Workforce Metrics Dictionary for the NT Public Sector

Workforce Metrics Dictionary for the NT Public Sector

Workforce Metrics Dictionary for the NT Public Sector

September 2014

Acknowledgements

The Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment acknowledges and thanks the many people who contributed to the development of this guide. In particular, OCPE would like to thank the Corporate Leadership Council and the Victorian Public Sector for their original work in establishing standards for Human Capital Measures.

© Copyright of the Northern Territory Government, 2013

Further information

Contact Strategic Workforce Planning and Development

Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment

Email: or phone: (08) 8999 4170

Introduction

The Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment, with the kind support of the Victorian Public Sector and the Corporate Leadership Council have developed this Workforce Metrics Dictionary for the Northern Territory (NT) Public Sector and the associated Guide to using workforce metrics in the NT Public Sector to support agency human resource (HR) practitioners, managers and Chief Executive Officers in the use of workforce data and measurement. This dictionary has been designed to be used in conjunction with the Guide to using workforce metrics in the NT Public Sector and will allow agencies to quickly and easily review a common standard of measurement across the sector using a standard set of definitions. The purpose of the dictionary is to strengthen management reporting for decision making by agency executives, strengthen workforce planning efforts, proactively monitor workforce activities and influence agency workforce strategy.

These documents have been developed in close consultation with members from the Department of Corporate and Information Services (DCIS) Corporate Reporting team, the Office of the Commissioner for Public Employment (OCPE) statistician and a small testing group of HR Directors. It is intended to complement rather than replace or override your existing reporting arrangements.

All agencies use workforce metrics and collect data in varying forms. While all agencies have access to the same data repositories, agencies have different tools and systems for collecting, interpreting and reporting data. The purpose of the dictionary is to provide a standard set of definitions which then allows CEOs, Senior Managers and HR practitioners to rely on a common standard of measurement across the sector.

How to use the Workforce Metrics Dictionary

With an increasing responsibility for senior leadership teams to develop a more complete picture of their workforce, and for human resources professionals to move from administrative to strategic partners, measuring workforce activities and information is key in demonstrating the workforce impacts on an agency. When used strategically, workforce metrics can be a powerful tool to assist agencies strengthen workforce planning efforts and proactively influence agency workforce strategy. Collecting workforce data offers deeper insights concerning the state of the workforce and is a cornerstone to making evidence based decisions.

Each measure is accompanied by an information sheet that describes the measure in detail and provides the rationale for collection. Additionally, each information sheet contains technical discussion regarding application, dimensions for analysis and data sourcing. This dictionary is not intended to replace or override existing reporting arrangements in agencies.

As the level of sophistication around workforce data continues to grow, reporting technology improves and users gain experience with data and analytics, it is expected that the suite of workforce metrics will evolve over time.

Although the source of many of these metrics is derived from the PIPS system the accuracy of this data iscontingent upon the timely and accurate entry of data from agencies and employees. It is therefore incumbent on agenciesto proactively contribute to PIPSdata quality.

Other dimensions for analysis

There are a number of common dimensions of analysis that span across the majority of metrics. Agencies can add an additional filter to the data in the following ways:

§  Location (and groupings)

§  Division

§  Gender

§  Age (groupings)

§  Classifications (job family)

§  Length of Service (groupings)

§  Employment status (ongoing / fixed period)

Definitions

Paid headcount / paid employees

A count of all employees who were paid salary or wages in any specific period.

Ongoing employees

Employment until the employee resigns or the employment is terminated under the Public Sector Employment and Management Act (PSEMA).

Fixed period employees

Employment for a period of time specified in the contract of employment, other than casual employment.

Casual employees

Employment to work as and when required from time to time.

BOXI

A business and strategic reporting system provided and operated by the Department of Corporate Information Services (DCIS).

Full Time Equivalent/s (FTE)

The overall staffing figures are normally based on the Full Time Equivalent (FTE) figure for all employees. The FTE figure itself is calculated by taking each person's actual base pay for the fortnight and dividing it by the figure that they would have been paid if they worked full time (with a maximum FTE value of 1.00).

