Workforce planning, staff retention and turnover
During 2018–19 the ARC reviewed its priorities for the year and the need for staff in particular areas to support those priorities. The ARC maximised opportunities to develop a flexible and responsive workforce by:
- enabling staff rotations to support staff development
- encouraging staff to assist with NCGP and ERA processes during peak periods of activity
- providing targeted training opportunities
- providing opportunities to work at higher levels during staff absences
- ensuring relevant knowledge management and sharing processes were in place.
In 2018–19 staff turnover figures were higher than in previous years, with 31 separations recorded compared to 21 in 2017–18. Twenty-five of these separations were for career opportunities inside or outside the APS.
Employment agreements
During 2018–19 the ARC employed non-Senior Executive Service (SES) staff under the following arrangements:
- ARC Enterprise Agreement 2017–2020: Under this agreement ARC employees receive a productivity salary increase of two per cent upon commencement of the agreement, two per cent after 12 months, and two per cent after 24 months.
- Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs): AWAs are formalised individual agreements negotiated by the employer and employee. Changes to the Workplace Relations Act 1996 stipulated that no new AWAs could be entered into on, or after, 13 February 2008. The ARC has a small number of staff on AWAs that were negotiated before those changes were enacted.
- Individual Flexibility Arrangements (IFAs): Employees covered by the ARC Enterprise Agreement 2017–2020 may agree to make an IFA to vary the term of the agreement. IFAs within the ARC generally deal with retention allowances or remuneration, allowing the CEO to ensure the employment conditions of specialised employees reflect market forces and experience.
Training and development
ARC training and development activities are conducted within the framework of the agency's Learning and Development Strategy 2019–2020. This strategy aims to equip ARC staff with appropriate training opportunities to ensure the agency has access to the skills and knowledge required to achieve its objectives.
In the 2018 APS Employee Census, 78 per cent of ARC staff indicated that they believed the ARC provided access to effective learning and development opportunities compared to 69 per cent for the APS as a whole.
In 2018–19 the ARC's People and Services section coordinated access to a range of training opportunities including eLearning, in-house training, and external opportunities such as coaching and studies assistance.
In-house training
During the year, all employees were required to undertake mandatory eLearning modules. These modules included:
- Financial management and budgeting
- Leading without formal authority
- Project management foundations: Small projects
- Security
- Privacy awareness
- Commonwealth Child Safe Framework.
All new staff are required to undertake four eLearning modules—APS Values and Principles, Security, Privacy Awareness and Fraud Awareness. In 2019 all new starters to the ARC also participated in the APSC's APS Induction Portal trial.
The ARC also provided staff with access to a range of further training opportunities, including:
- New supervisor skills
- How to apply for jobs in the APS
- Aboriginal insights: Engaging with Aboriginal communities
- Tweak your week
- Rock your routine
- Minute and brief writing skills
- Mindfulness
- Balancing your life
- Strategic thinking (APS level staff)
- Understanding strategic direction, influencing and tactical skills (Executive Level staff)
- Career coaching (Executive Level staff).
Work health and safety performance
The ARC's Workplace Health and Safety arrangements, provided in accordance with Schedule 2, Part 4 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, are reported in Appendix 5.
Productivity gains
During 2018–19 the ARC continued to review its procedures to streamline administrative processes and systems for ARC staff and NCGP, ERA and EI stakeholders. In addition, the ARC:
- improved post-award grant management processes by reducing the supporting material required for variation requests
- automated the population of research output data into NCGP application forms
- improved functionality and automation for eligibility management in NCGP application forms
- removed duplication in annual reporting requirements for the CoE scheme
- removed duplication in the annual progress report template for the Industrial Transformation Research Program
- made searchable public data sets for ERA and EI available through the ARC Data Portal
- improved assessor assignment processes on RMS through the generation of additional information on the quality of assessor matching
- relaunched ARC Grants Search, which incorporates improvements to search functionality, allows results to be downloaded and includes post-award data
- adapted its phone system to make use of public cloud capabilities.
Diversity
The ARC Workplace Diversity Program 2015–19 provides the framework for a number of diversity plans and policies including the Multicultural Access and Equity Plan, Discrimination and Harassment-Free Workplace Policy and ARC Reconciliation Action Plan.
In 2018–19 the ARC:
- required all staff to complete Bullying and Harassment-Free Workplace training
- required all staff to complete eLearning modules on Cultural Awareness
- discussed diversity, and assessed agency outcomes, through the ARC Diversity Working Group's Diversity Program
- finalised an updated version of the ARC Reconciliation Action Plan
- hosted National Reconciliation Week activities
- participated in National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) week activities
- celebrated Harmony Day on 21 March 2019 to recognise Australian cultural diversity
- publicised R U OK? Day to raise awareness of the importance of meaningful conversations with colleagues to foster mental health
- continued to encourage use of the Employee Assistance Program.