RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION

Recruitment and retention are key issues for Finance, as they are with other public and private sector organisations. The Department recognises that we are competing with these sectors for the best employees. While competition is strong, Finance continues to attract and recruit high quality employees at graduate and other levels.

To be able to recruit and retain such employees, Finance is committed to creating an environment that welcomes diversity, facilitates a healthy balance between responsibilities both at work and home and is supportive of employee needs. During 2000–01, Finance continued to actively encourage these workplace goals, for example through the Department's commitment to a childcare centre and other initiatives discussed later in this chapter.

Finance is committed to recruiting leading graduates, who are given projects that develop their skills and stretch their abilities. Finance's performance management system encourages graduate employees to tailor their individual development plans. In its 2000–01 annual recruitment programme, Finance recruited 22 graduates from around Australia and across a range of disciplines. Our graduates have the opportunity to work in any of Finance's Business Groups.

To retain employees critical to our business, Finance has a Long-Term Incentive Programme (LTIP) in place. It is designed to maintain our intellectual capital base by retaining employees who work in critical areas of the business and to reward them for their continued high performance. Under the LTIP, if an employee on the programme remains employed by Finance for three years and is eligible for a performance bonus in each of those years, he or she will be paid a retention bonus. A total of 62 staff members have been invited to join the LTIP since it was introduced in 1999, with 12 new nominations in 2001.

Workplace Diversity

Finance values the diversity of its workforce, and has established mechanisms that give effect to workplace diversity principles. We believe that a talented and diverse workforce helps us achieve our business outcomes. The Department's Workplace Diversity Plan, CAs, AWAs and the performance management framework all support workplace diversity.

In accordance with the Public Service Act 1999, Finance's workplace diversity programme aims to:

• help prevent all forms of discrimination in employment and workplace matters;
  
  
• recognise and make the best use of workforce and community diversity to achieve our business outcomes;
  
  
• assist employees in balancing work, family and caring responsibilities.

The Department promotes equity in employment, and all selection processes are based on merit. Guidelines are in place for dealing with and eliminating harassment and discrimination in the workplace. We also have sound and effective dispute resolution processes, including access to external mediators and counsellors where appropriate.

Finance continues to focus on employment issues specifically related to women, particularly at senior levels. The number of women at the Senior Executive Service (SES) level in Finance is consistent with the APS as a whole. However, the number of women in Finance at the Executive level in 2000–01 is 45 per cent. This is considerably higher than the most recent statistics that show a rate of 33 per cent for the APS. Importantly, this provides a strong base from which Finance can further improve its gender balance at the SES level in the future.

Finance's Women's Network meets monthly and offers a programme of activities, including an annual conference and regular seminars. The Network organises mentoring programmes for women at all levels in Finance. It has become important in attracting and retaining high quality staff. The Secretary holds round table meetings with Network representatives to discuss and advance issues of importance. The Network is convened by a senior executive officer. Finance is currently developing a new Workplace Diversity Plan. This will build on the Department's current plan and will focus on the areas of access, equity and providing opportunities for people with disabilities. It is expected that the new plan will be in place in the first quarter of 2001–02, and will cover the period until 2005.

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Work and Home Life Balance Programme

Finance's Work and Home Life Balance Programme is a comprehensive and integrated approach to help our employees balance their work and home life. Its aim is to maintain an environment where people can achieve high performance within a supportive, flexible and safe work environment, while maintaining a healthy balance between work and home.

Finance's work home balance programme covers four key themes:

• family-friendly initiatives—promoting family-friendly policies and practices;
  
  
• healthy bodies, healthy minds—promoting personal health and wellbeing by ensuring that Finance provides a healthy and safe working environment;
  
  
• flexible work arrangements—increasing staff awareness about existing flexible arrangements and encouraging staff to take full advantage of them;
  
  
• 'building our community'—both within Finance and externally.

The Department's Work and Home Life Balance Programme is now in its second year of operation, and demonstrates Finance's strong commitment to ensuring that staff strike an appropriate balance between their work and home life. Achieving a positive work and home life balance across the Department also enhances employee relations, and has the further positive long-term results of reductions in absenteeism, accidents, compensation claims and staff turnover.

The Work and Home Life Balance Programme is fully integrated into the Department's business planning framework. Managers and staff are actively encouraged to organise effective work and home life balance arrangements tailored to meet individual and business operational requirements. At a corporate level, Finance organises events which also involve families. In 2000–01, these included a children's Christmas party and an open day of the John Gorton Building and its surrounds as part of the Department's celebration of the Centenary of the APS.

In 2000–01, the Department was a finalist in the Australian Council of Commerce and Industry's Corporate Work and Family Award in the large business category.

New Childcare Centre

Finance is establishing a childcare centre in the refurbished Treasury Building in Parkes, Canberra. The centre is scheduled to open mid 2002. It will offer approximately 79 places to the children (aged between six weeks and six years old) of Finance staff. The childcare centre will greatly enhance the existing provision of carers rooms and other facilities in the Department which support those with childcare responsibilities. On-site childcare facilities will assist Finance in meeting its goal of becoming an employer of choice. It will also provide an opportunity for staff to maximise the balance between their work and home lives.