Centrelink annual report 2003 – 04 Contact officer
CREATE A REWARDING, SAFE AND HEALTHY WORK ENVIRONMENT
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- Security consultancy—Australian Protective Services
- Dealing with difficult situations workshop
- CUSTOMER ISSUES TRAINING
- Balancing work and family life
- Recognising achievements and successes
- Highly commended Tax Cluster Upgrade Project Team, National Support Office Accessible Letters Team, Geelong Call Centre Overall winner
- Highly commended Defence Signals Directorate Gateway Certification Team Business Communication and IT Team, Area North Central Victoria Overall winner
- Highly commended Kathy Volkert, Area South Australia David Lonsdale, National Support Office Overall winner
- Highly commended Wangaratta Bushfire Recovery Team Catherine Donohue and Jack Forbes, Mildura and Swan Hill Drought Team Overall winner
- Chief Executive Officer’s service awards
- Prime Minister’s Employer of the Year Award
- Australian Teleservices Association National Call Centre of the Year Award
- Australian Public Service Workplace Diversity Awards
- Expressing diversity in our work
- MOVING FROM UNEMPLOYMENT TO CUSTOMER SERVICE
- National Indigenous Employees Plan 2005-2008—Working Together
- Staff Volunteering Strategy
- Centrelink volunteering conference paper
- Centrelink and FaCS Woman’s Forum annual dinner
- Centrelink Games 2003—the ‘friendly games’
CREATE A REWARDING, SAFE AND HEALTHY WORK ENVIRONMENTCentrelink is committed to a positive workplace and the National People Plan’s areas of focus are—providing a safe workplace that supports work/life balance; valuing the unique skills and contribution of our people by recognising and celebrating achievements and successes; and allowing our people to express their diversity in their work. As well as the general information on health and safety intentions and activities outlined in this section, the mandatory reporting required under Section 74 of the Occupational Health and Safety (Commonwealth Employment) Act 1991 is provided in Appendix 8 on page 287. Health and safetyCentrelink recognises that effective health and safety management systems make good business sense, represent a cost-effective investment in our people, and will lead to reductions in the high social and financial costs of occupational injury and illness. Centrelink’s occupational health and safety (OH&S) policy states that: The health, safety and wellbeing of staff is integral to our daily business and values. Centrelink is committed to a strong, well-developed health and safety culture. We want workplaces that recognise the value of prevention activities, which actively identify and eliminate hazards, and which have managers and staff who are committed to the integration of OH&S practices into everyday business. The focus is on improvements in both OH&S performance and overall business performance and productivity, to:
Centrelink’s OH&S agreement sets out the roles and responsibilities of all managers, team leaders, employees, health and safety representatives, OH&S committees and the Community and Public Sector Union to meet our duty of care under the OH&S Act. The agreement also sets out the OH&S infrastructure we need to meet our responsibilities. OH&S programsCentrelink maintains OH&S policies, resources and structures to promote the highest standard of health, safety and wellbeing of all staff through:
Centrelink manages injury and disease risks that are comparable with the Australian Government jurisdiction and actively seeks to identify, adopt and develop best practice in prevention. In addition to workplace initiatives developed by and tailored to individual workplaces, Centrelink implemented corporate prevention activities, including:.
