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People

• People
• Developing staff potential
• Learning and development
• Attracting and retaining staff

People

Organisational capability and capacity

The professional and personal development of ASDA’s people remained integral to the achievement of ASDA’s business objectives.

As a knowledge-based organisation, ASDA continued to build organisational capacity by developing its people and providing a stimulating, challenging and fulfilling work environment. ASDA ensured that its employment terms and conditions and the workplace environment assisted in attracting, training and retaining expert and committed staff.

As a knowledge-based organisation, ASDA continued to build organisational capacity by developing its people and providing a stimulating, challenging and fulfilling work environment.

ASDA fulltime staff members, October 2003.

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Developing staff potential

Performance management

ASDA introduced or refined a number of initiatives designed to enhance the Agency and individual performance.

Agency bonus

Overall Agency performance was measured against the KPIs and the Operational Plan deliverables as being 82.1 percent. An Agency-wide bonus was paid to employees reflecting their contribution to ASDA’s performance.

Individual bonus

ASDA’s individual performance management system, known as Growth Factor, was reviewed and improved. The Growth Factor process is a flexible and dynamic framework for promoting improved staff performance and development. Growth Factor ensured that individual deliverables were aligned with Agency deliverables.

Results from ASDA’s staff survey indicated that the Growth Factor process enjoyed a high level of staff commitment as well as highlighting some areas for improvement.

Performance agreements for both General Managers were agreed with the Chief Executive. The Chief Executive’s performance agreement was negotiated with the Chairperson and the Minister for the Arts and Sport. Assessments for all executives required 360-degree feedback and data from internal and external sources.

Peer recognition

A peer recognition award system rounded out ASDA’s commitment to acknowledging and rewarding outstanding performance. An important element of this system is that employees were recognised and rewarded not just for achieving their deliverables, but also for demonstrating the Agency’s core values.

Performance management systems within public sector environments do not always enjoy high levels of staff buy-in. The success of the Agency’s system has resulted from continuous improvement of the process, education and support to staff.

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Learning and development

ASDA’s learning and development activities focused on fostering skills and competencies in line with ASDA’s business requirements. Highlights included:

• The promotion, deployment and increased take-up rate of a new e-learning suite of courses
• Seventeen percent of staff provided with financial assistance to undertake tertiary courses through ASDA’s Study Assistance Program
• Drug Control Officers reaccredited in two workshops
• Thirty-three percent of staff attending ASDA-funded external training including foreign language skills, leadership, job evaluations, risk management, presentation delivery, focus group methodology, qualitative research techniques, coaching, contract procurement, electronic writing, copyright, change management, internal auditing, project management and outsourcing
• Three staff members undertaking six-month assignments with foreign anti-doping agencies or other Commonwealth agencies to broaden their skills and expertise.

The integration of e-learning and other learning methodologies remains a challenge for the future.

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Attracting and retaining staff

Staff satisfaction

A staff survey was conducted revealing a 69 percent satisfaction rating. This result was lower than the targeted 70 percent, but was consistent with surveys conducted in previous years.

Figure 9: ASDA staff survey satisfaction ratings 1998–2003

As in previous surveys, staff satisfaction levels on various aspects of work varied greatly between office locations.

Following an analysis of information, presentations were made to all staff who were offered the opportunity to provide input on major issues and suggestions as to how to improve areas that received a satisfaction rating of less than 65 percent.

ASDA developed a staff satisfaction action plan and will provide guidelines to ensure that issues raised by staff will be addressed.

Workplace Relations Committee

The Workplace Relations Committee continued to monitor the implementation of ASDA’s Certified Agreement. The committee met monthly and considered a wide range of issues on behalf of Agency staff. Significantly the committee, prior to release for broader staff consultation, reviewed several human resource policies and processes. It also continued to play a key role in developing ASDA’s cooperative workplace relations culture.

Staff retention

ASDA attracted and retained high-quality staff. For the second consecutive year, the Agency retained 95 percent of its staff, against a target of 80 percent.

All non-executive ASDA full-time and part-time staff were employed under a Certified Agreement. Two executive staff members were employed under an Australian Workplace Agreement and the other under the terms and conditions set out by the Remuneration Tribunal.

For the second consecutive year, the Agency retained 95 percent of its staff, against a target of 80 percent.

ASDA’s certified agreement:

• Enhanced ASDA’s effectiveness and its ability to deliver value to clients and stakeholders
• Promoted a cooperative culture within the Agency that supports and empowers staff to have full responsibility for their work
• Provided attractive remuneration, terms and conditions, and learning opportunities to attract, reward and retain high quality staff
• Ensured a healthy work-life-community balance for Agency staff.

Approximately 300 casual staff members employed to undertake sample collection activities, were engaged through common law terms and conditions, which are varied in accordance with national case decisions and consequent changes to the ASDA Award.

ASDA’s remuneration strategy provides a flexible and motivating approach to salary, bonus payments and benefits. Agency-wide and individual bonuses were paid, as was an Agency wide salary increase of four percent. This increase was consistent with wage rises recorded across the public sector and ensures that ASDA maintains competitive remuneration practices.

A number of job evaluations were conducted and several salary packaging arrangements were established. Many of these activities addressed the difficulties that small agencies, such as ASDA, have in maintaining competitive remuneration packages to attract and retain high-quality staff in a competitive employment market and respond quickly to significant changes to staff duties.

Managing work-family-community commitments

ASDA promoted a balanced lifestyle for all staff. The Agency, through its Certified Agreement, provided flexible work arrangements that enabled staff to better balance their workplace, family and community responsibilities.

ASDA encouraged its staff to contribute to the broader community, with leave provided for undertaking approved community service activities under the Certified Agreement. Staff accessed this leave for appropriate purposes including regular blood donations during work hours.

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