department of social and family affairs annual report 2006 - Welfare.ie

goal 6: the department and its staff
To develop an effective, adaptable and capable organisation and a culture of pride,
innovation and performance with a high level of involvement by people at all levels
and a climate which fosters personal and career development
Continuing to provide a quality service in an
expanding business presents a considerable
challenge for the Department. The support
for, and involvement of, staff throughout the
organisation, both those working in the front
line of service delivery and those providing
essential support services, is a key priority for
the Department. The following are the main
developments in those areas in 2006:
Human Resource Management
and Organisational Development
and policy documents. Topics covered include
leave arrangements, attendance management,
decentralisation, induction, supports for staff
with disabilities, flexible working arrangements,
PMDS, promotion competitions, the ‘positive
working environment’, equality and the Employee
Assistance Service.
> Attendance Management Policy
The communication and monitoring of the
implementation of the Department’s Attendance
Management Policy continued during the year.
goal 6: the department and its staff
> OBJECTIVE 1
Implement our Human Resource Strategy 2003-
2005.
The purpose of the Department’s HR Strategy is to
bring together our various HR policies, integrate
them within the overall organisational strategy
and, therefore, place Human Resources at the
centre of the Department’s decision-making. The
implementation of the Strategy was monitored
via the Management Board and the Department’s
Partnership process.
Work commenced in 2006 on a new strategy to
cover the period up to 2009.
> Devolution of responsibility to line
managers
As part of the preparations for devolution of
greater responsibility and authority in the HR
area to line managers, sources of information and
advice for managers continue to be developed,
including a Human Resources intranet which
came into operation during the year. The intranet
site contains a comprehensive range of easy-toaccess
material, including circulars, guidelines
> Exploiting technology options
In 2005 CMOD, Department of Finance engaged
consultants to establish a managed services
environment to provide for the future support
and development of the HRM technology
system. The Department participated in a cross-
Departmental team to develop the template
for a further upgrade of the system, while also
assessing whether a move to managed services
was appropriate for the Department. In late
2005, the Department decided to participate
in managed services. The project, to move to
managed services and to upgrade the HRM
system, commenced in June 2006 and the
upgraded system went live in managed services
in September 2006. Post-implementation work
continued during 2006 with the managed
services arrangement being monitored closely to
ensure that it meets the Department’s support
needs.
> Time & Attendance System
The initial phase of the new Time & Attendance
System for the Department commenced in late
2006. The project will progress in 2007 with
the implementation of the system in pilot sites
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