Security consultancy—Australian Protective ServicesAustralian Protective Services is contracted to provide professional security consultancy services to Centrelink. In 2003–04, Australian Protective Services:
Dealing with difficult situations workshopDuring the year, Area North Central Victoria piloted three workshops for staff with a focus on dealing with difficult situations. The aim of the workshops was to equip Customer Service Officers and Team Leaders with the knowledge and techniques needed to help deal with difficult situations in their roles. The workshops were developed by a group of specialists including a Psychologist, a Social Worker and the Area Learning Team. The three workshops covered:
Because the pilot was such a success, the workshops are now a key part of the Area’s ongoing training program. CUSTOMER ISSUES TRAININGArea Brisbane’s Learning and Development Team developed a training program to raise staff awareness about the issues some of our customers face. The training is also designed to help staff in their interactions with distressed or aggressive customers. As part of the program, an external trainer delivered drug and alcohol awareness training. A new Customer Aggression Peer Support initiative was set up, which involves training volunteer staff to provide onsite and immediate support to their peers affected by customer aggression. The initiative also involves collecting quarterly statistics on program users; ensuring the program is consistent with best practice critical stress management and occupational health and safety measures; and providing reassurance that Centrelink is committed to staff safety and wellbeing, especially when it comes to dealing with customer aggression. Balancing work and family lifeCentrelink acknowledges that balancing work and family life can sometimes be stressful for employees and can affect productivity. Centrelink employees have access to a range of services that help them to deal with work/life balance, including:
Centrelink’s Area-based Employee Assistance Program is a professional, free service for staff and their families. The program offers counselling for specific situations such as traumatic workplace incidents, and resources for managers and team leaders who may have to address challenging staff issues. The Employee Assistance Programs can assist with pressure and stress; alcohol and drug problems; family problems; separation/divorce and relationship difficulties; personal trauma; grief and bereavement; health and lifestyle issues; and gambling and other addictions. Workforce availabilityThe Corporate Performance Team looks at identifying high performance and promoting better practice within Centrelink. This year the team completed a major research exercise into workforce availability. In December 2003, the Guiding Coalition accepted the recommendations in the team’s research paper ‘A Study of High Performance in Centrelink – Increasing Business Capacity by Improving Workforce Availability’. The recommendations cover improvements to both corporate and local issues. These range from I&T systems support, improved local management, and a focus on personal responsibility and accountability. The approach aims to build on other new directions including the Staff Portal, I&T changes and the Centrelink Service Delivery model. Because reducing unnecessary absenteeism is an important element of workplace efficiency and also contributes to the general wellbeing of all Centrelink people, it will continue to be a focus area in the coming years. Recognising achievements and successesAwards within CentrelinkCentrelink National AwardsCentrelink has a strong culture of recognising and rewarding the achievements of our employees. Each year, a number of formal awards are presented to Centrelink staff in recognition of their achievements and commitment to the organisation. The Centrelink national awards are celebrated on the anniversary of Centrelink’s formation. They recognise the outstanding achievements of Centrelink people who have significantly advanced Centrelink’s business objectives. The national awards cover four categories:
The Ross Divett Award is the highest achievement award within the national award categories, with nominations assessed for exemplary work in the ‘plan–do–review–act’ business strategy. Assessment criteria for the national awards are:
In addition, the Environmental Management@Work Award was established during 2004 to acknowledge achievement of good practice in terms of ecologically sustainable development within Centrelink’s business operations. This new award will be implemented during 2004–05. The 2003 highly commended nominees and national award winners were: Customer Service—teamsHighly commendedTax Cluster Upgrade Project Team, National Support Office Accessible Letters Team, Geelong Call Centre Overall winnerArea Hunter Customer Service—individualHighly commendedMick Shaw, Rural Call Centre, Queensland Jonathan Sherlock, Area North Central Victoria Overall winnerJim Wiblin, Area South Metro, New South Wales Change Management—teamsHighly commendedDefence Signals Directorate Gateway Certification Team Business Communication and I&T Team, Area North Central Victoria Overall winnerCentrelink Project Office Team, National Support Office Change Management—individualHighly commendedKathy Volkert, Area South Australia David Lonsdale, National Support Office Overall winnerSuellen Shea, Area West Australia Ross DivettHighly commendedStrategic Cost Management Team, National Support Office Overall winnerInformation and technology managers and staff Emergency ResponseHighly commendedWangaratta Bushfire Recovery Team Catherine Donohue and Jack Forbes, Mildura and Swan Hill Drought Team Overall winnerKate Hay and the Drought Team, Shepparton Centrelink Australia Day awardsTo celebrate Australia Day, each year Centrelink acknowledges staff who have shown outstanding dedication in service to Centrelink during a difficult time, or over a lengthy period, or who have demonstrated exceptional voluntary work in their community. Special award ceremonies are conducted throughout Centrelink Offices. Winners are presented with engraved National Australia Day Council medallions and certificates. In 2004, 72 Australia Day achievement awards were presented to individuals and teams across the Centrelink network. One example of an outstanding achievement was Vicki Campbell from Launceston Call Centre. Vicki raised funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service by cycling from Cloncurry (site of the first flying doctor service) to Dubbo—a journey of 3500 kilometres. The Bali Family Support Team was also recognised for their around-the-clock counselling and support for victims’ families on the anniversary of the Bali bombing.
