NSC Workforce Strategy - May 2011 post exhibition Barbara · The Resourcing Strategy focuses on long term strategies in three key areas: • financial planning; • asset management

North Sydney Council Workforce Strategy 2010/11-2013/14 - May 2011 1

WORKFORCE

STRATEGY (WFS2)

2010/2011-2013/2014

Revised May 2011

Part of North Sydney Council’s Resourcing Strategy


The 2020 Vision Logo The “Sustainability Compass” symbolises setting the compass on the path towards sustainability. The four points of the compass describe the different dimensions of sustainability - environment, society, economy and governance.

This is the first Workforce Strategy for North Sydney in accordance with Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework requirements. The Workforce Strategy was prepared by Council’s Human Resources and Corporate Planning and Governance Departments, following consultation with Council’s Senior Management Team and staff. The following resources have been referenced in the development of this Strategy:

• Good Practice Toolkit, LGMA NSW • NSW Public Sector Workforce Strategy 2008-2012 • Government Skills Australia Environmental Scan 2009 • Draft Local Government Workforce Development Blueprint 2009, Australian Centre of

Excellence for Local Government (ACELG) • Workforce Planning training manual, Corporate Training and Development (CTD),

2009 • Workforce Planning and The War for Talent training manual, Optimum Performance

Human Resources Consultants Pty Ltd, 2007 • Skills Australia - Australian Workforce Futures: A National Workforce Development

Strategy 2010 This plan reflects our intentions at the time of publication. As with any plan or budget, the actual results may vary from that forecast. View the document online at www.northsydney.nsw.gov.au/resourcingstartegy For further information contact Council’s Manager Human Resources on 9936 8216. North Sydney Council 200 Miller Street North Sydney NSW 2060 Telephone (02) 9936 8100 Facsimile (02) 9936 8177 Email [email protected] Website www.northsydney.nsw.gov.au

Document Control Document ID: Division: Corporate Services Department: Human Resources Responsible officer: Manager Human Resources Review frequency: Quadrennial Date next due: 2012 Version No. Date Revision Details Approver 1 4/05/10 Draft Resource Allocation Committee 2 21/06/10 Final Council 3 5/04/11 Draft Annual Review Resource Allocation Committee 4 11/04/11 Draft Amendments Council 5 30/05/11 Revised Council


Contents Foreword...........................................................................................................................4 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................5 1.1 Human Resources Strategic Plan 2005 ..................................................................6

2. Our Organisation.........................................................................................................9

2.1 Our Vision, Mission, Values and Charter .................................................................9

2.2 Our Councillors ......................................................................................................11

2.3 Our Organisational Structure..................................................................................12

2.4 North Sydney in Profile ..........................................................................................14

3. Workforce Planning Overview ................................................................................17 3.1 The Need for Workforce Planning ..........................................................................17

3.2 Benefits of Workforce Planning ..............................................................................17

3.3 Key Steps in Workforce Planning...........................................................................17

4. Environmental Scan .................................................................................................19 4.1 Economic Indicators...............................................................................................19

4.2 External Planning Assumptions .............................................................................19

4.3 Internal Planning Assumptions...............................................................................24

5. Current Workforce Analysis ....................................................................................27 5.1 Staff Establishment ...............................................................................................27

5.2 Workforce Diversity ...............................................................................................28

5.3 Workforce Demographics ......................................................................................28

5.4 Length of Service ..................................................................................................29

5.5 Retirement Intentions ............................................................................................30

5.6 Leave Entitlements ................................................................................................30

5.7 Employee Engagement ..........................................................................................31

5.8 Employee Travel Distance ....................................................................................31

5.9 Employee Costs ....................................................................................................33

6. Forecasting Future Needs .......................................................................................37 6.1 Stage 1...................................................................................................................37

6.2 Stage 2...................................................................................................................38

7. Workforce Management Improvement Plan ...........................................................39 7.1 Focus Areas ..........................................................................................................39

7.2 Improvement Plan .................................................................................................42

8. Resourcing Our Workforce Strategy ……………………………………………….…..47 9. Monitoring and Evaluation ......................................................................................49 Appendix............................................................................................................................ Appendix 1: Terms Used in the Plan...............................................................................50

Contact details ........................................................................................ Inside front cover


Foreword We are pleased to present the North Sydney Council Workforce Strategy 2010/11-2013/14. This is the first Workforce Strategy prepared by North Sydney Council in accordance with the State Government’s new Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework requirements. If there is one thing in our lives of which we can be sure, it is that change is all around us; it is a constant in our lives; it is unavoidable. At any one time, there are many drivers of change in Council’s external environment. Some of these drivers, whilst already making themselves felt, are likely to exert so strong an influence on us that they will impede our ability to effectively staff North Sydney Council into the future. The risks attached to a workforce are as real to an organisation as those associated with more tangible assets. Analysing the workforce, forecasting future gaps, highlighting hotspots and identifying the skills required to execute business strategy goes a long way towards mitigating these risks. North Sydney Council has been conscious of the need for and benefits of workforce management planning for some time. In 2005 Council’s senior management adopted its first Human Resources Strategic Plan: A Strategic Plan for Our People, initiated in order to be better prepared to meet the staffing challenges of the future. Council’s Workforce Strategy is part of our Resourcing Strategy, helping to ensure that the community’s long term goals and objectives, as expressed in the 2020 Vision, North Sydney Community Strategic Plan 2009-2020 and Delivery Program 2010/11-2013/14, are met. Effective workforce planning enables Council to focus on the medium and long term and also to provide a framework for dealing with immediate challenges in a consistent way. There are a significant number of initiatives planned for the next four years, as outlined in this document, which will require the ongoing commitment of councillors, senior management and all staff. It is intended that this Strategy be a living document that helps to guide the activities and decision making of Council into the future. The initiatives will be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure applicability in the changing environment and to also incorporate feedback from employees.

Cr Genia McCaffery MAYOR

Penny Holloway GENERAL MANAGER


1. Introduction Under the Integrated Planning and Reporting (IPR) Framework councils are required to draw together their various plans, to understand how they interact and to get the maximum leverage from their efforts by planning holistically for the future. The 2020 Vision, North Sydney Community Strategic Plan 2009-2020 provides a vehicle for expressing long term community aspirations. However these aspirations can only be achieved if sufficient resources - time, money, assets and people - are allocated. Through the North Sydney Council Delivery Program 2010/11-2013/14, Council outlines how the objectives of the 2020 Vision will be implemented through projects and services during its term of office. Implementation will be within the resources available under the accompanying long term Resourcing Strategy.

Figure 1.1 Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework The Resourcing Strategy focuses on long term strategies in three key areas:

• financial planning; • asset management planning; and • workforce planning.

The Resourcing Strategy is the critical link between the 2020 Vision and the Delivery Program, detailing the provision of resources required to implement strategies established by the Community Strategic Plan for which Council is responsible. Council’s Workforce Strategy 2010/11-2013/14 is part of our Resourcing Strategy. An effective workforce management strategy provides Council with the best people able to achieve its strategic direction, through the development of innovative approaches to complex human resource issues and delivery of effective and efficient services. There are five key priority areas to Council’s Workforce Strategy. These are workforce structure and requirements, workplace equity and diversity, workplace governance, employee support and development, and employee wellbeing.

Delivery Program4 years

Annual Report

Operational Plan1 year

LEP

Resourcing Strategy Long Term Financial Plan

Asset Management Strategy Workforce Strategy

Ongoing monitoring, evaluation and review

“QBL focus” to achieve well balanced environmental, social and economic outcomes in a good governance framework

Links with the NSW State Plan

2020 Vision Community Strategic Plan

10 years+


The Workforce Strategy is intended to be a living document used and updated regularly to guide Council’s human resource needs to meet the people-challenges of the future and make North Sydney Council a great place to work. 1.1 Human Resources Strategic Plan, 2005 North Sydney Council has been committed to workforce planning for some time now. In 2005 Council’s senior management endorsed its first Human Resources Strategic Plan. The development of this Strategic Plan commenced with an examination of two major external drivers: industrial relations and emerging characteristics of the Australian labour market. The extended management group heard from the Local Government and Shires Association regarding the industrial relations environment at the time - specifically the Work and Family Test Case, the Secure Employment Test Case and the Penalties Case; and from Avril Henry (from AH Relations) providing insight into the expectations of the various generations e.g. Veterans, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y, which comprise our workforce and the labour market in general. Following these presentations, the Extended Management Group:

• Considered other drivers currently impacting on the business of Council which were likely to occur over the coming years;

• Contemplated what Council’s workplace might look like in the future; and • Projected what skills might be required of Council’s workforce in the future.

The Human Resources Strategic Plan has guided the development and management of Council’s workforce for the past five years and is the foundation of our first Workforce Strategy. The Workforce Strategy describes the current North Sydney Council workforce (human resource capacity and capability), details where Council wants to be in the future in terms of achieving the community’s long term goals and its position as an employer of choice. It also details the actions that must be undertaken to achieve the organisation’s workforce planning and human resource management objectives. Some of the strategies emerging from the workforce planning process overlap with, or are extensions of, strategies already identified in the Human Resources Strategic Plan. In summary, some of the key actions and achievements of Council to date include: 1.1.1 Employee Productivity and Responsiveness

• Review of service levels. • Extension of on-line customer services e.g. self-service functions such as

paying rates on-line so as to improve our services whilst containing staffing levels.

• Improved use of technology e.g. electronic enforcement, online customer request management system (CRM).

• Introduction of an intranet to improve information access for employees. • New plant/equipment, including new trucks for improved street sweeping and

reduction of manual handling. • Review of Council’s employee rewards associated with our Performance

Planning and Assessment (PPA) framework.


• Continuous improvement of our Human Resources Information System (HRIS) database to gain improved functionality.

