Positive management foundations

You have a responsibility to understand how government works, our structure and values, and our objectives. You must ensure your team meets the expectations of working in the public sector and delivers on our government objectives.

See How government works and Public service values and conduct to learn more.

You have powers under legislation which give you the authority to act, manage and lead your team. You must have a good understanding of this legislation and how it supports you.

Public Sector Act 2022

The Public Sector Act 2022 provides for the administration of the public sector and the employment and management of public sector employees.

You must ensure your employees comply with work performance and conduct principles and take appropriate action to address performance or conduct issues.

Public Sector Ethics Act 1994

The Public Service Ethics Act 1994 outlines the ethical obligations of employees in the public service. It provides the legislative basis for the Queensland Government code of conduct.

You must ensure your employees are educated about public sector ethics as part of their induction, and at regular intervals during their employment.

Public Interest Disclosure Act 2010

The Public Interest Disclosure Act 2010 provides a way for people to safely disclose information about serious wrongdoing in government.

An employee might need to provide a public interest disclosure. You’ll need to understand what you need to do in this situation.

Human Rights Act 2019

The Human Rights Act 2019 lists 23 rights to be protected by law, places obligations on public entities to act compatibly with human rights, and provides for a complaint resolution process through the Human Rights Commission.

You and your employees must consider human rights in every decision you make and in every interaction within the community.

Anti-Discrimination Act 1991

The Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 protects people in Queensland from unfair discrimination, sexual harassment and other objectionable conduct.

You must build an inclusive and diverse team that reflects the community you serve. You must create an inclusive culture that promotes the skills and insights of your people irrespective of gender, ethnicity, generation, sexual orientation or disability. This includes providing cultural safety when managing the personal and professional development of Aboriginal employees and Torres Strait Islander employees or employees from diverse cultural, religious and linguistic backgrounds.

See Workplace inclusion and diversity and #BeHere4Qld for more.

You must positively manage and develop your employees as outlined in sections 40(2), 40(3) and 85 of the Public Sector Act 2022.

Positive performance management helps employees identify their development needs and assists them in achieving their performance goals. It establishes role expectation, provides goal clarity, gives purpose and meaning, and aligns employees to organisational requirements.

Positive management is pro-actively:

• developing an employee personally and professionally
• engaging in regular and constructive communication
• recognising an employee’s strengths and valuing their contributions
• recognising performance that meets or exceeds expectations
• identifying performance that does not meet expectations early
• supporting employees to improve performance
• facilitating training and development opportunities.

See the Positive performance management directive for more.