Work of the Personnel, Learning and Development Unit

Recruitment

With few exceptions, the staff of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation is recruited through the Public Appointments Service by way of open competition advertised in the national media. Cleaners are recruited directly by the Department.

Promotion

In filling vacancies, the Department meets all its obligations set down by the Department of Finance, and agreed with the various unions.

Career Break Scheme

A career break consists of special leave without pay for a period of not less than six months and not more than five years and may be allowed for the following purposes:

• child rearing and certain other domestic responsibilities;
• further education; or
• travel abroad.

An additional career break may be granted provided the period of service between career breaks is equal to the duration of the initial career break, and that the total period of the special leave does not exceed ten years in all and no one period of absence should exceed five years. Staff can also apply for a career break of up to three years duration for self-employment purposes.

Work Sharing Scheme

The Worksharing Scheme provides for a wide range of attendance patterns, including: week on/week off, split week, mornings only and afternoons only, four day week, three day week, 9am to 3pm working day and three weeks on/one week off over a four week period. All applications for worksharing are subject to the initial approval of local management and the operating needs of the Department.

Shorter Working Year Scheme

The Shorter Working Year Scheme allows staff to balance working arrangements to outside commitments. This Scheme will be in operation for 2009, 2010 and 2011 and replaces the Term Time Scheme. Special unpaid leave is available as a period of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 or 13 weeks. The leave may be taken up to 3 times per year not exceeding 13 weeks in total. Other Schemes

Other schemes available include:

• Maternity and Paternity Leave
• Parental Leave
• Carer’s Leave
• Adoptive Leave
• Marriage Leave
• Study Leave
• Exam Leave
• Special leave to serve with EU institutions

Merit Award Scheme

Under the Merit Award Scheme, up to 0.1% of the Department's subhead A1 - Salaries, Wages and Allowances, is available in any particular year for awards in recognition of exceptional performance of duty. The merit awards are made by a Merit Award Committee, which is an independent body comprising 4 members of staff. The Committee invites nominations from staff who wish to recommend other staff members or Sections in the Department. A number of awards are also made by the Secretary General.

Refund of Fees for Third Level Courses of Education

The Refund of Fees Scheme operates under the terms of Department of Finance Circular 21/78, which allows refunds for courses of study which lead to a third level qualification. Under the scheme an applicant can receive a full/part refund of fees on satisfying specific criteria. The course of study must also be deemed relevant to the work of the Department.

Human Resource (HR) Policy

Personnel Unit is responsible for facilitating the Department’s move from the traditional view of personnel as an administrative function to a more strategic and developmental human resources management (HRM) approach. It is also responsible for the implementation of HR policy aspects of Sustaining Progress.

Employee Assistance Service (EAS)

The Department's Employee Assistance Service is part of the larger Civil Service Employee Assistance Service. It provides an independent counselling and support service. Staff can avail of the opportunity to explore options to resolve work-related or personal issues in strict confidence. The EAS also acts as an information resource for staff on the various social services and entitlements available to them. In addition to this, managers can consult the EAS about difficulties relating to staff health and well-being. Raising health awareness is also a key feature of this service.

Equality

Personnel Unit is responsible for driving the equality agenda within the Department. The Department has appointed an Equality Facilitator to facilitate staff in the implementation of the equality agenda. The Department also has a Disability Liaison Officer who acts as a point of contact for people with disabilities, and for managers to whom a staff member with a disability has been assigned; to facilitate access to information and advice; and to monitor the numbers of staff with disabilities employed by the Department and its agencies and provide statistics to the Department of Finance.

Partnership Committee

Personnel, Learning and Development Unit provides the secretariat to the Department’s Partnership Committee. This Committee, representative of management, unions and staff, was established in 1998 to drive the change programme. It has a number of subcommittees dealing with such issues as equality, health and safety and the publication of the Department’s staff magazine. Members of the Committee also participate in internal working groups on Information Technology, Human Resources Management and customer service.

Performance Management and Development System (PMDS)

Personnel, Learning and Development Unit, through the Department’s PMDS Monitoring Committee, promotes the PMDS, encourages best practice and monitors implementation by Divisions/Units.

Brussels - Permanent Representation of Ireland to the EU

The role of the Permanent Representation is to ensure that the Department’s aims and objectives are achieved in an EU context. The staff of the Permanent Representation are on secondment to the Department of Foreign Affairs and any records they hold would therefore fall within the remit of that Department.

Geneva – Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations

Officials from the Department currently serve in the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations. They are concerned mainly with matters relating to the administration of the various WTO Agreements and with representing, as required, Departmental interests in other international fora in Geneva. The staff of the Irish Mission are on secondment to the Department of Foreign Affairs and any records they hold would, therefore, fall within the remit of that Department.

London – Embassy of Ireland

All economic and commercial embassy work in the UK with particular reference to policy areas relevant to the Department’s responsibilities is carried out by staff on secondment to Department of Foreign Affairs in London. Any records held would fall within the remit of the Department of Foreign Affairs.