1.1.2 Employee Capability

• Introduction of a E-Learning to improve flexibility of delivery and reduce risks associated with legislative compliance. This has also been a cost-effective method by which to provide access to learning and development and has also improved the skills of those who had no computer literacy.

• Provision of leadership training courses including Supervisory Skills and Frontline Management.

• Review of financial support towards the achievement of tertiary qualifications. • Provision of a range of training courses to match identified training needs.

1.1.3 Employee Wellbeing

• Introduction of Health Matters - employee health improvement program. • Introduction of Money Matters - employee financial advice program. • Review of and training for Council’s Code of Conducts, Equal Employment

Opportunity (EEO), Bullying and Harassment policies to promote a fair and ethical workplace.

• Review and promotion of Council’s Harassment Contact Officers scheme. • Introduction of Safety Collaboration program for outdoor staff.

1.1.4 Organisational Sustainability

• Introduction of Health Matters and Money Matters programs (refer 1.1.3). These programs fluctuate according to budget allocation.

• Periodic Employee Opinion Surveys conducted (2005 and 2008). • Review of Council’s organisation structure and positions as/when

opportunities arise. • Initiating market salary surveys particularly tailored to local government so as

to determine relativity with the market. • Implementation of a new salary system. • Introduction of the option of reduced working hours arrangements, initiated in

response to budgetary issues as a result of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). • Participation in skills and career expos to market/promote local government

as an employer of choice. • Offering apprenticeships, traineeships, work experience and internships.


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2. Our Organisation This section provides an overview of North Sydney’s community and Council including our vision, mission and values; our charter; introducing your councillors, Council’s organisational structure, and a snapshot of the geographic and demographic profile of North Sydney. 2.1 Our Vision, Mission, Values and Charter 2.1.1 Our Vision North Sydney is a vibrant community with a major and unique commercial centre surrounded by related villages and neighbourhoods. We celebrate community harmony, respect and diversity and our locality is recognised for its excellence in innovation, business and sustainability. Our residents, workers and students are proud to belong to this community and we welcome those who visit and enjoy the area. Our community supports environmental, social and economic sustainability through civic leadership and local and practical solutions. 2.1.2 Our Mission To be leading edge in serving the community of North Sydney by caring for its assets, improving its appearance and delivering services to its people in a financially, socially and environmentally responsible manner. 2.1.3 Our Core Values Sustainability - equity, preservation, justice and precaution Community service - efficiency, effectiveness and responsiveness Open government - transparency and accountability Ethical conduct - honesty and integrity Justice - fairness and equity Quality - innovation and excellence Teamwork - cooperation and respect 2.1.4 Council’s Charter In addition to the Council's Charter under Section 8 of the Local Government Act, 1993, North Sydney Council has adopted its own Charter:

• We will leave to future generations a better environment than we inherited. Sustainability will be a call to action across our community. In partnership with our community, we will ensure that responsible stewardship of the local environment is a guiding principle in all our activities. We will develop new


local parks and sporting facilities, broaden the use of our existing open space and recreation resources and improve how we care for and manage them. We will work with other organisations, locally and regionally, to realise these ends. The importance of providing opportunities for community health and wellbeing will be central to all of our open space and recreation planning.

• We will work with our community to create a built environment that is well

designed, welcoming, safe, accessible and beautiful and which truly reflects our local heritage. We will protect the character of our urban environment whilst managing growth. We ensure that North Sydney’s networks of roads, footpaths, seawalls and other local infrastructure is maintained to a standard that meets our community’s expectations. Funding for major new infrastructure will be spread over the life of the asset. We will bring together other levels of government in sharing responsibility for our local infrastructure. We will make North Sydney pedestrian and bike friendly. The use of public transport and other alternatives to the private car will be encouraged through the improvement and expansion of sustainable transport options and the encouragement of car sharing options.

• We will preserve the economic vitality of the North Sydney Central Business

District and unique commercial centres. From a strong commercial heart, our CBD will host a thriving business community, provide diverse social and cultural activities and work in harmony with surrounding residential areas and other commercial centres nearby. The CBD will be internationally recognised as a place for innovation, excellence and Ecologically Sustainable Development. Our commercial centres will remain economically viable, healthy and attractive. Our neighbourhoods will be strengthened so that there are village centres with shops and places to meet within walking distance of residential areas.

• We will strengthen bonds in our community and give more recognition and

support to our social and cultural diversity. A safer environment for people who live in and visit North Sydney will be created, and we will promote a sense of community responsibility for our collective wellbeing. We will ensure ‘universal access’ to our community services and facilities through continuous needs analysis and planning. We will pursue investment opportunities to enhance community assets under Council’s care in the interests of quality of life, amenity and public safety. We will always regard our role in delivering services to the community as vital. We will work in partnership with other levels of government in planning and providing services. Central to our focus will be the needs of youth, families and older people as well as those with special needs.

• We will continue our established tradition of good governance and we will be

a leader in ethical, transparent and open government. We will be worthy of and receive the highest level of community confidence in our capacity to govern. We will adopt a sustainable approach to our financial planning, explore additional sources of income and minimise risks to our organisation. Achieving this will ensure that we are able to maintain a healthy and secure financial position whilst providing our community with a high level of service.


2.2 Our Councillors


2.3 Our Organisational Structure North Sydney Council is constituted under the Local Government Act 1993. The organisational structure under which Council operates is set out below:

Figure 2.1 Organisation Chart 2.3.1 The role of the General Manager and Senior Management General Manager, Penny Holloway

The General Manager is responsible for the operation of Council’s organisation and for implementing the policies and decisions of the Council. The General Manager is responsible for the day to day management of Council, exercising any functions delegated by the Council; and the appointment, direction and dismissal of staff. Responsible to the General Manager are six Directors who manage the Divisions of Community and Library Services, Corporate Services, Engineering and Property Services, Finance and Information Services, Open Space and Environmental Services and Planning and Development Services. The General Manager, along with the Directors comprises the Senior Management Team (MANEX) that ensures the organisation is meeting its obligations and provides staff with strategic direction. The role of the General Manager is also to oversee Mayoral and Councillor support and legal services.

General Manager

Martin EllisCommunity & Library

Services

Robert EmersonOpen Space &

Environmental Services

Kerry GilbertCorporate Services

Greg CooperEngineering & Property

Services

Ross McCreanorFinance & Information

Management

Warwick WinnPlanning & Development

Services

Community Development Environmental

Services

Parks & Reserves

North Sydney Olympic Pool

Communications

Ranger & Parking Services

Corporate Planning &

Governance

Human Resources

Customer Services

Works Engineering

Property Assets

Engineering Infrastructure

Traffic

Project Management Financial Services

Information Technology

Risk Management

Document Management

Services

Environmental & Building

Compliance

Development Services

Administration Services

Strategic Planning

Aboriginal Heritage Office

Function Centre & Events

Management

Library Services

Recreational Planning

Landscape Planning &

Design

Executive Services

Legal Officer


Director Community and Library Services, Martin Ellis The Community and Library Services (CLS) Division plans and delivers a vast range of services including programs for seniors and people with special needs, family and children services, youth services and community events to encourage community connectedness. The Division is also responsible for management of Stanton Library and the North Sydney Heritage Centre. Director Corporate Services, Kerry Gilbert The Corporate Services (CS) Division coordinates governance, customer services, communications, community engagement, human resources, parking management, companion animal management and corporate administration. Another key role is coordination of integrated planning and forward planning for Council. The Division undertakes the process to establish a shared vision and strategic directions through consultation with the community. Director Finance and Information Management, Ross McCreanor The Finance and Information Management (FIM) Division provides financial services, risk management and insurance, information technology services and document management services. Activities also include the management of Council’s investment portfolio and long term financial planning. Director Engineering and Property Services, Greg Cooper The Engineering and Property Services (EPS) Division is responsible for the delivery of infrastructure and commercial operations. Operational activities include the maintenance of built assets including buildings, roads, footpaths and drainage. Commercial operation activities include parking meters, parking stations and the commercial property portfolio. Engineering and Property Services also delivers capital works projects, manages traffic planning and facilities, provides road safety education programs and manages Council’s fleet and plant. Director Open Space and Environmental Services, Robert Emerson The Open Space and Environmental Services (OSES) Division’s responsibilities include waste management, environmental services and sustainability, bushland management and parks and reserves management. Tree management is managed by this Division as well as management of the North Sydney Olympic Pool and the North Sydney Oval and Function Centre, public events, recreational planning, Aboriginal heritage, street cleaning, and landscaping planning and design. Director Planning and Development Services, Warwick Winn The Planning and Development Services (PDS) Division’s key responsibilities are assessing and determining development applications and the regulation of strategic land use planning through planning instruments such as heritage controls. The Division also ensures that building and health regulations are enforced and supports local government area-wide economic development.


2.3.2 Employee Profile The current organisational structure (i.e. the budgeted staff establishment) comprises 388 full time equivalent (FTE) staff positions across six Divisions and the General Manager’s Office. The FTE comprised of a headcount of 489 people as detailed in the table below; whilst there are 111 casual staff recorded on Council’s payroll system, they are only engaged to work on a needs basis, within the budget levels. Division Full time

(FT) Part time

(PT) Casual

General Manager’s Office 4 0 0 Community and Library Service 22 35 27 Corporate Services 66 11 2 Engineering and Property Services 46 3 12 Finance and Information Management 34 3 0 Open Space and Environmental Services 94 16 67 Planning and Development Services 41 3 3 Total FT, PT and Casual Headcount 307 71 111

2.4 North Sydney in Profile 2.4.1 Key Facts: • North Sydney local government area (LGA) is located 3km from the Sydney GPO

and covers ten square kilometres.

• North Sydney’s estimated resident population in 2007 was 62,323, an increase of 5.9% since 2001.

• By 2020 North Sydney is expected to increase to 64,551 people.

• Over 50,000 people travel daily to North Sydney for work and study. The State Government’s employment capacity target for North Sydney is 15,000 by 2031 as outlined in the 2007 Draft Inner North Subregional Strategy.

