New Temps Start Here

LIFE CYCLE OF A CBC TEMP:  FROM TEMPING TO A PERMANENT JOB

Welcome to the world of Temping at CBC News.  You are on the door step to a long and rewarding career at the CBC should you wish to pursue opportunities here. We certainly hope you will.

You are now part of a big, complex, and often fast paced journalism organization.  There are so many shows and departments where you can land a job and so many jobs you didn't even know existed. Learning how to navigate this space can be overwhelming and confusing at first. Once you get the hang of it, it can also be exciting and energizing to work here. Consider this phase of your career as one of discovery of what you like and where you want to be. And overwhelming majority of permanent employees at CBC News started out as Temps.  We are here to help you find your place here so that you can have a long career at the CBC. 

The first jobs a Temp at CBC News normally gets are short term assignments. This means that you are hired on a daily or weekly basis to provide backfill for permanent employees in various roles. You may get a couple of days on one show and then get hired for a couple of weeks elsewhere and so on. At this stage in your career you will be classified as a Temp minus 13 - essentially this means you are not being hired for a duration of 13 weeks or more. 

Prepare to manage the stress you are likely to feel in this phase

For many Temps this can be a stressful period for a variety of reasons including:

a) you may not know where you are going to get your next job

b)  you may not have done that job before 

c) you may not be familiar with the show or the team you are hired to work with. 

Here's a few strategies that will help you succeed in this phase.

• Get to know the Executive Producers of the shows you want to work for. Introduce yourself and give them a bit of background about why you want to work for them. You will have more chances of getting ongoing work if you approach leaders in the smaller markets.

• Create a profile on the Temp Database, so that you can found by people looking for someone with your mix of skills and experience.

• Check out the Temp Job Board for potential assignments and apply for the ones that will get you the experience you need to move to the next level of your career.

• Assess each assignment to evaluate how well it fits your skills and long term goals. You may discover you enjoy certain roles or teams more than others. It will help you decide where  you want to be and which opportunities to pursue. Build on your experience to get new assignments.

• At the end of each assignment, request feedback from your supervisor to learn what you did well and where you need to improve. Ask to be introduced to other CBC leaders who may be in a position to employ you.

• Use the courses available to you on the CBC Learning Portal to improve your skillset

For HR questions and other information...

Human Resources Business Partner (HRBP): To find your HRBP simply go on Workday under Contact, Support Roles, HR Partner.

Do you need to contact your Human Resources Business Partner?  Every employee has an HRBP assigned to their profile. They can provide you with general H.R. related information and direct you to the appropriate person to contact if you have very specific questions.  They are also there to support you as needed.  

Shared Services: shared.services@cbc.ca | https://cbcrc.service-now.com |  1‑866‑999‑7888  

Shared services handles all queries related to human resources (including questions about benefits and pay etc), technology and finances. It is the one stop shop to have most of your questions answered.

IO: https://io.cbcrc.ca/#/

This is the corporate website that is a repository for all corporate communications. It includes the contact information for everyone at CBC. It's easiest to use the search function to find what you are looking for using key words.

Beyond your first 13 weeks...

Once you have some experience, you may get longer term assignments. If  you have worked for 13 weeks consecutively, you may qualify for benefits as a Temp -13. If you do not work the minimum required hours to qualify for benefits you may temporarily lose access to benefits until you can requalify.  Check out the details on the Benefits and Rights page.

To make it easy to track your hours of work to see if and when you qualify for benefits, you can download this google spreadsheet to enter your scheduled hours of work each week and calculate the total each week. To find out how many hours are standard for each position, you can refer to this document. 

Under the Collective agreement starting April 1, 2024, Temps -13 have work 50% of the scheduled hours per 2 week pay period for 13 weeks. Once  you qualify, you can maintain the benefit for the next 2 pay periods (following 4 weeks) by working 50% of the hours per pay period.

Becoming a Temp +13...

If you get an assignment for a duration of longer than 13 weeks you will be classified as a Temp Plus 13.

The best way to transition from a Temp to a Permanent position is to apply for jobs on the CBC Jobs site. Create a profile on the site and apply for positions where you have about 75% of the skills required. You are often hired for the potential you have rather than what you already know. Each job you get helps you develop new skills which will take you to the next level.

Transitioning to a permanent job...

Lastly, there is a misunderstanding that if you have been doing a particular job for a long time as a Temp, you will be transitioned to become permanent in that job. Yes, there is a clause in the Collective Agreement that allows for a Temp to become permanent under some restricted circumstances. However, the bar to qualify for conversion is very high and most Temps don't qualify. Often you may be doing the same job but backfilling different people, so you don't qualify for conversion. Your best chance to get a permanent job is to apply for the job when it is posted.

I hope this you have found this quick over view of the life cycle of a CBC Temp useful.  The non-permanent work you are doing is essential. Without Temps who step in to backfill unionised employees when they are away (for vacation or sick leave etc), we wouldn't be able to function. Being a Temp is a right of passage at the CBC. Over 80% of permanent employees at the CBC started out as Temps. 

The Temp Project is here to support you during this stage of your career. This website has a huge number of resources for you from mentoring programs to job hunting tips. Bookmark it and return to it when you need help with something. Before you go any further...check out the CBC News onboarding manual below.  If you have further questions, reach out to temp-project@cbc.ca with any issues or ideas you may have.