| The Department has conducted recruitment exercises for a number of departmental grades, including Artisan (Beach/Swimming Pool), since the resumption of hiring civil servants in 2007. |
Human Resources
Manpower Planning
There has been a gradual increase in the Department's workforce, with the number of civil servants employed reaching 7 354 by the end of March 2010. This additional manpower has been deployed to meet the staffing requirements of new facilities and services, as well as to replace the non-civil service contract (NCSC) staff positions identified in the Civil Service Bureau's 2006 special review of the employment situation of NCSC staff in all government bureaux and departments.
It is expected that, to meet new service demands and enhance existing services, the Department's workforce will need to expand further, with about 160 new posts to be added in 2010-11.
Employment Situation for NCSC Staff
NCSC staff are employed by the Department under the ambit of the NCSC Staff Scheme to meet service and operational requirements. They are mainly responsible for providing support services in leisure and cultural venues/offices, such as general and administrative support, frontline and customer services, technical support, and information technology services.
Subsequent to the aforementioned Civil Service Bureau special review, the Department had made good progress in replacing about 700 NCSC staff with civil servants, out of the 800 positions targeted for such replacement. The majority of the remaining about 100 positions are expected to be phased out in the coming financial year, in light of the imminent expiry of the employment contracts of the NCSC staff concerned and the lead-time needed to fill their posts with replacement civil service staff.
Recruitment of Civil Service Staff
Since the resumption of the open recruitment of civil servants in 2007, the Department has conducted recruitment exercises for various departmental grades, including Assistant Leisure Services Manager II, Amenities Assistant III, Artisan (Beach/Swimming Pool), Assistant Librarian, Assistant Manager (Cultural Services) and Assistant Curator II (History). About 160 new departmental-grade recruits have reported for duty in 2009-10 to fill existing vacancies and the new posts created to cater for new initiatives and services and to replace the aforementioned NCSC positions.
|
|
||
|
Following a February 2010 decision to leave the governance mode of the public museums currently managed by the LCSD unchanged, the Department has launched fresh recruitment exercises for the Assistant Curator II (Art), Assistant Curator II (Conservation), Assistant Curator II (Science), Technical Officer II (Design) (Cultural Services) and Technical Officer II (Engineering) (Cultural Services) grades. Recruitment exercises for other departmental grades, including Assistant Librarian and Artisan (Beach/Swimming Pool), are also in the pipeline.
Staff Training and Development
The Training Section organised and provided a wide range of training programmes in 2009-10 to serve Departmental objectives and the training and development needs of our staff.
Growing environmental awareness and increased public concern about the hazards posed by trees has increased the demand for tree specialists in the Department. The Training Section organised professional and specialist training for the staff concerned to strengthen their arboriculture knowledge and professionalism. During the year, the main focus of arboriculture training was the Tree Risk Assessor Training Programme, which was conducted by an international tree expert and trainer in July and August of 2009 and was the first Tree Risk Assessor Training ever held in Hong Kong. Twenty-five officers of the Leisure Services Manager and Amenities Assistant grades obtained the professional qualification of Certified Tree Risk Assessor. In addition, we organised a Certified Arborist training programme in October and November of 2009. Twenty-six Leisure Services Managers and Amenities Assistants obtained the professional qualification of International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist. We also arranged professional training for other recognised qualifications, including Professional Diploma in Arboriculture (Chinese University of Hong Kong), National Certificate in Arboriculture (UK) and Tree Surgery for Craftsmen (UK), and some of our staff took part in the Internship Programme at Arboretum in Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (UK) and the Study Visit for Tree Management and Maintenance (Singapore).
 |
|
||
|
Striving for service excellence is one of the LCSD's core missions. Accordingly, the Training Section provides comprehensive customer service training to hone the service skills of staff. The programmes organised in 2009-10 included a Customer Service Enhancement Training Programme for library staff, Helping People with Disabilities training workshops, and a Management of Violence and Aggression training workshop. In addition, in line with our mission to provide a safe environment for our valued customers, we organised training programmes throughout the year with various professional institutions to ensure our staff are well-informed about fire prevention and fighting, handling dangerous goods and crowd management, thus strengthening public safety in all of our venues.
 |
|
||
|
To foster high standards and professionalism in our staff for the provision of high-quality services, we have sponsored professional training in museology, librarianship, arts administration and performing arts appreciation. Staff are also given opportunities to widen their horizons in the cultural arena by taking part in overseas training and internship programmes and engaging in exchanges with prestigious international cultural institutions. The invaluable experience and knowledge they have gained have further encouraged the creativity and diversity of the planning and organisation of our public events, thus ensuring the standard of our services is commensurate with Hong Kong's status as a world-class city and events capital.
To provide staff with greater confidence in executing the new Fixed Penalty (Smoking Offences) Ordinance (Cap. 600) in September 2009, we invited speakers from the Tobacco Control Office to deliver talks on both this ordinance and the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (Cap. 371) and to discuss their experience of enforcing the law. In addition to organising various types of law enforcement training for staff, we also designed and produced a video demonstrating the effective execution of law enforcement duties in different smoking offence scenarios.
