3.2 People Management

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Following is a discussion of the activities undertaken by the department in 2010-11 to ensure the organisation continued 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

Throughout 2010-11, the department implemented the 2010-11 People Strategy Action Plan to address 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.

An Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Workforce Plan was implemented in early 2011 to address specific needs and capability shortages within the department, and in line with whole of Government practice. The ICT Workforce Plan will be reviewed annually.

Broader workforce planning issues will be reviewed and addressed over 2011-12 through engagement with divisions and state and territory offices, and will be directed by the Health Reform and DoHA National Alignment requirements. The department will use the recommendations arising from the workforce planning process to input to current and future workforce strategies and initiatives to attract, retain, build capability, motivate and inspire our staff.

Remuneration for Senior Executive Service Officers

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 are 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.

Workplace Agreements in the Department

Collective Agreement

Individual Determinations Under the Public Service Act 1999

Australian Workplace Agreements

Common Law Contracts

Learning and Development

Addressing Key Capability Gaps

At the organisational level, First Assistant Secretaries and State and Territory Managers identified the capability and training requirements for the forthcoming year. At the individual level, staff identified their capability improvement needs during development of performance agreements under the Performance Development Scheme.

In 2010-11, 9,983 training places were used by staff, representing an increase of 8.2% from 2009-10. Of these training places:

• 15.5% were in the areas of communication and stakeholder engagement;
• 15.4% were in people management and leadership;
• 15.0% were in governance and operations; and
• 12.9% were in finance, procurement and grants funding management and processes.

585 staff members completed DoHA Essentials, the department’s elearning induction program, during the year.

332 staff attended training of a specialist or technical nature not offered as part of the Learning and Development training calendar. This represents an increase of 8.1% on last year.

In 2010-11, the department supported the smaller agencies within the Health and Ageing Portfolio by providing access to our in-house training, with 274 staff members taking part. This represents an increase of nearly 30% from last year when 211 people took advantage of this service.

The department also provided a number of management and leadership opportunities for staff including a series of well attended seminars for Executive Level staff, self-paced online learning through Deloitte Leadership Academy, and offered executive coaching services to Senior Executive Service staff. More than 120 staff also participated in an informal mentoring program.

Finance, Procurement and Funding

Entry Level Programs

• the Graduate Development Program (GDP);
• the Public Health Medical Registrars Program;
• the Indigenous Pathways Program; and
• the Information and Communications Technology Program.

• a 12 month program incorporating three structured rotations of four months each in key areas of policy development, program management and possibly corporate management; and
• a program ensuring our graduates develop great skills, knowledge and networks to meet their full potential.

The department continued its Public Health Medical Registrars program, engaging one medical officer in 2011. In 2011 the department employed one Indigenous Cadet via the Australian Public Service Commissions’ Indigenous Pathways Program; and the department continued its commitment to two Information Communications Technology (ICT) Apprentices and three ICT Cadets through the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO)’s ICT Entry Level Programs.

Mature Age Staff Strategy

Mature age staff who sought financial advice in preparing for retirement were reimbursed up to $500 for the cost of obtaining that advice. Additionally, superannuation sessions conducted by the Australian Reward Investment Alliance for mature age staff were held to better inform retirement planning.

Staff Survey

The 2010 Staff Survey provided a largely positive view of the department’s work environment with just over two-thirds of staff (71%) satisfied with the organisation as an employer and slightly less staff satisfied with their current job (69%). The job satisfaction result is in line with the APS average as measured in the APS State of the Service Report (69%), and appears broadly in line with our staff survey results in 2009.

Sixty questions included in the department’s survey questionnaire were comparable to questions asked of staff across the APS through the 2010 APS State of the Service Employee Survey. For 50% of those questions the results of the department’s survey were within five percent of the APS average, and for 33% of questions were at least five percent more positive then the APS average. The department performed particularly well on workplace factors associated with:

• team performance and relationships;
• executive performance;
• recognition and feeling valued;
• jobs-skills match;
• career progression;
• supervisor performance;
• performance feedback;
• consultation with staff; and
• learning and development.

• optimising performance support for managers to assist them with career progression and underperformance issues;
• targeting and enhancing our Learning and Development programs and efforts;
• ensuring staff are recognised and feel valued for their contribution; and
• enhancing respectful workplace talk and addressing poor behaviour where it exists through a range of training, educational and support materials and local actions.

