Transformation program

Hi everyone,

As I said in my message last week, the continued bushfire crisis has made for a challenging start to the year for us, and for communities across the state and nation. After another difficult day last Friday, I’m pleased that the conditions have again started to ease. The State of Emergency has also now ended. Unfortunately, the need to respond continues and the period of recovery will be even longer. This creates the challenge of supporting the bushfire recovery, including major repairs to roads such as the Gwydir, Oxley, Princes, Snowy Mountains and Kings Highways and the rail line between Mt Victoria and Lithgow, while continuing our focus on how we can create better outcomes for customers and communities across NSW for the longer term.

Over the last several weeks, I have seen firsthand how the early stages of our integrated operating model helped us during the bushfire crises. Despite our structure not yet fully aligning with the new model, teams under pressure and in the thick of the bushfire response came together, got in and got it done. I know that a crisis can help people to come together and make things happen, regardless of titles and structures. But what I saw went beyond this. We had people working together with a deeper understanding of their colleagues and other parts of the Transport network than would have been the case even six months ago. Our response during the bushfires is a good example that ways of working can get us a long way. The fully developed operating model will get us even further. During 2020 we will continue to design our organisation to ensure everyone experiences the benefits of the integrated operating model.

Update on Deputy Secretary roles and the Transport leadership team

Since last year, I’ve been focused on recruiting to three Deputy Secretary roles. I’m pleased to announce the people who will be leading these divisions:

Tara McCarthy will join us on 3 February as Deputy Secretary, Safety, Environment and Regulation – Tara has worked across government, not for profit and commercial sectors, and is not new to Transport. Tara was formerly Executive Director in Point to Point Transport, successfully leading the establishment of the new regulator. More recently, she was Chief Executive of Local Government NSW where she brought together all local government, supporting and advocating for them so they could continue to meet the needs of local communities. She has extensive operational and strategic leadership experience, from leading programs totalling billions in Transport to being the Deputy Commissioner of the NSW SES.

Carol-Anne Nelson will join us on 2 March as Deputy Secretary, Regional and Outer Metropolitan – Carol-Anne is an experienced leader in operational management and strategic planning, with a great track record in delivering outstanding outcomes and leading business transformation. She has worked in both the public and private sector in rail, energy and infrastructure. She was with Queensland Rail for over 5 years. As Chief Operating Officer for V/Line in Victoria, she oversaw 45% growth in patronage, three timetable changes and significant cultural change, with operational responsibility for all rail and coach operations in regional Victoria. Carol-Anne has more recently worked in the private sector as General Manager at GFG Alliance, with focus on mining, energy generation, metals and engineering.

I am equally excited to have appointed a strong candidate as Deputy Secretary Customer Strategy and Technology and will be in a position to announce further details once the appropriate communications have been completed with their current employer. I expect to be able to announce specifics at the end of January, along with more information about Tara and Carol-Anne as we get closer to their start dates.

While I’m very excited to welcome these new leaders into Transport, I did not expect all three roles to come from outside the organisation. These roles attracted a lot of interest from people in both the public and private sectors across the country. Feedback shows us that leaders think Transport is doing really innovative things in new ways and there is very positive sentiment for our new operating model and Future Transport strategy, especially our more prominent focus on regional NSW, safety, innovation and technology, and how we want to build on our customer and community focus.

I’d like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Steve Jones, Rachel Wheeler and Matt Fuller for doing a great job leading these three divisions during a challenging time of change for the organisation and as leaders. I very much appreciate their dedication and contribution to the organisation, especially throughout 2019, and I’m very pleased to share that they have agreed to remain acting deputy secretaries until the new leaders start.

I am also pleased to share that all three have now been appointed to roles within Transport. Steve will take on the role of the Executive Director, Safety in Safety, Environment and Regulation, Rachel will join Greater Sydney in the Executive Director, Community and Place role and Matt is stepping into the Executive Director, Commercial and Strategic Projects role in Corporate Services.

In a further update regarding the executive leadership team, with RMS and TfNSW officially becoming one organisation last December, Fiona Trussell is no longer acting Chief Executive of RMS, but continues as acting Chief Transformation Officer, working closely with me on the evolution of our organisation and our move to the new operating model. I have also asked Fiona to lead the Office of the Secretary in the interim while Alison Cunningham takes on an acting Executive Director role in the Safety, Environment and Regulation division.