• North Sydney has a low proportion of households with children, compared to the Sydney average with 88.6% of the population being over 18 years.

• North Sydney has a larger percentage of 25 to 34 year olds (27.4%) compared to the Sydney average.

• North Sydney is a relatively affluent community with above average incomes. Overall 47.1% of households earn $1,700 or more per week, whilst 9.5% are low income households, earning less than $500 per week.

• Overall, 60.9% of the population hold tertiary qualifications compared with 43% for the Sydney average.

• Of our 15,000 students attending schools and tertiary institutions in North Sydney, only one in five live in the LGA.

• Almost a third of North Sydney’s population was born overseas; 18.2% are from a non-English speaking background, compared with 24% for the Sydney average.


• Dwelling density is higher in North Sydney than in other parts of Sydney with

almost 25% residing in medium density dwellings (semi-detached, row, terrace, townhouses and villa units); while 52.6% live in high density dwellings (flats and apartments).

• By 2031 North Sydney is required by the State Government to provide an additional 5,500 dwellings as outlined in the 2007 Draft Inner North Subregional Strategy.

• North Sydney is home to one of the largest business districts in Australia as well as several smaller commercial centres. More than 45 000 businesses operate from North Sydney.

• Approximately 15-20% of North Sydney is open space, including seven parks with multiple sports fields and 188 larger parklands to pocket parks and smaller garden areas.

For more information about North Sydney’s demographic characteristics, please refer to the demographic profile, on Council’s website at www.northsydney.nsw.gov.au. Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Census of Population and Housing, 2006 and 2001. Figure 2.1 Map of North Sydney LGA, showing Ward boundaries




3. Workforce Planning Overview 3.1 The Need for Workforce Planning Workforce management planning is a process, not an event. It is the ongoing and pro-active process of determining and shaping the capacity and capability of North Sydney Council’s workforce to achieve the organisation’s goals and objectives. Workforce management planning is not solely the role of Council’s Human Resources Department - it needs to be driven by the senior management team (MANEX), managers (Extended MANEX) and supervisors/team leaders. Workforce management planning issues should also be used to inform the development of each four year Delivery Program. Workforce management planning is not an exact science, and it is anticipated that Council’s skills in workforce planning will continue to grow as the new Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework is further implemented and embedded into North Sydney’s integrated planning processes. The purpose of workforce management planning is to optimise the use of Council’s human resources to meet the goals and objectives of the 2020 Vision and to address the human resource requirements of Council’s Delivery Program. 3.2 Benefits of Workforce Planning The benefits of workforce management planning outweigh mere legislative compliance. Workforce planning assists organisations to plan for the future, anticipate change and manage their workforce to meet business goals and objectives. Workforce management planning aims to avoid crisis management (e.g. talent surpluses or shortages) by identifying potential changes and contingencies in advance. 3.3 Key Steps in Workforce Planning

The seven key steps in preparing an effective Workforce Strategy include:

1. Analysis of North Sydney Council’s Workforce - this includes analysis of the profile/demographics of the existing workforce as well as identification of roles as being non-discretionary, core or discretionary. This analysis helps Council to identify the risks associated with the impact on the business if these roles were to become vacant or the incumbents were to be absent. It is important to establish a clear understanding of North Sydney Council’s direction, strengths and weaknesses, and the internal and external factors (e.g. external labour forces) that influence current and future labour demand and supply.

2. Forecast of future needs - this involves forecasting anticipated changes to the delivery of Council services through scenario building and the development of assumptions about future staffing needs, by understanding future work requirements and identifying future skill and competency needs;.

3. Gap Analysis - this involves using the findings of the workforce analysis and forecasting steps, to identify the gap between workforce demand and workforce supply, then prioritising work and identification of potential actions.


4. Environmental Scan - this identifies external drivers that could impact on the workforce and the workplace.

5. Developing strategies to address key issues - this involves the planning and design of strategic programs and projects to address gaps in demand and supply of labour/skills, including establishment of success criteria. Contingency plans will also be developed, where necessary, to address absences of incumbents in non-discretionary/core roles.

6. Implementation of Strategies - this involves the implementation of the identified strategic programs and projects (i.e. action plan) that will be implemented over the four-year period aligning with the term of Council; and renewed each four years.

7. Monitoring and evaluation - this involves measuring success and taking any remedial actions, as necessary.

The following diagram illustrates the key steps in workforce planning:

Figure 3.1 Key Steps in Workforce Planning Source: State Services Authority - www.ssa.vic.gov.au


4. Environmental Scan The Environmental Scan is a review of the key external factors that may impact on North Sydney Council and, therefore its workforce. 4.1 Economic Indicators Evidence indicates that the Australian economy is performing well after the GFC. Capacity issues and fierce competition for labour looks set to return as a feature of the Australian economy as firms report their strongest expectations in many years for inventory and employment growth1.

Key economic indicators include:

• CPI: July 2009 to March 2010 = 2.5%2; projected CPI in 2011/12 is 3%. • Unemployment Rate: July 2009 to March 2010 = 5%; As at February

2011 = 5.0%. • Westpac-Melbourne Consumer Sentiment Index: is an indicator of

consumer confidence; the index was 116.1 as at April, 2010 (approx 15% above its long term average)3.

• ANZ Job Advertisements: as at March 2010, job advertisements on

the internet and in newspapers had increased by 1.8% in March 2010, to be 8% higher than March 2009 (seasonally adjusted)4.

• Total Building Activity: as at the September 2009 quarter (seasonally

adjusted)5: - Estimated value of total building work rose 1.6%, following a fall

of 3.9% in June 2009; - New residential building approvals rose 2.8%; - Work done on new houses rose 6.5% while other new residential

building fell 4.7%; - Alterations and additions rose 3.9%; - Non-residential fell 0.2% in the September 2009 quarter;

following a fall of 6.7% in June 2009 quarter. 4.2 External Planning Assumptions 4.2.1 External Labour Market Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data reveals the following about Australia’s labour market:

1 Dun & Bradstreet Business Expectations for the June Quarter 2010 (February 2010) 2 NAB’s Monthly Business Survey and Economic Outlook - March 2010, http://www.nab.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/nab/nab/home/Business_Solutions/10/1/?ncID=ZBA (April 2010) 3 Media release April 2010 Westpac Banking Corporation, http://www.melbourneinstitute.com/research/mcro/csi/html (May 2010) 4 ANZ Job Series, http://www.anz.com/resources/corporate/economic-markets-research/australian-industry-economic. The ANZ Job Series has historically proved to be a good indicator of future labour market conditions and employment growth forecasts (May 2010) 5 8752.0 Building Activity 2009, http://www.abs.gov.au (January 2010)


4.2.1.1 Patterns of Work - non traditional hours The proportion of all employed people who work part time almost doubled between August 1979 (16%) and August 2009 (30%). The proportion of all employed people who work casually increased from August 1992 (17%) to August 1996 (20%), but has since remained level. 4.2.1.2 Population Growth/Ageing Australia is expected to grow faster than most other developed countries, at 1.1% per year, reaching 34 million by 2050. The 2007 Draft Inner North Subregional Strategy includes population and dwelling targets for North Sydney. Australia is expected to experience significant demographic changes over the next few decades. By 2051, over 25% of its population will be aged over 65. Due to falling fertility and increased longevity the median age will increase from 37 to 42 years by 2050.This resents both micro and macro issues surrounding the projected increase in the supply of mature age workers in the coming decades.6 An Organisations need to change their attitudes towards mature workers as they are too valuable to lose. In turn population changes impact on infrastructure demands and expected service levels. Planning assumptions are further detailed in Council’s Long Term Financial Plan. 4.2.1.3 Government Skills Australia (GSA) The GSA Environmental Scan 20097 identified some common themes affecting, or likely to affect, productivity in the future including:

• the impact of the ageing workforce (employment implications are productivity, safety; caring for family members; health care benefits; and flexible working arrangements);

• the GFC (reduced training budgets); • legislative and regulatory change; • climate change; • recruitment and retention issues; • achieving productivity improvement with current staffing levels and

skill base; and • limited access to, and use of, public-funded training.

4.2.1.4 Skills Shortages (“Hotspots”) The GSA Environmental Scan 2009 identified that local government will experience difficulty in attracting and retaining the following staff categories - Engineering, Planning, Building Surveying, Environmental Health and Accounting.

Council’s recruitment experience to date has identified that the following roles, as shown in the table below, fall into the “hard to recruit” category. Positions that fall into this category require either specialist Local Government experience, specialist

6 http://www.health.gov.au/internet/wcms/publishing.nsf/content/ageing-ofoa-research-accessecon.htm/$file/popageing.pdf 7 Government Skills Australia Environmental Scan 2009, www.governmentskills.com.au 7


qualifications, and/or are difficult to fill because of the very nature of the work, remuneration level or travel times for distance to/from workplace of likely candidates. Hard to Recruit Positions Reason/Comment Low Skilled employees i.e. labourers, street cleaners

Remuneration low; Travel distance to work (due to shortage of affordable housing in North Sydney and surrounding areas).

Drivers (MR Licence)

Overall shortage in supply; Currently sourced most successfully via labour hire.

Parking Services Officer

Enforcement nature of role; North Sydney Council receives numerous applications, but the quantity of candidates with suitable skills, abilities and motivation to do the job is low.

Lifeguard Specialised qualifications; Shift work required to cover opening times; Currently sourced most successfully via specialist sports agency.

Tradespeople Short supply, particularly Arborists; Other shortages include stonemasons, carpenter, painters, etc. Due to the recent floods in NSW, Queensland and Victoria it is likely that the labour market for trades (building, horticulture etc) and blue collar workers may become much tighter as the infrastructure in flood-damaged areas is rebuilt.

Accountants Low turnover, however if vacancy occurs, shortage of applicants with both the specialised qualifications and local government experience required.

