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Human Resources and People Management
During 2016-17, the NBA continued its commitment to managing and developing its employees to meet organisational objectives. The results of the 2017 Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) Employee Census indicates the success of the NBA in continuing to be an organisation with a strong and happy team culture focussed on outcome delivery. The key points from the Employee Census are:
- 75 per cent of employees consider that their supervisor and senior leaders in the NBA act in accordance with the APS Values
- 62 per cent of employees stating that they consider the leadership of the NBA is of a high quality
- 60 per cent of employees consider that the most senior leaders are sufficiently visible i.e. seen in action
- 74 per cent of employees stating that the NBA's workplace culture supports people in achieving a good work-life balance
- 63 per of employees are satisfied with the work-life balance in their current job
- 64 per cent of employees feel they are valued for their contribution to the NBA
- 76 per cent of employees stating that they enjoy the work in their current job
- 68 per cent of employees feel a strong personal attachment to the NBA
- 84 per cent of employees are satisfied with the non-monetary employment conditions at the NBA e.g. leave and flexible work arrangements
- 74 per cent of employees would recommend the NBA as a good place to work
- 84 per cent of employees are proud to work at the NBA.
Employee and agency census
The surveys undertaken by the NBA in 2016-17 were the APSC State of the Service Employee Census and the APS State of the Service Agency Survey. The APSC set a target rate of 65 per cent of APS employee participation for the Employee Census and the NBA exceeded this with a 93 per cent return, 22 per cent higher than the APS participation rate of 71 per cent.
The overall employee census outcomes for the NBA were very pleasing, indicating the organisation has a stable, happy and motivated workforce. Areas for improvement relate to addressing underperformance and increasing opportunities for talent management/career progression
and innovation.
FIGURE 3.4 NBA Organisation as at 30 June 2017
Our values
The NBA strongly endorses the APS Values, Employment Principles and Code of Conduct and it is this basis which forms the expectations for the behaviour and conduct from all of our staff. Employees at the NBA understand their responsibilities associated with being a member of the APS and being a representative of the Australian Government.
Staffing information
The total number of APS staff employed in the NBA was 58 employees (53.05 full time equivalent) at the end of June 2017. Of these 58 employees, one person was on long-term leave. Tables 3.2 & 3.3 provide a breakdown of NBA staff numbers by classification, gender and employment type (prepared on substantive classification role as at 30 June 2017).
We have a diverse workforce with 14 per cent of NBA employees identifying as being from non-English speaking backgrounds and/or born outside of Australia.
Indigenous Staffing
In 2016-17, the NBA did not have any employees who reported as identifying themselves as Indigenous. In 2016-17 the NBA made efforts to attract indigenous employees through open/non-targeted recruitment and retention processes that included exploring alternate pathways such as the Australian Government Indigenous Program. In addition, previously established relationships with indigenous recruitment organisations have been strengthened.
TABLE 3.2 Number of male and female full-time and part-time NBA staff at 30 June 2017
|
Substantive Role |
Female (Full- Time) |
Female (Part-Time) |
Male |
Male |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Chief Executive Officer |
Nil |
Nil |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
|
SES |
Nil |
Nil |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
|
EL2 |
3 |
Nil |
3 |
Nil |
6 |
|
Legal 1 |
Nil |
Nil |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
|
EL1 |
12 |
3 |
8 |
Nil |
23 |
|
APS6 |
5 |
3 |
Nil |
Nil |
8 |
|
APS5 |
5 |
3 |
3 |
Nil |
11 |
|
APS4 |
4 |
Nil |
2 |
Nil |
6 |
|
APS3 |
1 |
Nil |
Nil |
Nil |
1 |
|
Grand Total |
30 |
9 |
19 |
0 |
58 |
TABLE 3.3 Number of male and female and ongoing and non-ongoing NBA staff at 30 June 2017
|
Substantive Role |
Female (Ongoing) |
Female |
Male |
Male |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Chief Executive Officer |
Nil |
Nil |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
|
SES |
Nil |
Nil |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
|
EL2 |
3 |
Nil |
3 |
Nil |
6 |
|
Legal 1 |
Nil |
Nil |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
|
EL1 |
13 |
2 |
8 |
Nil |
23 |
|
APS6 |
8 |
Nil |
Nil |
Nil |
8 |
|
APS5 |
7 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
11 |
|
APS4 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
|
APS3 |
1 |
Nil |
Nil |
Nil |
1 |
|
Grand Total |
35 |
4 |
17 |
2 |
58 |
We have 56 staff located in the ACT, 1 in Victoria and 1 in NSW. Both the Victoria and NSW employees are part-time.
The average age of NBA staff is 43.45 years. Table 3.4 provides a breakdown of the age demographic of NBA employees.
TABLE 3.4 Age demographic of NBA staff at 30 June 2017
|
Age profile |
Number of employees |
|---|---|
|
20 - 25 |
1 |
|
26 - 30 |
5 |
|
31 - 35 |
10 |
|
36 - 40 |
9 |
|
41 - 45 |
11 |
|
46 - 50 |
6 |
|
51 - 55 |
6 |
|
56 - 60 |
7 |
|
61 - 65 |
2 |
|
66 + |
1 |
|
Total |
58 |
NBA Enterprise Agreement
The current enterprise agreement (EA) was approved on 12 January 2016. The table below details salary levels of staff by classification for 2016-17.
