The ACTPS is committed to building the skills and capability of its workforce by ensuring that each employee is engaged and supported through a positive workplace environment that enables employees to contribute towards positive outcomes for the ACT community.
The ACTPS Performance Framework (the Framework) sets out the process for managing employee performance and supports managers to develop workplace culture and capability. The key objectives of the framework are to:
- support employee effectiveness for the benefit of the ACTPS through providing a consistent and sustainable approach to achieving high performance standards across the ACTPS;
- support the ACTPS Values and Signature Behaviours by ensuring that employees’ performance is managed in a holistic sense, with the way in which an employee conducts themselves being as important as the results they achieve;
- provide a consistent approach to the way in which the ACTPS holds its employees accountable for their work performance; and
- embed performance management and development as a familiar and supportive part of working life in the ACTPS, creating a Service that consistently provides its employees with role and task clarity, strengthens capability and retains talented employees.
To achieve high levels of employee engagement, it is important that managers and employees have a shared understanding of roles, responsibilities and objectives. The Framework assists employees and managers to have quality performance conversations in which employees have an opportunity to highlight their achievements, obtain and provide feedback, and seek assistance when required. Performance conversations can also assist employees to understand more fully the skills, knowledge and behaviour they need to develop in order to do their job effectively and progress within the ACTPS.
The ACTPS Shared Capability Framework (the Capability Framework) describes the skills, knowledge and behaviour expected of all ACT Public Servants across the whole ACTPS. Using the Capability Framework in conjunction with a Personal Performance and Development Plan, employees can track their development goals.
The 2019 Agency Survey asked directorates to report on whether they monitored the utilisation of the ACTPS Performance Framework during the 2018-19 reporting year. Four of the eight directorates reported that they monitored usage.
Directorates were then asked to report on the percentage of their workforce that had a performance agreement in place at 30 June 2019. Two of the eight directorates reported that they were unable to determine the percentage as they did not have a system available to capture this information. The directorates that were unable to determine this figure were in areas that involved largely field based workers and reported that whilst they were unable to actively collect data in relation to the completion of performance agreements, they actively support line areas to ensure agreements are in place.
The remaining six directorates reported participation rates of between 8 and 77 per cent, with an average rate of 58 per cent[1] of their workforce with a performance agreement in place at 30 June 2019. This is a slight reduction on the 2017-18 figure of 63 per cent. Further work will be required over the coming year in order increase the number of employees with performance agreements.
During 2018-19, TCCS reported that they trialled the use of electronic performance and development plans. Approximately 160 staff from different business units of TCCS participated in the trial and staff will now be actively encouraged to use the electronic plan.
Providing employees with the opportunity to develop skills and capability has been shown as a key factor in driving high performance and motivation in the workforce. Directorates were asked to report on the strategies employed during 2018-19 to enhance, develop or improve employee capability and performance. The results are provided in Table 25 below.
Total Directorates | |
|---|---|
Mentoring programs | 6 |
Funded training | 6 |
Secondments | 3 |
Job swap opportunities | 4 |
Communities of practice | 5 |
Other | 4 |
All respondents: 2018-19 = 8
Directorates reported using a range of strategies to enhance, develop or improve employee capability and performance. These included using the ACTPS Training Calendar, providing study assistance to undertake external courses of study and arranging mentoring and job rotation opportunities. Several directorates also reported an increased use of online or e-learning opportunities. These provide employees with more flexible learning opportunities that can be accessed at any time and from any location.
[1] total headcount of participating directorates (13,511, see Table 37) divided by the total number of participating employees (7,827) in each directorate x 100%.