What is the Human Resource Capability survey?

The Human Resource Capability (HRC) survey is a collection of anonymous human resource data on each staff member.

The HRC survey goals are to:

• enable the SSC to provide sound advice on capability risks and trends to the Minister of State Services and public sector organisations

• report on human resource-related trends across the Public Service

• produce customised reports to allow organisations to compare human resource-related measures against the Public Service workforce

Which employees do I include in the employee file?

Include these employees

• current employees as at 30 June - open term and fixed term (i.e. permanent and temporary but not casuals – see exclusions below)  

  We define an employee as:

  • an individual who has (or had) an employment contract / agreement of service with the chief executive of the organisation, and

  • someone to whom the usual conditions relating to being an employee apply (e.g. organisation can specify hours of work, place of work, supervision arrangements)  

• All employees who left the organisation over the previous 12 months (1 July to 30 June)

• All employees on Leave Without Pay or Parental Leave

• All employees seconded to or from another organisation.

Exclude these people

• Casual employees (those employed on an "as and when required" basis, with no set hours of work and who have no ongoing expectation of employment).

• Contractors - those providing a contract for service

• Chief executives who have an employment agreement with the State Services Commissioner. Non-Public Service departments, Crown entities, SSC, Crown Law, and GCSB should include their Chief Executive on the employee file.

All Public Service departments must provide annual data to the HRC survey.  The mandate for the survey has been established through Cabinet Minutes from 1994 to 1998 (available on request). The survey is also consistent with the State Services Commission’s role under the State Sector Act.

All agencies within the cap on core government administration are required to report their FTE numbers and vacancies every six months. Following the December 2009 capping report back, Cabinet noted that the Human Resource Capability survey as at 30 June will be the primary means of monitoring staffing levels within the cap on the size of core government administration and staffing forecasts.  

The six non-Public Service departments also participate in the survey. From December 2011, organisations outside the core Public Service will be encouraged to participate in the survey.

How is the information of individual employees managed?

The survey is covered by a set of protocols called Access, Security and Reporting Protocols for the Human Resource Capability Survey. The document is available on the SSC website.

I’ve never completed the survey before, where do I start?

The first step is to get the data required for the HRC survey out of your payroll/HRIS.  

The processes used to get data out of a payroll/HRIS will be unique to each organisation.

The HRC team is available to assist with any questions you may have while you compile the information. Please contact us prior to the survey due date so we can assist you with the preparation of your survey return.

Do I have to use the HRC codes?

Yes. The HRC data should be provided using the HRC codes listed the HRC file specification. Because of the range of payroll systems it is likely that some of the codes in your HRIS will differ from those in the HRC file specification. Before submitting you survey return you will need to translate your data into the HRC codes.

When is the survey due?

Friday 13 July 2012

Where do I send my completed survey?

The two parts of the HRC survey (employee and organisation data) should be sent to the HRC survey mail box: hrcsurvey@ssc.govt.nz.

We use different definitions; can we provide data using our own definitions?

No, the information needs to be provided on a standard basis to allow for reliable comparisons and benchmarking.

For many of the fields collected in the organisation information there is a wide range of definitions in use. All Public Service departments were given the opportunity to contribute to the development of the current definitions. The definitions reflect the most common practise, however, it is not possible to have a set of definitions that are consistent with every organisations internal reporting rules.

If you have concerns about the definitions, we are always interested in your suggestions for improvements. The team considers the survey content and definitions during the review of the survey following each collection.

How are communications employees counted?

Along with FTEs and vacancies, we report on the number of communication staff in the Public Service. The ANZSCO classification is used to identify communications staff in your organisation. Employees coded to Advertising Managers, Public Relations Managers, Public Relations Professionals, Sales and Marketing Managers, Market Research Analysts, and Marketing Specialists will be counted as communications staff. Please ensure the communications employees in your department are correctly coded.