Home Affairs Department staff have condemned their workplace in a set of dismal survey results showing most of its rank-and-file bureaucrats don't believe their efforts are valued.
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The results also flag disapproval among lower-ranking public servants towards the department's executives, as nearly two-thirds of staff declined to describe their leaders as "high quality".
Fewer Home Affairs staff would recommend their agency as a good place to work compared to bureaucrats at other federal agencies, the public service commission's latest employee census shows.
The department said the results from the May survey showed moderate improvements compared to last year and that staff were committed to the agency's goals.
Community and Public Sector Union deputy national president Lisa Newman said they indicated the government's tough approach to pay and conditions had devastated staff morale.
Most staff responding to the survey trashed their remuneration levels following the department's prolonged workplace dispute over pay and conditions, which ended last year with a determination from the industrial umpire.
Ms Newman said many staff had been traumatised by the "viciousness" of the federal government's approach to the last bargaining round and the resulting failures of the workplace determination exercise to protect pay and conditions.
Plans to outsource parts of the visa processing system also damaged morale, she said.
"What these results also show is staff are highly committed to the critical work of Home Affairs despite the effects budget cuts are having on their capacity to do the work," Ms Newman said.
The department lagged far behind the rest of the federal bureaucracy on most survey results focusing on senior leadership, well-being, inclusion and diversity, staff engagement and workplace conditions.
Only a quarter of Home Affairs staff said employees felt valued for their work, far lower than the rest of the Australian Public Service.
Public servants panned communication inside their workplace and less than a third said it was effective.
While most Home Affairs staff believed their own boss cared about their health and well-being, far fewer felt that way about the larger department.
Staff rated their immediate bosses highly but gave a series of poor reviews for the department's senior leadership.
Nearly one-third of Home Affairs bureaucrats didn't believe the department's executive worked as a team.
Fewer Home Affairs staff believed their senior leaders acted always according to the public service's values, compared to bureaucrats rating executives at other agencies.
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Ms Newman said the department's staff worked hard for their colleagues and immediate supervisors.
"But staff confidence in management takes a nose dive the higher up you go," she said.
"We know many staff do not have confidence in senior executive decision making and this is borne out by these dire results.
"It signals the need for a real cultural change in the organisation that must start at the top with actions not words.
"Staff want to feel respected and that their views matter and will be taken into consideration."
One of the department's largest gaps with the rest of the public service was staff attitudes towards their pay and conditions.
When asked if they were fairly paid for their work, 36 per cent agreed, compared to 63 per cent for other federal agencies.
Home Affairs staff were also less satisfied with their employment conditions.
The figures remained low despite the Fair Work Commission last year awarding them a pay rise and making a determination setting out their conditions in painstaking detail.
Survey results also showed many staff lacked confidence in the Home Affairs Department's measures to stop corruption.
While 86 per cent said it had anti-corruption procedures in place, only 63 per cent said it would be hard to get away with corrupt behaviour in their workplace.
Despite the bleak picture of staff morale, most responding to the survey said they strongly believed in the department's purpose and felt committed to its goals.
Nearly 90 per cent said they were happy to go the "extra mile" at work when needed, and the vast majority said they worked beyond what was required of them to help the agency meet its objectives.
A department spokeswoman said the results showed it had improved at developing and teaching staff, and maintaining a positive workplace culture.
"It is important to note that our operating environment and functions are unique, and as such high level comparisons and rankings may not adequately reflect the nuances of the work we do and context in which we do this work," she said.
"Perceptions of performance management largely remained steady while perceptions about capability and development improved, supporting the positive perceptions most staff have about their immediate supervisors.
"A crucial next step is to celebrate our collective achievements and work together to focus on areas identified by our staff."