Promoting diverse, inclusive and healthy workplaces
In 2022-23, we published a guide to gender affirmation in Victorian public sector workplaces. It aims to educate managers on good practice for supporting inclusive workplaces and positive wellbeing for trans, gender diverse and non-binary employees. The guide explains a manager’s legal obligations and aims to keep our workplace free of discrimination, bullying, sexual harassment, vilification, and victimisation and to ensure inclusive workplaces and positive wellbeing for trans, gender diverse and non-binary employees.
We analysed the Victorian public sector People matter survey results and published our analysis on top 5 drivers of positive employee engagement. This aimed to enable organisations to focus their action planning efforts on critical domains that will make an impact to employee experiences.
We conducted in-depth analyses of People matter survey data with the objective of catering to a diverse set of stakeholders. This included Commission for Gender Equality in the Public Sector, Enablers network, Victorian Multicultural Commission and LGBTIQ communities. The dissemination of these insights meant workforce experiences of various staff cohorts could be better understood and improved leading to tangible positive outcomes.
We coordinated a mentoring program for employees with disability. 120 participants embraced the opportunity to network, absorb new ideas, receive guidance on professional issues and explore their unique strengths. Mentoring can be an effective support for personal growth and uplifting organisational capability.
10 people with lived experience of disability explored leadership roles and learned career management skills through Leading Together, a pilot program under the Getting to Work disability employment action plan. The program aims to build confidence through self-awareness, connecting inspired people and building a leadership pipeline for the future.
We worked with Melbourne Disability Institute to help us improve the way we collect disability data through the People matter survey. We also commenced work to develop a common set of diversity data indicators that can be applied consistently across VPS employee systems.
We launched 2 more disability awareness eLearns – one on workplace adjustments and another on inclusive recruitment. The content was developed with the support of the Deputy Secretaries Disability Champion Roundtable. The eLearns were distributed to all departments and Victoria Police for upload to their learning management systems.
We re-established the Barring Djinang Advisory Group to reflect on achievements and consider the future of the Barring Djinang Aboriginal employment strategy. In 2022, there were 688 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the VPS, approximately 1.2% of the total VPS workforce. This is short of the 2% target we set 5 years ago.
41 people participated in an Aboriginal employment program under Barring Djinang including career development, leadership and internships.
We set up a new staff network for Aboriginal employees in the VPS, called Nyanak Loptja, a Yorta Yorta word for ‘we all talk’. More than 120 people joined the first meeting. Aboriginal employees can connect with Nyanak Lotpja on the Innovation Network to find peers, share information and build relationships across government.
By strengthening opportunities for Aboriginal people to steer their own professional path, the VPS becomes a culturally safe employer of choice and more attractive to Aboriginal people as a long-term, meaningful career option.
Supporting employment and career pathways
We delivered the 39th year of the Victorian Government graduate program, recruiting 96 graduates who completed rotations across 14 VPS organisations. About 16% of graduates participated in a diversity pathway, designed for Aboriginal graduates and graduates with disability. We ran a recruitment campaign for the 2024 program, through which we expect another 150 graduates start their career in the VPS.
Victoria’s strength is its diversity of backgrounds and lived experience. Internship programs support public sector agencies in attracting talent, contributing to greater workforce diversity to make sure we reflect the communities we serve.
The Victorian Government Refugee and Asylum Seeker Internship program placed 30 people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds in roles across the VPS. This work experience is an opportunity to build a professional network and learn about the public service. The Barring Djinang internship program placed 15 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in public sector roles.
In 2022-23, the Jobs and Skills Exchange (JSE) platform processed 92,000 applications for 25,000 jobs, an increase of 23% in applications on the previous year. The CareersVic website processed 348,000 applications for 86,000 jobs attracting 1.9 million visits. We improved the user experience for both websites, by redesigning verification, login, site architecture, accessibility and campaign functionality.
In partnership with the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, we commenced the creation of a toolkit that supports inclusion outcomes by providing guidance on employing bicultural workers. It contains advice on funding, recruitment, onboarding, learning and development and career opportunities. By educating hiring managers to recognise and value the contribution of bicultural workers, we provide access to VPS roles supporting public engagement strategies.
We continued to deliver supportive career pathways for Aboriginal people and people with disability. Twenty-three Aboriginal leaders completed the Barring Djinang leadership program. Ten people with lived experience of disability explored leadership roles and learned career management skills through Leading Together, a pilot program under the Getting to Work disability employment action plan. The program aims to build confidence through self-awareness, connecting inspired people and building a leadership pipeline for the future.
Developing leading practice to support whole-of-government people initiatives
We continued to develop the JSE Recruitment Policy in consultation with Industrial Relations Victoria and departmental recruitment managers, ensuring alignment with redeployment policy, contemporary recruitment practices and interjurisdictional policy settings.
As domain owners for the VPS workforce policy, we worked closely with Digital Victoria to support the implementation of VicGov People, a new Human Capital Management System (HCMS) including the roll out of the platform to the Department of Transport and Planning.
We supported critical government recruitment priorities, tailoring campaigns and recruitment approaches to quickly mobilise resourcing for the Victorian state election and other government priorities such as the implementation office for the State Electricity Commission and the new Department of Government Services.
As part of a partnership with WorkSafe, we reviewed the governance and reporting framework for Occupational Health and Safety management across the VPS. The review recommendations were approved by the OHS Leadership Group and are under development in close collaboration with relevant stakeholders across the sector.