Department of Social Services Reviews

I worked hard and won a promotion, however, I'm still doing work above my level which I haven't been rewarded for.

There is vague talk about this and in some areas (notably Women's Safety) we're alright but the rank and file seem to view corporate responsibility as an unnecessary hurdle.

Relaxed, a friendly culture that respects the other priorities in your life

From what I've seen the Department has been very accommodating to women. There also appears to be a considerable amount of women and mothers in the department filling a variety of roles including management. The department seems to be very understanding if a mother has to leave to care for her child, or has to start/finish work at particular times because of her child's needs. The department does employ a very large portion of people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, and I am aware of staff members who are from a LGBT background. All a treated with complete respect.

Variety and challenge. The workload varies in response to Government and Ministerial needs but is often exciting.

Immediate managers are very hands on and accessible. There are regular updates from higher level management as well.

I've found the office's very comfortable. The set ups at the desks allow for some adjustments to suits an individual's physical needs. There are a several different office's located around Canberra (and the also some in the States). The facilities are also to a good standard. The dress code varies throughout the Department as different Sections have different dress codes. Usual business attire is the most standard (e.g. long black pants, collared shirt, no ties).

Behavioural (STAR) type questions. Questions about work experience and ones designed to determine cultural fit.

Payscales are very fair, and conditions quite good. No opportunities for bonuses however.

The Department offers some in-house training which is pretty good, but numbers are limited. I have not yet been able to get into a particular course that I would like to do.

This varies slightly between areas but generally if you communicate well the culture is fairly flexible. Standard working hours can fall between 7-7 so you generally have the opportunity to start a bit earlier or later if that suits you.

There are environmental policies in place, like green waste recycling, paper saving measures etc.