This document summarizes the results of a workforce planning project conducted by Charles Sturt Council. It identifies several critical jobs that are hard to fill. A staff survey found high retention rates and job satisfaction. Retention and attraction strategies were developed for critical roles. The project also looked at future workplace trends like flexible work arrangements and lifelong learning. It outlined a vision for the workplace in 2025 and identified quick wins and strategy clusters to work towards that vision, such as reviewing policies around work-life balance, technology access, and learning opportunities.

1. “Hello, we’re
Charles Sturt.”
Workforce Planning at Charles Sturt
Workforce Planners & Developers Network
29 April 2014

2. Agenda
• Background
• Workforce Planning Process
• Outcomes of Project
• The Future

3. Background
• Ran a comprehensive workforce planning project in
2006. Major focus was on:
– Work/Life Balance
– Job marketing
– Improving Workplace culture
• Local Govt. Association sponsored new project in
2012 and 2013 in conjunction with Workforce
Planning Australia and Workforce BluPrint. Decided
to review workforce planning process.

4. Process
• Environmental scan (by Leadership Team) - Identifying external
factors that may influence the size, shape and makeup, of the workforce.
• Workforce Data (FTE, Gender, Age, Length of Service)
• Staff Survey (Interest in career development; Work/life intentions;
Career aspirations; Attraction factors; Productivity improvements;
Working conditions; Retention factors). 309 responses (69%) received.
• Identification of critical jobs (by Workforce Planning Committee)
• Development of attraction/retention strategies for critical
jobs (by Workforce Planning Committee after interviewing incumbents)

5. Summary of Outcomes
Workforce Planning project identified:
1. A number of critical positions that were deemed as
hard to fill (e.g. part of a skill shortage in the job
market); AND were deemed as mission critical.
2. Overall CCS is in a healthy position to retain staff in,
and attract staff to, critical positions when it needs to:
– 92% of respondents intend to continue working at the Council for the
foreseeable future.
– 97% staff said they would encourage others to seek work at CCS.

6. Overview (cont.)
3. Retention and attraction strategies have been
identified to retain current incumbents in and
attract staff for the identified critical roles.
4. Some of the staff attraction/retention strategies
identified (e.g. the need to review work/life balance
policy) have led us to look at what the workplace in
the future might look like.

7. Community
• Jet Vac Operator, Operations Engineer
• Coord Urban Design and Landscape
Architect
• Engineers (Coordinator Design,
Coordinator Eng Projects, Coordinator
Roads, Development Project Engineer,
Transport Engineer)
• Technical Officers (Engineering)
• Asset Management Coordinator
• Civil Engineer (Development Services)
• Development Officer - Senior ABS
• Environmental Health Officers
Elected
Member Body
• Communications Advisor (Mayoral
Liaison, Speeches, Media,)
Administration
• Database Administrator
• WHS Advisor / Consultant
• Procurement Professionals
• Manager Gov & Op Support
• Team Leader Gov & Bus Support
• Disel Mechanic
Critical and
Hard to Fill
Jobs

8. Retention, Attraction & Management
Strategies for Critical Job Roles
Critical Roles - Retention, Attraction and Management
Strategies.xlsx

15. Key findings from research
• Workers are demanding a new deal from their employers, they want a
choice in how, when and where they work

16. • Employees of all generations will increasingly do more than one thing at a
time (email, write report, on FB, reading news, texting and answering the
phone, listening to music). Think about your kids, they will be in the
workplace very soon!

17. The culture is one of immediate answers, with employees willing to
connect across more hours and with more flexibility.

18. • In the 2020 workplace, work is becoming a place to collaborate, exchange
ideas, and communicate with colleagues and customers (as is your home,
your café and other ‘public’ spaces). Developing a culture of flexible
collaboration is how businesses will be competitive in the future.

19. Through our research, specific ways to develop
and support our organisation evolved:
• Strong values
• Flexible
• Ability to blend work and life
• Develop skills further
• Good employer brand
• Leadership

20. This looks like…. in 2020
– Mobile devices have become the office, classroom and concierge for us all
(are becoming the primary connection tool to the internet). This means
valuing communication mechanisms (PC, tablet, phone, new technologies)
and tailored technology (person not position)
– Talent Shortage will be acute
– Businesses will reinvent office space, with workers electing to work at “third”
places (coffee shops, cafes, hotels, free WIFI will be prevalent)
– Our customers increasingly will (are) want service far beyond 9-5, how do we
respond?
– Workers will be able to choose how to work (time of day, location, intensity,
connectivity) and will be encouraged and trusted

21. This looks like…. in 2020
– Work life blend (flexibility) replaces work life balance
– Companies will hire entire teams to deal with issues/ projects, utilising ex /
transitional employees
– Lifelong learning will be a business requirement and an expectation
– Companies will promote their social responsibility programs to attract and
retain employees
– Egocentric leaders replaced with altrocentric leaders (concern for others
rather than themselves)
– Genuine respectful relationships fostering empowerment and equality

22. Mapping out next steps ….
Define 2025
Workplace Vision
2014
Model of
Work
Strategic and operational business
needs
Strategy
Clusters
Quick
Wins
2025
Model of
Work

23. Strategy Clusters
2025
Workplace
Vision
Blending
Work & Life
Learning &
Development
Ageing
Workforce /
Retirement
• Digital capability and access
• Unrestricted access to technology
• Teleworking and collaborative work spaces
• Customised Employee choice (person not position)
• 5 Generations in the workplace
• Consider and promote phased retirement and
part/time project options
• Work Life Balance Policy Review
• Increase and legitimise informal learning (70:20:10)
• Accelerated leadership development
• 2030 leadership competencies
• Identify Job specific skills and abilities for the future
• Develop career pathways – education, process, build
into culture (particularly field)
• Review of part-time assistance policy (learning
providers have changed the way they offer quals)
• Knowledge management strategy
• Identifying talent not utilised
• Political acumen
• Consider school based apprenticeships
• Design part-time positions for staff that
have trainees
• Under 25 recruitment strategy
• Accessing knowledge through
engagement strategies
• Early Retirement schemes

24. Quick wins … a starting point
• Incorporate ICAC overview into Corporate Induction Day
(Governance)
• Include interview question in Stay Interviews about level of
Local Government knowledge
• Proactive approach to sourcing external funding for
community related services
• Cultural diversity – employee faces, selection criteria, widen
recruitment sources to include interstate and overseas,
include in Corporate Induction Day, Media and
Communications, education
• Explore field functional capability testing
• Include referrals from existing employees to the internal
advertising process

25. Questions?