A new federal survey has found that employees at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) are among the least likely to recommend their workplace as a good place to work. The 2024 Public Service Employee Survey, which gathered responses from more than 186,000 federal workers, asked employees to rate their satisfaction with leadership, well-being, compensation, and whether they would recommend their department or agency as a great place to work.
Overall, 67 per cent of federal employees responded positively to that question. But only 46 per cent of CBSA and Indian Oil and Gas Canada staff said the same, while just 48 per cent at CSIS and 49 per cent at the Office of the Auditor General would recommend their workplace. In contrast, some agencies reported near-unanimous satisfaction, with the RCMP External Review Committee and the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying receiving 100 per cent positive responses.
CBSA employees reported lower satisfaction than the public service average in areas such as work-life balance, recognition, and a sense of accomplishment. Jacqueline Roby, a spokesperson for the CBSA, said the agency is committed to employee well-being and a safe, harassment-free environment. But Mark Weber, national president of the Customs and Immigration Union, said the results come as no surprise, pointing to a culture of heavy-handed discipline, slow grievance resolution, staff shortages, and frustration over return-to-office mandates and border automation.
At CSIS, morale appeared weak despite 84 per cent of employees expressing pride in their work and 77 per cent saying they like their jobs overall. The Union of Safety and Justice Employees said low morale is tied to perceptions of unequal treatment between union and non-union staff, as well as delays in implementing a 2022 collective agreement. CSIS spokesperson Eric Balsam said the agency takes employee input seriously and is reviewing the survey results to identify areas for improvement.
On the other end of the spectrum, agencies such as Invest in Canada and the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs scored above 90 per cent satisfaction. The survey, conducted by Statistics Canada and the Treasury Board Secretariat’s human resources office, ran from October to December 2024 and had a 50.5 per cent response rate across 93 departments and agencies.