Significant injury

A workplace injury that is likely to result in the employee being incapacitated for a continuous period of more than five days, whether or not any of those days are work days and whether or not the incapacity is total or partial or a combination of both.

Higher duties allowance

Temporary performance of the duties of a designation that has a higher attainable maximum salary that the substantive designation occupied.

Miscellaneous Employees

Miscellaneous employees are coded in PIPS as having ‘Z’ status. The PIPS system defines ‘Z’ status employees as being either board members, pensioners or former employees on worker’s compensation. For the purposes of these metrics, miscellaneous employee excludes pensioners and former employees (A small number of additional classifications may be erroneously included as having a ‘Z’ status).

Workplace absences

Employee absence from the workplace are often grouped into two categories, either planned or unplanned. For the purposes of this publication unplanned or unscheduled absence is referred to as ‘workplace absence’. Workplace absence refers to absence from workin recognition of circumstances that can generally arise irregularly or unexpectedly, making it difficult to plan, approve or budget for in advance.

Internal applicants

Employees who are currently employed in the NTPS.

External applicants

Employees who are not currently employed in the NTPS.

Indigenous Public Sector Employee

For the purposes of the Commonwealth and Jurisdictions, commitments under element 4 of the National Partnership Agreement on Indigenous Economic Participation, an “Indigenous public sector employee” is a headcount of paid employees:

§  who have self-identified as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and/or in a position which can only be held by a person of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent

§  are of State, Territory or Commonwealth public sector organisations (based on the ABS SESCA Level of Government classification)

and

§  are in paid employment types that include permanent and non-permanent positions or roles.

Metric Menu

The NTPS Workforce Dictionary is supported by a menu that provides a list of the included metrics grouped under five dimensions that are impacted by the workforce. This menu was designed to contribute to developing an agency’s understanding of its achievement and activity in these areas.

These areas are:

§  Organisational culture: shaping and influencing the guiding principles that influence the way people in the agency behave.

§  Succession planning: designing and delivering processes and systems to identify and develop key individuals and roles to ensure strong succession plans are in place.

§  Leadership development: designing, delivering and evaluating programs and products to develop leaders.

§  Recruitment and resourcing: getting the right number of people, with the right skills, at the right time, to meet agency needs.

§  Talent management: identifying, developing and retaining talent in the agency.

METRIC NAME / Organisational Culture / Succession Planning / Leadership Development / Recruitment & Resourcing / Talent Management
AGE
Age profile / ■ / ■ / ■ / ■ / ■
Age profile (50 + years old) / ■ / ■ / ■ / ■ / ■
GENDER
Gender distribution / ■ / ■ / ■ / ■ / ■
DIVERSITY (EEO distribution)
People with Disability / ■ / ■ / ■
People from culturally Diverse Backgrounds / ■ / ■ / ■
Indigenous Australians / ■ / ■ / ■
EMPLOYMENT STATUS
Ongoing employment rate / ■ / ■ / ■ / ■ / ■
Fixed period employment rate / ■ / ■ / ■ / ■ / ■
Part-time rate / ■ / ■ / ■ / ■ / ■
Probation / ■ / ■
Visa holders / ■ / ■ / ■
Flexible work practices / ■ / ■
Supernumeraries / ■ / ■
CLASSIFICATION
Classification distribution / ■ / ■
ABSENCES
Workplace absence / ■ / ■
Accrued leave liability / ■
Leave without pay / ■ / ■ / ■
SEPARATIONS
Separation / ■ / ■ / ■
Separation reason / ■ / ■ / ■
Exit interviews / ■ / ■ / ■ / ■
LENGTH OF SERVICE
Length of service profile / ■ / ■ / ■
PROMOTIONS
Higher duties allowance / ■ / ■ / ■ / ■
LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT
Study assistance / ■ / ■
OCPE leadership program participation / ■ / ■ / ■
PERFORMANCE AND DEVELOPMENT
Performance management participation / ■ / ■ / ■
RECRUITMENT
Positions advertised / ■ / ■ / ■ / ■
Average time to finalise selection / ■
Recruitment source / ■
Internal vs. external recruitment / ■ / ■ / ■ / ■
LEADERSHIP
Employee satisfaction with leadership / ■ / ■
Women in senior management / ■ / ■ / ■ / ■
WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY
Workplace incidents / ■ / ■
Workplace incidents (cost) / ■ / ■