Rates Officer Low turnover, however, if vacancy occurs, shortage of applicants with both the specialised knowledge and experience required.

Engineers - Traffic and Asset Low turnover, however, if vacancy occurs, shortage of qualified candidates with local government experience.

IT - Geographical Information Systems/Mapping Officer (GIS)

Low turnover, however if vacancy occurs, shortage of qualified candidates with local government experience.

Shorelink Library Unusual mixture of Library and IT qualifications; Turnover low however if vacancy occurs, short supply. Is currently a shared resource between neighbouring councils.

Town Planners (with experience)

Historically a shortage of supply, but recently in less demand due to general reduction in building work across local government.

Environmental Health Difficulty recruiting those with extensive experience.

Building Compliance Conflict associated with the role, making it less attractive to applicants.

Occupational Health and Safety Advisor

Shortage of supply of candidates with the necessary qualifications and experience.


Organisations experiencing both skills shortages and constrained employment budgets may increase their reliance on external contractors. The positives include quick implementation of expertise into delivering a project/service without the long term employment costs. The negatives include lack of skill development of existing staff which has a flow on effect through reduction of ongoing human resources capacity; in addition employment costs are masked as contractors may not be considered employment costs but operating costs. 4.2.2 Legislative Changes Legislative changes or reforms that will impact on local government in the near future include (but are not limited to):

• National Employment Standards - effective from 1 January 2010, the Federal Government introduced ten minimum standards required for all modern awards. The minimum standards are covered largely by the Local Government State Award; however there is more support for employee flexibility through these standards.

• Accreditation changes - there is uncertainty regarding recently proposed

changes to the accreditation process for Building Surveyors. Impacts on employment costs and staff retention in this area can be expected.

• Paid Parental Leave Scheme - introduced in January 2011, this Federal

initiative provides more support for parents, therefore not compelling them to return to work as quickly. Further, there are additional costs associated with the ‘top up’ payments for women as well as the secondary carer.

• The Local Government (General) Amendment (Long Service Leave)

Regulation 2011 - commenced 18 February 2011. This regulation enables councils to approve an employee’s application for Long Service Leave to be taken at double pay or half pay. If Council were to approve applications for half pay, then there are implications for the operations of the business. If it is necessary to continue with the services, rather than suspend it, then Council will bear additional employment costs and may also experience a loss of skills for the duration of the leave.

4.2.3 Political Environment Functions from State and Federal Governments are from time to time devolved (i.e. cost shifting) to Local Government, often with little funding to undertake such functions. The Government of the day also drives initiatives that will have longer term impacts on the labour market. Examples of current areas of reform include the education sector and changes to the skilled migration program and population policy. 4.2.4 Technological Changes Organisations can pay a price for the lack of information technology literacy among workers, including reduced productivity. Changes in technology present unique challenges to both employees and employers. According to the National School Boards America’s Change and Technology Education Leadership Toolkit8 more than half of new jobs require some form of technology literacy. 8 National School Boards America’s Change and Technology Education Leadership Toolkit, http://www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/tnwp.html (April 2010)


A report by the Information Technology Association of America warned that one out of every ten jobs requiring information technology skills is going unfilled due to a shortage of qualified workers. The report cited a decline in graduates with appropriate tertiary qualifications and or job related experience. In Australia, with both an ageing workforce and a workforce still challenged with low level foundation skills in language, literacy and numeracy, this issue will continue to be challenging for employers. Skills Australia recommends that to ensure potential productivity growth and more fully realise change, new tools to equip organisations to more effectively use the skills, expertise and talent of their existing employees9 are required. Training and skills development costs will remain a constant expense for organisations. 4.2.5 Environmental Changes Employee expectations reflect those of the wider local and global community. Employees want to work for organisations that value the environment and incorporate sustainability into all aspects of their operations. Issues such as global warming, climate change, carbon emission trading schemes, and water conservation will continue to be major issues to be addressed in the coming years. Council has long been a forerunner in sustainability, having adopted a quadruple bottom line (QBL) approach to its planning and reporting and in our ‘Green @ Work’ program. Council already has in place environmental sustainability programs targeted at staff. The Green @ Work Program has been introduced to encourage Council staff to implement sustainability in the workplace by sharing case studies and celebrating success stories. Council is also currently preparing a Climate Change Adaptation Plan. The aim of this plan is to explore the potential insured exposures for Council from either their action or inaction to climate change impacts. This is a project under the auspices of Statewide Mutual, Council’s insurer. 4.2.6 Globalisation As clearly demonstrated during the GFC, we now live in a global world. Australia’s economic growth is strongly linked with the growth of our major trading partners, particularly in the Asia Pacific region. The March 2010 NAB Monthly Business Survey forecasts Global Growth will increase to 3.9% in 2010 and 4% in 2011. The latest business surveys point to an acceleration in the pace of the global economic recovery. These revisions are concentrated in East Asia, where the strong upturn in China is spilling over into a rapid rebound in industrial activity across the entire region. Globalisation is also having profound effects in the workplace. According to Alan Oxley, Australian APEC Centre the affects of globalisation on work include:

• jobs in services rather than manufacturing • workers provide services rather than “do a job” • end of “lifetime” employment

9 Skills Australia Publication: Australia Workforce Futures: 2010 A National Workforce Development Strategy, http://www.skillsaustralia.com.au, April 2010


• individuals manage their own affairs • greater personal freedom

Mercer’s Workplace 201210 forecasts that:

• The working week in 2012 is unlikely to include five days in the office and may be worked within a global time zone with remote management.

• Social networking websites will be encouraged and used to build global and virtual business relationships internally and with clients.

Council’s Flexi-time and Home Based Work policies, both of which have been operating in Council for many years, provide maximum flexibility for staff and serve as tools in attracting and retaining staff. The growth of social networking also provides an opportunity for exchanging business ideas, innovations and knowledge. 4.3 Internal Planning Assumptions 4.3.1 Demand for Council Services Council delivers services through 29 departments/functions. Analysis and community consultation has shown that if Council is to meet the objectives and targets of the 2020 Vision, all of these services need to be maintained at their existing level and some services will require enhancement in service levels. Ongoing reviews of service levels, in consultation with the community and having regard to their full service delivery costs are undertaken on a regular, planned and ad hoc basis to ensure that funding allocations are both justifiable and sustainable. This includes periodic reviews of Council’s Service Level Agreements (SLAs) to ensure that current service levels meet community needs and expectations. This review compliments Council’s biennial Customer Satisfaction Survey. Council is committed both in principle and in practice, to engaging on matters affecting the North Sydney community. Council conducts a Customer Satisfaction Survey every two years to determine community attitudes towards the services and facilities it provides. This provides Council with feedback about the quality and appropriateness priorities in relation to services, and this information is used in the development of the Delivery Program to ensure areas that are not meeting community expectations are reviews and form the basis of the suite of indicators used to measure Council’s performance, External information available regarding demand for local government services, as identified in the GSA Environmental Scan 2009 has identified the following impacts:

• Increased community expectations - particularly in areas of emergency management and asset management and maintenance;

• Increased responsibility for provision of human and welfare services; and • Taking a lead role economic and social development.

10 Workplace 2012: What does it mean for employers?, http://www.mercer.com.au/workplace2012 (April 2010)


In summary the key challenge for councils is to deliver affordable services at levels the community considers satisfactory, and which are supported by sustainable financial, asset management and human resource planning. The key factors identified in Section 4 need to be considered by senior management as they consider North Sydney Council’s future. The environmental scan has influenced the development of the Workforce Strategy, in formulating strategies to either leverage or mitigate trends.




No. staff at NSC

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5. Current Workforce Analysis The primary sources of data on North Sydney Council’s current workforce are:

• Civica’s Authority Human Resources Information System (HRIS) and Payroll databases

• Results of Staff Employee Opinion surveys: 2005, 2008 and 2011 • Consultation with MANEX • Consultation with Extended MANEX

5.1 Staff Establishment As outlined in Section 2.3.2, Council’s budgeted staff establishment is 388 full time equivalent (FTE) positions as at 2010/11. This comprised of full time, part time and casual workers. The FTE headcount is outlined in the table below:

Full Time Part Time Subtotal Casual Total 307 71 378 111 489

Casuals are employed in the following Divisions of Council:

• Community and Library Services - mainly Family Day Care (Community

Development) and Stanton Library (Library Services) • Engineering and Property Services - mainly Works Engineering (Depot) • Open Space and Environmental Services - mainly in Mollie Dive Function

Centre, North Sydney Olympic Pool, including Lane 9 Gym and Street Cleaning (Environmental Services) which includes New Year’s Eve clean up crew.

The following graph provides a comparison between staffing numbers as June 2009 and April 2010, showing headcount:

Figure 5.1 Number of staff by employment type comparison


5.2 Workforce Diversity The following gender data demonstrating Council’s workforce diversity is as at April 2010: Division

FT and PT Males

FT and PT Females

General Manager’s Office 1 3 Community and Library Service 13 44 Corporate Services 32 44 Engineering and Property Services 37 10 Finance and Information Services 15 24 Open Space and Environmental Services 82 27 Planning and Development Services 26 21 Total FT and PT Headcount (379) 206 173 Overall, the gender balance of full time and part time staff is relatively balanced, with approx 55% male and approximately 45% female. However, on closer scrutiny there are almost double the numbers of males employed full time compared to females; and over approximately 80% of all part time employees are female. As at 15 April 2010:

• 8 of the top 10 highest paid positions in Council are occupied by men and 2 by women; and

• of the top 88 positions highest paid positions (10%), 61 (69%) are male while 27 (31%) are female.