TABLE 3.5 Salary levels of NBA staff by classification at 30 June 2017
|
Classification |
Minimum ($) |
Maximum ($) |
|---|---|---|
|
EL 2 |
116,189 |
130,906 |
|
EL1 Legal |
97,348 |
117,864 |
|
EL 1 |
97,771 |
111,044 |
|
APS Level 6 |
79,215 |
89,365 |
|
APS Level 5 |
71,807 |
75,789 |
|
APS Level 4 |
66,020 |
69,760 |
|
APS Level 3 |
58,271 |
64,591 |
TABLE 3.6 Numbers of NBA staff on types of employment agreements
|
Staff |
Enterprise Agreement |
Common law or Section 24 Agreement |
|---|---|---|
|
Chief Executive Officer |
Nil |
Nil |
|
SES |
Nil |
1 |
|
Non-SES |
56 |
Nil |
Non-salary benefits
The EA and other employment arrangements provide a range of non-salary benefits in addition to those consistent with national employment standards and the Fair Work Act 2009. The benefits provided are very similar to those provided by many other agencies and are detailed in the EA and available on the NBA website at https://www.blood.gov.au/employment-benefits.
Non-SES employees may have access to the following non-salary benefits
- access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- maternity and adoption leave
- parental leave
- leave for compassionate purposes
- access to recreation and personal leave at half pay
- flex-time (for APS classified employees)
- flexible working arrangements with time off in lieu (TOIL) where appropriate
(for Executive Level employees only) - access to home-based work, laptop computers, internet access, and mobile phones
- financial and/or paid leave to support professional and personal development
- provision of eyesight testing and reimbursement of prescribed eyewear costs specifically for use with screen-based equipment
- access to the NBA's health and wellbeing program
- influenza vaccinations for staff and their immediate family members
- annual Christmas close-down
- access to purchase up to an additional four weeks annual leave per year
- access to salary packaging arrangements
SES non-salary benefits include all of the above (except flex-time and TOIL) plus
- onsite car parking
- airport lounge membership
- cash in lieu of vehicle leasing arrangements
Workforce planning, staff retention and turnover
Staff turnover remained steady at 20.7 per cent with 12 people leaving the NBA during 2016-17.
The average length of service for staff at the NBA is approximately 5.02 years, which is consistent with the previous year and 48 per cent of staff average length of service at the NBA is more than five years, an increase of 5 per cent from the previous year.
Productivity gains
During the year, the NBA continued to rationalise staffing levels, in particular program activities and contributed to the government's efficiency dividend strategy. This rationalisation will continue to be implemented throughout the 2017-18 year.
The NBA transitioned its payroll function to the Department of Health Shared Services Centre in 2015. The NBA continued to implement productivity gains by utilising a number of other Commonwealth panel arrangements for the provision of services such as recruitment, training, annual influenza vaccinations and the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Remuneration and performance pay
Total remuneration for senior executive officers is determined through negotiation between individual officers and the Chief Executive, taking into account the broader Government economic environment as well as APS and Remuneration Tribunal benchmark data. Performance pay is not applicable to NBA staff.
Professional and personal development
The NBA recognises the importance of ensuring that staff continue to develop their skills and this is facilitated through sourced internal training, in-house training programs and external training and development opportunities such as stakeholder engagement, conferences, seminars, accredited training organisations and learning institutions. To supplement this, during 2016-17 the NBA explored options for implementing an online e-Learning system in support of ongoing professional and personal development for staff.
As part of its role in the health sector, the NBA is encouraged to attend a number of health conferences to promote blood usage awareness. Opportunities are offered to staff from all areas of the NBA.
The NBA fosters a culture of cohesion to further enhance its organisational productivity, build team relationships, improve cross team communications, increase staff retention and further build and promote our positive, collegiate culture.
Staff health and wellbeing
The NBA recognises the value of encouraging a work environment that supports the health and fitness of its employees. The eligible activities which are now open to staff include:
- health memberships
- specialist advice/programs
- sporting clothing and equipment.
Work health and safety (WHS)
Workplace health and safety matters are standing agenda items that are routinely discussed at a variety of organisational reporting meetings such as quarterly HR reporting to the Senior Executive Management group, the Operational Plan and the Staff Participation Forum.
There were no reportable incidents lodged with Comcare during the reporting year.
Initiatives that were undertaken by the NBA during the year to maintain its ongoing commitment to a safe and secure workplace included:
- the continued availability of workstation assessments for all new starters as well as assessments for existing staff who felt it necessary for their wellbeing
- access to the EAP
- expansion of ICT remote working capabilities to cover all staff, enabling staff to work from outside the office on an ad hoc basis
- a dedicated carer's room for parents who do not have the benefit of their own office and who need to bring their children into the workplace for short periods of time as a bridging arrangement for childcare
- sit-to-stand desks were purchased for all staff who requested them. This initiative continued to be rolled out to all staff in 2016-17 and will continue throughout 2017-18 as required
- development of a WHS Governance framework.