People Management

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• Staffing
• Graduate recruitment
• Workplace diversity
• Remuneration, Australian Workplace Agreements and the Certified Agreement
• Performance management
• Staff survey
• Learning and development
• Awards
• Rewards and recognition
• Occupational health and safety
• Disability strategy
• Client service charter

Importantly, as non-partisan public servants, we need to be responsive to the directions set by the governments we serve but also to be professional in the way that together we can seek compromises that may be politically acceptable.

Dr Shergold in an address to the Institute of Public Administration Australia, entitled ‘Been Down So Long It Feels Like Up To Me: Working in Commonwealth–State Relations’, 16 September 2003.

Staffing

As at 30 June 2004, 382 staff were employed by the department under the Public Service Act 1999. This reflects an increase of 35 staff since the 30 June 2003 total (347). The total staffing figure includes all ongoing and non-ongoing employees working either full-time or part-time as at 30 June 2004, and staff on long-term paid leave.

Women comprised 62 per cent of all staff, 53 per cent of the Senior Executive Service (SES), 54 per cent of Executive Level staff and 70 per cent of APS Levels 1 to 6 staff.

In 2003–04, the department took steps to increase staffing resources to better manage the departmental workload. This was achieved partially through the Secretary’s Developmental Opportunity Secondment Scheme (in which there were eight participants) and through other, less formal arrangements.

Details of the department’s staffing profile in 2003–04 are provided in Appendix 1.

The department continued to produce regular staffing reports during the year. The reports included staffing figures and detailed commencement and separation profiles provided on a monthly basis to the Secretary, as part of the comprehensive Corporate Reports, and on a quarterly basis to the People and Leadership Committee.

The staff age profile analysis for the year indicated that the department continued to maintain a relatively youthful workforce. Approximately 32 per cent of staff employed were in the 25 to 34 years age group and 32 per cent were in the 35 to 44 years age group. Staff in the 45 to 65 years age group accounted for 30 per cent of total staff.

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Graduate recruitment

The department’s 2004 graduate recruitment campaign attracted a total of 684 applications. The 14 successful graduates (10 women and four men) started with the department on 27 January 2004. They were selected on the basis of their academic skills, demonstrated initiative, potential ability to contribute to effective policy development and understanding of contemporary issues.

The graduate recruits attended a two-week orientation programme on their commencement and have since been participating in a training and development programme, due to finish in November 2004. The programme includes a variety of on the job and formal learning and development activities.

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Workplace diversity

The department’s second Workplace Diversity Programme was published in June 2003. It continues to reflect the department’s commitment to providing a fair and equitable working environment for all staff and embraces our collective responsibility to provide for a more effective, productive and innovative workforce.

The department recognises that diversity among our staff is one of our greatest assets. Valuing the distinctive characteristics in every employee, and drawing on the diversity of our backgrounds, skills, talents and views to enhance our working environment and the work of the department, form the basis of our Workplace Diversity Programme.

Improvements to our programme have included identifying individual and group responsibilities to foster a culture wherein diversity is valued and supported in the workplace, and revising performance indicators to provide more meaningful and responsive data for evaluation purposes.

Workplace diversity data are reported on each year in the Public Service Commissioner’s State of the Service Report.

Remuneration, Australian Workplace Agreements and the Certified Agreement

The department’s staff are employed under either its Certified Agreement or Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs), as described below.

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Staff covered by AWAs

As at 30 June 2004, 38 SES and 113 Executive Level staff were covered by AWAs .

Remuneration arrangements for SES and Executive Level employees are based on the principles that remuneration:

• is fair and competitive
• is sufficiently flexible to reflect the particular skills, experience and work responsibilities of individual employees
• is clearly linked to performance in order to provide better rewards for better performance in achieving corporate priorities, upholding the APS values and demonstrating leadership behaviours
• takes account of efficiency gains including any reductions in administrative complexity and cost achieved through the simplification of rules governing employment.

The salary ranges and median salaries paid for SES bands are set out in Table 6. The salaries of all Executive Level employees, including those on AWAs, were based on the prescribed salary rates for Executive Level staff in the department’s Certified Agreement and are included in Table 7 below.

Information on SES staff members who received, or were due to receive, total remuneration of $100,000 or more is set out in Note 20 to the Financial Statements in this report.

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Staff covered by the Certified Agreement

Executive Level staff who elect not to be covered by an AWA and all APS level employees are employed under the department’s Certified Agreement.

As at 30 June 2004, 248 staff were covered by the Certified Agreement 2002–2004.