Anecdotally, this is largely thought to be due to more females taking on the role of primary carer and wishing to participate in the workforce on a part time basis. This reflects positively on our attraction and retention strategies - North Sydney Council is a family friendly workplace with the ability to negotiate flexible working hours arrangements. Council also currently employs 4 full time staff (1.3% of FT staff as at 15 April 2010) who hold either resident or 457 visas in Financial Services, Document Management Services, Ranger and Parking Services and Works Engineering; whilst 7 casuals (4.4% of casual staff as at 15 April 2010) hold student or other provisional resident visas, working at North Sydney Olympic Pool, the Function Centre and Stanton Library. Almost one third of North Sydney’s population was born overseas. 18.2% are from a non-English speaking background, compared with 24% for the Sydney average. 7 % speak a language other than English at home regularly. The language most spoken at home in North Sydney, other than English, is Cantonese (2.7%). Council’s workforce is generally reflective of the local community and Council remains committed to ensuring the diversity of its workforce is in line with its EEO Management Plan. A key strategy of our Workforce Strategy will be to improve the collection of data through HRIS and payroll systems, including recording of dominant languages spoken at home (other than English). 5.3 Workforce Demographics Council has 69 (18%) permanent staff members over 55 years of age, of whom 26 (6.8%) are over 60 years of age. Despite the recent financial downturn, these staff


NSC Staff Age Distribution - April 2010

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may be planning to retire in the short to medium term and so it will be critical to ensure contingency plans are in place and that transfer of corporate knowledge occurs before they retire. This demographic profile highlights future internal labour supply issues for Council. Most employment markets will experience pressure to boost workforce participation and increased competition for talent. Figure 5.2 Age Distribution, as at 15 April 2010 5.4 Length of Service An indication of the rate of retention can be the number of years staff stay with Council. In 2007/08, almost half (48.9%) of Council’s workforce had been with Council for less than five years. This figure dropped to 45.9% in 2008/09 and as at 1 February 2010 had dropped again to 42.4%. This trend indicates that more staff are remaining in Council’s employment for a longer period of time. Figure 5.3 shows the percentages of staff engaged for five to ten year range and ten year plus range to be considerably higher than those employed for less than five years.

Figure 5.3 Length of Service, as at 1 February 2010


A desirable turnover rate may be considered to be approximately 10% - 12% per annum. Council’s slightly higher turnover rate in 2005/06, 2006/07 and 2007/08 is likely to be reflective of the increasing skills shortage. Anecdotally, Council’s turnover rate is lower than many other Sydney councils. The lower turnover rate in 2008/09 and 2009/10 is likely to be reflective of the impact of the GFC. No. of Terminations 05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10

No. FT and PT terminations (calculated as a % of FTE)

63

(16.2%)

47

(11.9%)

65

(15.9%)

51

(12.3%)

37

(10.3%)

• During 2005/06 Council commenced a review of remuneration and benefits. • During 2006/07 the decrease in terminations may be a result of Council’s

review of remuneration and benefits as well as the introduction of new retention strategies i.e. Health Matters, Money Matters and Transport Allowance.

• 2007/08 was an employee’s market. • In 2009/10, the decrease in terminations may be as a result of the GFC. These statistics highlight that maintaining market competitiveness is essential to achieving the balance of attracting the right people with the right skills. Maintaining market competitiveness will have an impact on employment costs, through salary packages that reflect market rates and include market recognised incentives such as motor vehicles, flexible work practices and learning and development opportunities. 5.5 Retirement Intentions The results of Council’s 2008 Employee Opinion Survey indicated that 5% of staff were considering retirement, however in 2009 only one employee retired. The low rate of retirement could be due to poor financial performance of superannuation funds during this period, due to the impact of the GFC. However, as the economy improves, and as older employees retire, contingency planning will become more critical. Survey Year: 2005 2008 Comments Retirement Intentions:

5% 5% Q: “I am seriously thinking of retiring in the next 12 months”

5.6 Leave Entitlements One of the most significant indicators of an organisation’s strength and vitality can be measured through the level of unscheduled absences.11 The following table compares recent leave data:] 11 Data drawn from Council’s payroll system.


Unscheduled Absences

05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10

10/11 YTD (as at 25

Feb 2011)

10/11 Full Year Estimate

Sick Leave hours

18,292 18,008 19,887 17,826 16,519 12,101 18,507

Carer’s Leave Hours 1,833 3,033 2,487 3,007 2,557

2,285 3,495

Total Unplanned Leave Hours (ie Sick Leave + Carer’s Leave

20,125 21,041 22,374 20,833 19,076 14,386 22,461

Total Unplanned Leave Hours to Total Hours Employed (%)

3.8%

4.6% 4.0% 4.2% 4.4 n/a n/a

Total Unplanned leave hours to Total Ordinary Hours

4.7% 5.8% 5.1% 5.2% 5.4 n/a n/a

5.7 Employee Engagement Consistent with Council’s Community Engagement Policy internal and external stakeholder engagement is equally important. Workplace Diagnostics (who conducted the 2005 and 2008 surveys) generally expects a response rate of between 65% and 75% for surveys of this type and compared to a response rate of 78% in 2005 this result may reflect a general decline in employee engagement which requires further investigation. The 2011 survey was conducted by the Voice Project. Survey Year: 2005 2008 2011 Comments * Response Rate 78% 65% 76% In 2005 responses based on 304

completed questionnaires. In 2008 this dropped to 247. In 2011, the response rate was 76% with 300 surveys completed.

Resignation Intentions

15% 25% 20.6% Q: “I am seriously thinking of resigning in the next 12 months”

Overall Satisfaction

66% 70% 72% Q: “Overall, I am satisfied with North Sydney Council”

5.8 Employee Travel Distance Most councils draw a significant portion of their labour force from their local area. The high housing price in North Sydney precludes many employees. The additional travel times and the difficulty finding parking is a significant detriment to many potential employees. As at April 2010, 12% of current FT and PT employees reside the North Sydney LGA. Raw data shows that 11 staff (2.93% of FT and PT) live more than 100km away (Road Distance) while 54 staff (14.4% of FT and PT staff) live in the North Sydney local government area. The average distance staff travel to work is 22km (Direct Distance) and 27.4km (Road Distance). Figures 5.4 and 5.5 illustrates the one way distance employees need to travel to work each day.


Figure 5.4 Employee Residential Locality As expected, as the distance to be travelled to work increases, the number of staff decreases. After about 20 km or more the numbers of staff that travel to Council drops significantly. Full time staff travel an average road distance of 28.5 km, while part timers travel an average road distance of 19.98km and 7 (4.43%) casuals travel an average road distance of 54.7km. Inevitably employment demographics will change as organisations attempt to address the challenges presented by the different cultures of baby boomers and generations X and Y.

Figure 5.5 Employee Travel Distance

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5.9 Employee Costs As outlined in Council’s LTFP, in order to meet its obligations to the community in the future, it is important for Council to manage its operational expenditure, of which a substantial proportion is its employment costs. The LTFP indicates that, whilst maintaining the current staffing levels, total employment costs have been forecasted to increase by 4.25% per annum (taking into account such factors as Award increases, salary step increases as a result of performance appraisals, and employer superannuation liabilities). With inflation being forecasted at approximately 3%, this is 1.25% above inflation. As shown in the table employment costs as a percentage of revenue from rates from 2006/07 to 2009/10:

• Employment costs increased 25.72% over five years; • Rates revenue and other charges increased by 23.34% (for further

information refer to Council’s Revenue Policy, contained within the Operational Plan).

• Employment costs as a percentage of rates revenue and other annual charges increased from 86% to 87.7%

Expenditure ($’000) 05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10

Employment costs 24,560 25,979 28,063 29,807 30,877

Total rates and Annual Charges

28,535 29,745 32, 194 33,886 35,196

Employment costs (as a % of total rates)

86.0% 87.3% 87.2% 87.9% 87.7%

The following table illustrates employment costs as a percentage of expenditure (excluding capital expenditure). For the 2005/06 to 2009/10 period:

• Total expenses from continuing operation increased by 25.72%; • Employment costs as a % of expenditure increased from 37.4% to 43.24%; • Increases in 2006/07 and 2007/08 related mainly to the significant increase in

Street Cleaning operations which was a resolution of Council; • In 2009/10 as a result of planned reductions in services and staffing levels,

Council reduced its FTE by 24 positions (8%). Council carried forward these reductions in 2010/11 and will continue the same going forward, with the exception of minor changes and planned productivity gains

Expenditure ($’000) 05/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10 10/11

Employment costs

24,560 25,979 28,063 29,807 30,877 n/a

Total expenses from continuing operations

62,651 66,300 69,177 74,954 71,401 n/a

Employment costs as a % of total expenses

37.4% 39.2% 40.6% 39.8% 43.2% n/a

% increase in actual employment costs

n/a 5.8% 8.0% 6.2% 3.6% n/a

Total FTE Staff Numbers

389.06 392.38 407.62 411.78 387 388


Note: the figures in the tables above are sourced from Council’s Statement of Accounts for the Year Ended 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2009/10. Income Statements are available from Council’s website: http://www.northsydney.nsw.gov.au/www/html/3738-annual-financial-statements.asp In 2011/12, Council has budgeted for an FTE of 379.32. Changes in employee costs impact both on revenue and expenditure. Terminations will impact on the employee entitlements’ reserve, employee entitlements’ liability as well as recruitment and training costs. The following analysis details what drives North Sydney Council’s employee costs: 5.9.1 Award Increases The known Local Government (State) Award increases commencing on or after 1 November 2010 include:

• 2.6% increase effective from 1 November 2010; • 2.15% increase effective from 1 July 2011; • 3.25% increase effective from 1 July 2012; and • 3.25% increase effective from 1 July 2013.

