established that cannot be performed by another employee
  • Employee is an Order in Council (OIC) appointee

Denial of a temporary appointment

With the exception of employees who have not completed their probationary period and employees who are OIC appointees, under no circumstance will promotional temporary appointments or temporary appointments over seven months be denied. 

The denial of a temporary appointment can only be made by an assistant deputy minister and the rationale must be provided to the BC Public Service Agency (PSA).

Where the denial applies to an included position or involves an included employee, the PSA will provide the rationale to the union.

If any employee denied an opportunity to apply on a temporary appointment as a result of extraordinary circumstances, the circumstances will be shared with the employee.

To ensure every attempt is made to allow employees opportunities to apply on future temporary appointments, any employee denied application to a temporary appointment due to extraordinary circumstances will be informed the duration for which the restriction applies. This maximum restriction period before an employee will be eligible to apply on a temporary appointment will be six months.

In partnership with ministries, the PSA will monitor all denials of a temporary appointment request to ensure compliance with this direction. An evaluation of the impact of this practice update will occur within one year.