Flexible and remote work
A service-wide, principles-based approach to embedding flexibility into ways of working in the Australian Public Service was endorsed by the Secretaries Board in March 2023.
Greater use of flexible work helps the APS:
- attract and retain talent in competitive labour markets
- build more diverse and inclusive workplaces
- support employee wellbeing
- improve workforce resilience
- improve capacity to maintain business continuity.
The Principles of Flexible Work in the APS provide a framework for considering flexible arrangements that meet the needs of the organisation, team and individual. They outline that in the APS:
- flexibility applies to all roles, with different types suitable for different roles
- flexibility needs to be mutually beneficial for the organisation, team and individual
- organisational and team needs frame conversations about individual flexibility arrangements
- flexible work arrangements value meaningful and regular face-to-face contact
- flexibility is embedded, modelled and refined.
The Secretaries Board Future of Work Sub-committee developed these principles through extensive consultation with APS agencies and research into best-practice approaches. These approaches are offered by other Australian and international employers in both public and private sectors.
The Principles of Flexible Work in the APS were considered during the service-wide bargaining process. Following agreement, agencies will align individual departmental flexible work policies with the final APS-wide approach.
An APS Location Strategy is being developed to support agencies in making decisions about the geographic location of their workforce. The option for employees to operate from different locations presents opportunities to tap into the national talent pool. It helps to address workforce pressures by increasing access to skilled workers.
Current APS recruitment efforts are often Canberra-centric and tend to attract existing employees. The broader labour market, however, tends to be located in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. For example, in 2022–23, almost 50% of the accounting and finance job family engaged by the APS were Canberra-based. However, close to 98% of the national workforce employed in these occupations were located outside of the nation’s capital (around 79% in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria). Only around 40% of the APS roles within the accounting and finance job family are based in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.
The APS Location Strategy is expected to be finalised in early 2024. Its aim is to ensure the APS has the right people to meet existing and emerging workforce demands. The strategy will include an action plan to help agencies implement the approach.
The Principles of Flexible Work in the APS and the APS Location Strategy support the Australian Government’s APS Reform agenda by helping to position the service as a model employer, with the capability it needs to do its job well.
See also
Australian Government (n.d.) Principles of Flexible Work in the APS, APSC website, https://www.apsc.gov.au/news-and-events/latest-news/principles-flexible-work-aps, accessed 14 July 2023.