We know that to deliver great outcomes for the Victorian public sector, we need to focus on our people, and on making the Commission a great place to work.
This year, we established a people and culture committee to help drive people-related initiatives that support a positive, inclusive and high performing culture.
We developed a new people and culture plan, which sets out our priority focus areas and actions that will support us in building a capable and credible organisation that supports the Victorian public sector to deliver.
Supporting a safe, inclusive and respectful workplace
We want everyone to be able to be themselves at work, to feel safe, respected and able to speak up, and have the support and tools they need to do their jobs.
We continue to ensure people are aware of their obligations and responsibilities under the VPS code of conduct and relevant policies through our induction program and internal engagement channels.
In addition, this year we have:
- developed a new Workplace Adjustment Policy and Guideline, to support the Commission in providing an accessible and inclusive workplace where people with disability can participate fully in all aspects of employment
- acknowledged key points in our calendar to celebrate diversity and inclusion in our workplace, for example Wear it Purple Day, IDAHOBIT, International Women’s Day, International Day of People with Disability, NAIDOC and Cultural Diversity Week
- facilitated discussions in our staff meetings on a range of wellbeing and inclusion topics including how the employee assistance program can help staff navigate change, the importance of building accessibility into our everyday work, and exploring the results from our staff survey.
Building our capability
Our approach to building our knowledge and skills recognises that much of our learning and development comes through experiential and social learning in the workplace and a smaller proportion from formal training.
To support this approach, this year we have:
- embedded a learning and development plan into our performance and development plan (PDP) process
- increased the use of our internal communication channels and platforms to showcase the breadth of learning and development opportunities available to us
- undertaken a range of knowledge sharing activities at the Branch and team levels, to build skills and capabilities
- focused on building reflective practice more purposefully into how we work, through retrospectives on key projects and regular opportunities to reflect on what’s working and where we can improve.
We have also supported staff to participate in a range of formal learning programs, including public sector short courses, micro-credential programs and leadership development programs. Staff have also been supported to undertake higher duties and secondments, providing them with valuable experience to support their learning and career development.
Connected and working together
We know that as an organisation we are more than the sum of our parts, and that to deliver great work we need to draw on the full range of expertise and experience across our teams.
This year we have:
- worked collectively and collaboratively across the Commission to develop our new Strategic Plan and Annual Plan
- developed a common approach to how we collaborate and built this into our performance development plans
- established cross-Commission, multi-disciplinary teams to deliver all our key strategic initiatives.