Organisation: Department of Human Services
Job Title: Team Leader
Word Limit: 250 words per criterion limit
Location: Brisbane
Criteria One (Essential): Provide support to their leadership groups by managing a team of service officers in their day-to-day operations
During my role as an Acting Team Leader of a specialised processing team, management instituted an increased take-up of digital solutions, resulting in the requirement to reduce team workload. This meant the team was going to be disbanded and many staff moved to other areas. This was going to cause some issues as the transition meant that a service delivery reform was required, while at the same time the standard Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) had to be met. I ensured success by organising and assisting the remaining staff by:
Allocating work in a balanced manner to ensure staff gained experience in their new duties whilst continuing to meet the demands of their previous roles
Monitoring staff productivity and measuring performance against the each area’s KPIs to ensure staff were meeting their assigned targets
Monitoring staff attendance to ensure their attendance was not negatively impacting on production and that KPIs continued to be met
Setting-up coaching and one-on-one sessions with individual staff to assist those struggling to adapt to the new arrangements
Instituting staff meetings to brief the remaining staff on the changes and how the transition would take place
Ensuring learning and development needs were addressed through regular feedback sessions
Allocating more staff to take on telephony roles
As a result of my work with these daily operations measurements, service delivery was improved and a smooth transition was achieved with minimal disruption to productivity, as reflected in the KPI results for the team.
Criteria Two: Achieves results and supports strategic direction
Identifies and uses resources wisely
Responds positively to change
Takes responsibility for managing work projects to achieve results
When I was transferred as an Acting Team Leader to a new specialised processing team, I discovered a number of inefficiencies, including poor staffing allocations and a lack of organised rostering resulting in little or no KPIs being met, to a severe backlog of work impeding day to day production. This highlighted an organisational lack of coordination of staff and functions, as well as little or no rostering or predictable organised production taking place.
To correct this situation, I instituted an amended rostering preference sheet that ensured a balance of the day-to-day functions being met while, at the same time, a planned reduction in the backlog allocated on a daily basis. I then sent this to the Rostering and Scheduling Coordinator (RSC) to include a phone staffing tab which would allow a decrease in the amount of staff required on the phones each day. I educated other TL5s on how to complete the preference sheet and perform the necessary checks to ensure accuracy prior to locking-down. I also taught them how to monitor the phone queues so that they could see and predict the staffing requirements needed at any time of the day, which would ensure that the queues remained within the KPI parameters required.
As these changes I had instituted were implemented, service delivery began to improve, the backlog reduced, and I was able to organise in consultation with my fellow TL5s, a new work plan that included a higher priority on processing.
Criteria Three: Supports productive working relationships
Nurtures internal and external relationships
Listens to, understands and recognises the needs of others
Values individual differences and diversity
Shares learning and supports others
Having transferred as an acting TL5 to a new program area, I discovered there was internal staff resistance to rostering, with staff having done things ‘the same way’ for many years. As it was vital that all staff were rostered and adhering to a planned schedule to ensure service delivery standards and KPIs were met, I set about cultivating the staff to reduce the resistance and initiate a team-wide acceptance of the new system.
I initiated floor wide meetings to acquaint staff with the rostering process and how it would improve the workflow in the area. These involved highlighting how a structured work schedule would allow more time for processing, and prevent the need for staff to take calls at short notice. Understanding the needs that staff have in their private lives, I highlighted the advantage that a rostered schedule would have, allowing them to better plan their lives. Being a one-month rolling roster, the predictability would ensure that each staff member could clearly view their schedule. I found that a small number of staff still had issues with a scheduled work environment, so I conducted individual coaching sessions to resolve this.
The staff knowledge and understanding that I had built assisted me to identify the main barrier to change and as a result, I was able to adapt my communication where needed. The time I invested in my staff ensured that I had the resources available to ensure that the delivery of our services was as efficient as possible.
Criteria Four: Displays personal drive and integrity
Demonstrates professionalism and probity
Promotes and adopts a positive and balanced approach to work
Demonstrates self-awareness and a commitment to personal development
When my Support Service Manager (EL1) requested a Call Forecasting Report for all phone queues, I discovered that the report was unavailable. Showing initiative, I informed the Manager and explained that I would investigate and find out why. As we were experiencing unscheduled call peaks at the time, I was concerned that the absence of the report had gone unnoticed during the monitoring of queues. My investigations showed that this report wasn’t available due to changes not being updated in our call management system when our Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system was installed. At the time, the report was missed and I immediately took responsibility for this.
Setting about correcting this situation as quickly as possible, I contacted the RSCs and asked them how they accessed the report and discovered that the report was set-up and would update overnight. In the meantime, in order to ensure service delivery, I manually calculated the extra staff required to cover the phones, sending the details to the RSCs to be updated. This meant that once the system was corrected, they could work on updating our future rosters. Realising this oversight provided me with the drive and determination to ensure that I not only found the solution, but also corrected the resultant problem. The Call Forecasting Report then became available for my Support Service Manager on a regular basis, and I was complemented on quickly resolving the situation. This demonstrates my personal drive to be a high-performing, engaging and accountable manager.
Criteria Five: Communicates with influence
Communicates clearly
Listens, understands and adapts to audience
Negotiates confidently
Due a decrease in staff working within the processing team, an improvement in the staff rostering was required to ensure timely service delivery and that telephony call service levels were being met. This required some amendments to staff Work Schedule Agreements (WSA) in order to ensure that staffing levels met the operational requirements. This meant many changes in the lives of some staff as some staff had been on the same schedule for many years and were averse to changing.
To resolve this issue, I first met with my APS6 leader for a consultation regarding the organisation of an all-staff meeting in the Brisbane office. At this meeting, I discussed the necessity of negotiating possible changes to the WSAs in order to ensure that we were able to meet our service delivery standards, as well as meet the telephony call service levels as a team. Additionally, I pointed out some of the advantages to staff of a rostered schedule, including gaining predictability in their lives. Most of the staff understood however, there was a small number of staff who were reluctant to change their current working hours. I listened carefully to their concerns and, communicating in a clear, concise and encouraging manner, I convinced them that they could be flexible and accept the program’s operational requirements. As a consequence, all staff eventually chose to amend their WSA’s to reflect one of the work patterns that supported our business needs, thus resulting in improvements within telephony service delivery.
