PURPOSE: To employ the best candidates based on merit and competence, ensure that all employees understand and are familiar with company policies and procedures, and that all employees are appropriately trained to do their job safely and competently. SCOPE: This policy includes all Pickering Transport Group staff including casual and seasonal staff. OBJECTIVES: This policy aims to: 1. Ensure the best candidates are recruited based on merit and competence; 2. Ensure all employees are suitably inducted into the Pickering Transport Group; and 3. Ensure all employees receive the training necessary for them to undertake their job safely and competently. POLICY: 1. Recruitment: PTG is committed to ensuring that fair and effective procedures and processes are implemented and adhered to for selection and deployment of people to meet organisational needs. PTG is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing a work environment which is free from harassment and discrimination. All recruitment and selection procedures and decisions will reflect PTGs commitment to providing equal opportunity by assessing candidates according to their skills, knowledge, qualifications and capabilities. Regard will not be given to factors such as age, gender, marital status, race, religion, physical impairment or political opinions. The recruitment process may include some or all of these: an application form, interviews, practical testing, reference checks, medical assessments, license checks (printout request), Police security assessments (for relevant Government security clearances), and right to work in Australia checks. Prior to employment Authority for the employment of all staff resides with Senior Management. When a staff vacancy occurs or there is agreement to create a new position, approval is to be sought from Senior Management for an advertisement to be placed (if required). Prior to any advertising or selection process a clear Position Description must be available for the job containing as a minimum, the duties of the position, the qualifications and skills necessary for the position, and the positions immediate supervisor/manager. Page 1 of 5
Once applications have been received, the list of applicants to be interviewed is determined by delegation from Senior Management. All applicants should receive either a phone call or letter of acknowledgment. For those shortlisted for interview the time and date of the interviews should be advised when known along with the names of those on the interviewing panel. When undertaking an interview those responsible are to ensure there are no possible discriminatory requests for information, for example; Do you plan to have a family in the near future? The composition of the interviewing panel will depend upon the position being filled. All applicants should be asked the same questions and be assessed against the selection criteria. Recruitment Forms: Heavy Vehicle Driver Recruits: Prior to the final selection of any heavy vehicle driver the preferred candidate must: complete an Application For Employment and return it; supply at least 2 Reference contacts; supply a recent (within 14 days) heavy vehicle driver licence history print out from the appropriate licensing authority; provide evidence of being certified as being fit to drive a heavy vehicle by a medical practitioner according to the Assessing Fitness to Drive by Austroads (or equivalent document approved by Transport Ministers) within the last 6 months; and undertake a practical driving test with a nominated PTG experienced driver. Relevant forms can be found in the Guide to Conducting an Induction. Yard and Workshop staff: Prior to the final selection the preferred candidate must have completed and returned: Application For Employment; Pre-Employment Medical Checklist; At least 2 Reference contacts; and An Industrial Hearing Test (Industrial Screening Audiometry). All Other Recruits: Prior to the final selection the preferred candidate must have completed and returned: Application For Employment; Pre-Employment Medical Checklist; and At least 2 Reference contacts. Page 2 of 5
Important: No employee is to be recruited that is not fit for task. It is the recruiting Managers responsibility to ensure that the above Recruitment Forms is obtained and reviewed to ensure that the prospective employee is fit and has the basic competencies to fulfill the duties of the position. Employment Arrangements Employees may be employed under the terms of an Employee Collective Agreement, or an individual contract of employment. The successful candidate must be provided a contract of employment setting out clear terms and conditions, along with requisite employment forms. The HR Manager is able to supply such documentation upon request. Senior Management has the sole legal responsibility to sign employee agreements or contracts on behalf of the Company. 2. Induction: It is the responsibility of the employees direct manager/supervisor to conduct inductions and keep their employees up to date. All documentation should be completed and forwarded to the HR Team at the head office (Murray Downs office). Refer to the Guide to Conducting an Induction for details in respect to conducting the induction. Ongoing Updates and Inductions: Employees will be provided updates with respect to changes of Company Policies relevant to their position as this occurs from time to time. Where a significant change occurs effected employees will be re-inducted to the specific elements of the change/s impacting on them. A significant change is identified as any change that materially impacts on the rights and/or responsibilities of an employee. A record of the provision of the update or re-induction must be maintained on the employees file. Page 3 of 5
3. Training: A key objective of the Pickering Transport Group is to foster a learning culture that will provide safe, efficient and effective services to our clients. Individual training needs will be assessed under the following circumstances: upon employment; at each performance review; resulting from a change in a work practice, procedure or work environment; when required by WHS regulation or other legislative requirement for a specific hazard/s; and as a result of an Incident Investigation or Corrective Action. The training assessment is to ensure that employees have a thorough and up to date understanding of the practical skills required in order to safely perform the tasks relevant to their positions. Training will be conducted and competence assessed by a suitably qualified (either experienced or holds relevant qualification/s) member of staff or external provider approved by Senior Management with a record of individual employee training and competence assessment retained in the employee s file on Freight 2020. A list of approved training providers will be maintained by the HR Manager. From time to time employees may be asked to sign off that they have completed training. This may include both formal and informal training. All records of training should be forwarded to the HR Team at the head office (Murray Downs office). Staff meetings: All employees are required to attend mandatory staff meetings and training programs that will normally be held within working hours. Where attendance during working hours is impractical, employees may be required to attend outside of normal hours. On any occasion when an employee is unable to attend mandatory staff meetings they must provide their supervisor with an appropriate reason for their nonattendance Up skilling The Pickering Transport Group also promotes up skilling of employees in order to: better meet needs of individuals and the organisation; continue to improve individual performance and job satisfaction; address and develop skills to adapt to technological changes and reforms in the workplace; promote multi-skilling, job rotations and job sharing creating a more flexible and responsive workforce as well as job satisfaction; and support career development plans of staff. Page 4 of 5
RESPONSIBILITIES: Senior Management: Senior Management is responsible for: signing off on all Position Descriptions; the employment of staff and delegating this function; signing employment agreements/contracts; approval of training providers; delegating staff to undertake competency assessments and training; and the allocation of responsibilities and funding. HR Manager: For the purpose of this Policy the HR Manager has the responsibility to: ensure that Employee records of induction and training are accurate and maintained; and maintain a list of Senior Management approved training providers. Managers/Supervisors: Managers are responsible for: ensuring that Position Descriptions are in place and approved by Senior Management for all positions under their supervision; seeking approval from Senior Management for the recruitment of a new employee, advertising for the position and the make up the interview panel; obtaining approval for the final selection of new employees; ensuring all job applicants receive a phone call or letter of acknowledgment; ensuring that the requisite Recruitment Forms is obtained and reviewed to ensure that the prospective employee is fit and has the basic competencies to fulfill the duties of the position. ensuring successful candidates are provided with a contract of employment that has been approved by Senior Management; ensuring only staff approved by Senior Management conduct inductions and training; inducting all staff and ensuring the currency of training and competence of staff under their supervision; identifying and pursuing opportunities in conjunction with staff members for up skilling; ensuring training is conducted by providers approved by Senior Management; and forwarding records of all inductions and training to the HR team at Head Office. RESPONSIBILIITES - All: All persons are responsible for: cooperating in the development of Position Descriptions; ensuring awareness of their positions responsibilities, accountabilities and authority; and positively participating in all training and working with their supervisor / manager to identify future opportunities for development. Page 5 of 5