Focus area 3 – Our workplace

Our workplaces support our people to serve their community

Workplaces are not just the buildings we work in—our workplaces are made up of the processes, attitudes, opportunities and environments which help us thrive at work.

For many people, our public sector is a great place to work where we are engaged in our job, proud of what we do and understand what is expected of us. We believe what we do has a positive impact on the lives of Queenslanders.

While people’s expectations about workplaces are changing, we have something special to offer. A connection to purpose and service is one reason why Queensland’s public sector is a place where people want to forge dynamic and rewarding careers.

Being able to show people how their individual skills, experience and interests can contribute to better outcomes for Queenslanders is key to attracting people to the public sector—and to keeping them engaged throughout their careers.

While dynamic and rewarding, our daily work is rarely straightforward. We are required to balance being responsive to government and the community, with the highest standards of professional conduct and performance.

We cannot lose sight of the fundamental obligations we all have as public sector employees. Focus area 3 responds to the challenges – moving towards productive flexibility, earning trust in uncertain times and changing workforce demographics.

We provide better opportunities for current and future public servants to perform at their best

An ageing population means the proportion of working aged people will likely shrink in the future and competition for skills will increase. We will need to attract new people into the public sector by providing improved pathways for entry.

Careers will also be longer than in the past. We will need to ensure people have access to meaningful reskilling opportunities over the course of their career, and that we understand how to support people to thrive in contemporary workplaces.

Agility in how, when and where work is done is more important than ever. We need to grapple with how to support flexibility across our diverse and dispersed workforce while delivering the services the government and public expect. These approaches will help the Queensland public sector be a place that purpose-driven people want to work.

We better support our people to make decisions that serve the interests of Queenslanders

While the systems and processes that support our work may change as we respond to emerging challenges and digital disruption, we will always remain accountable to government and the public.

We need to facilitate the practical transfer of knowledge and expertise about what it means to be professional in the public sector—and how that differs to other sectors.

We need to empower people through practical guidance, processes and training to make decisions which serve the public interest. We need to ensure people who are joining the public sector for the first time, understand the unique requirements and standards of working in this sector.