Annual Report 2019-20

Annual Report 2019/20 The Personnel Group 2019/20 Annual Report 1

BHAG The right job for everyone within 12 months OUR OUR OUR BRAND VALUES PURPOSE PROMISE We re PASSIONATE Cre ting EQUALITY Right FIT We re FAIR through employment We CHALLENGE the st tus quo The Personnel Group 2019/20 Annual Report 2

Board of Directors Karen Habermann Regions serviced in 2019/20 Edward Pitargue Board Member NSW Owner, Albury Precision Engineering Chairperson Albury • Lavington • Corowa • Mulwala Business Analyst, Viridis Ag Paul Letson Queanbeyan • Griffith • Hay • Hillston Leeton • Wagga Wagga • Cootamundra Carolyn Davis Board Member Gundagai • Narrandera • Tumut • Bowral Cyber Security Manager, Moss Vale • Goulburn • Tahmoor • Yass Dep. Chairperson Ballarat Health Services Deniliquin • Finley • Berrigan • Barham Director HR, Wodonga TAFE Mathoura • Young • Harden • Crookwell Sally Squire Cooma • Braidwood • Boorowa Kellie Howard Ashmont • Tolland • Kooringal • Junee Board Member Batemans Bay • Moruya Narooma Board Member Executive Director Nursing & Kiama • Nowra • Ulladulla Vincentia CEO, Squad Midwifery, Albury/Wodonga Health Corrimal • Dapto • Shellharbour • Warilla Wollongong • Sanctuary Point John Howe ACT Board Member Senior Consultant, Advent Invent Canberra • Belconnen • Phillip Tuggeranong Executive Team 43% of TPG staff 57% of TPG staff are male. are female. Victoria Tracey Fraser Echuca • Kyabram • Shepparton Chief Executive Officer Mooroopna • Eskdale • Tallangatta Walwa • Corryong • Benalla • Bright John Gibbons Kilmore • Mansfield • Myrtleford • Seymour Wallan • Wangaratta • Wodonga Chief Operations Officer Beechworth • Rutherglen • Yarrawonga Cobram • Bendigo • Castlemaine Wayne Williams Gisborne • Heathcote • Kyneton Eaglehawk • Maryborough • Wedderburn Chief Financial Officer The Personnel Group 2019/20 Annual Report 3

The Chair’s and CEO’s Annual Report The 2019/2020 year was We continued to achieve for of unprecedented change, our clients despite the difficult challenge and uncertainty. times. As was appreciated Despite the challenging year, by both our clients and the TPG has absolutely stood up, organisation, although bringing kept its focus and delivered on a new set of issues into play our Purpose – Creating Equality for our teams, the Australian Through Employment. We are Government removed mutual extremely proud to be part of obligation requirements for all this organisation, what it stands our jobseekers for most of the for and what it has delivered for year. Engagement with every the community it serves. client was maintained to ensure Across our footprint within those capable and willing to our communities, our team pursue employment were fully members have dealt with supported. the unimaginable impacts of In March, much of the bushfires and weathering the organisation shifted to working ongoing impacts of COVID-19. from home. A significant feat, Every team member stood up, which was only achieved adapted and thought outside through the foresight of the box to work to a “new providing every team member normal”. All of our team members with the right tools and took up the challenge and technology. ensured that our clients were supported and not left behind. The Personnel Group 20198/2190AAnnnnuuaallRReeppoorrtt 4

Some team members remained We concluded the 2019/2020 Albury Wodonga Business in office, but the organisation’s year with the following amazing Awards, and was a regional first priority was for the health highlights: finalist for Employer of and safety of all. Due to Choice, and Outstanding government directives, various Over 1200 people with Young Employee in the NSW team members had the added a disability placed into Business Awards. responsibility of supporting employment. Our DES service continued their children through remote Over 600 young people to attract increasing clients learning. TPG provided support placed into employment through the choice model - to impacted team members or training. an increase of 20% over the by considering their unique O ur ParentsNext program preceding year. Our new sites circumstances and where is filled to capacity and at Bendigo, Wollongong and practical, mutually agreeing everyone participating in the Coast continued to improve to adjusted job roles – whilst this program is undertaking their services and profitability. balancing the need to continue an activity. The ACT/Queanbeyan region effective delivery of services to A n increasing caseload is of note, increasing their our valued clients. in Disability Employment capacities and capabilities to From a financial perspective, Services of more than 20% five locations due to increasing in line with Fair Work legislation, over 2018/19. demand. This success is the organisation availed itself R eturned a surplus (ex. underpinned by the teams of the right to implement annual Jobkeeper) of $1.4M. continued execution of our now leave across one day per week In July, 2019, the organisation well embedded Service Delivery for May and June with every won both Employer of Model: My Future My Choice. team member. Choice and Best Medium/ Large Business through the The Personnel Group 20198/2190AAnnnnuuaallRReeppoorrtt 5

