Part 3.2: People Management

We value the commitment, achievements and development of all staff; and our ability to apply our skills and training to the delivery of better health and ageing outcomes.

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Following is a discussion of the activities undertaken by the department in 2009–10 to ensure we continue to attract and retain a motivated workforce capable of delivering the Australian Government’s health and ageing policies and programs, now and into the future.

Workplace Planning, Staff Retention and Turnover

As at 30 June 2010, the department employed 5,287 staff. This compares with 4,926 at 30 June 2009. A total of 4,702 staff were employed on an ongoing basis and 585 were non-ongoing.

In 2009-10, the department released People Strategy 2010-2015: Performance Through People. The strategy addresses major people management challenges, including maintaining a sustainable and skilled workforce in the face of an ageing workforce, skills shortages, health reform challenges and increasing community and stakeholder expectations.

Workforce planning continues to be incorporated into the departmental business planning cycle, with business units identifying their immediate and longer-term workforce needs.

Based on the direction set in the People Strategy 2010-2015, the department will renew the workforce plan in 2010 to ensure our capacity to deliver. The department will identify workforce planning issues through engagement with divisions, states and territories, and will be directed by the Australian Public Service Reform requirements and any Australian Public Service Commission recommendations.
The department will use the recommendations arising from the workforce planning process to inform current and future workforce strategies and initiatives to attract, retain, build capability, motivate and inspire staff.

Remuneration for Senior Executive Service Officers

The department recognises the need to attract and retain skilled, experienced and high performing senior executives to provide the strategic leadership and direction required to achieve outcomes. In 2009–10, the department maintained a competitive remuneration position among comparable public and private sector organisations by participating in the annual Australian Public Service Remuneration Survey (commissioned by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations). Participation in the survey ensures that base salaries, bonuses and inclusions, such as the allowance paid in lieu of a motor vehicle, are assessed according to market trends and are in accordance with Government policy and guidelines.

Senior Executive Service staff were encouraged to negotiate their individual remuneration package, to ensure their value to the department is rewarded. Individual salaries were negotiated on commencement and reviewed annually by the department’s Executive. Senior Executive Service staff were also entitled to access performance based pay along with non-monetary inclusions such as a telephone, laptop, broadband internet access and home office equipment.
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Workplace Agreements in the Department

Agreement making practices in the department follow and support the Australian Government Employment Bargaining Framework and the Fair Work Act 2009. The forms of workplace agreements applying to staff in the department in 2009–10 are discussed below.

Collective Agreement

The department’s Collective Agreement provides terms and conditions of employment for non-Senior Executive Service staff. It is a principles based agreement, with the majority of detail on the operation of conditions in supporting guidelines. The Collective Agreement has a flexibility clause that enables the department to provide additional terms and conditions where necessary, and as approved by the department’s Remuneration Committee.

Future enterprise agreement arrangements will comply with and support government policy.

Individual Determinations under the Public Service Act 1999

Comprehensive terms and conditions of employment for new Senior Executive Service staff are provided via an individual determination under Section 24(1) of the Public Service Act 1999. Determinations are produced following negotiations with the staff member and the department regarding terms and conditions of employment. Australian Workplace Agreement holders who negotiate new terms and conditions are supplemented through a Section 24(1) determination. See Part 3.3 Staffing Information for more details.

Australian Workplace Agreements

Australian Workplace Agreements are no longer offered or varied by the department. Current Australian Workplace Agreements will continue to operate until terminated or replaced in a manner provided for under the Fair Work Act 2009.

Common Law Contracts

While not generally used by the department, common law contracts may be used to establish and/or supplement conditions and entitlements.

Learning and Development

Addressing key skills gaps

In 2009-10, the department continued to offer a comprehensive training curriculum to staff by providing regular courses, delivered onsite, addressing the skills most needed across divisions and the state and territory offices. At the organisational level, First Assistant Secretaries and State and Territory Managers identified the skills and training required for the upcoming year. At the individual level, staff identified their skill gaps during development of performance agreements under the Performance Development Scheme.

Of the 9,225 training places used by staff in 2009-10:

26.1 per cent were in the top priority skills areas of communication and stakeholder engagement, in particular writing skills;
20 per cent were in governance and operations management, in particular decision making capability; and
15.8 per cent were in finance, procurement and grants funding management and processes.

As at 30 June 2010, 1,379 staff members had completed DoHA Essentials, the department’s first e-learning course, which was launched in 2008-09. DoHA Essentials provides the foundation training needed to function effectively in the Australian Public Service and the department.

For more specialist or technical skills, such as information technology development, 307 training places were sourced and attended by staff members.
In some instances, the department offered reciprocal training sharing arrangements with agencies located close to some of our state and territory offices. This initiative supported a collaborative approach in learning together, sharing ideas and better networking.

In 2009-10, the department supported the smaller agencies within the Health and Ageing Portfolio by providing access to our in-house training, with 211 external participants taking part. Portfolio agencies with access to the department’s e-learning system were also able to undertake the e-learning courses at no cost.