Bringing our new operating model to life

Before I move into Evolving Transport updates in more detail, here’s a quick refresh on where we’re up to. The Evolving Transport program has a number of workstreams to help bring our operating model to life. More information on these and how you can get involved will be communicated soon. One of these workstreams is focused on organisation design and structure and I’d like to share an update on this today.

Recruiting to branch leader roles:

In December, we finalised the divisional structures and functions of the Transport cluster based on your feedback and input. On 10 December we released job ads for leadership roles heading up some of the new branches. More will be released today, with the final four to be advertised in the week commencing 27 January.

Our new branch arrangements will come into effect on 3 February and where we’re unable to finalise recruitment to leadership roles before this date, we are putting in place acting arrangements. This means we’ll have leaders in place who can begin establishing the new branches as soon as possible. These acting arrangements are outlined here and will also be effective from 3 February. There is a small number of acting arrangements that will be confirmed during the last weeks of January.

Thank you to these leaders for taking on this opportunity. I have asked that the people taking on acting roles approach their task with the full delegation to lead their functions as required, especially during this time of change. I would also like everyone to understand that their selection is not indication of a recruitment outcome.

Designing our new branches:

From February, we will begin the design of our new branches in three stages across the year, and we now have a schedule for how this will happen. With an organisation as diverse as Transport, it’s important we do this carefully and we consider each branch’s requirements, whether straightforward or complex in both their size and how they interrelate with other teams and functions across the Transport cluster.

In deciding on the sequencing and timing, we have taken into consideration a number of things such as operational and safety considerations, the size and complexity of teams, interdependencies between teams, work happening across the other Evolving Transport workstreams and the Future Workplace office moves happening this year.

We are doing the design of our organisation in a different, more systematic way to keep our focus on interdependencies across divisions. We are being careful to not compromise the integrity of the process but it does mean it will take time. It’s important to get this right so we can set ourselves up to deliver even better outcomes in the future.

The following are some key points about the process. You will hear more about what this means for you from your Divisional leader this week.

Detailed design of branches will be in 3 stages with the first stage starting in February, second stage in May and third stage in August.

The design process for each branch is expected to take between four and twelve weeks, depending on the complexities of the teams and functions.

We’ve grouped together or ‘bundled’ branches with interconnected functions so they can be designed in a way that considers their similarities and interdependencies. For example, finance related branches will be designed at the same time so we can more effectively understand and consider the complexities of these teams together. It also means our people have the opportunity to consider more than one role they might be interested in as similar or aligned areas will be designed together.

We will share information about how you can get involved in branch design in the lead up to each stage.

If your branch is scheduled for the second or third stage, there are things you can do now, such as teams within a branch starting to work together to look at better ways to combine or streamline processes, and how relationships can be improved through your day-to-day activities.

Looking out for yourself and each other

Now more than ever, it’s important that you prioritise your personal safety, and that of your colleagues, friends and family. Whether that’s in relation to the bushfires or as we go through the ups and downs of change, please look after yourselves and each other, and always reach out for help and support if you need it – lots of support is on hand and outlined here for you.

We also now have a dedicated site that has been developed to keep all our people across the Transport cluster informed and supported during the bushfire crisis. You can find out what we’re doing to help those in need across NSW, the support available for you including various leave options, how you can help and information to help leaders manage their people during this time. Go to www.stayinformed.com.au anytime, from any device to find the latest information.

Thank you again to those of you supporting communities and customers across the state, and those who are supporting our people in their efforts to do this.

Keep safe.

Rodd Staples

Secretary

Hi everyone,

I’m writing to update you on the Future Workplace program which, over time, will provide workplaces across the state that are more consistent, support flexibility and enable us to work in more collaborative ways.

You will recall that we released a draft proposal on 20 November regarding team locations for the Sydney office moves in 2020. My thanks to all of you who provided feedback – we’ve reviewed all of your suggestions and have now made a final decision on where teams will be based.

An information pack showing all confirmed moves is now available for everyone to view.

What you told us

We received more than 600 responses from you, which can be broadly categorised into the following themes:

• Team location
• Travel time/cost
• Facilities/amenities
• Flexible work arrangements
• Activity Based Working

As a result of your feedback, changes have been made to team locations for around 300 people out of the more than 5,200 people who will be moving office locations in 2020. Today, leaders have been briefing Sydney based teams on any changes to the original proposal and their confirmed locations for next year.