The Transition to Work program July 1 saw the introduction The year ended with TPG (delivered in partnership with of a new program, Career holding the following CoAct) thrived with the teams’ Transition Assistance, and TPG contracts: performance continuing resourced this for success to exceed department which fell significantly short of 23 Disability Employment expectations. This program for expectations. CTA was put Service contracts across 11 young people aged 15 – 24 into hibernation in November Employment Service Areas. who have not achieved Year 2019, awaiting a change in 1 ParentsNext contract in 12, offers one year of support, funding arrangements from the an expanded Employment and requires TPG to achieve Australian Government, which Region. performance outcomes 25% was announced in May 2020. 2 Transition to Work higher than those of local With this change, TPG is in contracts in expanded Jobactive providers. now in a prime position to take Employment Regions. Completing the second year advantage of being the sole 5 Australia Post contracts. of our ParentsNext contract provider of CTA in most of our 2 Assisted School Travel across the ACT, Queanbeyan, regions. contracts. Goulburn and surrounding 1 National Panel of regions saw the program fully Assessors contracts across embedded and our teams 5 expanded Employment working with parents to ensure Regions. they have a planned approach 5 Career Transition to their future. TPG again has Assistance contracts been the provider of choice, across expanded with our caseload increasing Employment Regions. to supporting some 600 individuals. The Personnel Group 2019/20 Annual Report 6

To support the expansion, Preparing for future growth. of the organisation and their our team expanded too, with Enhance existing service individual and team role in an additional 30 new roles delivery. this. Never more so than created across the year, Communications and this year, creating a calm primarily in service delivery. advocacy. environment for success was paramount, whilst also In April, the Board, also working The organisation’s drive to be ensuring that all teams are remotely, set new themes for innovative was also evident in: cognisant of and included 2020/2021 to guide long term in the future goals and success and strategy, relying The adoption of remote team directions of the organisation. on both our history, current member inductions. To support our team, a practices and programs and Utilising Zoom across all comprehensive Learning future direction, being: teams. and Development strategy Multiple micro projects was implemented, which Envisioning success. completed to improve proved to be very successful. Telling our story. business activity through the This delivered a full training Call to action. Emerging Leaders program. calendar, covering both skills Meeting individual needs. The Personnel Group and knowledge development. Maximising resources. prides itself on its constant TPG firmly believes that and consistent approach well trained, resourced and Annual priorities supporting the to ensuring clarity and ethically focused employees above themes were decided by transparency across the are the key to the many the Executive, being: organisation. This focus successful outcomes we ensure that all our teams achieve for our clients. Business continuity. know the strategic direction Business/systems The Personnel Group 2019/20 Annual Report 7 enhancements.

Finally, we would like to again acknowledge TPG’s incredibly committed team and thank them for their continual dedication and passion to achieving quality outcomes for our clients and employers. We also thank TPG’s dedicated Board who have overseen another successful year delivering strong guidance and support to the management team. Without their dedication and support, TPG would not be able to achieve its continued exceptional results. Edward Pitargue Tracey Fraser Chairperson Chief Executive Officer The Personnel Group 2019/20 Annual Report 8

