Critical challenges for the APS as a whole
The Commission now has the foundations of time series data sets for the agency and employee surveys which are an integral part of identifying trends in the APS. APSED, of course, is an established data set able to establish most significant trends in APS employment.
Last year’s data enabled us to identify five critical challenges: embedding the Values and the Code; ensuring effective relationships between the APS and the Government and the Parliament; building and sustaining the capability of the APS; diversity, particularly in relation to Indigenous employment and the employment of people with a disability; and whole of government capacity.
This year’s data tells us that these are not going away, although they are being reshaped by changing circumstances.
How we address these critical challenges as the APS matters, because our capabilities, culture and identity are bound up with the willingness of the community to embrace government programmes and initiatives; they affect our international reputation; and they influence our ability to recruit, retain and engage quality people.
The critical challenges for the APS as a whole would appear to be:
1. Building trust in the APS
Building trust in the APS is important for all APS employees but particularly for the leadership group. We know from our data that trust is associated with how employees feel about working in the APS and their agencies, and how productive they feel themselves to be.
The challenge is to make the Values framework work in practice. Senior leaders have a vital role to play in establishing a supportive and professional culture and showing decision-makers how to balance Values like fairness and effectiveness, impartiality and courtesy, responsiveness and apolitical professionalism. Data from the Ombudsman indicates that there continues to be a large number of complaints about the lack of information provided about decisions made by agencies or that decisions are flawed, and that this is often compounded by inadequate record keeping. Decision-makers in the APS need to understand the personal responsibility that goes with the authority to make decisions—what the community regards as an official’s ‘duty’. APS leaders, in particular, members of the SES, must take an active role in promoting a strong common identity across the APS and a confident approach to the duties of public service.
On a related issue, the consistency of the time series data regarding the level of direct contact between APS employees and Ministers’ offices reinforces the importance of ensuring that employees clearly understand the application of the Values as they relate to working with the Government and the Parliament, and building further the confidence of APS employees in this interaction.
The quality of service delivery also has implications for trust in the APS, with results from selected agency service user satisfaction surveys showing a majority of satisfaction levels above 80% this year. Here the challenge is to find effective mechanisms for consultation with the community and delivery approaches to meet citizens’ growing expectations for better customer service. The challenge also lies in building confidence and trust with those who use services and information, and recognising the importance to all public service providers—public and private—of assessing the success of client service and recognising the stronger links being established to provide a seamless service to customers.
Good governance is also fundamental to building public trust. APS-wide governance arrangements have been the subject of ongoing review processes during the year, most particularly as an outcome of the Uhrig report. More generally, if agencies are to retain public confidence and trust, they need to ensure they have connected and rigorous organisational systems, processes and procedures in place to maintain the integrity of their governance arrangements. Such support is essential if agencies are to perform effectively in an increasingly dynamic and complex environment—a point reinforced in the Palmer report.
2. Building the right capability for the future
The MAC report, Managing and Sustaining the APS Workforce, is a timely reminder of the workforce challenges facing the APS—many of which centre around the changing skill profile and ageing demographic of the APS workforce, in particular, the need to take a systematic approach to succession planning and to developing future leaders given the continuing ageing profile of the current APS leadership cadre.
In the tightening labour market and with possible skill shortages, no longer will agencies be assured of being able to attract the right people with the right skills. Agencies will need to make themselves competitive in the labour market and have strategies in place to develop and retain high quality employees. Employee engagement will be vital for agencies in gaining a competitive edge in retaining quality employees and also in improving overall productivity and effectiveness. Given the organisation-specific nature of employee engagement, responsibility rests with all agencies to develop management approaches, systems and a culture that maximise the engagement of the workforce.
3. Attracting and retaining Indigenous employees and people with a disability
In 2004–05, there was a further reduction in the representation and numbers of Indigenous employees and people with a disability—this is despite an increase in ongoing employee numbers. It is essential to act quickly and constructively to turn around this declining trend.
To improve the situation for Indigenous employment, strong recruitment and robust promotional strategies are required. Not only should agencies join with the Commission and draw on the APS Employment and Capability Strategy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, but they should also take concerted and strategic action themselves. The aim of the strategy is to stabilise numbers of Indigenous employees over the next two years, and after that to increase their employment in the mainstream APS. More broadly, the aim is to contribute to increased social equity by improving Indigenous people’s employment opportunities and income levels in the wider Australian employment market.
A similar approach is also required to address the decline in the number of people with a disability working in the APS. The strategies currently in use have been operating for some time with decreasing success; innovative strategies are required to replace those that have become less effective over time. Furthermore, there are some strategies that have been ostensibly in place for many years which are languishing and need to be revamped. The employment of people with a disability is a key priority for MAC, and will be examined in detail in a 2006 MAC report.
4. Ensuring whole of government capability
The statement issued by MAC to the SES in October 2005, One APS—One SES, outlines the vital role APS leaders have in developing whole of government capabilities. Overall, whole of government work means becoming part of a broader process of cultural reform across the APS. Leaders have a crucial role to play in championing the cultural change process and promoting whole of government behaviours—the Palmer report highlights the serious repercussions that can arise when a silo mentality develops.
Another common theme emerging from the MAC reports of the last two years is the challenge of ensuring mobility amongst potential leaders. Substantial benefits are to be derived from potential leaders taking steps to broaden their experience and exposure through working in different environments—not only within the APS, but also in other public, private and non-government organisations. This, to some extent, may assist in addressing the challenge of not only working productively across agencies but also working productively and with other jurisdictions and non-government organisations (both private and not-for-profit), and of engaging with citizens.
The responsibility for meeting these challenges lies with individual agencies, MAC and coordinating agencies including, in particular, the Commission.
