The OECD has set out its vision for a well-functioning public service, focusing on three areas: values-driven leadership, skilled and effective public servants, and responsive and adaptive public service employment systems. Read More
Bullying bosses can lead to staff reducing effort at work and even engaging in retaliatory behaviours. Read More
Managers need to make the most of the probation period for new employees to reduce the chance of having to deal with unsuitable staff members down the track, the Australian Public Service commissioner advises in a reminder that the recruitment process continues long after the position is filled. Read More
Australian Bureau of Statistics staff have enthusiastically taken up teleworking and other flexible employment arrangements over the past few years, and staff surveys suggest most feel their work lives have improved as a result. Read More
Cambridge neuroscientist Dr Hannah Critchlow recommends a few key tips for managers to improve the wellbeing of their staff -- and their own wellbeing too. Read More
University of Melbourne research has shown how leaders can support employees to work more autonomously, creating a happier and more productive workplace. Read More
The Queensland government wants to know what “the public sector of tomorrow” will look like and has asked Peter Coaldrake, who ran the Goss government’s… Read More
We intuitively know that a “happy worker is a good worker.” But what about their bosses? Read More
Structures based on hierarchy and a workplace culture based on deference are the enemies of organisational success and need to be dismantled, says Robin Ryde. Read More
What do the explosive corporate governance failures exposed by the Royal Commission, the APRA report on CBA, and AMP’s shocking executive behaviours tell us about the future of leadership in the public service? Read More
Simon Lewis, the departing Commonwealth secretary who had six ministers in five years, says don't blame ministerial staffers for not knowing their role. Read More
Bad behaviour by leaders is copied more readily than good, "which makes our job harder, but also more important," says Education boss Gill Callister. Read More
From dodgy contracts to money-saving headcount caps that cost more, Public Accounts and Audit wants to hear from you for its inquiry into contracts and consultants in the public service. Read More
In 2015, the top-heavy APS began a three-year plan to flatten hierarchies into around five to seven broad layers of responsibility. Senior executives still need to let go and empower middle managers, while more lower-level recruits might also help. Read More
Australian Public Service commissioner John Lloyd says traditional hierarchies with lots of layers hinder innovation, weaken accountability and encourage micromanagement. Teamwork is the future, he tells Verona Burgess. Read More