The Personnel Group 20198/2190AAnnnnuuaallRReeppoorrtt 9

Disability Employment Services (DES) The Personnel Group is a 700 on the previous year. This long-term provider of the DES demonstrates that TPG is Program, having commenced increasingly being selected by providing disability employment participants who know they will services in 1986 when the receive a quality service, and industry emerged. 2019 / a high likelihood of obtaining 2020 was a successful year employment. for TPG’s DES team, continuing In order to facilitate this strong the growth experienced in the flow of participants into the previous year. We now deliver DES program, TPG maintains DES in 11 Employment Services – strong relationships with over Kiewa, Ovens, Goulburn Valley, 1,050 service providers across Sturt, SE NSW, Southern Ranges, its footprint, increasing this ACT, Wollongong, Eurobodalla number by 150 from the previous and Shoalhaven, covering year. These relationships allow all regional areas between TPG to work proactively with Melbourne and Sydney, and potential participants, and to extending out into remote NSW appropriately refer existing and along the southern NSW participants to services that coast. can support their journey to At the conclusion of the 19/20 employment. year TPG supported 2756 participants, an increase of The Personnel Group 20198/2190AAnnnnuuaallRReeppoorrtt 10

Our service delivery model, all major metrics are geared known as ‘My Future, My Choice’ around the longevity of its guides our DES service delivery. participant’s jobs. We have This model is an industry a dedicated team of workers leading investment in both roles who support participants and and tools, which rapidly find employers in order to maintain sustainable employment. My jobs longer term. This can Future, My Choice is continually involve spending time alongside improved by an internal the participant in their role, committee, that strives to find helping them to overcome any better ways of providing service arising barriers. Due to this to clients. commitment to support TPG TPG continues to work secured 569 jobs that lasted productively within the labour beyond 26 weeks during the market, maintaining a current 19/20 year. relationship with over 20,000 Our DES participants have employers. This number reported a strong satisfaction includes nearly 9,000 new with service provided, reporting employer connections made a Net Promoter Score of during the 19 / 20 year. These 85.4% from over 6000 surveys relationships are fostered by completed, which denotes an building long term, trusted extremely satisfied and loyal connections with these customer base. employers, and by adhering to TPG’s brand promise – Right Fit. The Personnel Group 2019/20 Annual Report 11 Ultimately the end goal for TPG is long term employment, and

Transition to Work Program (TtW) The Personnel Group has now delivered the TtW program, in partnership with CoAct, for 4 years and continues to achieve fantastic results. This program is aimed at re-engaging unemployed young people who have not completed year 12. We deliver this program in the employment regions of Murray Riverina, and Goulburn Murray. At the conclusion of the 19/20 year, we had provided support to 583 participants, which was an increase of around 50% on the previous year. This growth is based on quality relationships with key referral sources including jobactive providers, and a variety of youth services. TPG continued to achieve industry leading placements for its caseload – securing 511 employment opportunities and 170 education placements for its caseload. These results are a testament to the intensive model used in TtW and the dedicated approach of TPGs staff. Our TtW service delivery model is known as ‘My Career Launchpad’ and involves a comprehensive process that supports participants to become work ready. TPG staff work intensively with participants to keep them on a steady timeline to future employment. My Career Launchpad is continually improved by the MCL Improvement Committee, who meet regularly to improve methods and processes, The Personnel Group 2019/20 Annual Report 12

TPG utilises a variety of engagement events to link participants with employers or education providers. These events involve workplace tours and talk, and opportunities for clients to learn about potential career directions. We participate in a large number of youth engagement activities aimed at exposing clients to potential careers, including career expos, school presentations, and other major events. Education is a critical part of participant development, so TPG has arranged a number of courses with local education providers that link participant interests with local labour market and skills shortages. This means that participants can develop skills that can easily translate to employment in their local region. Our TtW participants have reported a strong satisfaction with service provided, reporting a Net Promoter Score of 88.8% from around 2,500 surveys completed. This rating indicates that our TtW participants are extremely satisfied with our service and loyal to the TPG brand. The Personnel Group 2019/20 Annual Report 13

