Presentation by Beatrix Behrens on "Diversity Management at the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (BA) –Single Case Study" made at the meeting of the OECD Working Party on Public Employment

Diversity Management at the Bundesagentur

für Arbeit (BA) –Single Case Study

Dr. Beatrix Behrens, Head of Division, HR Policy | Federal German Employment Agency

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Diverse Challenges for HRM in the Public Sector

• Volatile Environment, Internalization, Migration …………

• Greater need for equal opportunity policies inside public administration to

enhance employee engagement

• Need for strong Gender Policies and Diversity Management to tap potentials

• Incorporation of Gender Mainstreaming as an important cross-cutting issue

within a diversity framework

• Increasing average age of the staff/ageing workforce

• Loss of know-how following (age-related) fluctuation

• Decreasing half-value of knowledge

• Shortage of specialists and young talents to be recruited –need to address

new target groups as employees for the public sector

• Transfer of National Action Plans into corporate action at the BA

2

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Representative employee survey shows equal opportunity

and cultural diversity are issues for the future *

Equality of opportunity is an important issue for employees

▬ about 80% vacate the issue of equal opportunities a high to very high priority

Cultural diversity and intercultural aspects are the topics of the

future

▬ 72% confirm that intercultural aspects in recent years have become increasingly

important in everyday work

▬ 65% say they regularly need intercultural competence in the area of

responsibility

*Representative sample survey of BA-employees SGB III (July 2013) and SGB II (July 2014)

Dr. Beatrix Behrens© Bundesagentur für Arbeit

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Employees with a migration background: 16%

Employees from over 75 nations

Rate of severely disabled: 9,6 %

Average age: 44years

Females: 70%

Women in leading positions: 46,6%

Diversity is part of everyday life at the BA


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Challenges

Demographic change and the extension of working life

Staff getting older and more diverse

Promoting and securing work ability (Competence,

Health, Engagement)

The BA’s response to these challenges: - An integrated HR Management - Diversity Management - Employee Engagement - Corporate Health Management

Integrated approaches needed to be an innovative and

attractive employer


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• Diverse staff matches the needs of changing and diverse

markets and customers (promoting service

orientation/customer orientation)

• Diversity or managing individual and diverse competencies is a

contribution towards empowering and motivating staff (staff

engagement)

• Diversity promotes innovation

• Diversity can increase effectiveness, efficiency and

competitiveness on various levels

• Managing diversity needs good leadership and sensitive

leaders to “reshape” thinking patterns and to shape a value

driven culture

Diversity: A Key Factor for Organizational Success

6

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BA 2020 Strategy

Leadership and cooperation

HR policy

Diversity

management

HR -Development

Leadership and cooperation

HR-Strategy

Integrated Human Resource Management at the BA

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Leadership means for

us

Provide orientation

- Commit oneself to the vision

- Communicate the business orientation

- Set up change processes

- Consistently pursue demanding yet achievable targets

- Set priorities

Set the framework

- Set standards for effectively and efficiently getting the job done

- Make it clear that one intends to put things in shape

Establish scope for action

- Delegate competence and responsibility

- Leave scope for individual action

- Accept learning from mistakes

- Involve in decision-making processes

- Encourage constructive criticism and support change

Provide support

- Develop staff by the principle “to demand and to support”

- Pursue equal opportunity policy and actively oppose discrimination

- Make transparent the job expectations of one’s staff

- Defining the rules of the game + the communication structures

- Offer help to staff in getting the job done

- Help staff to adapt to change

Basic principles for leadership and cooperation

Hertie School, Oktober 2014 © Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Geschäftsbereich POE, POE 1 – Personalpolitik

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sub-competences basic competence

result orientation/implementation

shaping

(+)

(++)

(+++)

* = for managers only

activity and implementation competence

change competence/initiative

goal orientation

personal competence

high working capacity

learning competence and ability to answer criticism credibility / trustworthiness*

specialist/method competence

care/conscientiousness

planning

social communication competence

customer orientation

employee orientation*

personal consulting

problem solving

delegation*

ability to work in a team

discussion/argumentation

Sub-competences in the competence model


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Overall system of HR development at BA

Job and skills profiles

Controlling HR development

Performance and development

interviews

Basic principles for leadership

and cooperation

HR development tools

Development paths Performance management

Result of COCOPS research project (2013) showed, that the implementation status of the HR development-tools at the German Public Employment Service is on a high level.


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"Diversity“: To demand and to support

Utilization of individual skills

Integral part of HR development

HR development and therefore diversity management as management responsibility

Adm

inis

trative c

ulture

at th

e B

A

Valu

e-b

ased H

R p

olic

y

Diversity Management as a part of HR development

at the BA


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Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 1 Phase 4

Career (second phase)

Occupational development (horizontal/vertical)

Returning after long family phase

care for relatives that are in need for care

School

Apprenticeship/ academic studies

Career entry

Returning after phase of parenthood

Career (start)

“Active retirement”

“Rush hour of life”

Promoting beneficial working relationships – Fostering work engagement throughout all phases of life –

Engagement Index

Lifelong Learning, Exchange and transfer of Knowledge

Corporate Health Management

Life-phase oriented HR policy at the BA: Fostering work

engagement and performance of the organisation


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Promoting and strengthening personal responsibility

Work-Life-Balance as non-material performance incentive

Employer branding

▬ Dialogue-based management tools (LEDi) considering personal

career and life plans for the different age groups

▬ Analysis and promotion of potential within HR development

▬ Modular skills development

▬ Three-phase concept for return to work

▬ „Organization service for children and care“ (OKiP)