The current Certified Agreement is a comprehensive agreement under section 170LK of the Workplace Relations Act 1996 (negotiated directly with staff) and covers the period 4 December 2002 to 30 September 2004. Following elections for the Consultative Committee, consultation with staff representatives for the department’s fourth Certified Agreement commenced on 28 April 2004.

The indicative salary ranges payable under the Certified Agreement are set out in Table 7 below.

^a Refers to band levels defined in the Certified Agreement.

Subject to their making suitable business cases, staff members may access a range of non-salary benefits such as mobile phones, airport lounge memberships and journal subscriptions.

Performance management

The Performance Appraisal and Development (PAD) scheme continued to provide an effective framework for performance management in the department, through both the use of individual performance agreements, established at the start of each performance appraisal cycle, and a process of regular review and feedback exchange between employees and their managers during the year. The PAD scheme ensured that all employees clearly understood their roles in the department and the standards of performance expected of them. The scheme also provided a means of recognising individual contributions and achievements and of identifying and progressing learning and development needs. It also provided access to performance bonuses for those employed under AWAs.

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Performance bonuses

SES staff and Executive Level staff who were on AWAs for a minimum of three months during the appraisal cycle commencing 1 October 2003 were eligible for performance bonuses. Access to performance bonuses was subject to performance appraisal. SES performance bonuses were determined by the Secretary up to a maximum of 15 per cent of the employee’s salary. Executive Level performance bonuses were based on individual performance ratings up to a maximum of 12 per cent of salary. Total performance bonus payments to SES and Executive Level staff are set out in Table 8 below.

a Range not disclosed to protect privacy.

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Individual development

The performance agreement developed each year between each staff member and his or her manager requires the parties to agree to a learning and development regime for the individual.

The department also developed a framework incorporating existing and likely learning and development opportunities to assist staff in identifying and accessing available options. The framework is expected to be published on the intranet in August 2004.

As discussed in more detail below, the learning and development programmes offered by the department during 2003–04 continued to include a mix of internal courses and others conducted by external providers.

Staff survey

A staff survey conducted during the year helped the department inform and shape its people management strategies. In February 2004, as a result of the survey, the Secretary announced a number of commitments to staff, including that:

• all staff would receive mandatory training on ‘giving and receiving feedback’ (by 30 June most staff had completed the course, with the balance scheduled to attend by the end of July 2004)
• training on coaching and mentoring would be provided for all supervisors (to be piloted in September 2004)
• a Career Advisory Panel would be established and made available to all staff on a confidential basis. Established in March 2004, the panel is available (on a self-referral basis) to all staff who wish to seek advice on career development, coaching, mentoring, interpersonal skills or relationship management.
• a rotations and secondments taskforce would be established to develop a framework for a staff exchange/rotation programme and for secondments either directly between government agencies or with community organisations or, possibly, private sector organisations. Proposed models for secondments and rotations were developed in May 2004, with the external secondments scheme due to be launched in July 2004 and the rotations programme in October 2004.
• a performance management taskforce would be established to address issues raised by staff, including underperformance. The taskforce, established in March 2004, is focused on developing a revised upwards appraisal system and aims to have the new system in place by October 2004.
• the department would develop a work and life policy statement that enunciates the department’s promotion of a balanced life. Work–life balance is being considered in the broader context of the Certified Agreement negotiations.

Learning and development

A total of 355 staff members each participated in at least one structured training course during the year. The department offered a range of formal learning opportunities, as follows.

Orientation programme

In October 2003 a more comprehensive orientation programme was launched to help new starters find their feet more quickly and generally become familiar and comfortable with the operations of the department. The programme involves a multi-staged approach, including distribution of a pre-commencement information pack followed by a one-hour ‘Fast-Start’ session conducted fortnightly covering training, information technology, security and facilities issues. In addition, a half-day ‘PM&C in Context’ session is conducted on a monthly basis and includes a presentation from the Secretary on the role of the department, important relationships and individual responsibilities. Other presentations provide a wide range of insights into the department’s role, the operating environment and government processes. Attendance at all elements of the orientation programme is strongly recommended to new staff commencing with the department.

Secondments scheme

The secondments scheme referred to above is due to be launched in July 2004. It provides the opportunity for staff to gain new skills and experience, develop external networks and understand the context of the agencies with which they deal on a daily basis. It is open to all staff in the department who wish to seek a short-term placement (in the order of six to 12 months) with another department or agency or, on occasion, with a private sector or community-based organisation.