ParentsNext (PN) ParentsNext is a proactive Our service delivery model for program that supports ParentsNext is currently under TPG completed its second year participants to complete development, and is being delivering ParentsNext in 19/20 activities that will position refined based on staff and and continued to produce them well once they return to participant feedback. strong results. This program is the workforce. These activities The PN team is staffed by 5 aimed at supporting stay at can include both vocational team members, who have home parents to prepare to and non-vocational supports. supported the majority of re-engage with the workforce. During the 19/20 over 90% referred clients to assess TPG delivers this contract in of participants linked with their current level of work- the Capital Region – covering ParentsNext engaged in one readiness and develop a plan Canberra and surrounds. The or more activity. Common that improves their readiness program supports a variety of activities included education, to return to or enter the parents with young children the volunteering, pre-employment workforce. majority of whom are referred programs and language, Our PN participants have to us once their youngest child literacy and numeracy reported a strong satisfaction turns 3 years old flagging courses including english as a with service provided, an impending return to the second language courses. reporting a Net Promoter workforce. Young mothers who During the 19/20 year, over Score of +82. This indicates did not complete Secondary 300 new participants were that PN participants are School receive support from referred to TPG, and over 900 happy with the service they the time their child turns 1 to participants received support receive and are highly likely to enable early interventions to be over the year. This compares refer others to participate. put in place. to the 750 participants who received support during the The Personnel Group 20198/2190AAnnnnuuaallRReeppoorrtt 14 previous year.

Career Transition Assistance (CTA) The Personnel Group 2019/20 Annual Report 15 2019 / 2020 was TPG’s first year delivering CTA, and there were many lessons learned. This program is aimed at supporting mature aged jobseekers to develop skills that will allow them to re-enter the workforce. TPG provides this program across its entire footprint. The program is generally delivered in a face to face, classroom format, however the Christmas Period, Bushfires and the arrival of the COVID pandemic saw services temporarily cease, and then recommence in an online format. This new format has allowed for improved servicing to participants in a variety of locations, and also helped build their digital literacy. Early in the year TPG experienced great success with 40 participants commencing in this program, with many examples of participants developing useful skills, and using these to gain employment. The reintroduction of the program in June 2020 using an online format has seen a further 5 participants referred. TPG is looking forward to seeing this program grow from strength to strength in 20/21.

Ancillary Activity Australia Post Contracts In order to more directly impact the local labour market, TPG plays Assisted School Travel the role of the employer for a number of Australia Post contracts. Assisted School Travel is a These contracts were commenced in 2007 with the aim of creating state government funded long-term employment opportunities for TPG’s participants. service which supports TPG now holds 5 contracts – West Wodonga, Yackandandah, people with a disability to Baranduda, Bethanga and Killara. These contracts provide jobs for attend school, where they 13 employees, 11 of which are TPG participants.  require assistance. TPG  2019/2020 has shown a continued increase in delivery demand, provide this service, holding particularly for the Killara and Baranduda contracts due to large 3 contracts – in Albury and residential development, This increase created new opportunities Goulburn. Each of these to employ 2 additional staff members. Covid lockdown has also contracts employs a TPG created larger demand on parcel deliveries due to shops closing participant, giving them an and moving to online shopping, which has seen further opportunities opportunity for sustainable, for TPG participants. long term employment. TPG have plans to extend this The Personnel Group 20198/2190AAnnnnuuaallRReeppoorrtt 16 service in the coming year, with additional contracts confirmed for Griffith and Albury, and drivers ready to commence service wherever a contract becomes available in its major locations.

Staff Engagement How likely are you to recommend The In April 2020 we conducted an ongoing staff engagement survey, to Personnel Group gather important feedback about areas to celebrate and areas for to colleagues improvements. and friends? With a staff participation rate of 85%, we obtained an engagement score of 8.6/10, which is .07 above the industry benchmark (7.9). Our RateIt Net Promoter Score (NPS) for this survey was +72, which is 30 points Participant above the not-for-profit industry average. Feedback The engagement score is an overall indicator of how engaged our 87 based on team members are. The score is calculated as an average of scores 8943 ratings. given in response to questions relating to; staff engagement, belief, loyalty and satisfaction. Employer Our top drivers of engagement were identified to be based around; Survey reward and recognition, communication and equality. These strengths make a major, positive contribution to the engagement of your team Promoters (168) members. Detractors (9) The survey allows us to base priorities around the low scoring areas. For example, our team members indicated that they were Passives (49) not fully aware of our annual review process. Therefore, our People and Culture managers delivered numerous training sessions to communicate the review process to all team members. The Personnel Group 20198/2190AAnnnnuuaallRReeppoorrtt 17