News

Wednesday, 29 January 2025

Restructure update: Australian Unity responds to feedback


Late in 2024, the CPSU NSW notified Australian Unity (AU) of an industrial dispute for failing to consult about significant workplace change. The pace and timing of workplace change, and other industrial issues were raised by members with the union.

As a result, AU management invited CPSU NSW industrial staff and local workplace representatives to meet and discuss member concerns. It was agreed that regular meetings would be scheduled in 2025 to allow for information exchange between AU and the union.

Industrial staff and local workplace representatives of the CPSU NSW met on 20 and 28 January 2025 to continue the consultation process.

Resulting from these meetings, AU management have clearly listened to the feedback provided by CPSU NSW. They have adjusted the pace of the workplace change in NSW sites which is a welcome development, and CPSU NSW members advise this modification alone has assisted with a reduction of the anxiety associated with the rollout of new reporting lines, systems, procedures and roles.

As a result of CPSU NSW feedback, AU provided updates on the progress of the workplace change in NSW sites. AU advised:

  • several months into testing the new operating model in eight Victorian and NSW sites, insights from these neighbourhoods were encouraging.

AU reported that customer calls were being more quickly responded to and resolved, carers benefiting from dedicated people leaders and contacts, and neighbourhoods were starting to deliver a more collaborative and connected experience for all.

  • to ensure AU can focus and best support the implementation in its first stage, AU has decided to limit deployment of Salesforce Health Cloud (SFHC) next month to its two Victorian neighbourhoods only.

AUs NSW neighbourhoods will continue to participate in testing the new operating model roles and ways of working but will get access to SFHC with the broader network later this year. AU advised it was aiming for end June 2025.

  • HireVue is being used to match staff to the new roles. Participation in the HireVue project had improved and there were only a handful of staff members who had not completed the exercise.
  • AUs Garry Gow, Executive General Manager – Service Delivery advised he was visiting the Test and Learn sites in the Illawarra in February.

At these meetings, the CPSU NSW advised that:

  • members had expressed concerns around work overload issues arising from colleagues on leave. Where staff took leave, offloading work to others on the team seemed fraught and potentially risked being a work health and safety issue.

Members made submissions to the union that the workplace change seemed to be exacerbating relief issues for staff on leave. Relief and backfilling also impacted on the ability for multiple team members to take leave at the same time as was evident over the recent Christmas/New Year period.

AU management confirmed it supported staff taking leave and acknowledged that this was a challenging issue and were looking into how best to alleviate concerns.

AU advised it is considering CPSU NSW submissions and is working on drafting policy/procedure to deal with potential work overload and staff relief issues.

This will be subject to consultation with the union prior to implementation which is a welcome development.

  • Members had expressed trepidation and apprehension about the HireVue process. The CPSU NSW suggested that a better understanding of questions in advance of commencing HireVue, along with AUs intentions around this exercise may have reduced anxiety and encouraged participation.

Initially, there seemed to be some mixed messaging around the HireVue process as some members had been informed HireVue had closed. AU management advised that HireVue was recently closed to Victorian employees.

NSW employees still have access and an opportunity to participate in HireVue – if you haven’t yet, the CPSU NSW encourages members to participate in the HireVue process so that you can be appropriately considered in the new structure.

Your union will support members who believe they have been provided a role which does not suit them should this eventuate down the track.

  • The CPSU NSW suggested AU management consider running these forms of assessment tools past the committee prior to rollout so that local Delegates were able to assist in finessing the program to make it more useful.

AU management seemed willing to consider providing live demonstrations to the committee in future.

The union wants to hear from members employed at AU so our feedback can be as inclusive and comprehensive as possible.

Local workplace representatives, Julie Smith and Nadine Lewis from Illawarra South are participating in the consultation with AU management. Julie and Nadine are willing to collate any feedback CPSU NSW members may have to contribute to the consultation process.

CPSU NSW Industrial Staff Anthony Wright and Shane Elliott are also happy to take member feedback. The Member Support Centre (MSC) phone number for the CPSU NSW is 1800 772 679.

If CPSU NSW members from other AU sites are interested in participating on the union’s consultation team or if you would like a local union meeting at your workplace, please make contact via the MSC.

Consultation meetings with AU management occur during work time and the union will arrange for time release for you to participate. Union meetings occur usually during lunch break or outside of working hours.

AU and the CPSU NSW are next set to meet on Tuesday, 25 February 2025. If you are a CPSU NSW member and have any feedback on the workplace change, please contact any member of our consultation team.

The CPSU NSW will have a union member meeting soon! Keep your eye out for details and share this bulletin with your colleagues.