2012 ANNUAL REPORT

Principle 6: People

Our Recruitment Guidelines

Our objective is to recruit the most suitable people through a fair and equitable process and in a cost effective and timely manner. Our recruitment framework complies with the Public Sector Commissioner's Employment Standard and the Commissioner's Instruction on Filling a Public Sector Vacancy and is based on the principles of Merit, Equity, Interest and Transparency.

We are currently in the process of identifying trends from Exit interviews to formulate a Retention Policy.

Equal Employment Opportunity Management Plan 2011-2015

Main Roads considers diversity to be respecting, recognising and utilising the many different backgrounds, skills, talents and perspectives of our workforce. The Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Management Plan is developed in accordance with Part IX of the Equal Opportunity Act 1984 and is aligned to the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity's outcome standards framework:

1. The organisation values EEO/diversity and the work environment is freed from racial and sexual harassment.
2. Workplaces are free from employment practices that are biased or discriminate unlawfully against employees or potential employees.
3. Employment programs and practices recognise and include strategies for EEO groups to achieve workforce diversity.

In 2012, we saw a focus on providing more opportunities for women to be appointed to management positions. For more information, please refer to the Our People section.

During the next five years, we will focus on the following specific areas of focus: Women in Management, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups, Youth, People with Disabilities and People from Culturally Diverse Backgrounds. As a 'live' document, the plan will continue to be developed and updated. This ensures that Main Roads attracts, selects, motivates, develops and retains a skilled, diverse group of employees. The Equity Index table below shows how we track areas of diversity.

Individual Development Plan

The Individual Development Plan (IDP) identifies developmental needs of employees and allows for discussion on career planning and progression. It also provides the opportunity to identify how employees specifically contribute towards our Strategic Plan and how personal behaviours reflect our values. At a corporate level, the data collected from the IDP is used to identify and manage skill gaps across the organisation. Used together with workforce planning data, the information is used to develop corporate programs and short-course training.

During the year, 62% of the eligible workforce completed an annual Individual Development Plan. Whilst IDP completion was not as high as the previous year, a high degree of access to targeted learning and development opportunities was sustained.

The focus has been on planning for the future through the identification and procurement of a new online system to better support the individual development process. The new system, due for delivery in the second quarter of 2012-13, will provide a fully-automated individual development and career plan, 360 Feedback capture, and a fully functional learning management system. With a greater range of data collection and reporting available to managers, the system will provide new tools for individuals and managers to enhance their competencies, work performance and careers. By making the process easier for the employees it is anticipated that higher completion rates will ensue, resulting in more accurate information used for needs analysis.

Compliance with Public Sector Standards and Ethical Codes

Compliance issues that arose during the year regarding the Public Sector Standards included lodgment of four breach claims against recruitment, selection and appointment processes and one against the Grievance Standard. In all cases, these breaches were received through standard processed and were subsequently dismissed. Every year we take steps to enhance processes to ensure compliance including:

• Providing information about Public Sector Standards and Codes of Conduct on our intranet and including this information in induction material
• Correspondence to applicants for recruitment, selection and appointment processes with details on how to access the Public Sector Standards
• Ongoing training provided to recruitment and selection panel members to ensure compliance with relevant Public Sector Standards
• Providing an experienced independent person for all recruitment and selection panels
• Providing a network of Grievance Officers across the State
• Reviewing and auditing all recruitment, selection and appointment processes both permanent and temporary, to ensure compliance with Public Sector Standards.