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Being happy and satisfied at work is one of the most important aspects of choosing a career, and we like to make that as easy as possible for our employees.
You may find some unexpected benefits in your role
Our employees appreciate their employment benefits, there is no doubt about that. However, when asked about the most rewarding aspect of their job, many employees don't speak about the benefits available to them. They emphasise the satisfaction of knowing that their work enables the best health, wellbeing and safety of all Victorians so that they can live a life they value.
Career opportunities
The department wants to be an employer attractive to individuals commencing their career, as well as to graduates and to people transferring from the private sector. We want to attract the best quality job candidates at all levels, so our career structure and employee benefits packages seek to ensure that you can enjoy real career development and opportunity.
You will find our career structure is built on merit-based appointment to grades, but also allows for individual career progression. You and your manager will agree on your progression criteria each year, so you'll always know what you need to achieve to move to the next stage of your career. You can find out more by visiting our VPS Career Structure page.
Learning and development
We want to build a high-quality workforce in the public sector, so we are committed to providing training and development opportunities to help you gain qualifications and skills that are transferable and that develop your talents. While these are employee benefits, we prefer to look at them as employer benefits because your progress and development make for a stronger, more skilled workforce in Victoria.
Your learning and development plan will highlight specific training opportunities to help you to meet your development objectives. These could involve study for formal qualifications. For example, you could access paid study leave to prepare for and attend examinations. Or your plan could include attending conferences and seminars, or accessing programs for emerging public sector leaders offered by the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG), which has been established as a ‘centre of excellence’. Visit the ANZSOG website for more details about the wide range of opportunities available.
Salaries and superannuation
We offer competitive salaries to attract the best people to work for us, complemented by one of the most attractive government employee benefits: salary packaging. Salary packaging allows you to use pre-tax dollars for additional superannuation contributions, to access a novated lease vehicle for full private use or for discounted private health insurance. Other tax-effective, work-related and deductible items are available, including laptop computers, professional membership fees and home office expenses. Direct employer contributions are made to an approved superannuation fund, under the superannuation guarantee legislation. Your superannuation can also be 'topped up' to a complying accumulation fund of your choice.
Work-life balance
We recognise that there's more to life than work, so we support you to achieve work-life balance. Subject to your manager’s approval, part-time work, job sharing, home-based work and paid additional annual leave work modes have the potential to add more flexibility to your lifestyle. Additional support and employee benefits are also given to parents returning to work and to individuals caring for dependants.
Comprehensive leave provisions
The Victorian Government offers extensive leave provisions to help you balance your work and personal commitments. If you're employed under the VPS Enterprise Agreement 2020, these employee benefits include the following.
Annual and personal or carer's leave
Four weeks paid annual leave is provided per year and an additional loading payment is made for annual leave taken. This leave can also be taken at half pay. Employee entitlements also include personal or carer's leave to meet a range of needs.
Purchased leave
Employees can purchase additional weeks of annual leave in each calendar year.
Long service leave
After 10 years continuous service, you are entitled to three months leave on full pay or you can take pro rata leave after seven years. Additional leave is accrued on a pro rata basis thereafter. Prior service with other approved government organisations may be recognised for long service leave purposes.
Paid parental leave
Sixteen weeks paid parental leave, and up to 36 weeks leave without pay, is available after a qualifying period. Partners don't miss out on parental employee benefits, with 4 weeks secondary caregiver leave given for the birth of a child, plus up to 48 weeks leave without pay. And should a secondary caregiver take over the primary caring responsibilities, additional paid parental leave is available (up to 12 weeks) subject to a qualifying requirement.
Special leave
You can apply for a range of leave provisions including:
- Compassionate leave, in the event of death or serious illness
- Adoption leave
- Foster/Kinship leave
- Defence force leave
- Jury service leave
- Cultural leave
- Leave for union training
- Occupational health and safety training.
We also offer leave to staff members experiencing family violence to attend legal, health or financial appointments or court, and to support relocation, care for children, and other needs.
Diversity and inclusion
We are recognised as a bronze employer for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) workplace inclusion as part of Pride in Diversity’s Australian Workplace Equality Index for our Pride Network, LGBTI Allies program, LGBTI awareness training, review of our policies for inclusive language, policies that support Trans gender identity affirmation, and our participation in important events such as the Midsumma carnival and International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia.
The Aboriginal Staff Network (ASN) brings together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff to share experiences of working in the department, support each other and engage in personal and professional development. The ASN Annual Conference brings together Aboriginal people to network, exchange learnings, share lived experience and build knowledge.
The Enablers Network is the Victorian Public Sector Network for People with Disabilities. This network represents the needs, interests, and concerns of Victorian public sector employees with lived experience of disability, to ensure fair and equitable treatment.
Wellbeing
We support employees’ physical and mental wellbeing.
Our Employee Wellbeing and Support Program provides a holistic range of support services and resources to help you proactively manage and enhance your work, health and life. This includes confidential, professional coaching and support services relating to:
- Relationships
- Work-life balance
- Anxiety, stress and depression
- Change, workload and career
- Bereavement, grief and loss
- Nutrition, sleep and health
- Communication and conflict
- Drug, alcohol and addictions
- Legal and financial concerns
- Parenting and family.
We also offer:
- Reimbursement for the cost of an eye test and prescription lenses if you perform screen-based work
- Free flu vaccinations
- End-of-trip facilities if you ride or run into work.
Additional benefits
If you catch public transport to work, our Rail Commuter Club allows you to purchase a 365-day Myki pass at a discount via fortnightly salary deductions. This covers all metropolitan trains and trams plus buses in specified zones as well as V/Line country trains and buses.
We also have a social club, choir, book club, bike users group and Pride Network.