The Department of Regional NSW is committed to making regional NSW great places to live, work, play and invest. We employ more than 4,500 people in more than 160 workplaces across NSW and are committed to being a family friendly workplace because everyone is part of a family, everyone is someone’s child, parent, partner or carer. We know work is just one aspect of anyone’s life, and we want to support our people to have a career and make an impact while ensuring they don’t have to compromise their most important role as a family member.
Flexible work practices are a cornerstone of the Department of Regional NSW. These arrangements include flexible start and finish times, working additional hours to make up for time off, flexible scheduling for rostered workers, part-time work, job sharing, working remotely, purchasing annual leave, leave without pay and study leave. COVID-19 has broadened that flexibility even more. Before COVID-19, all staff were required to work core hours of 10am – 3pm unless they had organised leave. When COVID-19 required staff to juggle home schooling and other caring responsibilities, we removed this obligation, enabling our people to work their hours in whichever way worked best for them. They can now work flexibly in a way that enables delivery for them, their team and their manager.
While there were initial misgivings about the capacity of people to work productively while complying with the NSW Health Orders, we have seen no lack of productivity. Staff may start earlier or later, take a few hours off during the day, finish work early or continue after they’ve put their children to bed at night. This has enabled people to balance their own priorities and mental health, which might include taking a walk, picking up groceries or attending appointments. People have responded well to being empowered to make the best decisions for themselves and their families. Our staff are more engaged and take responsibility for delivering results at work while balancing their caring responsibilities. We have also actively engaged our people leaders, supporting and upskilling them to effectively manage their staff under these new arrangements.
Being a family inclusive organisation enables us to attract and retain great talent. Our people value the arrangements we offer. In our latest staff survey, 91% of staff were satisfied with their ability to access and use flexible working arrangements and 92% of staff believe their manager supports flexible working in their team. This is reflected in our staff retention rates, with the majority of staff planning to work for the Department of Regional NSW for 5-10 years, which is 5% higher than other NSW Government departments.
Anna Wilson is a Recruitment Specialist for the Department of Regional NSW, as well as a devoted parent and carer.
She finds great satisfaction in her role, helping attract talented people to the department. Over the years, Anna has made use of a wide range of flexible working arrangements to support her family’s needs.
After taking time away from the workforce to focus on her family, she joined the department in 2015 as a casual employee. The role quickly reignited her professional passion, and her skills and capability were soon recognised.
Initially brought on for an 8-week project in the recruitment team, Anna soon secured a full-time role. Since then, she has worked in both full and part-time positions and taken extended periods of leave when needed.
The department supported her through the profound loss of one of her children and continues to accommodate her needs as a carer. Anna has also planned further leave to help her family through important life transitions.
She’s accessed many of the department’s flexible work options, including part-time roles, flexible hours, flex leave, carer’s leave, and unpaid leave. While the formal policies have made a significant difference, Anna says it’s the empathy and ongoing support from her managers that has truly enabled her to balance work and care.
Their respect and understanding have helped her remain connected to meaningful work, while also honouring her responsibilities at home.
As Anna shares, “While I love my work and the sense of achievement it offers, the reality is that for me as for all parents my family is my highest priority. Other people can do my work, but nobody else can do my unpaid job.”
"Being a family inclusive workplace empowers our team to balance their family and work life and bring their authentic and best selves to work, without having to compromise either their professional or family life."
