Team profile: MyVoice Career Development for Professional Staff


The Career Development for Professional Staff Working Group was developed in response to staff feedback in the 2012 MyVoice Staff Engagement Survey. Find out more about the team and what they have been doing in response to staff feedback in the team profile.

     

Who is in the team?

  • Jenny Purcell, School Manager, Humanities and Communication Arts (Chair)
  • Shane Wharton, School Manager, Education (recently retired)
  • Terry Fairclough, Manager, Institute for Culture and Society
  • Lauren Marsh, Office Manager, Office of People and Culture
  • Katrina Trewin, Student Support Office, Library
  • Tanya Hobson, Senior Project and Strategy Officer, Office of the DVC (Research and Development)
  • Kathy Adam-Cross, Program Coordinator, Office of Organisational Development
  • Abby Srinivasin, Consultant, Office of Organisational Development
  • Phillip Marler, Consultant, Office of Organisational Development
  • Reena Dobson, Executive Officer, Office of People and Culture
  • Rob Leggo, Technical Officer, Media Production, School of Humanities and Communication Arts
  • Carolyn Massingham, Communications Officer, Internal Communications
  • Kelly Lanfranca, Project Officer, Office of Organisational Development

What does the Career Development for Professional Staff Working Group do?

In the 2012 MyVoice staff engagement survey, only 43% of staff considered that "There are enough opportunities for my career to progress in this organisation". The Career Development for Professional Staff Working Group was formed to investigate avenues to provide greater development opportunities for professional staff.

Who does the Career Development for Professional Staff Working Group work with?

This group worked closely with the Office of People and Culture and the Office of Organisational Development as most development activities sit within these portfolio areas. The group also forged partnerships with a number of professional teams, including staff from the School of Science and Health and the Library, to work on specific initiatives.

What would be a good example of the work that you are involved in?

Some of the projects we have been working on include:

  • Developing a job shadowing program (opens in a new window) for professional staff which is now hosted by the Office of People and Culture
  • After benchmarking across the sector, we achieved a 50% increase in the Education Support Allowance to $3,000 pa
  • Reviewing and revised the Professional Development Policy and Guidelines, reducing duplication with the Enterprise Agreement and simplifying and clarifying some clauses
  • Developing and ran a pilot mentoring program for professional staff with School of Health and Science and the Library
  • Acting as an advisory committee to the Office of Organisational Development on the development of an online career development module for professional staff

What challenges does the team face?

The biggest challenge was working out which of the exciting ideas that were developed among the team were achievable within the timeframes, and would have best impact for professional staff. To overcome this, focus groups were held alongside consultations with other areas of the University to ascertain which ideas were most feasible. Another challenge was time constraints as the members of the group all have 'day jobs'. Monthly meetings were scheduled in advance so working group members could prioritise the time, and tasks distributed amongst group members so the load could be shared.

What is the team focusing on in the next 12 months?

The team has wound down with the successful completion of key targets and will be looking to the results of the next MyVoice Survey in mid-2015 to reflect the success of the group's work.