THEME: AGE

AGE PROFILE
DESCRIPTION / Distribution of employees by paid headcount according to their age at a point in time.
Age groupings:
15–19, 20–24, 25–29, 30–34, 35–39, 40–44, 45–49, 50–54, 55–59, 60–64, 65+
REPORT INCLUSIONS / EXCLUSIONS
REASONS FOR COLLECTION / Disaggregating the data by age provides a detailed view of the age distribution across the agency. This measure can be used to determine age specific workforce challenges that relate to the agency.
Employee preference and behaviours tend to vary with age. For example, the benefits and conditions desired by 25 year old employees are likely to differ from those valued by 55 year olds. The reasons that employees enter and leave an agency are also likely to differ across age groups. Given these variances, it is important for an agency to understand how its employment offer appeals to employees at various ages and what behaviours are likely for various age groups.
Experience levels are likely to vary with age, either industry specific experience or professional working experience. While age is certainly not a predictor of performance, the experience levels of various age groups may necessitate different development strategies. Agencies with a young workforce may focus on development of basic professional skills or basic leadership development, while those with an older workforce may focus development energies on emerging technologies, high level leadership development or other areas.
This measure can also assist agencies to gauge a potential exposure to retirement cost and knowledge drain from employees nearing retirement age. The average age of retirement would also be a useful indicator.
SOURCING THE DATA / Age profile data is based on employee date of birth and can be sourced from PIPS.
AGE PROFILE (50 + YEARS OLD)
DESCRIPTION / Distribution of employees by paid headcount who are 50 years or older at a point in time.
REPORT INCLUSIONS / EXCLUSIONS
REASONS FOR COLLECTION / Disaggregating the data by age (50+ years old) provides a detailed view of the 50+ age distribution across the agency. Agencies can use this measure to understand their potential exposure to employees nearing retirement age. Australia faces a future skill shortage created by the impending retirement of the baby boomer population. This retirement wave over the next 15 years is likely to bring with it significant retirement costs, such as accrued long service leave credits. It is also likely to cause a drain of important knowledge, skill and experience held by older workers. Agencies will want to develop an understanding of their knowledge drain exposure to plan in advance for the back-filling of impending retirements. It is also possible that this cohort will be wanting to downshift either in terms of responsibility of position, or time at work through a phased retirement plan or access to flexible work options.
This measure could also be considered in conjunction with an analysis of the agencies leadership capability and succession pool. As managers and executives tend to be older employees, the leadership strength of an agency may be susceptible.
Agencies may wish to further disaggregate the data to assess the proportion of employees within one, three and five years of normal retirement age. Additionally, agencies may identify pockets within the agency that are most susceptible to the negative impact of a large wave of retirements.
SOURCING THE DATA / Age profile data (50+) is based on employee date of birth and can be sourced from PIPS.

THEME: GENDER

GENDER DISTRIBUTION
DESCRIPTION / Distribution of paid employees by gender at a point in time.
REPORT INCLUSIONS / EXCLUSIONS
REASONS FOR COLLECTION / This measure enables agencies to monitor the composition of its workforce, to promote diversity and to help address gender bias in the workplace. This measure is also used to gauge the effectiveness of equity strategies and to guide actions around attraction, retention and development of employees.
While this measure may help to identify gender imbalances in the workforce it will not by itself explain why such balances exist. Agencies may wish to analyse the data in relation to recruitment and turnover trends among males and females to understand which functions within the agency may have difficulty attracting or retaining a particular gender. To achieve a targeted gender composition in certain functions or areas agencies may consider implementing gender specific attraction and retention strategies, or with the permission of the Commissioner for Public Employment introducing special measures to attract a particular cohort.
SOURCING THE DATA / Data related to employee gender can be sourced from PIPS.
BUSINESS RULES / To be shown as a ratio (Female to Male)

THEME: DIVERSITY (EEO distribution)