Employee Assistance Program

292. Employees, their partners, and their dependants/children will have access to a confidential, professional counselling service to assist employees to manage personal and work issues. This service will be provided at no cost to employees by PM&C and will be accessible on paid time.

Workloads

293. PM&C recognises the importance of employees balancing their work and personal life. While it is acknowledged that at times it may be necessary for some extra hours being worked by some employees, this should be regarded as the exception rather than the rule.

294. When determining workloads for an employee or group of employees, PM&C will consider the need for employees to strike a balance between their work and personal life.

295. Where an employee or group of employees raise that they have experienced significant workload pressures over a prolonged period of time, PM&C and employee(s) together must review the employee’s workloads and priorities, and determine appropriate strategies to manage the impact on the employee or group of employees.

Respect at work

Principles

296. PM&C values a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace free from physical and psychological harm, harassment, discrimination and bullying. PM&C recognises that preventing sexual harassment, sex discrimination, sex-based harassment and victimisation in the workplace is a priority.

297. PM&C recognises that approaches to prevent sexual harassment, sex discrimination, sex-based harassment and victimisation in the workplace should be holistic and consistent with the Australian Human Rights Commission’s guidance, including the Good Practice Indicators Framework for Preventing and Responding to Workplace Sexual Harassment.

Consultation

298. PM&C will consult with employees and their unions and/or other representatives in developing, reviewing and evaluating approaches to prevent sexual harassment, sex discrimination, sex-based harassment and victimisation in the workplace.

Integrity in the APS

299. PM&C understands that procedural fairness is essential in building and maintaining trust with APS employees, and that it requires fair and impartial processes for employees affected by APS-wide or PM&C decisions.

300. Employees are to give advice that is frank, honest, timely and based on the best available evidence. This includes scientific and engineering advice based on evidence-based facts guided by the best available science and data. Employees will not be disadvantaged or discriminated against because they have given advice in accordance with their expertise or professional qualifications and in accordance with the APS Code of Conduct in the PS Act.

301. Employees can, during their ordinary work hours, take time to:

1. access an APS-wide ethics advisory service or another similar service provided by a professional association such as a law society or in the agency; and
2. attend PM&C mandated training about integrity.

Blood donation

302. An employee can take reasonable time away from duty during their ordinary work hours to donate blood, plasma or platelets. It includes reasonable travel time and employers will consider employees on duty.

303. The employee must inform their manager in advance of when they will be away from work before donating blood, plasma or platelets.

Vaccinations

304. PM&C will offer annual influenza vaccinations at no cost to all employees.

305. Where PM&C requires an employee performing a role to be vaccinated for a particular condition, this vaccination will be offered at no expense to the employee.

Family and domestic violence support

306. PM&C will provide support for employees affected by family and domestic violence, depending on the employee’s circumstances.

307. PM&C recognises that a holistic approach should be taken to support the employee, appropriate for the employee’s individual circumstances.

308. Family and domestic violence support provisions, including paid leave, are available to all employees covered by this Agreement.

309. An employee experiencing family and domestic violence support is able to access paid miscellaneous leave. Reasons an employee experiencing family and domestic violence may access this leave include, but are not limited to:

1. illness or injury affecting the employee resulting from family and domestic violence;
2. providing care or support to a family member (including a household member) who is also experiencing family and domestic violence, and is ill or injured as a result of family and domestic violence;
3. providing care or support to a family member (including a household member) who is also experiencing family and domestic violence, and is affected by an unexpected emergency as a result of family and domestic violence;
4. making arrangements for the employee’s safety, or the safety of a close relative;
5. accessing alternative accommodation;
6. accessing police services;
7. attending court hearings;
8. attending counselling; and
9. attending appointments with medical, financial or legal professionals.

310. This entitlement exists in addition to an employee’s existing leave entitlements and may be taken as consecutive days, single days or part days and will count for service for all purposes.

311. Given the emergency context in which leave may need to be accessed, employees can proceed to take the leave and seek approval at a later date, as soon as practicable.

312. These provisions do not reduce an employee’s entitlement to family and domestic violence leave under the NES.

313. Paid miscellaneous leave available under this clause is paid for ongoing and non-ongoing employees at their full rate as if they were at work.

314. Paid leave for casual employees under this clause is paid at their full pay rate for the hours they were rostered to work in the period they took leave.

315. Evidence may be requested to support PM&C in approving leave. In most cases, this will not be required. Where it is required, this will be discussed with the employee and a statutory declaration is the only form of evidence PM&C will require, unless the employee chooses to provide another form of evidence.

316. An employee  may also choose to provide other forms of evidence, including a medical certificate, or document issued by the Police Service, a Court, a Doctor, district Nurse, a Family Violence Support Service or Lawyer.

317. PM&C will take all reasonable measures to treat information relating to family and domestic violence confidentially. PM&C will adopt a ‘needs to know’ approach regarding communication of an employee’s experience of family and domestic violence, subject to steps PM&C may need to take to ensure the safety of the employee, other employees or persons, or mandatory reporting requirements.

318. Where PM&C needs to disclose confidential information for purposes identified in clause 317, where it is possible PM&C will seek the employee’s consent and take practical steps to minimise any associated safety risks for the employee and/or privacy breaches.

319. PM&C will not store or include information on the employee’s payslip in relation to the employee’s experience of family and domestic violence; any leave accessed for the purposes of family and domestic violence; or support(s) provided by the employer, unless otherwise required by legislation.

320. Other available support may include, but is not limited to, flexible working arrangements, additional access to EAP, changes to their span of hours or pattern of hours and/or shift patterns and/or location of work where reasonably practicable.

321. PM&C will acknowledge and take into account an employee’s experience of family and domestic violence if an employee’s attendance or performance at work is affected.

322. Further information about leave and other support available to employees affected by family and domestic violence may be found in policy.

Lactation and breastfeeding support

323. Reasonable paid time during work hours will be provided for lactation breaks for breastfeeding, expressing milk and other associated activities.

324. PM&C will provide access to appropriate facilities for the purpose of breastfeeding or expressing milk, subject to clause 325. In considering whether a space is appropriate PM&C will consider whether:

1. there is access to refrigeration;
2. the space is lockable; and
3. there are facilities needed for expressing, such as appropriate seating.

325. Where it is not practicable for a PM&C site to have a designated space, a flexible approach will be taken so that the employee can access the support required.

326. PM&C will facilitate discussion between individual employees and their managers about accommodating the employee’s lactation needs and practical arrangements to meet these needs.

327. The manager and employee shall discuss any flexible working arrangements that may be needed to support lactation. This may include consideration of arrangements such as working from home and/or remote working or varying work hours on an ad-hoc or regular basis. Wherever possible, requests by an employee will be accommodated, noting these needs may change over time.

Disaster Support

328. Where an official disaster or emergency is declared and this prevents an employee from reasonably attending work, or where it impacts their household or home, the Delegate will consider flexible working arrangements to assist the employee to perform their work.

329. Where flexible working arrangements are not appropriate, the Delegate may grant paid miscellaneous leave to an employee with regard to the scale and nature of the emergency. This leave counts as service and may be approved retrospectively.

330. In considering what period of leave is appropriate, the Delegate will take into account the safety of the employee, their family (including their household) and advice from local, State and Commonwealth Authorities.