BETWEEN A ROCK AND A FAR PLACE
By Kim Powell May 2005

In October 2001, NSW Premier Bob Carr announced the Department of Mineral Resources would be relocating from Sydney to Maitland in the Hunter Valley. The first reaction, says the department’s director Brad Mullard, was disbelief.
“Suddenly people were faced with a life-changing decision,” he says. “They’d worked at the department for most of their lives and had to choose between moving to Maitland or looking at other options.”

After the announcement, but still three years before the actual move, a staff survey indicated half were unsure about what to do, one quarter would consider moving to Maitland and another quarter would not consider moving at all. In the end, of the 240 employees based in Sydney – some of whom had been there more than 40 years – almost 40 per cent relocated in November 2004: a tribute to the approach the department took to change management.

“We recognised that to retain all our staff was simply not possible, so we put in place a range of communication and information activities as well as various support mechanisms for staff,” says Mr Mullard. “While three years sounds like a long time, it isn’t when you start mapping out all the processes that had to be done.”

A regular newsletter kept people informed about the relocation, as did a dedicated intranet site and information desk with maps, community directories and newspapers from the Newcastle and Maitland area. Bus trips and self-guided tour information were organised and the local council and business community helped provide information about what services were available in Maitland.

A program of business continuity was created to produce manuals for training purposes. Mr Mullard says a clinical psychologist also worked with the department to help address potential problems. In October 2003 career management company Career Innovations came on board, conducting workshops for staff, as well as interview practice, resume writing and helping people look at their career options. Nick Greenhalgh from Career Innovations says in highly technical organisations with specialised positions, it is not immediately obvious what these options are.

“A lot of work we did was with individuals to understand their competencies, to worry less about titles and look at the transferability of those skills to the private sector or the government sector,” he says.

The department conducted extensive consultation with staff when designing the new headquarters. The result is a four-and-a-half star rated building, with loads of natural light and an air conditioning system that can circulate fresh air.

Since moving to Maitland, another 90 people have been recruited.

“A lot of people were sorry to see their colleagues leave, but then we’ve had new people come in who bring enthusiasm and excitement to the job,” Mr Mullard says.