Internal rotation scheme

The internal rotation scheme referred to above was developed during the year and will be on offer in the department in October 2004. The aim of the scheme is to provide staff members with an opportunity to nominate themselves for rotation through different divisions within the department, thereby assisting them to develop cross-functional knowledge, gain new skills and experience, understand the broader context of the work of the department, and become more marketable for promotion. Rotations will also assist in fostering closer connections across divisions; creating a more flexible workplace; and improving productivity. The scheme will be linked to the performance appraisal cycle.

Targeted training

The department continued to offer performance appraisal awareness training and training in security awareness and the use of departmental systems, particularly in relation to personal access to the human resource management database, the financial management system and the ministerial correspondence system. Staff also attended a series of short courses run by the department to keep abreast of the newly installed operating environment referred to below in the Information Management section.

Other opportunities

The department offered a work experience interchange programme, studies assistance, a full-time study award, and the graduate programme mentioned above. One staff member commenced an interchange posting to the United Kingdom as part of the ongoing exchange programme the department has with its United Kingdom counterpart. A member of the United Kingdom Civil Service completed her placement with the department in February 2004.

Lunchtime briefing sessions were again conducted during the year, covering topics such as Cabinet processes, freedom of information, and the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). The Secretary also addressed all staff, on various occasions, on the roles, responsibilities and resources of the department, as well as on the outcome of the staff survey.

Awards

The Australia Day Achievement Awards have, for over 10 years, been part of the department’s internal system for recognising the performance of particular staff members. The medallions are provided by the National Australia Day Council to promote the celebration of Australia Day. They acknowledge distinctive individual or team contributions made either during the course of the preceding year or over a longer period. Figure 10 summarises the awards made in 2003–04.

Rewards and recognition

A trial of a rewards and recognition scheme (agreed to as part of the department’s Certified Agreement 2002–2004) commenced in July 2003. The purpose of the rewards and recognition scheme is to complement the existing performance and feedback processes and to assist in the establishment of a culture wherein formal and informal recognition of performance becomes standard practice. The goals of the rewards and recognition scheme are to:

• reward outstanding and consistent performance
• provide visible evidence of the contribution of teams in meeting the department’s corporate objectives
• recognise the efforts of teams who seek to build upon the consistency and quality of their work
• recognise the importance of high-quality teamwork of a routine nature.

The scheme covers the department’s APS and Executive Level staff, and any member of staff may nominate a team or individual for recognition. Rewards are in the form of a voucher for a cinema, restaurant (of their choice), bookshop or the like, to the value of $60 per individual.

By the end of June 2004, 23 teams and 10 individuals (a total of 100 staff) had been recognised under the scheme.

Occupational health and safety

The Occupational Health and Safety Committee is the department’s forum on occupational health and safety (OH&S) matters. The department is committed to OH&S principles and continued to protect the health and safety of our working environment in 2003–04.

With an increased focus on improving work–life balance, on 19 September 2003 the Secretary launched the ‘10K a day’ programme to encourage staff to take the daily recommended number of steps (10,000) towards good health and wellbeing.

During 11 inspections of workplaces to identify any hazards or potential hazards, none was found to be a threat to the health and safety of staff. In addition, 185 workstation assessments were undertaken to ensure new starters and staff who had moved to a new environment were accommodated to meet health and safety standards.

TheHealth Week programmes conducted during October 2003 were well attended, with a range of activities being offered, including yoga, walking classes, Pilates, foot reflexology and tai chi sessions. Information sessions were also held on a variety of health topics, while a large number of staff took up the offer of breast screening and skin checks. The influenza vaccination programme was again offered to all staff.

This year there were no incidents reported to Comcare Australia under the reporting requirements of section 68 of the Occupational Health and Safety (Commonwealth Employment) Act 1991.

Disability strategy

The department is committed to its responsibilities as an employer, regulator and policy adviser under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.

The department’s level of performance for 2003–04 is recorded against the performance indicators and measures identified in the Department of Family and Community Services’ implementation guide and is set out at Appendix 5.

The department is revising its Disability Action Plan, which was developed in 2001. The revised plan is being developed in consultation with representatives of peak disability organisations and staff members with disabilities. Comments from these organisations and individuals will be considered when finalising the plan. The revised plan builds on and endorses the department’s commitment to the principles of workplace diversity and equality of access.

Client service charter

As a result of more pressing priorities, completion of the review of the department’s internal client service charter for the delivery of corporate services was deferred to 2004–05.