To further promote health and safety at work and to respond to the Government's increased emphasis on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), the Training Section continued to provide OSH training programmes aimed at minimising workplace injuries. We also introduced several new courses this year, namely, 'Electricity Safety', 'Work Safety ----- Cleansing Workers' and 'Safe Use of Lifting Gears and Lifting Appliances', to enhance occupational safety awareness amongst frontline staff. We also continued to provide competency certificates to district and venue safety officers, including the Certificate of Competency in Display Screen Equipment Assessment and the Certificate of Competency in Manual Handling. In addition, the Training Section also organised courses on manual lifting and handling, working on slippery floors, preventing the overuse of soft tissue, tool and machine handling, outdoor work and weather forecasting, fire fighting, the prevention of violence at work, and stress management.
In 2009-10, the Department continued with a Government initiative to offer temporary jobs to youngsters, organising three schemes: the Swimming Pool Trainee (SPT), Beach Trainee (BT) and Library Assistant Trainee (LAT) schemes. Under the auspices of the SPT and BT schemes, the Training Section provided four to six months of training to over 40 youngsters, more than 90 per cent of whom passed the examinations required to gain lifeguard qualifications. These graduates were then able to join the labour force and find jobs in public and private aquatic venues. Some of those who graduated from the SPT/BT schemes even applied to join government service as civil service lifeguards.
Apart from the above training courses, the Training Section also provided a number of regular programmes covering various Leisure and Cultural Services disciplines, in addition to knowledge and skills training in general and supervisory management, language and communication, computer software applications, and information technology (IT).
Overall, 2009-10 was a successful year. The majority of the training programmes we carried out were very effective, as reflected in the excellent ratings given them by staff. Abundant training opportunities and more than 13 200 training places were made available to all grades and ranks of staff throughout the year, including NCSC and ex-Council contract staff.
Staff Relations and Communication
Our staff are our greatest asset. To meet Departmental challenges together, we attach the utmost importance to maintaining good and effective staff relations and engaging in regular staff communication.
 |
|
||
|
Management has regular contact with staff through meetings of the Departmental Consultative Committee and the General Grades Consultative Committee and through meetings with staff unions. Ad hoc meetings, informal gatherings and briefings are also held as and when necessary to discuss issues of mutual concern. The Director also meets personally with staff and staff union representatives to facilitate a better understanding of their concerns and the taking of follow-up actions as appropriate.
The needs of individuals are given equal attention, and the Staff Relations-Staff Welfare Unit is always ready to attend to requests and enquiries from individual staff members regarding their welfare and/or other concerns. Staff are also encouraged to make suggestions about improving and streamlining operations and/or the management of the Department. This year, we invited them to put forward proposals for cost/energy savings. Sixteen suggestions were received, of which three were considered meritorious and granted Nominal and Encouragement Awards.
 |
|
||
|
The Department also organises recreational activities periodically. The annual karaoke contest, for example, continues to be a popular event, with the winners performing at the headquarters Christmas Party. To enhance staff esprit de corps, we also organise well-attended special-interest classes on such topics as horticulture and physical fitness. The Departmental Volunteer Team and 15 Sports Teams also encourage staff to use their leisure time for worthwhile pursuits. This year, the Volunteer Team paid a visit to the inmates of a care and attention home for the elderly and arranged for underprivileged families to attend the annual Hong Kong Flower Show. The Sports Teams actively participated in various open and inter-departmental sports competitions.
 |
|
||
|
 |
|
||
|
 |
|
||
|
The informative Staff Newsletter, which is published every three months, is another effective channel for staff communications.
Staff Motivation
One of our aims is to build a highly motivated and committed workforce. To this end, we spare no effort in properly recognising staff contributions. Staff members with service of 20 years or more and have performed meritoriously are eligible for consideration for Long and Meritorious Service Certificates and Long and Meritorious Service Travel Award. In addition, in 2009-10, 125 Certificates of Merit were issued to staff members who had performed commendable acts.
We are also pleased to put forward nominations for commendation schemes beyond the Departmental level. In 2009-10, three members of our staff were awarded commendations by the Secretary for the Civil Service for their consistently meritorious performance in their daily work. We are particularly proud of the two officers who received awards from the Chief Executive at the 2009 Honours and Awards Ceremony in recognition of their assiduous and professional service.
 |
|
||
|
 |
|
||
|
 |
|
||
|
Medal of Honour
Dr Lee Kwong-hung, Senior Librarian
 |
|
||
|
Chief Executive's Commendation for Government/Public Service
Mr Vincent Liu, Deputy Director
 |
|
||
|
The Department's Customer Appreciation Card Scheme provides a direct channel for staff to receive feedback from customers. Staff are also encouraged to develop and improve service standards through the Departmental Staff Suggestion Scheme, Work Improvement Teams and Staff Recognition Award set up in various leisure venues and the Work Improvement Competition in public libraries.
Customer Service
A focus on customers is a core value for the Department, and we are pleased to have received more than 10 400 appreciation cards and over 600 compliments from our customers in 2009-10. This positive feedback is most encouraging to our frontline staff.
 |
|
||
|
