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Departmental Administration and Staff Relations

Staff Have Their Say

The interest shown by staff in the performance of their responsibilities was clearly evident from their response to a survey of their views carried out during the year.

Ninety-four per cent of staff gave their opinions on such matters as their daily work and their working environment, training and development, the quality of service, and management practice among other things.

In all, some 5 500 questionnaires were collected over the five-week fieldwork period between May and June 1998. It was the first such comprehensive opinion survey undertaken by the Department.

Information now being assessed from the survey will provide valuable guidance for future development in terms of human resource management and quality enhancement programmes.

Staff Matters

Staff matters constitute a major part of the day-to-day work of the Departmental Administration Division which is under the control of a Departmental Secretary, who holds the rank of a Principal Executive Officer.

Overall, the Division is responsible for the various areas of work that deal with human resource management, records and systems management, general office administration, Chinese translation, and deployment of departmental transport resources.

Wider Use of Chinese

A 'Chinese Day' featured among the activities held in the promotion of a wider use of the language.

Some 300 staff took part in various competitions and video shows.

Established since March 1996, a Working Group has been effectively promoting the wider use of the Chinese language. The number of training courses in Chinese has been increased, the Chinese version of the Windows computer systems upgraded, more Chinese dictionaries and additional word processing equipment provided.

VMV Seminars

Staff participating in a small group workshop after the VMV seminar

Apart from the various steps taken to make clear to all staff the 'Vision, Mission and Values' of their public service aims, two half-day seminars were conducted to stimulate discussions among the professional and related grades on the subject in May 1998. Afterwards, meetings and discussion groups were organised among their own sections by the 400 staff who attended the seminar to promote further the underlying ideas and principles of the VMV and application of the principles to their day-to-day work and activities.

A follow-up series of 15 full-day 'VMV Ownership Workshops' was conducted between December 1998 and February 1999 for officers in the professional and inspectorate grades.

Staff Relations and Welfare

Apart from the recent survey, staff are able to express their views on an on-going basis through a well-established Departmental Consultative Committee, which is chaired by the Deputy Director.

Supported by eight sub-committees, it has the responsibility for promoting harmonious staff relations and for encouraging active communication with management by holding regular meetings throughout the year.

Close communication is maintained with the five staff associations representing mainly the departmental grades' staff, and, among matters discussed are staff establishment, training and workload.

Staff suggestions on such matters as service standards, efficiency, public image, better use of manpower resources and equipment to produce cost savings, promotion of staff incentive, interest in work, and morale are considered by a Staff Suggestions Scheme, which is administered by a committee and chaired by the Deputy Director.

Suggestions for improvement of services and operational efficiency are encouraged and rewarded according to their merit and practicability in the form of cash awards or commendation certificates.

To promote team spirit and stimulate interest in work, competitions over a range of services are regularly held within the Department, and monetary prizes and certificates are presented. Ten competitions were held during the year on customer services and work performances.

Sports events are also regularly held to promote staff relations as well as their physical and mental well-being. During the year, staff actively took part in ten departmental sports events, including bowling and three-a-side basketball, tennis, squash and badminton.

In recognition of the staff's meritorious or long service as well as achievements in sports events, a presentation ceremony is held annually in the middle of the year.

In the PEL and Works Group's Sports Day held in February 1999, the Department gained 15 gold medals, 13 silver medals and 15 bronze medals in winning the Best Men's and Ladies' Athlete and Best Department titles.

Recreational events include an Annual Dinner, Chinese New Year Children's Party, Dragon Boat Race and departmental outings.

A Waterworks Welfare Fund operated by the Department provides interest free loans, grants and other assistance to staff in need. It also subsidises social, recreational and sports activities, provides sports equipment, helps pay for hospital visits to sick colleagues and provides grants for the purchase of books for children of junior staff.

In addition, scholarships are awarded in recognition of outstanding achievement of staff's children in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination.

For the benefit of staff, two credit unions - established in the 1970s and 1980s - have been providing service to them in the form of co-operative and non-profit associations. Apart from being a source of credit, they promote saving as well.

Staff news and activities are reported in the bi-lingual quarterly newsletter, Droplet, and distributed to all staff.