The department also ran a series of well attended seminars and offered a range of management and leadership development packages to grow capability in this area.

Finance, Procurement and Funding

A major corporate priority for the department during 2009-10 was to increase the level of compliance with the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 and associated regulations and policies. The department developed, and is progressively introducing, a complete suite of tailored training courses in financial management, procurement and funding. The program is delivered via a mixture of e-learning, face-to-face workshops and comprehensive manuals, and includes courses targeted at APS level staff, senior level staff and those in specialised finance roles. The training program also aims to support consistency in process across the department.

SES Development

During 2009-10, developing and harnessing the department’s leadership capability saw an increased focus on providing learning and development opportunities for the department’s Senior Executive Service. The department identified staff with potential, and sponsored their participation in the Australian Public Service Commission Leadership Programs and study through the Australia and New Zealand School of Government. Individual executive coaching was available to members of the Senior Executive Service. To ensure succession, the department used the Career Development Assessment Centre program to assess high performing executive level staff for development into the future Senior Executive Service cohort.
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Workforce Programs

Entry Level Programs

In 2009-10, the department continued to invest in the Graduate Development Program, the Australian Public Service Commission Indigenous Graduate Program, and the Information and Communications Technology Cadetship Program. Eighty-seven new staff joined the department through the 2010 Graduate Development Program, including one Indigenous Australian graduate. Ninety-two per cent of the 2009 graduates successfully completed the program in February 2010 and moved into administrative roles within the divisions and state and territory offices. The department also sponsored four cadets and apprentices through the Australian Public Service Information and Communications Technology program.

Mature Age Staff

The department continued its commitment in 2009-10 to recognise the contribution of mature age staff, as articulated through the Mature Age Staff Policy and Action Plan. Mature age staff were encouraged to make use of the flexible working arrangements available under the collective agreement, including flexible working hours, purchased leave, salary packaging and working from home.

To assist with succession planning and the retention of valuable staff, certain mature aged staff, in discussion with senior managers, were approached with an offer to ensure that they were not disadvantaged financially through continuing in employment with the department after turning 55 (when as members of the Commonwealth Superannuation Scheme they would have been eligible to gain considerable financial advantage). In accordance with the Mature Age Staff Policy and Action Plan, mature age staff who sought financial advice in preparation for retirement were reimbursed up to $500 for the cost of obtaining advice. Additionally, superannuation sessions were conducted by the Australian Reward Investment Alliance for mature age staff to better inform retirement planning.

Annual Staff Survey

The department held its seventh annual staff survey in November 2009, with 80.1 per cent of staff in attendance completing the online questionnaire. The department is committed to understanding the issues affecting staff retention and performance and providing a workplace in which staff are motivated, enthusiastic and committed to the important work that we do for all Australians.

Continued strong participation rates in our survey ensure results deliver reliable, evidence-based data on staff motivation and workplace issues that impact on performance, and indicate what action needs to be taken at an organisational and local level. Significant work was done after the 2008 survey, involving the vast majority of staff right across the department. During local staff survey results discussions, staff and managers provided considered feedback and suggestions for improvement to address concerns. This feedback resulted in real action that translated into a clear improvement in our staff survey scores in 2009, including the Department of Health and Ageing being identified as a “best practice” organisation for improving employee motivation and productivity, and achieving scores above public service benchmarks on all indicators, and above private sector benchmarks on many indicators.

During 2009–10, the department worked towards improving key areas identified from the 2009 survey as requiring priority action at the organisational level. These included providing more support and tools for managers to optimise the potential of our people and our performance; increasing two-way communication, information sharing and exposure and access to the Senior Executive Service; ensuring a strong connection between an individual’s skills and knowledge and their particular role in the organisation; and increasing opportunities to contribute ideas and innovation regarding the work and operation of the department. The 2009 survey results also informed the department’s new People Strategy 2010-2015: Performance Through People and its first annual supporting document, the People Strategy Action Plan 2010-11.

Improving respectful workplace relationships

The department had significant success in 2009-10 increasing support for staff to ensure a respectful, collaborative and cohesive work environment. During the year the department’s Bullying and Harassment Working Group, comprising a range of staff, union and management representatives, reviewed the department’s activities and data and made recommendations regarding improvements. In particular, the group reviewed the 2009 Staff Survey data that showed a further year of decreasing levels of perceived bullying and harassment bringing the department in line with whole of APS levels (reported through State of the Service).

A range of new materials and activities were produced including Respect and Grow coaching cards (developed first by the Tasmanian Office based on Centrelink materials), a range of well-received seminars held across the country on a range of topics, an all staff desk calendar with Respect messages, new Respect posters, significant improvements to the intranet site and increased general awareness activities undertaken through the department’s internal communication channels.

The department continues to proactively improve support for staff in this area as part of our People Strategy 2010-2015 Performance Through People Goal 3: To motivate and inspire our people by fostering a culture of genuine collaboration, engagement, innovation and respect.

Images of posters used throughout the Department

Images of posters used throughout the Department

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