As well as direct feedback on team locations, people sought information and guidance about working flexibly, asked questions about the facilities and amenities in our new and existing offices, and shared thoughts and queries about activity based working.

We’ll be using this feedback to guide the way we support you in the lead up to the moves. This includes providing more information and Q&As, informing the change and engagement planning, providing training and guidance, as well as opportunities to visit and learn more about our new workplaces and new ways of working.

Flexible working

Something I noticed in the feedback is that not everyone feels supported to discuss or practice flexible working arrangements, and some people are concerned that flexible working arrangements won’t be available for them while they transition to a new work location.

I’d like to remind everyone that Transport is building a culture where working flexibly is part of how we operate. Many teams have great flexible working practices in place and this has proven to help us attract and keep high performing people who reflect NSW’s diversity.

But there is no one size fits all for flexibility. It’s about being flexible.

I encourage you to have a conversation and explore flexible working arrangements with your leader and I expect all leaders to seek to understand the personal circumstances of their people, to be open to new ways of working and to consider what arrangements can work best for each person, the team and the organisation.

There is lots of information on flexible working arrangements on the intranet to support you to have a good conversation today.

Next steps

A comprehensive information and support program will roll out from January next year so that those people moving are well prepared in advanced. Timeframes for the moves will also be shared with you in February and the moves will take place from May, starting with teams who are moving to Macquarie Park.

Our moves to new workplaces in Sydney are an exciting step forward in our transformation journey and will really enable us to work in new ways across the Transport cluster. But I also know that these changes can be unsettling and will affect people in different ways, so please talk to your leader, discuss your personal situation and what it means for you, and use the range of support options that are available for you.

My thanks once again to everyone for having their say. We believe that a more collaborative workplace with a better mix of co-located teams will help us get our operating model working to its full potential, which in turn will enable us to deliver better customer and community outcomes together.

Rodd
Secretary

Read the final pack to see the confirmed team locations

Detailed information about each division’s top level leadership and functions are available on these divisional pages:

• Infrastructure and Place
• Corporate Services
• Regional and Outer Metropolitan
  
• Greater Sydney
• People and Culture
• Customer Strategy and Technology
• Safety, Environment and Regulation
  

Information coming in January 2020:

• Office of the Secretary
  

The Office of the Secretary top level leadership is under consideration. This will be determined and released in January 2020.

Our new operating model embeds the needs of our customers and communities in urban and regional areas across NSW; helps us deliver multi-modal, end-to-end customer journeys; and create better places to live, work and visit. It also tries to address where we have duplication, inconsistency, gaps or new opportunities.

As we undergo these changes to there are a number of support services, such as the Staywell Hub, available on the Getting support during change page.

4 December 2019

Thank you to those who provided feedback throughout the Evolving Transport consultation over the past four weeks. Over 2000 pieces of feedback were received throughout this process, and this feedback is still being collated and analysed this week.

During the consultation, some key themes have emerged including:

· The purpose and functions of each division

· Placement, recruitment, and diversity of our senior leaders

· Feedback on the proposed top level leadership, and grading and scope of roles

· Collaboration, interdependencies, and duplication with other divisions and agencies

· The next phase of Evolving Transport

All the feedback has now been provided to Divisional Leaders (appropriate to their division). The Strategy and Operations Committee (SOC), which the Secretary and divisional leaders are part of, are meeting this week to review all feedback and approve decisions to change or not change top level structures.

We had a lot of questions come in over the last four weeks and have been answering the most asked questions on the QA webpage. So make sure you keep checking this page as it’s updated regularly.

Final decisions on our top level leadership will be announced the week of 9 December. However a lot of your feedback about ways of working and the next layers of leadership will continue to shape the next phases of the Evolving Transport Transformation Program.

From the week starting 9 December, there will be:

· Announcements about the top level leadership for each division and how the teams will be mapped to those leadership positions

· Confirming acting arrangements, placement approach, and recruitment timelines

· Further information about the approach for the next level of organisation design from February 2020; branches and teams level (Phase 3B-2)

This information will be available on the Evolving Transport website.

Also, a reminder to our Sydney based staff consultation for the proposed Sydney office moves in 2020 is still open until this Friday 6 December. Please continue to submit your feedback before the close and see the latest updates on the Future Workplace website.

