What it's really like to work in Local Government

I recently assisted with some interviews for a corporate role, the candidate was from a large consulting firm. She wanted to make a change, without detriment to her career. We had an opportunity in her given field, the position appealed to her as she lived nearby and a former colleague who had made this change recommended working at Boroondara. During the interview she asked us some great questions around culture, opportunities and what it is really like to work at Boroondara. We tag teamed our response as we all have great insights to share - she responded with a smile from ear to ear, that was the moment the penny dropped and she understood the opportunity in front of her.

Let’s start this off under the proviso, that I don’t profess to know all the ins and outs of what it’s like to work in Local Government (LG).

And really anyone who considers themselves a LG aficionado can never fully understand what it’s like to work within LG as a whole, why?

Well, as an industry we have similarities and we can talk about similar things and we can face similar problems. But as individual organisations we are so different, we offer different services (i.e. we don’t all run childcare centres, we don’t all run leisure centres), we cover different geographical regions which means our customer changes (their needs, their voice, their level of interaction with us) and structurally we are all set up just that little bit differently which provides for different opportunities and ways of working.

Our biggest similarity and why I came back into LG is what I think is our biggest draw-card from a work perspective, we are a truly diverse organisation. I know, I know it’s a cliché that gets bandied about in many job advertisements, but it is simply true (for us). Where else can you work with over 30 industries under one roof?

Career opportunities

While I'm sure there are great opportunities within other LG's I will focus on my experience within Boroondara.

So what's on offer? Internal mobility, opportunities to develop from within and secure either a temporary secondment opportunity or a permanent shift into a different role. Around 50% of all positions are filled via an internal appointment. Given that this now seems to be the focus of many organisations, it seems we are slightly ahead of this curve.

One of the benefits of being in the one organisation for a while is that you get to see many of these career changing moves. I've seen many people move up, sideways and out of Boroondara and back in into more senior roles (we call them the Boroondara boomerangs) these appointments always bring a smile to my face!

Our strategic vision = great opportunities. For those of you who are not familiar we are undergoing a huge change program, a transformational shift that focuses on changing the way we work to deliver a customer centric experience for not only our residents but all of our customers within our municipality. You can read more about this work here.

This work presents many great opportunities for internal mobility and diversifying our talent with new people into the organisation.

This brings me to another great perk of working here, we are in suburbia which means you can have a career, have a challenging role with great opportunities and not have to worry about the hustle and bustle of working in the City!

#Rewardingcareer

I know, I know, another sometimes overused tagline but if the shoe fits it fits. We work together to build, improve and support our community of all ages, stages and backgrounds. This of course this can take many different forms. We support our local businesses to start up and grow, we coordinate and facilitate a wonderful volunteering program, we provide advice, support and services to families, assist minority groups in integrating into our community and host an extensive list of arts and cultural events to not only entertain but to create a sense of belonging and community connection. The list goes on.

Regardless if you are working in a customer facing role or supporting our teams who are in frontline roles it really doesn't matter we all work together to support our Boroondara community. #rewardingcareer

Focus on wellbeing, flexibility and development

Wow - we do this well! We have an amazing health and wellbeing program with a yearly calendar of events focused on addressing current environmental impacts or trends within our organisation. We have an onsite Physio as an injury prevention strategy and access to a holistic EAP provider.

We offer a long list of flexibility options and most importantly have many employees participate in these options. With new ways of working being a critical conversation point in the current climate, our flexibility has been pushed even further. As with most organisations this unintended consequence of COVID-19 has meant that more of our employees are now aware of the potential benefits of a more flexible approach to working which is fantastic. Flexibility is a key conversation point in our planning for the return to the 'new normal'.

For people who like to learn a little more we have a study assistance program, a scholarship program, access to online learning in addition to organisational briefings and leader forums aimed at supporting all of our leaders with insights, knowledge and resources.

Not just roads, rates and rubbish

Often when people are in conversation with someone new or with a family member who suddenly becomes interested in what you do for a living, there's a moment where they try their best to understand either the work or the workplace by relating it to their personal experiences.

So, when I tell people I work in LG they begin to tell me about a parking fine or the amount their rates have risen. Great conversation starter....

I try and explain my role, some get it others can't get their mind out of the 'roads, rates and rubbish' phenomenon. It's not really a phenomenon, it's generally what people think of when they think of LG. But as stated earlier - we have over 30 industries in the one roof, so we must do more than that!

I could bore you with a long list of position titles/departments, but that wouldn't be that exciting - rather I challenge you. The next time your favourite LG employee shares a position or you are on the hunt for a new role, I challenge you to read it, consider us in your job search, don't shy away based on what you think you know about LG. Follow our LinkedIn page or contact us and ask us some questions. The answers may surprise you.

#careers #localgovernment #boroondara #recruitment #greatplacetowork

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Who is the author?

• Alexandra is the Recruitment Strategy and Talent Acquisition Lead at the City of Boroondara.
• She is an experienced HR generalist with an extensive list of strategic projects under her belt.
• Passionate about all things people - she drives change through a people lens ensuring a collaborative approach.