Youth awardsEvery year, Centrelink’s National Excellence in Youth Servicing Awards are celebrated during National Youth Week. Awards are presented to staffs who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to meeting the needs of young people and to Centrelink staff aged under 30 years who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to their work or the community. All finalists attended a dinner at Parliament House on 1 April 2004 and the Minister for Family and Community Services, Senator the Hon. Dr Kay Patterson, presented awards to the winners:
External awardsPrime Minister’s Employer of the Year AwardCentrelink were the winners of the Prime Minister’s Employer of the Year Award in the large Government agency category for its commitment to employment of people with disabilities. ACT Excellence AwardThe Centrelink Virtual College (CVC) won the Large Registered Training Organisation category in the Australian Capital Territory Department of Education and Training 2003 Training Excellence Awards. The award acknowledged the excellent work done by the CVC in embedding the Australian Quality Training Framework into the learning and development opportunities provided to Centrelink staff. Public Service MedalThe Public Service Medal is a component of the official Australian system of honours and is awarded twice a year as part of the Queen’s Birthday and Australia Day Honours List.This very prestigious award recognises employees for outstanding public service. Desley Hargreaves, in her role as National Manager of Centrelink’s Social Work Services, was awarded a Public Service Medal in October 2003 as part of a special Bali Commemoration List. Margaret Simmons, a member of Centrelink’s Investigation and Recovery Unit, South Australia was awarded the Public Service Medal for her liaison role between Centrelink and the South Australian Director of Public Prosecutions. Her work contributed to the successful conduct of a major criminal investigation.
Perth Call Centre was honoured by being named national Call Centre of the Year in the 50 staff or more categories at the 2003 National Awards held during September 2003. It was the second year in a row that Centrelink had taken out the prestigious major award, following the success of its Liverpool Call Centre in 2002. The Perth Call Centre was also named the Greenfield Site of the Year. In addition to Perth’s National awards, Barbara Phillips, Staff Manager in Perth, won the Call Centre Champion (non-phone staff) category in the 2003 Western Australian state association awards. Newcastle also took out two categories in the 2003 New South Wales state association awards. Newcastle was recognised as Call Centre of the Year (more than 50 staff) and Greenfields site of the year in 2003. Centrelink achieved even greater success in 2004 by winning a number of state Australian Teleservices Association awards in the following categories:
All state award winners are automatically nominated in the national awards that will be held in Melbourne, during September 2004. Australian Public Service Workplace Diversity AwardsCentrelink won the Regional category and received two commendations. Area East CoastArea East Coast won the Regional category for their initiative of skilling Indigenous Servicing staff. Area East Coast recognised a learning gap for Indigenous Servicing staff and worked with Nirimba TAFE to develop and deliver the Certificate IV Community Management program. The benefits include stronger business outcomes through better relationships with Indigenous communities, improved opportunities for Indigenous staff, and increased confidence among and retention of Indigenous staff. Adelaide CallAdelaide Call was highly commended in the 2003 Australian Public Service Workplace Diversity Awards for recruitment of people with a disability. Adelaide Call actively set out to recruit staff who identified themselves as having a disability. The Call Centre invited the involvement of external agencies and explored the process each agency used to attract and assess people with disabilities. Selections were merit based and applicants were required to undergo the same assessment process as applicants without disabilities. However, if needed, applicants could use large print material, bigger monitors, and closed circuit television. Adelaide Call has since successfully undertaken four recruitment exercises, continuing to refine and improve the processes each time. Twelve per cent of Adelaide’s 280 staff are now self-identified as having one or more disabilities. Cairns CallCairns Call was also highly commended in the Workplace Diversity Awards for their staff child care arrangements. In an effort to reduce absenteeism and to help staff balance their work and family life, Cairns Call set up a carers’ facility, which means an employee can still come to work when their child is suffering from a non-contagious illness or injury. In response to growing demand for the facility, Cairns Call also bought the equipment needed to set up a mobile carers’ station. Cairns Call conducted a cost Benefit analysis for the period January 2003 to May 2003. For the five months, Cairns Call recorded a 39 per cent decrease in Carers’ Leave compared with the same period in 2002. This represents potential Carers’ Leave cost savings of approximately $30 000 each year.
