Background
The Our People Matter Strategy is the first organisational strategy in the QPS developed through consultation and engagement with employees and their families.
Developed in collaboration with our partner unions, the Strategy is a testament to the fact that our people are our greatest asset, and it also demonstrates an organisational commitment to prioritise the health, safety and wellbeing of all employees and their families. There are now five employ unions:
- Queensland Police Commissioned Officers Union of Employees (QPCOUE)
- Queensland Police Union of Employees (QPUE)
- Together Queensland
- Australian Manufacturing Workers Union
- United Workers Union
The four priority areas that underpin Our People Matter are:
Healthy Bodies
A workplace that supports the physical wellbeing of employees is one which provides opportunities for employees to be physically active, has infrastructure to support physical activity, engages in health promotion activities and has policies intended to facilitate employee health.
Healthy Minds
A mentally healthy workplace is one that protects and promotes good mental health, identifies and minimises workplace mental health risk factors, supports employees living with a mental health condition, provides support services, training and education to reduce stigma and has zero tolerance for workplace bullying, discrimination and harassment.
Safer Workplaces
A physically safe workplace is one which values the safety of employees, where supervisors and staff adopt a risk management and mitigation approach to potential workplace hazards and adhere to workplace health and safety legislation. It is one where the provision of safe physical work environments, appropriate and high-quality equipment, tools and resources are prioritised so that employees are able to undertake their work safely.
Fair and Positive Workplaces
A fair and positive workplace is one that achieves results for the community, the organisation, teams and the individual. It is one in which employees feel good about coming to work, promotes transparent and open communication, enables a work-life balance, recognises hard work, has a strong team spirit and is training and development focused.
Consultation
During 2017, a formal consultation process was undertaken whereby employees and their family members were called upon to inform the development of the Our People Matter Strategy. This process involved two surveys (one for employees and the other for family members) and more than 30 face-to-face workshops. There were 2,300 responses to the surveys and more than 850 participants in the workshops, which led to >20,000 ideas, suggestions and comments being put forward.
Launch
Tuesday, 27 February 2018, marked a significant moment in the history of the QPS, as never before had an Australian policing jurisdiction come together with its partner unions to jointly launch a people-focussed strategy, built from the bottom up, based on feedback and sourced directly from its employees and their families.
The current Our People Matter Strategy document can be found here.
The launch event itself, hosted at the QPS Academy (Oxley) featured a suite of presentations and a range of stallholders in an exhibition-style display.
Governance
The Our People Matter Steering Committee was established in May 2017 to provide oversight and organisational governance of the Strategy and provide a confidence and commitment to employees and their families that decisions being made are open and transparent.
Chaired by Deputy Commissioner (Strategy and Corporate Services), Mr Doug Smith the Steering Committee currently meets quarterly and includes representation from a range of stakeholders including:
- QPS Executive Leadership Team;
- Human Resources (PSBA);
- Safety and Wellbeing (QPS);
- Media and Public Affairs (QPS);
- Principal Workplace Champion representative;
- Workplace Champion representative;
- Queensland Police Union of Employees;
- Queensland Commissioned Officers’ Union; and
- Together Queensland.
At a local level, there are approximately 30 local area Our People Matter Committees, which provide a consultative forum to effectively address matters arising within their District or Command/Group, that fall under the Our People Matter Strategy, including (but not limited to) the requirements of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld).