As
one of the biggest councils in Victoria, the City of Greater Geelong is a major
employer with more than 2,600 workers providing a wide range of services for
almost 300,000 residents.
In
line with federal and state directions, a number of these services had to
temporarily close.
Since
the closures, more than 200 roles have been filled through the City’s
temporary redeployment program, out of nearly 250 positions made
available.
The
focus now turns to extending further work opportunities for casual City
employees impacted by closures.
Casual
employees left without shifts due to required facility closures have been
invited to register for the redeployment program.
The
City is taking a flexible approach to matching employees with
temporary opportunities to ensure the new roles suit skillsets,
interests and availabilities.
Roles
have been created across the organisation in areas including:
- Meals on Wheels
- Staff welfare
- Administration
- Accounting
- Tree management
- Parks Maintenance
- Project support
- Street cleaning
- Online fitness
The
City is working closely with our union delegates at the Australian Services
Union and other unions in exploring redeployment opportunities.
So
far, the majority of redeployed employees have
come from our leisure and recreation services.
This
includes Lauren, who was redeployed from her administration position
at Waterworld in Norlane into the City’s tree
maintenance team, assisting with
clearing vegetation from footpaths.
An
employee with the City for four years, Lauren said the redeployment
opportunities came quickly after the centre was closed.
Quotes
attributed to Lauren Allchin, City of Greater Geelong Leisure Services
Officer:
There were plenty of opportunities to take on roles that didn’t
require prior experience.I successfully applied for the role of Private
Vegetation Officer after talking it through with one of the City’s Welfare
Contact Officers, who called me to see how I was going after the
closures.I have been able to keep similar hours of work, and the
flexibility of this role allows me to easily keep
going with my university studies.I am really
grateful to be able to keep
working. It gives me a sense of purpose and normality through this unusual
time.
Quotes
attributed to City of Greater Geelong CEO Martin Cutter:
I’m extremely pleased
with the success of our redeployment so far.It’s
great to hear stories such as Lauren’s, about employees who have
continued to feel valued and purposeful in their work at the City.As
one of the biggest councils in Victoria, we provide a huge range of services
for our community. Not only has the redeployment program allowed us to keep
employees working, we have been able to boost services to better
support our community during this time.
Quotes
attributed to City of Greater Geelong Acting Mayor Kylie Grzybek:
We
want to support our employees as much as we can in this difficult time, in
terms of both their employment and their mental health and wellbeing.The
team is talking directly to all employees to understand their individual
circumstances and how we can best support them. Every day alternative work is being
identified in our business that adds value to our community.We
really want our employees to feel valued and valuable, and the absolute best
way to do that is by finding them other meaningful roles within the
organisation.
The
following comment to be attributed to Lisa Darmanin, Branch Secretary,
Australian Services Union – Vic/Tas Authorities & Services Branch:
Both
Council and the Union are working closely together to ensure that all permanent
staff remain financially secure through a mix of work and, where necessary,
access to leave.? ?The
Union also welcomes that Council is continuing to review the changing situation
regarding casual employees who have had to explore other options and remains
committed to engaging them again at the earliest opportunity.The
ASU believes that the collaborative approach adopted by the City will enable
Council and its employees to recover more quickly as the current situation
eases.
