Episodes

After the Canadian government launched a new payroll system in 2016, many public servants were underpaid, some for months at a time. Civil servants who “got phoenixed” have lost job opportunities and lost houses. The Phoenix pay project started with good intentions — so how did it all go so wrong? Phoenixed: Inside Canada’s payroll disaster, produced by the Global Payroll Association and Storythings, takes you inside the story in a six-part investigative series.

Amid the Canadian government’s payroll transformation, a new federal pay centre was established in the quaint community of Miramichi, New Brunswick. Why was this sleepy city chosen as the base for hundreds of government payroll workers? Learn how political decisions after a tragedy in Montreal influenced the choice to place payroll jobs in Miramichi.

As the Canadian government embarked on its payroll transformation project, IBM was tasked with customizing software for a complex public service pay system. Pressure to stay on budget led the government to defer or eliminate important functions and cancel a planned pilot test. In the months before the launch in 2016, there were many warnings that the Phoenix pay system wasn’t ready — but the government pressed on anyway.

The Canadian government's botched payroll transformation has not only cost workers their pay, but also job opportunities, marriages and houses. The Phoenix pay system’s issues even played a role in a death. Three former federal workers share their stories of being underpaid or overpaid thousands of dollars, recounting the frustration and financial uncertainty that ensued. 

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Following the launch of the Phoenix pay system, the Canadian government’s troubled payroll transformation became a major news story. In a scathing report, an auditor called the project “an incomprehensible failure.” Phoenix was a political football as the Conservatives and the Liberals shifted the blame for growing complaints from public servants. Who should be held responsible for Phoenix’s problems?

Almost eight years after the launch of its problem-plagued Phoenix pay system, the Canadian government announced some good news: it has been testing a new HR and pay platform with promising early results. Implementing the proposed Dayforce system would require simplifying pay rules and doing more testing. But as the government prepares for a years-long transition, public servants want to know: When will their pay issues be resolved? And who will be held responsible for the Phoenix disaster?

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