HUMAN RESOURCES

As a service organisation continually adapting to meet community needs and respond to reforms , human resources are critical to our high-performing operations . This year we grew our team and implemented a new structure following an external review to better service the needs of our growing organisation .

Supporting the health and wellbeing of employees as the ongoing pandemic took a toll , attracting and managing new recruits in a highly competitive market and introducing a new Merri Health Enterprise Agreement that brings together staff previously covered by three separate awards and provides improved benefits were priorities .

What did we achieve ?

introduced a permanent Hybrid Working Agreement , embedding flexible workplace

new Employee Assistance Program with increased benefits including counselling access to support staff

new Merri Health Enterprise Agreement with sector-leading leave for staff

launched a new online orientation in partnership with our marketing team

implemented new HR structure with additional staff following external review

first face-to-face staff function since December 2019 –

330 staff attended

Challenges

• shortage of experienced staff across the health and social services sector and support positions

• supporting increased health and wellbeing impacts on staff through the ongoing pandemic

What ’ s next ?

• new online recruitment system to be sourced and begin implementation next year

• a centralised Learning and Development Model to better support staff success in their current and future roles

• leadership development training for Operational Managers

• launching a Wellbeing @ Merri Strategic Plan to provide a holistic , proactive approach to employee mental health and wellbeing

IT AND OUR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

It was a year of re-establishment following a focus on rapid deployment of new technology to support telehealth and remote working in 2020-21 ; and completing a full review of our IT function .

We increased our team , established a new structure and undertook significant work across a range of areas including client information management , information security , supplier management , infrastructure , communication and collaboration .

What did we achieve ?

implemented a new IT structure with additional staff to deliver increased projects following review

improved mobility and flexibility by rolling out laptops to most staff

delivered important security projects that have improved our protection , monitoring and detection and response capabilities

significantly progressed client information management systems

Challenges

• rapidly finding a new video conferencing platform after our Starleaf video conferencing platform went into administration

What ’ s next ?

• continued focus on information security and risk reduction

• finalising MS Teams roll-out to improve videoconferencing and collaborative working

• delivering several key technology changes to improve our productivity , enhance client service and reduce waste

MERRI HEALTH / ANNUAL REPORT 2022

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