Management of human resources

The department’s commitment to capability and productivity enhancement through diversity was underlined by a Women in Leadership Strategy aimed at promoting equality and dismantling barriers to female participation in the senior executive service. We introduced a number of initiatives, including an ‘if not, why not’ flexible work trial and targets to lift women’s participation to over 40 per cent (up from under 34 per cent) at SES Band 1 and 2 levels by 2020.

We also progressed the department’s diversity agenda through the launch of a new Reconciliation Action Plan 2016–19, and an Indigenous Peoples Strategy 2015–19. On 30 June 2016, we had 70 ongoing employees (approximately 1.8 per cent of the total workforce) formally identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. Our aim is to have 2.5 per cent Indigenous employees by June 2018. We continued to deliver a number of initiatives, including targeted special measures recruitment processes, to help meet that goal.

The department strives to be a model APS employer for staff with disability. We finalised an ambitious new Disability Action Strategy 2016–19 to promote the participation and contribution of people with disability. As of 30 June 2016, the department employed 59 staff who reported having a disability (representing approximately 1.6 per cent of A-based employees), however the actual figure is much higher in anonymous survey results. Disability reporting details under the National Disability Strategy are available at dss.gov.au.

To underscore the department’s commitment to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) staff, we appointed two senior executives to champion LGBTI inclusion. Data reported from our Agency Multicultural Plan (2013–15) is included in the Multicultural Access and Equity in Government Services Report at dss.gov.au.

Further information on diversity reporting mechanisms is available through the APSC’s State of the Service Report and the APS Statistical Bulletin at apsc.gov.au.

The Staff and Family Support Office provided: more than 300 management and 1,500 counselling consultations, including at overseas posts and state and territory offices; over 270 selection and wellbeing assessments; and 190 training sessions reaching over 3,400 staff. We commenced work on a departmental mental health policy. To mitigate health risks to staff overseas, the Medical Unit delivered a strategic risk assessment and management plan, as well as guidance on pregnancy while on posting. Medical Unit staff visited fourteen posts to assess medical facilities, address environmental concerns and undertake staff consultations.

This year the department issued its first guidance on workplace responses to domestic and family violence, including provisions on the use of leave. In line with the Women in Leadership Strategy, the department published a new breastfeeding in the workplace policy.

To strengthen functional capability and expertise of staff, the department launched a Diplomatic Academy in May. This builds on comprehensive reviews of the department’s learning and development framework, language, and pre-posting training programs. Given that language capability is essential to the department’s advocacy work overseas, a key outcome was to professionalise language training and increase our investment in in-country training.

We promoted learning and development across the department to ensure the maintenance of our highly skilled and motivated workforce. Over 240 officers attended leadership, management and security programs, 70 officers participated in the International Skills Development Program and 134 officers received assistance through the Studybank program. In August, we trained 370 officers from 21 APS agencies in foreign policy development and analysis as part of an inaugural Diplomatic Tradecraft Month. Investment in eLearning continued through development of 15 new programs. The new Work Health and Safety eLearning program was awarded ‘Best Talent’ and runner-up for ‘Best Learning Project’ at the 2016 LearnX Impact Awards.

The department launched a new Performance Management Framework to streamline processes and provide clearer guidance for staff and managers dealing with complex performance issues. We created a new online upwards appraisal survey to collect comprehensive feedback on EL2 managers and above.

We offered a suite of mentoring programs for staff, including first time heads of mission and senior administrative officers, to strengthen individual capacity and harness the knowledge and insights of experienced officers. Around 200 staff across all levels of the department volunteered to become mentors through the new mentoring register.

In a challenging industrial relations and fiscal environment, staff agreed to a new Enterprise Agreement (EA) which sets out employment terms and conditions for non-SES employees for three years from 17 December 2015. Details of employees covered by the EA, and determinations and remuneration supplementation agreements are included in Appendix 2. SES staff are employed under the terms of a determination made by the Secretary under section 24(1) of the Public Service Act 1999. Executive remuneration is set out in Note 10 of the financial statements. In addition to remuneration, the department provides a range of non-salary allowances to staff for travel and for expenses related to overseas postings.