5.9.2 Market Competitiveness Council aims to provide a fair reward system for employees which allows for internal equity and external competitiveness. Council aims to position itself at the 75th percentile of salaries at comparable councils. Council participates in an annual salary survey conducted by Mastertek Consultants. The last survey was conducted in April 2010. The survey compared 143 positions typically found in NSW Local Government and involved 18 councils from within the Sydney Metropolitan Area (13) and regional NSW (5). Council typically compares itself against the metropolitan councils. The comparison takes into account top and bottom of salary ranges and some market loadings required in specific, hard to recruit positions. Council is at 95.25% of the 75th percentile for Indoor (Professional and Administrative) staff and 96% of the 75th percentile for Outdoor (Unskilled, semi-skilled and trade) staff. Note: While the DLG issued comparative data provides a guide it can not be relied upon as an accurate comparison. It would appear councils use different data when calculating the number of employees. North Sydney Council has revised its number of employees based on the following criteria: FTE staff is based on the total number of full, part time and casual employees on Council’s payroll on the last pay day for the financial year of reporting. In 2008/09, the revised FTE was 376 and 2009/10 was 356. Applying the new staffing number brings Council’s average cost per employee for 2008/09 to $79,273.94, below similar sized neighbouring councils. 5.9.3 Salary System The Mastertek survey identified salary systems and sustainability as a “hot topic” in the 2010 Survey Summary:


“A major challenge for many councils is that of managing increasing salary costs against a backdrop of significant financial restrictions such as rate pegging and cost shifting from the State Government. In response, a large proportion of survey respondents have indicated that the salary systems currently in place are, or will be, reviewed with a particular focus on achieving more sustainable projections in terms of salary growth into the future. Many salary systems currently in place have provided wage growth of up to 5% per annum and beyond in many cases. Those figures are clearly not sustainable if income does not grow at a similar rate. Many councils are also looking critically at the ‘return on investment’ for the organisation and its community in relation to the annual salary growth and looking at ways to improve and strengthen the link between employee development and performance and the opportunities for salary progression”. The Local Government (State) Award requires that each Council establishes a salary system and provides for a system of progression through a salary range. Council’s salary system has established a series of grades for each position, based on a job evaluation system and market comparisons. Staff are able to progress through their salary grade range in compliance with Award requirements. Councils may also make available access to bonus payments or other opportunities for additional reward for those employees who have progressed through the salary system to the maximum point/step for their position. It should be noted that skills and performance progression increases are paid on top of Award increases. In 2009 Council, in consultation with employees and Unions, reviewed its Performance Planning and Assessment System (PPA) in order to make it a more sustainable system. The result of the review saw a saving in salary increases and incentives of $344,000 between the 2009/10 and 2010/11 performance cycles. This saving will be carried forward throughout the life of this plan. 5.9.4 Employee Transport Allowance As indicated in Section 5.8, the average daily two-way travel distance is 44km (round trip), with 70% of employees travelling more than 18km each day to and from work. As Council does not provide parking for employees in contrast to the majority of other councils, it has established a transport allowance for eligible employees in order to remain competitive in the employment marketplace. The cost of providing parking to staff, particularly in close proximity to a CBD is factored at approximately $300 per month per employee or $3,600 per annum. North Sydney Council has progressively introduced a Transport Allowance for various levels of staff to compensate for the lack of employee parking facilities and as an attraction and retention strategy. The cost impact of introducing the Transport Allowance is $275,000 per annum. The rates vary from $400 p.a. to $2,000 p.a. depending on the grading of the position. 5.9.5 Employee Overhead Model Total employee costs are a combination of direct wages and salaries plus overheads that include workers compensation, superannuation, training and advertising. Workers compensation ranges from 2.3% (year 1 - LTFP) to 2.5% (years 2 to 10 -


LTFP), training remains steady at 1.5% and superannuation has dropped from 12.75% (years 1 and 2 - LTFP) to 12% (years 3 to 10 - LTFP). The recent review of the PPA System has resulted in a decrease from the previously projected increase (2009/10) of 4.5% p.a.

Employee Costs - Salaries plus overheads Year Salary -

Award Increase

Salary - PPA

Increase

Salary %Increase

Net Movement

in Overheads

Projected Increase in Employee

Costs

11/12 2.15% 1.90% 4.05% -0.03% 4.02% 12/13 3.25% 1.00% 4.25% -0.17% 4.08% 13/14 3.25% 1.00% 4.25% -0.66% 3.59% 14/15 3.00% 1.00% 4.00% 0.01% 4.01% 15/16 3.00% 1.00% 4.00% 0.01% 4.01% 16/17 3.00% 1.00% 4.00% 0.02% 4.02% 17/18 3.00% 1.00% 4.00% 0.00% 4.00% 18/19 3.00% 1.00% 4.00% 0.00% 4.00% 19/20 3.00% 1.00% 4.00% 0.00% 4.00%

Staffing numbers are expected to remain stable, as indicated in the table above. In the next three years, there are expected to be some retirements from longer serving staff. This has been reflected through a decrease in superannuation and long service leave costs from years 1 to 3 of the LTFP. The funding level of Council’s employee entitlements reserve (including long service leave) is more than adequate to cover projected total employee leave liabilities, and will not require abnormal cash injections in the medium term. In summary, analysis of Council’s current workforce helps us to identify potential risks to the delivery of services. This information helps us better understand the structure of our current workforce, its strengths and weaknesses and the external factors that can influence current and future labour demand. The next workforce planning step involves analysis of our labour demands and gaps in relation to our ability to deliver projects and services that help achieve the community’s long term goals.


6. Forecasting Future Needs After analysing the current workforce data, comparisons can be made between current supply levels and forecasted labour demand based on the priorities outlined in the Community Strategic Plan and Delivery Program. This workforce planning step requires identification of internal and external changes and developments that Council is likely to face in the future in order to meet the community’s long term goals. This includes developing an appropriate workforce operational structure, identifying the skills required to meet the objectives outlined in the Delivery Program and consideration of emerging technologies. Forecasting Council’s future needs includes identifying what capabilities, competencies and service levels are needed in our workforce. It is vital to recognise that some positions are strategically more critical than others12. North Sydney Council will forecast future needs in two stages:

1. Categorisation of roles/positions within current workforce structure aligning with the requirements of the Delivery Program (completed); and

2. Development of strategies to enable Council to achieve its future workforce

needs, including preparation of contingency plans for all key positions (in progress).

6.1 Stage 1 Firstly all existing roles have been identified as being ‘non discretionary’, ‘core’ or discretionary functions/services: ‘Non-discretionary’ describes those roles which provide services that Council has a statutory obligation to provide. ‘Core’ describes those roles which provide services for which there is a high community need and high community/customer expectation that the service will be provided. ‘Discretionary’ describes those roles/services, that are not classified as either

non-discretionary or core roles. Council chooses to recruit such positions because they assist Council to deliver community expected services in line with priorities identified in the 2020 Vision and Delivery Program. Priority five (5) signifies that these roles/services were categorised as having highest customer or community need or expectation.

Each Division has identified the position(s) within our current workforce structure that are responsible for ‘non discretionary’ and ‘core’ functions/services i.e. those positions that are critical to achieving the 2020 Vision and Delivery Program. See Appendix 2 for the list of services that are identified as non-discretionary, core and discretionary. 12 The responsibilities of some positions are critical to North Sydney Council. The focus is on the scope of the position not the incumbent. If such positions were to be vacated Council may not be able to provide services/programs to expected levels of service.


6.2 Stage 2 Each Division/Department will need to prepare contingency plans for every position identified as non-discretionary and core, and/or as previously identified as “difficult to recruit” i.e. identified as critical positions. Contingency planning aims to ensure business continuity if any of the employee(s) in these positions were to leave the organisation or be absent for a period of time. Contingency planning may include identifying other employees who could undertake the role, if needed. Council is conscious of the need to “grow our own” through the provision of appropriate learning and development and career progression opportunities, so that employees are well equipped to compete as internal applicants. The development of contingency plans will be prioritised using a risk management approach, i.e. taking into consideration a number of risks including:

• Knowledge Risk - a person has a high level of experience or specialist knowledge not available to others;

• Skill Risk - operating a specialist technology or process that no-one else can operate;

• Financial Risk - substantial loss of revenue/income • The number of employees who undertake the role; and • Service Level expectations.

This aspect of workforce planning involves identifying gaps in the level of supply versus the level of demand, against projects and services in the Community Strategic Plan and Delivery Program. Once gaps are identified, strategies can be developed to address these gaps. Gaps may be where:

• Demand exceeds supply, including Council’s current workforce; and/or • Supply (including Council’s current workforce) exceeds demand.


7. Workforce Management Improvement Plan 7.1 Key Focus Areas The focus of Council’s Workforce Strategy 2010-2014 is to retain “its best” and maintain a qualified and capable workforce able to meet service expectations. The reality is that Council will be operating in a “restrained, non-growth” period where budgets and resources are limited and where there are ongoing pressures to “do more with less”. During the GFC, which initially impacted on the 2009/10 budget, Council eliminated or reduced a number of services and/or service levels. In order to minimise redundancies, Council sought expressions of interest in voluntary redundancy, invited applications for a reduction in working hours, froze recruitment of some vacancies (leaving them unfunded) and reduced a number of attraction and retention benefits (including reward and recognition scheme, health improvement program, training and development budget) for staff. Council’s staff establishment was reduced by 24 FTE positions. Many of these reductions will be sustained from 2010/11 to 2013/14. However, post the GFC, the outlook is that the competition for talented staff will once again increase as a result of the increasing number of signs of strength of the Australian economy. Employees who have ‘held onto their jobs’ valuing the job security offered by Local Government may soon begin to look elsewhere, or may begin to show signs of burn-out or lowered morale. Talent retention, once again, will need to become an organisational priority:

• Council’s leaders need to be prepared for managing staff in this period of change, to ensure our employees are productive and engaged.

• Council’s attraction and retention policies need to be considered and

resourced over the long term, to embed North Sydney Council as an ‘Employer of Choice’ and ensure the long term sustainable success of the Council.

