Baulkham Hills Listening Meeting on 27 August 2015 (PDF version)

Background

The Government Sector Employment (GSE) Act (Section 67) requires all NSW public sector departments and agencies to implement performance management systems.

Your union, the PSA, sees the value in agencies basing performance management systems on the prerequisites of the PSC’s Capability Framework which would provide members with a common foundation to negotiate performance agreements and engage in performance reviews.

However, as not all agencies have introduced new role descriptions based on the Capability Framework, there is potential for unfair and inequitable performance management systems to be created within and across agencies.

The PSA is consulting with members through ‘listenings’ so members can identify their concerns and have input into addressing them.

Members’ Listening Meeting

The PSA conducted a combined ‘listening’ with members of Work Cover and NSW Public works at offices in “Burbank” Baulkham Hills, on 27 August 2015. Thank you to all the participants.

Members considered the following questions:

• How can we ensure learning and development is undertaken in a fair and effective way?

• What does a fair and reasonable performance management system look like?

• To successfully resolve unsatisfactory performance, an employee must have…[finish this sentence].

Outcomes

In summary, members determined that a fair and equitable performance management system must:

• Be a fully transparent process

• Ensure individual training needs are assessed and available to all

• Include training which is task-specific, interactive and delivered in a timely manner, with appropriate time allocated and relief given

• Be a positive process and not punitive

• Be designed specifically for positions and accurately reflect tasks required

• Ensure that any KPIs and targets should be agreed to through fair and reasonable consultation

• Provide opportunities to explain unsatisfactory performances

• Ensure there is valid consideration of external circumstances or issues that may have affected overall performances

• Allow for evidence of prior discussions when relating to poor or non-performance issues

• Contain all relevant information and allow individuals to overcome any shortfalls or barriers in a reasonable timeframe.

The information collected will be used in the development of the PSA’s position paper on the Performance Management Framework. The PSA’s position paper will be provided to all members when it is completed.