Here is what you need to know now

· The legislation will come into effect on 1 December – from this date, the functions and responsibilities of RMS and TfNSW will be performed by the integrated TfNSW organisation.

· We don’t need to change everything straight away – from 1 December, any references to RMS will be legally taken to mean TfNSW automatically. This includes references in existing documents or in legal proceedings already underway.

· We have a plan – we are going to roll out changes, such as to brand, delegations, policies and procedures, IT, finance and procurement, in a phased and ordered way to minimise the impact on our operations.

· Awards, policies and procedures will continue to apply as they do today.

· Employee commitments – there were some commitments made in the legislation which you can read more about in the legislation factsheet and Q&A.

What’s happening from 1 December?

While most things are business as usual, you will start to see some changes from next week including:

· Using TfNSW branding like letter head, templates and email signatures –information will be available to support you to implement the brand changes.

· Most RMS email addresses will change to Transport email addresses on the evening of Tuesday 3 December and more information is coming.

· Communications to stakeholders and suppliers – we are sending an update to all suppliers and stakeholders early next week to notify them of the changes.

More information

More information and details will come on Monday and from then onwards as we roll out changes to systems, processes and branding over time. If you have any questions in the meantime, email evolvingtransport@transport.nsw.gov.au.

Stay tuned for more information.

Consultation on proposed team locations for Sydney 2020 office moves is now open. From today, leaders are briefing teams on this proposal.

View the consultation pack and find out where teams are proposed to move to next year. If you do not see your team on the list, your team is not in scope to move in 2020.

We understand location announcements impact both teams and individuals, so feedback is welcome on what has been proposed. The focus for the consultation period is to make sure that proposed locations meet the needs of the business and our customers, so please provide feedback on information that want leaders to consider in assigning team locations, any gaps or conflicts in the information provided, and any other questions or support you need.

Information and support for managers and individuals on managing those impacts will be available following the consultation period.

Make sure you visit Future Workplace for more information about new workplaces, FAQs and to submit your feedback on the proposal, which you can also do anonymously.

Consultation on proposed 2020 Sydney locations is open until 5pm, Friday 6 December.

Hi everyone,

I’m pleased to let you know that legislation was passed in parliament yesterday to enable the full integration of TfNSW and RMS into one organisation. While we have already been working together differently for many months, this significant milestone enables us to take the next steps in strengthening our ability to deliver integrated transport solutions across NSW and better customer and community outcomes.

While the name RMS will no longer be used in the future, it’s important to remember that the work, functions and history of RMS will become the collective work and history of our new integrated organisation, and we will deliver better together.

However, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the proud and impressive history of Roads and Maritime and the valuable contribution it has been making to communities across NSW for a long time. RMS has been delivering world-class projects with enormous benefits for the people of NSW that will continue to resonate for decades to come. Their achievements could fill a book but we have managed to pull together an overview of the stories from roads and maritime history in the latest edition of Mode magazine. I encourage you to read this story and to also think about the exciting possibilities that will come from uniting TfNSW and RMS.

What does this mean for how we work now?

While legislation has passed, there is still a formal process to bring it into effect. We are looking at the date it will come into effect and we will update you when that is determined.

There will be some practical things that will change such as email addresses, processes and systems, however, these will be done over time to minimise the impact on our operations so we can continue to deliver for our customers and communities. We will share more on any changes at the appropriate time. For now, it’s business as usual.

Please check the Doing your job during change section if you have any questions.

Today marks a significant step towards an exciting future for all of us as we work together to create a new organisation and a new shared history.

Rodd Staples

Secretary

We are now halfway through the Evolving Transport consultation, and wanted to share a snapshot of feedback so far. To date, we have received 541 pieces of feedback with 5,667 staff briefed. The key themes include functions of the divisions, recruitment of senior leaders, and collaboration and working with other divisions and agencies but we still want to know what you think. Please keep sending your feedback to us.

We have answered a couple of key questions below but for answers to more of your frequently asked questions keep checking the Q&A section as this being updated regularly.

What happens to feedback and how is it being reviewed?

• The updated structures, following the feedback received during consultation and decisions made by the Executive team
• Confirmed organisation design schedule for the next levels (phase 3B-2)
• Confirmation of any acting arrangements
• Confirmation of the placement approach and recruitment timelines
• Any required updates to the interdependency and intra-dependency work