Centrelink’s Workplace Diversity Plan will be reviewed in 2004–05, followed by a new Action Plan based on the review findings. MOVING FROM UNEMPLOYMENT TO CUSTOMER SERVICEIn its efforts to attract and retain employees with a disability, Moorabbin Call developed a strong working relationship with recruitment agency Diversity@Work. The agency’s job was to find applicants with a disability and people who, through accident or injury, could not return to work in their usual occupation. A recent recruit, Hugo Sermeno, is a great example of Moorabbin Call and Diversity@Work working together to get the right person for the right job. After damaging his leg in a car accident, Hugo was out of work for nine years. But Moorabbin Call and Diversity@Work recognised his abilities and Hugo now works in the Retirements and Disabilities Team as a Customer Service Officer.
Centrelink recognises the important role our Indigenous employees have in identifying employment barriers and developing solutions in line with the principle of self determination. In partnership with Indigenous employees, Centrelink is working to develop practical solutions for the new National Indigenous Employees Plan in critical employment areas for Indigenous people. Indigenous staff will co-own the plan, which will be achieved through consultation, partnership and awareness. The key focus areas for Centrelink over the next three years are:
The new National Indigenous Employees Plan will be finalised around October/November 2004. NAIDOC WeekNAIDOC Week 2003 was once again celebrated by holding Centrelink’s Annual Great Debate. For Centrelink, the main focus of the week is to bring issues of concern to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to the attention of our staff in memorable and exciting ways. Each year NAIDOC week has a theme, which represents an important issue to Indigenous people. The theme for 2003 was ‘Our Children, Our Future’. For the debate three young Indigenous employees, ‘The Young Guns’ (affirmative) challenged the People Management Team (negative) to debate the NAIDOC theme. Lively and amusing debate led to a very close result with an audience ‘clapathon’ deciding the winner. The trophy went to the People Management Team.
Volunteering strategy launchThe Centrelink Staff Volunteering Strategy was officially launched in National Support Office in December 2003. The strategy reflects Centrelink’s vision and mission to make a positive difference to people, families and the community by building quality relationships with the community to improve the wellbeing of Australian society. It acknowledges and celebrates the important but often unrecognised contribution by Centrelink staff in volunteering activities, undertaken as individuals in their own time. Centrelink’s Staff Volunteering Strategy guides and facilitates staff involvement in volunteering and encourages sustained support for these activities. The launch featured guest speakers from volunteer organisations such as Lifeline Australia and Australian Capital Territory Bushfire and Emergency Services, and was broadcast to staff in the network via Centrelink’s Business TV. Starting in 2004–05, staff involvement in volunteering is to be recognised each December as part of an annual Staff Volunteers Week. Centrelink volunteering conference paperCentrelink’s recognition and encouragement of staff volunteering was the focus of a presentation at Volunteering Australia’s 10th National Conference in Melbourne in June 2004. The Conference theme of ‘Volunteering—evolution, devolution or revolution?’ provided an ideal opportunity to discuss the longstanding interest and involvement of Centrelink staff in volunteering activities in their local communities. The paper outlined the volunteering achievements of Centrelink in the past, and the directions for continuing and sustained support for staff volunteering into the future. Centrelink and FaCS Woman’s Forum annual dinnerOver 100 women from Centrelink and FaCS celebrated International Women’s Day with their sixth annual dinner on 31 March 2004. At the dinner, Michele Hawkins from the Australian National University entertained people with a speech and presentation on ‘career changes and the love life of bonobos’. A live South American all-women band had the audience dancing. As well, the event featured an exhibition of photographs taken by women from Centrelink and FaCS. Centrelink Games 2003—the ‘friendly games’The 2003 Centrelink Games were held in Tweed Heads as a joint venture between Tweed Call Centre and the CSC. The games, held in October 2003, attracted almost 500 players and onlookers. Played at Ark install Park in South Tweed Heads, the games’ opening and closing ceremonies were held at the Seagulls Club. The 2003 games saw the introduction of a ‘Guiding Coalition’ team and, for the first time in the history of the carnival, it rained. However, all events went ahead and, in true Centrelink style, wet conditions did not dampen the spirit of participants. The 2004 Centrelink Games will be held in Grafton.
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