An independent review of APS hierarchy and classification levels has called on the government to slash the number of bureaucrat ranks from 13 to eight.
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It wants numerical ranks, like APS 4 and EL 2 that suggest a ladder, be scrapped in favour of "people-focused" job titles.
But the heads of the Australian Public Service say it's not the right time, given the new Labor government's own reform agenda.
The review, released Friday, was critical of departmental secretaries for failing to follow through with previous commitments to flatten hierarchies dating back to 2014.
With contentious pay and conditions matters left off the table, the report authors, Dr Heather Smith, Finn Pratt and Kathryn Fagg, proposed an overhaul of classifications within the public service hierarchy, specialist pathways, and the means to attract millennials and "digital natives".
Supervisors without any management and leadership training needed to be resolved "urgently", they recommended, while senior managers in the APS had on average just three to five direct reports, far fewer than was standard in the private sector and should be lifted to a minimum of eight to 10.
Past efforts to flatten the structure of government entities has failed, they noted, and urged "a firm change to the Classification Rules, rather than a softer, policy-based approach".
The review said classifications should be collapsed into the entry level for graduates and trainees, a new Core Officer - Primary, encompassing APS1-4, Core Officer - Advanced for APS5-6, while EL1 should be reclassified Core Officer - Expert, recognising the significant expertise expected at that level, it proposed.
Managers at the EL2 level should be "recalibrated" to strength their leadership role with a greater number of direct reports in line with other sectors and state and territory public sectors, the review found. These greater responsibilities from more direct reports would be "consistent with the pay offered at this level, with the mean EL2 base salary over $143,000 per year".
The senior executive Band 1 and 2 would be merged into a single general manager level under the plan
APS commissioner Peter Woolcott and the departmental secretaries intend to hold consultations beginning in November and proceed with "measured steps" without any commitment to implement the recommendation of reforming classification.
Instead, the Public Service Commission's 2014 "optimal management structures" guide will be updated and re-released.
"The panel makes a good case for its ambitious proposals around classification reform, but the timing and viability of such complex reform needs to be carefully weighed. We are not looking to make changes to classifications at this stage," Mr Woolcott said.
"Any decision to proceed with classification reform in the future would need to be looked at further in consultation with staff, stakeholders and as part of the government's reform agenda."
It was within each agency and department's power to adopt fewer layers of hierarchy and larger spans of control without legislation, he noted.
"A key theme of the review is strengthening APS culture and capability, and we will begin our work there," he said.
"I strongly support the aspiration to modernise the way we operate in the APS, to better position ourselves to meet future challenges and provide more rewarding careers for our people."
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The Secretaries Board will on Friday release a new charter of leadership behaviours, another of the recommendations from the review, outlining what is expected of the senior executives of the APS and encouraged at all levels.
Using the acronym DRIVE, leaders are encouraged to "be Dynamic, be Respectful, have Integrity, Value others, and Empower people".
Mr Woolcott said the APS needed to evolve its approach to growing and supporting managers as they adapt to new ways of working.
Recommendations
- Modernise and simplify the Public Service Classification Rules 2000 from 13 to 8 classifications, with secretaries retaining flexibility to structure their organisations to optimise business needs.
- Refer to people's roles by descriptive job titles, rather than numerical classifications.
- Enable progression for people within classifications through fair and transparent assessment driven by proficiency, skills development and workforce planning.
- Recognise specialists for the value of their work within the new classification framework.
- The Secretaries Board to implement spans of control for senior management roles generally within the range of 8-10 direct reports, consistent with contemporary organisational design.
- Invest urgently in the capability of future leaders, particularly the EL2/Manager cohort, and mandate management and leadership training for all staff with supervisory responsibility.
- Strengthen the role of the APS Commissioner as the Chief People Officer for APS people management.
- The Secretaries Board to adopt and model a Charter of Leadership Behaviours for APS leaders to promote collaborative and team-based behaviours.
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Harley Dennett
Former federal politics bureau chief for the Canberra Times, via a career that's taken me from rural Victoria to Washington DC. Telling the stories of my local LGBTI community brought me to political journalism, where I've covered eight budgets, four national elections in two countries, Defence, public service and international governance.
Former federal politics bureau chief for the Canberra Times, via a career that's taken me from rural Victoria to Washington DC. Telling the stories of my local LGBTI community brought me to political journalism, where I've covered eight budgets, four national elections in two countries, Defence, public service and international governance.
