HR in Focus APS HR Professional Stream

Kylie O'Grady, Director of Leadership, Learning and Development at the Department of Health sat down (virtually) with our host Craig Moore to discuss the APS HR Workforce Strategy and Action Plan. Kylie discusses how they are utilising and embedding the document into the work of the HR function at Health to ensure they establish a high performing, diverse, flexible and sustainable function. It is an insightful look into HR at the department.

In this episode we are joined by Simone Keenan, General Manager for Organisational Development at the Bureau of Meteorology. Simone chatted to us about the large-scale transformation agenda at the Bureau and the pivotal role the Organisational Development team plays in the delivery of the agenda by providing a strategic and innovative approach to workforce capability. There were some initial concerns raised about the existing HR structure and the capability to deliver strategic value, contemporary advice and truly partner with the business to achieve the transformation. An independent review of the function was undertaken and Simone takes us through the internal transformation journey of the Organisational Development team to lift the capability to ensure they can play a more strategic role supporting the Bureau’s immediate and longer-term needs.

Professor Deborah Blackman is the Head of School of Business and Professor in Public Sector Management Strategy at the University of New South Wales Canberra and kindly joins us in this episode to talk about how to measure success. She highlights the importance of having conversations early and upfront to enable us to set up what we think success will look like at the end of a project in order to track your success along the way. She shares a few tips on how to make sure everyone is on the same page from the beginning of a project. Deborah also talks to us about movement measures to ensure we can track success along the way and make adjustments as needed to ensure we are heading in the right direction.

Hear from APS HR Head of Profession and Chief Operating Officer at the Australian Taxation Office Jacqui Curtis on what some of the key qualities are for a high performing HR function.

Louise Pozzebon is a human resource professional with diverse experience across the APS in many HR functions. Currently working at the Department of Defence as Director APS Rehabilitation, Louise’s AHRI capstone project focused on improving the return to work outcomes in Defence. Starting in the role just as her AHRI capstone project kicked off, she wanted to focus on a topic that would promote the rehabilitation team to the broader workforce while also emphasising the importance of a safe and healthy workforce. Louise looked at managing the expectations and tensions between the role of HR, line managers and employees in return to work situations.

This series focuses on public sector employees who have completed their AHRI Certification, providing an opportunity for them to showcase their project. You will hear how the Certified HR Practitioner provided an innovative approach to a complex HR issue in their organisation.

Kylie Saines is the Director of Workforce Management at the Australian Bureau of Statistics. For her AHRI capstone project, Kylie identified limitations to the ABS’s workforce planning practices and worked to create a workforce planning tool that would build the confidence the executive had in the HR reports being produced. Kylie set out to fill the gaps in the workforce planning practices ensuring better decisions and workforce design into the future.

This series focuses on public sector employees who have completed their AHRI Certification, providing an opportunity for them to showcase their project. You will hear how the Certified HR Practitioner provided an innovative approach to a complex HR issue in their organisation.