Contents

• Secretary's introduction
• Table of contents
• User guide
• Accessibility
• Acronyms
• Glossary

Part 2: Achievements and challenges–performance insights

People are a priority in FaCS

People are a priority in our department. Our staff are important because they 'make a real and positive contribution to how well FaCS performs against its priorities' (FaCS Priorities Plan 2003–04), and the People priority is one of our six business priorities. In line with this priority, highlights during the year have been the development of a Mature Workers Strategy, the implementation of a number of initiatives to support diversity and a restructuring of our resources to respond to workload pressures and meet policy priorities.

Mature Workers Strategy

Like the rest of the Australian Public Service, FaCS will be increasingly reliant on its mature-age workers. Thirty-seven percent of FaCS staff are aged 45 or older. Accordingly, FaCS was the first Australian Public Service department to launch a comprehensive strategy designed to retain older workers–those aged 45 years and over. The FaCS Mature Workers Strategy, launched on 18 March 2004, forms part of the FaCS Certified Agreement 2002–05.

The strategy marks a shift towards providing mature-age workers with more flexible options for continuing to work. FaCS aims to retain mature-age staff by enabling them to delay retirement as well as continue to work in some capacity after retirement. FaCS is also recruiting older workers.

For example, about 10 per cent of our initial Compass program recruits were over 40 years of age. The Compass program was developed after Workforce Planning identified a likely shortage of staff at middle levels within three to five years. In an effort to combat such a shortage, the Compass program aims to recruit staff at entry level and develop them to fill these anticipated vacancies. The program has successfully recruited a range of people of all ages, from school leavers to mature workers.

Retaining corporate knowledge, an important factor in workforce planning, is being addressed through succession planning and the FaCS Individual Performance Management System (IPMS). Succession planning allows for corporate knowledge to be passed from one staff member to another without it being lost. FaCS' Individual Performance Management System provides the vehicle for staff members to talk about their retirement options and time frames so that succession plans can be organised and implemented.

The approaches developed in the strategy stem in large part from a survey of mature-age staff about their retirement intentions carried out in June 2003. This survey ascertained retirement intentions and identified barriers to continuing work beyond an age at which many would normally retire. Twenty per cent of staff aged 45 and over responded to the survey.

FaCS' Mature Workers Strategy recognises the wealth of knowledge and experience of our mature-age workers and their many valuable qualities: experience, loyalty, corporate knowledge, commitment, a strong work ethic, reliability and low absenteeism. The strategy benefits staff of any age, recognising as it does the diversity of our workforce as a reflection of the diversity of Australia's population and the importance we place on offering all our staff the opportunity to contribute for as long as they choose to. Younger staff benefit from having older staff, who can pass on valuable corporate knowledge, available as mentors. As well, mature workers in the area of policy development often have greater insights into some of the problems older Australians are facing and are therefore well placed to align policy with the needs of these people.

The strategy comprises short-, medium- and long-term strategies to be implemented by June 2005. Since the launch in March the following short-term activities have been implemented:

• a working group to investigate and report on superannuation options for mature workers
• a list of mature workers who wish to be considered for employment by FaCS after they retire
• a FaCS reward and recognition strategy that will provide staff with certificates for milestone years of service
• articles published in FaCSination on mature workers who are continuing to work in FaCS
• workshops scheduled on managing risk in career and retirement planning
• delivery of a number of superannuation seminars
• data collected on statistical trends as well as learning and development activities.

Diversity Council

FaCS is serious about promoting and supporting our diverse workforce. In 2003, we formed a Diversity Council as one means of making this commitment more concrete. The council is chaired by our Secretary, with membership drawn from a cross-section of FaCS employees and diversity networks.

The council's role is to highlight workplace diversity and think of new ways to promote cultural unity, collective growth and workplace harmony. It is currently reviewing workplace diversity issues, challenges and priorities as part of developing a new FaCS Diversity Plan.

Diversity survey

The Diversity Council conducted a diversity climate survey in May 2004.

We were pleased to achieve a 42 per cent response rate and to find that responses were generally positive. More than three-quarters of respondents said they felt positive about diversity in FaCS, and at least four in every five respondents said they knew of their rights and responsibilities in relation to workplace diversity.

The survey captured new information on our workforce demographics, volunteered by people in describing personal factors that may impact upon them at work. This contributes to our understanding of the breadth of diversity within our workforce and is likely to be relevant to our diversity program development.

There were, however, some areas for improvement identified in the survey. These related in particular to interactions at a workgroup level, and the need for a continued focus on providing a safe and inclusive work environment, with an emphasis on understanding, respecting and drawing upon our diversity. These are matters that will be explored further in developing our Diversity Plan.

FaCS restructure

By the end of 2003 FaCS had recognised that there was a need to reorganise and better balance resources within the department in order to respond to workload pressures and emerging policy agendas. An important element in looking at a restructure was a decision not to increase the overall number of executive directors.

The agenda for families and children is an area of growing interest to the Australian Government and to the broader community. To ensure the department was in a position to effectively respond, a second cluster was established in the Family and Children's area. The restructure also took into account the need to strengthen the linkages between the Economic and Social Participation, Family and Children, and Community Development and Support areas of the department.

The restructure of the Participation area of the department supports a clearer emphasis on obtaining positive outcomes for working-age people, including better attention to policy integration and service quality, and alignment of key functional activities around evaluation, data and program management.

The new departmental structure, which took effect on 1 July 2004, allows for a better alignment of the corporate functions and recognises the importance of the people management function to the department by having that function report directly to a deputy secretary. The new structure also recognises the importance of effectively communicating the department's policies and programs and of providing quality support to portfolio ministers.

Our state and territory offices play a significant role in providing 'coal face' intelligence. The restructure strengthens our ability to make better use of this information to assist in policy development and implementation.

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