▬ Skills development with Care/childcare (including services for

women/men returning to work)

▬ Flexible working hours / part-time / long-term in working time

accounts

▬ Alternate teleworking / mobile working

▬ Training on part-time basis

▬ Mobility offers (also for partners)

▬ Counseling for re-entry into working life

▬ Promotion and support of networking

2nd phase: compatibility of work and private life “Rush hour

of life”

Life-phase-oriented HR policy at the BA – 2nd phase


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▬ Flexible working hours / part-time / long-term in working time accounts

▬ Alternate teleworking / mobile working

▬ In-house health management system and operational integration management

▬ Sensitivity training for managers with regard to older employees

▬ Analysis and promotion of potential within HR development

▬ Modular skills development

▬ Vertical and horizontal personnel development without age limits

▬ Web-based training tools with tutors

▬ “Organisation service for children and care” (OKiP)

▬ Training measures such as “In the middle of life” or “Preparation

for retirement”

▬ Older Employees as trainers and mentees

▬ Concept for know-how transfer before retirement (currently in test)

Life-phase-oriented HR policy at the BA – 3rd phase

3rd phase: compatibility of work and private life/age structured policy

Promoting and strengthening personal responsibility

Seeing age and ageing as an opportunity

Work-Life-Balance as non-material performance incentive

Employer branding

Lifelong learning


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Appreciation and making use of experience and knowledge even beyond the active professional phase

▬ Fixed-term recruitment of retirees

▬ Training activities

▬ Setting up and counseling of international labor administration

▬ Mentoring, tutoring

▬ Participation in and counseling of projects

▬ …

4th phase: “Active retirement” “Rush hour of life”

Life-phase-oriented HR policy at the BA – 4th phase


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▬ individual re-entry plan and

competency-based trainings

▬ HR-consultancy provided

▬ dialogue to finalize the

initiation

3rd phase (after) 1st phase (before)

▬ employee appraisal

▬ contact persons

▬ regular information

▬ offer for acces to intranet

▬ discussions on individual

plans and preferences

2nd phase (during)

▬ project work, training activities

▬ participation in seminars and

meetings

▬ information material

▬ competence self-assessment

▬ information events (1x p.a.)

▬ dialogue in preparation of return

Re-Entry into work after i.g. parental leave:

A dialogue-based „ 3-phase-concept“

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The BA employees with a high number of severely

disabled people

SB-Quote BA 2014

9,6%

Gesetzliche SB-Quote

6,0%

Rate of severely

disabled

employees 2014 BA

9.6%

10,141

Severely disabled employees in the

Bundesagentur für Arbeit

Integration

agreement

2010 BA

8.7%

Legal rate of

severely disabled

employees

6.0%


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Several interventions in the Bundesagentur für Arbeit

to include severely disabled people

1) Computerunterstützte Arbeitsplätze für nichtsehende, schwer sehbehinderte sowie motorisch behinderte Mitarbeiter/-innen der BA = Computer-assisted workplaces

for sightless, severely visually-impaired and physically handicapped employees of the BA

2) Betriebliches Gesundheitsmanagement = Workplace Health Management

3) Betriebliches Eingliederungsmanagement = Integration Management

Best practice, awareness, seminars, conventions, media

Web based trainings, Competence centre CANS

1),

leadership qualification

Employee appraisals

Cooperation, marketing, internship, selection process

Accessible building, IT workplaces, BGM

2), BEM

3), flexible

working

Inclusion

Communication

Qualification

Personnel development

Recruitment

Working conditions/ infrastructure

Severely disabled people


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Activities how to foster employees with migration background in the BA (examples)

Targeting people with migration background in job advertisements and

marketing

Basic training module :

intercultural awareness

Culturally fair and

competence based

selection processes

Raising authority’s awareness for migration (observation trainings in

case of personnel selection)

Seminars “diversity management” for

special target groups:

executives, HR, consulting and

placement specialists

Several web based trainings

in the field of diversity

Individual planning and

development of

potentials

central career website

Recruitment Qualification Personnel development Leadership

Recruitment video: “Enter with diversity“

Flyer: “Cultural diversity – a benefit for all!”

Places at the university of

the BA for foreign labour

administration employees

Consolidation training module “intercultural

competence” in process of planning

Integration of the topic “diversity”

in the range of leadership

seminars


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Overview of survey results

regarding Diversity at BA 2012-2014

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Climate for inclusion

Climate, Appreciation,

Diversity

Employee Health Survey 2012 at BA

questions regarding climate for inclusion

Our team is characterized by a positive working environment from in which employees can "be themselves".

In our team work-life balance is important.

Our team solves internal conflicts effectively.

In our team, employees are valued as people and not just for the work they provide.

In our team, there is a culture which appreciates the individual differences of team members.

In our team, employees are encouraged to provide their own input.

In our team, input of every employees is to be seriously considered.

Our team uses experiences and skills of all employees to reconsider working practices.

Executives at BA act in accordance with the belief that diversity in the workplace can improve performance of the organization.

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A good climate for inclusion:

– reinforces the positive effect of usage of personal competencies on employee job satisfaction

– thus acts as an amplifier of competencies as a work-related resource

– while also directly increases job satisfaction

Employee Health Survey 2012 at BA

climate for inclusion at BA as a moderating factor

hoch

gering

.37**

.046* .47**

Competencies

Climate for inclusion

Job satisfaction

Multiple Regression

F = 633.78, df = 2.0, p = .000, R2= .500, ∆ R2 = .002

Presentation by Beatrix Behrens on "Diversity Management at the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (BA) –Single Case Study" made at the meeting of the OECD Working Party on Public Employment

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