I have uploaded a personal submission on the value of personal leave banks to individuals and the APS in general.
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
PO Box 6500
Canberra ACT 2600
To whom it may concern
Personal submission on increasing Australian Public Service employee welfare through
leave banks
Current provisions for personal leave in many Australian Public Service (APS) Enterprise
Agreements could be seen to offer enviable conditions when compared with the private sector.
The annual provision of 15-20 days personal leave1, and the opportunity to accrue unused leave,
is beneficial for career public servants, many of whom have hundreds of days of personal leave
at the time of retirement. Newer staff, younger staff, and those that have experienced career
gaps do not, of course, have this benefit.
The APS workforce is ageing2, retirement ages are increasing, and it is likely that larger numbers
of employees will experience chronic illnesses during their working lives. It is desirable to bring
new staff with new ideas into the APS, from other sectors of the Australian economy, including
the private sector3. These employees will not have as much accrued personal leave as colleagues
of the same age who have longer careers in the APS.
These factors increase the possibility that larger numbers of employees will experience serious
chronic conditions, life-limiting illnesses or have carer responsibilities without sufficient leave
to provide financial support for them and their families. This particularly discriminates against
new employees, younger employees and people (generally women) who have had career breaks
due to family responsibilities.
We understand that many, if not all, APS Enterprise Agreements offer the Secretary, Chief
Executive Officers or their delegates the power to grant miscellaneous leave to staff in these
circumstances at their discretion, and after a somewhat onerous and often distressing process.
Several of us have faced life-limiting or chronic illnesses and have considered, or been granted
miscellaneous leave. Our experiences show that the uncertainty associated with such an
application and the lack of clarity about how miscellaneous leave would be agreed have caused
extra anxiety in a very stressful time. This stress is not conducive to a fast and successful
recovery process.
The concept of ‘leave banks’ has been implemented successfully in many organisations
worldwide, including the civil service4 and academia5 in the United States of America and local
councils in New Zealand6. The purpose is to mitigate the difficulties faced by catastrophic illness
or injury to employees, whilst offsetting the overall impact on agencies.
1 ipa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/archive/18Dec15-ALJP-Driving_a_soft_bargain.pdf
3 www.apsc.gov.au/e-opening-aps
4 www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/leave-administration/fact-sheets/voluntary-leave-bank-program/
5 E.g. www.hr.virginia.edu/hr-for-you/university-staff/university-staff-benefits/university-staff-leave-plan/
6 E.g. http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2017/11/would-you-donate-to-a-sick-leave-bank.html
Employees are able to donate leave to a pool which is managed centrally, usually by human
resources staff. Rules govern how much leave may be donated in a particular period and require
that donors maintain a minimum amount of leave. Staff apply to access additional leave held in
the pool once their personal leave is exhausted. Typically, a board or committee determines
whether applicants’ circumstances meet stated criteria for accessing donated leave.
There may be limited financial benefits to APS employers if personal leave was able to be
donated to a central pool, because Enterprise Agreements do not allow personal leave to be
‘cashed out’, and personal leave becomes void if an individual ceases employment. It may be
more viable for the APS if recreational leave could be donated to a central ‘leave bank’ pool.
A leave bank pool would impose minimal costs upon the APS, particularly after the initial set up,
but provides enormous benefits. These benefits align with the stated APS values, particularly
impartiality, accountability, respect and ethics. This scheme provides considerable benefits to
both donor and receiver. Complex illness does not only impact upon individuals and their
families. Work colleagues often experience considerable distress due to co-workers illness and
feel powerless to help. This positive initiative allows the opportunity for them to provide real
assistance.
The leave bank initiative will offer substantial benefits to the APS, particularly to the well-being,
including mental health, of unwell employees and their colleagues, and also has the potential to
reduce the recreational leave liabilities within APS agencies.
If an initiative such as this one was implemented into the APS, it would demonstrate clearly the
commitment the APS has towards its personnel in times of hardship. It would also be a standard
that the private sector could use as a benchmark to introduce to their working standards.
This is an opportunity to actively model APS values, and to show leadership in supporting
employee well-being.
Yours sincerely
Jonathan Early Sam Hamilton Michelle Hyde Melissa Scarlett
Jonathan.Early@ Sam.Hamilton@ Michelle.Hyde@ Melissa.Scarlett@
agriculture.gov.au agriculture.gov.au foodstandards.gov.au agriculture.gov.au
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