Given that a number of Council’s key, experienced staff members (including members of the Senior Management Team) may consider retirement during this time, there also needs to be a strategy on “slowing down the flow” to retirement and the development of contingency plans to cover any short or longer term absences. Further, Council needs to constantly be on the lookout for “new ways of working”, focusing on opportunities for low-cost workplace innovation, opportunities to be “resource smart” or to tap into resources, e.g. funding that may become available via the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government (ACELG) initiatives. The Draft “Local Government Workforce Development Blueprint 2009” from Local Government Workforce Development Steering Committee 2009, part of ACELG, states that:

“…the sector will need to look at how it structures jobs and the workplace. Through smart redesign of job functions and the adoption of progressive employment practices, local government can develop more “demand” side solutions to skills shortages to overcome predicted ongoing limitations in supply.”


The strategies that follow have been categorised under five headings or Key Focus Areas. The following summarises the key issues and priorities for each of the five focus areas: 7.1.1 Workforce Structure and Requirements To deliver services as stated in our 2020 Vision and Delivery Program and meet statutory obligations, Council needs to have an effective, efficient and flexible organisational structure with appropriate staffing levels. As an organisation we also need to be able to respond to emerging priorities, objectives and changes expected to our workforce demographics in the short and medium term. An analysis of workforce requirements also requires good data collection and information management systems. This focus area also takes into consideration some of the major issues facing council including future skills shortages and business continuity planning. 7.1.2 Workplace Equity and Diversity Section 345 of the Local Government Act details the requirements for Council’s EEO Management Plan and the Local Government (General) Regulation 2005 details the requirements for reporting on activities to implement Council’s EEO Management Plan. Council recognises that the benefits of applying EEO principles include:

• Maximising the potential recruitment pool available to Council • Council’s workforce better reflects the community it serves and in turn better

understands the issues affecting its local community • Making Council’s programs accessible to its diverse community; and • Better achievement of the community’s aims as expressed in the 2020 Vision.

This focus area also encompasses a number of initiatives addressing women’s participation in local government, particularly in leadership roles as well as attracting and retaining both young workers and mature employees. Council will continue to provide opportunities for young people via formal opportunities for the employment of trainees and apprentices and informal opportunities such as work placements. To increase productivity and employee engagement we will continue to assist our employees with low levels of English literacy, numeracy and technological skills to better use their skills and improve their social participation in work as well as in their communities. Council recognises the importance of valuing differences and maximising the benefits of diversity in a planned way. 7.1.3 Workplace Governance It is important to have clear, documented and transparent policies and procedures which are easily accessible by all staff, regularly reviewed and consistently followed. Council’s Code of Conduct, policies and the Local Government (State) Award are available to all staff via Council’s intranet, website and document management system. Council has a range of policies relating to matters including the following:


• Recruitment • Equal Employment Opportunity • Bullying and Harassment • Occupational Health and Safety • Training and Development • Education Assistance • Councillor Access to Information and Staff • Lobbying Policy

This focus area requires a progressive review of all Staff Policies to ensure that they maintain currency and provide a best practice approach to governance and employee relations. 7.1.4 Employee Support and Development Research shows that organisations that invest in the learning and development of their people realise higher productivity levels, increased employee satisfaction, improved morale and reduced absenteeism. Investing in learning and development assists our employees in realising their potential, whilst at the same time providing Council with a skilled, capable and flexible workforce that can effectively respond to changing business needs and that can maximise the benefits of technological developments. The achievement of both the community and Council’s strategic goals and objectives can only be achieved by supporting, training and developing current staff and attracting new, competent and qualified employees. In order to compete effectively with other employers in both the public and private sectors, employment branding, competitive salaries and other benefits need to reviewed in line with Council’s policies and budget. By fostering a work environment in which excellence is encouraged, recognised and celebrated and continuous learning is “the norm”, Council will be better equipped to satisfy community expectations into the future. 7.1.5 Employee Wellbeing Organisations, in which employees are fit and healthy and have a good work/life balance, experience reduced turnover, reduced incidents/injuries and increased employee satisfaction. It is vital that Council assists employees to maintain their health and wellbeing so that they are able to continue working productively for as long as they desire as well as enjoying their leisure pursuits and/or retirement. As outlined in Section 5.3 North Sydney Council has an ageing workforce and it is quite likely that more employees will continue to work later than their predecessors. This focus area encompasses a range of programs including:

• Safe Work Practices - promoting a culture of zero harm • Health and Wellbeing • Work/Life Balance - job design and flexible work arrangements • Financial Wellbeing • Social Wellbeing • Fair and Ethical Workplace


7.2 Improvement Plan 2010/11-2013/14

Timeframe Key Focus

Area WFS Goal Action 2020

Vision Strategy (no.)

DP Project/ Service (code)

Responsible Department/ Function

2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14

1.1.1 Improve functionality of HRIS System

5.4.4.2 5.4.4.2.4 Human Resources • • • • 1.1 Efficient and effective system for compilation and reporting of appropriate data

1.1.2 Conduct benchmarking of key HR performance metrics across NSROC

5.4.4.2 5.4.4.2.6 Human Resources • • • •

1.2.1 Develop contingency plans for positions identified as core and non-discretionary

5.4.4.2 PA92 MANEX/Human Resources

• • • 1.2 Continuity of Council’s operations

1.2.2 Ensure key work practices are documented

5.4.4.2 5.4.4.2.7 MANEX • • • •

1.3 Flexible organisational structure with appropriate staffing levels

1.3.1 Seize opportunities, as/when they arise to review positions including exploring redesign/restructure in response to changes in business direction.

5.4.4.2 n/a MANEX/Human Resources/Corporate Planning and Governance

• • • •

1.4.1 Explore opportunities for resource sharing or collaborative partnerships between neighbouring councils or ROCs

5.4.4.2 n/a General Manager/Human Resources

• • •

1.4.2 Explore traineeship or apprenticeship opportunities for job roles that are in short supply e.g. rates, arboriculture etc

5.4.4.2 n/a Human Resources • • • •

1. Workforce Structure and Requirements

1.4 Risk and skills shortages minimisation through resource sharing

1.4.3 Provide work experience or internship opportunities

5.4.4.2 n/a Human Resources • • • •

2. Workplace Equity and Diversity

2.1 Workforce that draws on the diversity of people in

2.1.1 Analyse Council’s workforce demographic against the community profile

5.4.4.2 n/a Human Resources/ Corporate Planning and Governance

•


Timeframe Key Focus Area

WFS Goal Action 2020 Vision Strategy (no.)



2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14

the community of North Sydney and surrounding areas

2.2.1 Provide training to overcome limitations relating to language, literacy, numeracy and computer technology skills

5.4.4.2 5.4.4.2.10 Human Resources • • • •

2.2.2 Develop programs that improve the career development of women at NSC and help to remove any identified barriers

5.4.4.2 5.4.4.2.10 MANEX/Human Resources

• • • •

2.2.3 Continue to monitor Equal Employment issues and data, in line with EEO Management Plan


• • • •

2.2 Workforce participation and social inclusion

2.2.4 Streamline recruitment processes and use available tools such as internet and social/virtual networks to be more inclusive

5.4.4.2 PA92 Human Resources • • • •

3.1.1 Ensure changes to Code of Conduct are regularly and effectively communicated


•

3.1.2 Ensure new staff undertake mandatory training on Council’s Code of Conduct (in Induction)


3.1.3 Implement management and leadership development (Organisational Culture Project)

5.4.4.1 5.4.4.1.3

Human Resources • •

3. Workplace Governance

3.1 Workplace culture aligns to Council’s stated mission, vision and core values

3.1.4 Integrate desired management and leadership culture into recruitment strategies for senior management

5.4.4.1 5.4.4.1.3

Human Resources • • • •






2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14

3.2.2 Review staff policies and procedures

5.4.4.2 5.4.4.2.6 Human Resources • • • • 3.2 Workplace policies clearly and effectively communicated

3.2.2 Ensure all new/revised policies are

communicated to staff and that staff demonstrate understanding

5.4.4.2 5.4.4.2.1 Human Resources/ Corporate Planning & Governance

• • • •

4.1.1 Compete effectively with other employers to attract and retain talented employees: - Review HR Recruitment Policies - Review market relativities of salaries and benefits - Review Staff Benefits

5.4.4.2 5.4.4.2.6 Human Resources • • • •

4.1.2 Review marketing of NSC brand and reputation

5.3.1.1 5.3.1.1.1 5.3.1.1.2

Human Resources/ Communications

• • • •

4.1 Retain skilled, experienced employees and attract new, competent and qualified employees as necessary

4.1.3 Ensure Employee Feedback opportunities in place e.g. GM’s Forum

5.4.4.2 5.4.4.2.1 General Manager/ Human Resources

• • • •

4.2.1 Provide mentoring opportunities that meet a wide range of staff needs


• • • • 4.2 Have a balanced workforce - renewal through attraction and retention of both younger and mature- age workers

4.2.2 Explore innovative, flexible work options such as phased retirement.


• • • •

4.3.1 Conduct Employee Opinion Survey

5.4.4.2 5.4.2.2.1 Human Resources • •

4.3.2 Review and implement Reward and Recognition Scheme

5.4.4.1 5.4.4.1.2 Human Resources • • • •

4. Employee Support and Development

4.3 Maintain an organisational culture that is engaged

4.3.3 Continuous improvement of “onboarding” system through an effective induction and orientation







2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14

program

4.3.4 Exit Interviews: analysis of reasons for termination


4.3.5 Implement Internal Communication Plan - to optimise communication between business units

5.4.2.2 5.4.2.2.12 MANEX/ Communications

• • • •

4.4.1 Provide Base Level Skills - Development: - literacy - numeracy - communication - IT - career development

5.4.4.2 5.4.4.10 Human Resources • • • •

4.4.2 Encourage a continuous learning environment by providing training and development opportunities to all staff, as identified in their individual learning plans.