Departmental staff were also more likely than staff across the APS to indicate working between 90 to 100 hours (10%, compared to 7%) and over 100 hours (7%, compared with 4%).

The survey also showed that 27% of part-time staff indicated that they worked more than their standard hours in the fortnight leading up to the survey, with 12% indicating that they worked at least 10% more than their standard hours. Part-time staff indicated that 45% of the time they worked their standard hours over this period and 29% less than their standard hours.

The survey also showed that around one third of staff indicated that they routinely work more than their standard or agreed hours:

• 14% indicated that this happened half the time;
• 32% indicated that this happened either most of the time (23%) or always (9%). Staff who work full-time (34%) were twice as likely as those who work part-time (17%) to indicate working more than their standard hours at least most of the time; and
• 54% of staff indicated that they only rarely (17%) or sometimes (37%) worked more than their agreed standard hours.

Ethical Standards

The department provides new staff with a copy of the APS Values and the APS Code of Conduct, and educates staff of their responsibilities under the Public Service Act 1999 through DoHA Essentials. This elearning course highlights linkages to the APS Code of Conduct, and emphasises the workplace behaviours expected of all staff by outlining their associated responsibilities.

The department continues to focus on key messages for staff about a respectful workplace. In 2010-11, the department took steps to reinforce the importance of respect and courtesy and valuing of individual differences by displaying a range of new posters about respect.

The department takes all alleged breaches of the APS Code of Conduct seriously. Where there is a prima facie case to be answered, a formal investigation is undertaken. Investigations of this nature are conducted in accordance with Australian Public Service Commission guidelines.

To ensure that all alleged breaches of the APS Code of Conduct are managed in a manner of best practice, a review of the department’s formal procedures has recently been completed. The revised formal procedures will be implemented during 2011-12. To support the revised procedures a new intranet page will also be developed to clearly outline the responsibilities of all staff.

During 2010-11, the department finalised formal investigations into nine employees alleged to have breached the APS Code of Conduct. The alleged breaches were related to honesty, integrity, bullying and harassment. A small number of allegations related to other elements of the code.

Of the nine employees investigated, six employees were found to have breached the APS Code of Conduct. The sanctions imposed included two reprimands, one reprimand with a fine, and one reduction in salary. One employee resigned before a sanction was imposed, and for one employee, no formal sanction was imposed.

2011 Australian Day Awards

The Department of Health and Ageing took part in the 2011 National Australia Day Council Awards, with 13 awardees announced on 25 January 2011.

The formal presentation of certificates and medallions to the Australia Day awardees was held at the department’s first social event for 2011; an Australia Day Morning Tea at the Hellenic Club on 4 February 2011.

2011 Awardees

Janette Dunn – Medical Benefits Division

For strongly contributing to the introduction of the new midwifery and nurse practitioner measures.

Roz Lucas – Office of the Chief Financial Officer

For long-term excellence in the delivery of procurement and funding advice to the department.

Nicole O’Keefe – Western Australia State Office

For strong leadership in improving the health outcomes through the Western Australia State Office.

David Cullen – Ageing and Aged Care Division

For significant contributions to the development of national aged care policy

Mark Talevich – Health Workforce Division

For excellence in the provision of internal financial services and support to the Health Workforce Division.

Client Contact Line and Applications Teams – Office of Hearing Services

For meeting the significant challenges in delivering hearing services support.

Editorial, Monitoring and Publications Team – Business Group Division

For outstanding, reliable service in communication delivery for ministers and the department.

Food Regulation Secretariat – Regulatory and Policy Governance Division

For excellence in efficient and effective secretariat services in 2010.

Pharmaceutical Aids and Appliances Section – Pharmaceutical Benefits Division

For significant achievement in implementing the National Epidermolysis Bullosa Dressing Scheme.

Organ Policy Team – Regulatory and Policy Governance Division

For significant achievements in improving organ donation policy, funding and administration.

Richard Eccles

For service to Australia’s FIFA World Cup 2022 bid.

Kerry Flanagan

For tireless efforts in Acute Care.

Bill Rowe

For significant contribution to the department’s understanding of sport.

The Secretary, Jane Halton PSM, with some of the 2011 Australia Day Awardees.

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