Briefing: The Joint Committee on the Improvement of Life and Status of Women

1
Briefing The Joint Committee on the Improvement
of Life and Status of Women

• Brenda Hendricks
• Manager People Management and Development
• Senior Manager Service Member
• and Gender Focal Point
• 16 May 2003

2
DPSA VISION

• The mainstreaming of Gender in the Department of
  Public Service and Administration is firmly
  located in the vision of the Department namely,
  to establish a responsive Public Service that
  delivers on the governments commitment to a
  better life for all the people of South Africa.

3
PERFORMANCE CONTRACTS

• The Department implemented its new performance
  management and development system on 1 April
  2001, as required by the Public Service
  Regulation, and the performance agreement is an
  integral part of this system entered into and
  signed by both parties to the agreement, i.e.
  employee and manager.
• The performance agreements are aligned to the
  strategic objectives of the Department and
  business objectives of the various components.

4
PERFORMANCE CONTRACTS

• The main features of the performance agreement
  are
• Key Result Areas/Key Performance Areas (weighted)
• Core Management Competencies/Generic Assessment
  Factors (weighted)
• Personal Development Plan
• The performance agreement forms the basis of the
  regular performance face-to face feedback between
  the manager and employee.
• The performance agreements for the new
  performance cycle for 1 April 2003 to 31 March
  2004 are currently being received.

5
GENDER FOCAL POINT ACCOUNTING LINES

• Location Gender Focal Point is located within
  Corporate Management.
• Reporting lines To DG through Senior Manager or
  directly when required or needed.
• Structure Consists of the (1) Manager for People
  Management and Development (SMS) and (2) one
  practitioner.
• Budget Integrated financial planning by
  components for posts and programmes.

6
GENDER FOCAL POINT

• Responsibilities To develop, manage and
  facilitate the integration and mainstreaming of
  all HR and related issues of transformation
  through the Departments policies, programmes and
  practices.
• Monitor and evaluate the implementation and
  impact of policies and practices.
• Dis-aggregates information on employment equity
  targets to inform decision-making.
• Dis-aggregates information on training and
  development to decision-making.

7
TARGETS FOR WOMEN AT SMS LEVEL DECISION-MAKING
RESPONSIBILITIES)

• YEAR TARGET
• 2003 42 (currently 36,2)
• 2004 44
• 2005 46
• 2006 47
• Risks limited appropriate skills natural
  attrition HIV/AIDS and other debilitating
  diseases.
• Opportunities There are vacancies which women
  could fill.

8
TARGET FOR WOMEN AT LEVEL 9-12

• YEAR TARGET
• 2003 49 (currently 48,05)
• 2004 50
• 2005 50
• 2006 50
• Risks limited appropriate skills natural
  attrition HIV/AIDS.
• Opportunities There are vacancies which women
  could fill.

9
MONITORING EVALUATION

• Managers are responsible for filling their posts.
  Managers are informed of the staff profile status
  before employees are recruited
• The appointments they recommend are monitored by
  People Management and Development, the
  Director-General and/or the Minister with every
  appointment.

10
MONITORING EVALUATION

• Managers know what equity targets have been set,
  and top management is regularly informed of the
  changing staff profile with every appointment
  made.
• The norm is to dis-aggregate staff profile
  information for reporting purposes.

11
CURRENT AND ENVISAGED PROGRAMMES

• Employees can be transferred internally for the
  best post-person match, even after probation.
• Training and development is informed by Personal
  Development Plans which is an integral part of
  the performance management and development system
  for the DPSA.
• Mentoring/coaching to form a pool of talent who
  could apply for higher positions (soon to be
  formalised). This programme would inform
  succession planning and support internal
  mobility.

12
CURRENT AND ENVISAGED PROGRAMMES

• Special national, regional and international days
  (seminars, focus group discussions, support
  groups, special speakers) to focus on womens
  empowerment and advancement and about issues
  women face in the workplace .
• Headhunting for scarce skills.
• Training of Gender Focal Points.
• Liaison with the Office on the Status of Women.

13
CURRENT AND ENVISAGED PROGRAMMES

• Policy analysis for its implication and impact on
  women vs men.
• Training for women and men separately and
  collectively to be facilitated by SAMDI.
• Awareness-raising of womens issues among women
  as well as among men.

14
CONCLUSION

• Women and neither men are a homogenous group, so
  to ensure equality of opportunity and treatment,
  the Department manages individual needs and
  aspirations as well as collective challenges to
  ensure a better quality of life at work which may
  impact on the home-life and visa-versa.