5.4.4.2 5.4.4.10 Human Resources • • • •

4.4.3 Prepare and educate workforce at all levels for “new ways of working” - including introducing change management and “Resilience” training.*

5.4.5.2 5.4.5.2.1 Human Resources • • • •

4.4.4 Ensure Performance Management System (PPA) is linked with Learning and Development system

5.4.4.2 5.4.4.2.9 Human Resources • • • •

4.4 Be a ‘learning organisation’ where we assist all our employees to realise their potential whilst at the same time providing NSC with a skilled, capable and flexible workforce

4.4.5 Continuous improvement of our Front Line Management and Leadership Programs to ensure our leaders are able to respond to emerging challenges

5.4.4.1 5.4.4.1.3 Human Resources • • •






2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14

4.5.2 Take advantage of improved technology relating to plant and machinery that increases efficiency and/or reduces manual handling risks to employees

5.4.5.2 n/a MANEX/Human Resources

4.5 A workforce that is capable of dealing with advances in new technology and to maximise available labour via improved technology

4.5.3 Providing E-learning as a supplement to face-to-face learning. Also provides flexible delivery options: - Home access - Computer kiosks (outdoor staff) - Intranet

5.4.4.2 5.4.4.2.10 Human Resources and Information Technology

• • • •

4.6 Workforce that is capable of dealing with new ‘green skills’

4.6.1 Build capability in the workforce via training in areas such as recycling, waste treatment and recovery, energy efficiency and green construction

1.3.2.1 5.1.2.1

1.3.2.5.1 5.1.2.1.1 PA11

Environmental Services and Human Resources

• • • •

5.1 Physically healthy and, mentally fit workforce to ensure ongoing productivity and organisational sustainability

5.1.2 Implement Health and Wellbeing Program

5.4.4.1 5.4.4.1.1 Human Resources • • • • 5. Employee Wellbeing

5.2 Decrease costs associated with turnover, unplanned absenteeism, incidents and accidents by encouraging good physical health

5.2.1 Promote a cultural of zero harm through safe work practices (Collaborative Safety Program)

5.4.4.1 5.4.4.1.4 Human Resources • • • •

Note: The timeframes indicated above will be progressively reviewed to reflect changes in business needs and the external environment. As such, they will be considered when preparing the annual Operational Plan and budget and/or the preparation of the next Delivery Program.


8. Resourcing Our Workforce Strategy Implementation of the Workforce Strategy is directly aligned with the objectives of the Community Strategic Plan and Delivery Program. Responsibilities have been allocated within the 4 year Action Plan. The cost of implementing the Workforce Strategy has been incorporated within Council’s 2010/11-2013/14 financial estimates and accompanying LTFP However, it should be noted that this Strategy reflects Council’s intentions at the time of publication. As with any plan or budget, the actual results may vary from that forecast. The responsibility for implementing Council’s Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework including the Workforce Strategy rests on all stakeholders at North Sydney Council. However, the level of responsibility differs amongst the various stakeholders. The following outlines the key stakeholders’ roles and responsibilities:

• The Mayor and Councillors delegate responsibilities to the General Manager and senior staff to develop and oversee the implementation of the 2020 Vision, Delivery Program and Resourcing Strategy in accordance with the legislation and Guidelines as well as leading community engagement;

• The General Manager is responsible for overseeing the preparation of Council’s Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework and reporting progress and performance regularly;

• The Senior Management Team is responsible for ensuring the key focus areas and related strategies for 2010-2014 are agreed and resourced;

• Council’s Human Resources and Corporate Planning and Governance Departments provide support to the Senior Management Team and are responsible for monitoring implementation and performance reporting;

• Managers and staff are responsible for supporting the Senior Management Team in implementing the 2020 Vision, Delivery Program, annual Operational Plans and the individual components of the Resourcing Strategy.

Consulting staff when developing an appropriate workforce structure is beneficial to the change management process required to drive any significant changes and improve ownership of the Workforce Strategy.




9. Monitoring and Evaluation Council will periodically monitor and evaluate implementation of the four-year Improvement Plan to ensure it is appropriate to workforce needs. Performance will be monitored by Council’s Senior Management Team via annual progress reports tracking implementation of the Implementation Plan and the key performance indicators outlined below. These reports will be prepared as part of annual budget preparations. Monitoring will be complemented by quarterly performance reporting against related projects and services as outlined in Council’s annual Operational Plans, Council’s Annual Report and via feedback provided by key stakeholders as part of the implementation process. Key Focus Area Key Performance Indicators 1. Workforce Structure and Requirements

• Number of equivalent full time staff • Contingency plans in place • Benchmarking of key HR metrics across NSROC • Number of new apprenticeships and traineeships

2. Workplace Equity and Diversity

• Proportion of employees working across age groups, gender and cultural background

• EEO statistics

3. Workplace Governance

• Currency of HR policies • Number of staff who have completed Code of

Conduct training.

4. Employee Support and Development

• Performance Planning and Assessment (PPA) System in place

• Staff perceptions of training and development (identified through Employee Survey)

• Employee engagement level (identified through Employee Survey)

5. Employee Wellbeing • Proportion of employees working in part time and

flexible arrangements • Staff perceptions of flexible working arrangements

(identified through Employee Survey) • Staff turnover • Number of Incidents/injuries • Unplanned absences

Evaluation will include reviewing and amending strategies, as required, where goals are not being achieved or where changes affect set goals and strategies. Recommendations will be incorporated into Council’s workforce planning cycle that will align to the term of Council.


Appendix 1: Terms Used in this Plan Baby Boomers The ABS defines the baby boomers as individuals born

between 1946 and 1965. Individuals in this category are currently aged between 43 and 62 and make up the majority of the labour force. A notable feature of this group is that many of them are now approaching retirement.

Budget The annual financial activities and financial statements

Council has adopted to monitor its performance. The budget is subject to an annual audit at the end of the financial year.

Council Describes North Sydney Council. Contingency Planning Aims to ensure business continuity if any of the employee(s)

in these positions were to leave the organisation or be absent for a period of time.

Core Describes those roles which provide services for which there

is a high community need and high community/customer need that the service will be provided.

Diversity Variety in people and community members, of different ages, origins, backgrounds, sexes, religions and culture. Direct Distance The distance between the Postcode “Centroid” and the

coordinates of North Sydney (using a complicated Survey formula and GIS Data). On average assumed that using the Postcode Centroids should "even" distances out.

Discretionary Describes those roles/services, that are not classified as

either non-discretionary or core roles. Council chooses to recruit such positions because they assist Council to deliver community expected services in line with priorities identified in the 2020 Vision and Delivery Program.

Employment This includes people aged 15 and over who are on Council’s

payroll. Employment Costs Are inclusive of Salaries and wages, and on costs such as

leave entitlements, superannuation, workers compensation, training advertising and recruitment (as per tables on page 30).

Engaged Business management concept that measures an

employee’s emotional commitment to and satisfaction with the workplace.

Family/Carer’s leave An Award condition whereby an employee may take leave for the purposes of caring for persons, as defined in the Award, when they are ill.

Generation X Generation X is a term given to individuals born between

1966 and 1979. Individuals in this category are currently aged between 29 and 42. Many of these individuals are parents of young families and have significant debt. Unlike the Baby Boomers, this generation represents a time of decline in the birth rates.


Generation Y Generation Y is a term given to individuals born between 1980 and 2000. Individuals in this category are currently aged between 8 and 28. Hence these individuals are new to, or soon to be new to, the workforce. Many of these individuals are singles or young couples. This generation is known to be technologically savvy and adaptable, having grown up with the internet and widespread use of other technologies such as mobile phones.

Hotspots Term to describe jobs that are difficult to fill due to supply shortages. Labour Force This includes the total number of people employed and

unemployed. The labour force represents labour supply Leave without Pay Unpaid leave of absence. Median The middle number in a group of numbers, that is half the

numbers are greater than the median, and half the numbers are less than the median.

Mode The most frequently occurring number in a group of numbers.

Non-discretionary Describes those roles which provide services that Council

has a statutory obligation to provide. Ordinary Hours Hours not including overtime, not workers compensation, not

additional hours. Participation Rate The percentage of the population aged 15 and over that is in

the labour force. Quadruple Bottom Line (QBL) A reporting device and an approach to decision making (eg

the use of reporting and decision making tools) to understand the social, environmental, economic and governance

Road Distance Assumed to be 1.25 x "Direct Distance".

Strategies A way of achieving the objectives, goals or target. Each

objective or goal will be supported by one or more strategies. Some strategies may support more than one objective or goal. A strategy should be achievable within a timeframe, measurable and resourced.

Supply analysis An analysis of the availability of staff to fill vacancies.

Sustainability Maintaining and enhancing quality of life, while ensuring the viability of the community, now and in the future, through an integrated consideration of social, environmental, economic and governance factors.

Total Hours Employed Includes all hours, actual, additional, overtime, workers

compensation, leave hours etc. Unscheduled absences Refers to sick leave and carer’s leave.


List of Acronyms ABS Australian Bureau of Statistics AGELG Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government CBD Central Business District CSP Community Strategic Plan CTD Corporate Training and Development CPI Consumer Price Index CRM Customer Request Maintenance DCP Development Control Plan DP Delivery Program EEO Equal Employment Opportunity ESD Ecologically Sustainable Development FT Full Time FTE Full Time Equivalent GFC Global Financial Crisis GPO General Post Office KPI Key Performance Indicator HR Human Resources HRIS Human Resources Information System LEP Local Environmental Plan LG Local Government LGA Local Government Area LGMA Local Government Managers Australia LTFP Long Term Financial Plan MANEX Management Executive i.e. Senior Management Team NSROC North Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils NSC North Sydney Council NSW New South Wales OHS Occupational Health and Safety OP Operational Plan PPA Personal Performance Appraisal PT Part Time QBL Quadruple Bottom Line



Documents

NSC Workforce Strategy - May 2011 post exhibition Barbara · The Resourcing Strategy focuses on long term strategies in three key areas: • financial planning; • asset management