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(a) Staff Development
(i) Staffing
The Land Registry maintains a well-trained, highly flexible team of staff. Civil servants form the core staff of the Land Registry to ensure stability in the organisation and quality of service to customers. Non-civil Service Contract (NCSC) staff are employed to supplement the core staff thus enabling the department to respond to changes in operational or business needs in the most cost-effective manner.
As at 31 March 2011, the Land Registry employed 446 permanent staff and 145 NCSC staff. The permanent staff comprise officers in various grades including LROs, Solicitors, Treasury Accountants, Analyst/Programmers and general grades staff. They are supplemented by NCSC staff including Land Registration Executives, Solicitors, Accounting Executives, IT staff and contract clerks. The Land Registry reviews its staffing position and adjusts the number of NCSC staff regularly to meet operational needs.
(ii) Staff Training
Staff training is a critical component to facilitate human resource development of the Land Registry. We strive to provide opportunities and encouragement for staff at all stages of their career to realise their potential. To this end, we have developed departmental training plan and organised quality training programmes which help staff work with confidence, strengthen teamwork and reinforce commitment to service excellence, and support continuous improvement in individual and departmental performance.
In the year, we arranged over 2,700 days of training on a wide spectrum of subjects and through various modes. Highlights of training activities arranged in 2010/11 are as follows:
Theme Training
Theme training has been a core element of our staff development programme to promote organisational alignment and solidarity among staff members. To build up staffs confidence and increase their flexibility in adapting to and leading changes in workplace, the theme for 2010/11 was Dancing with Change. Over 560 staff members at all ranks and grades participated in one-day training workshops (18 workshops in total) held between November 2010 and February 2011.
Organisation-wide Training
Throughout the year, the department organised a wide range of training courses to enhance the core competencies of staff members.
An in-house refresher training course on Land Registration Ordinance was arranged for the Land Registration Officer Grade staff and all Land Registration Executives to enrich and update their knowledge and understanding of the Ordinance.
To equip Officer Grades staff with the knowledge and skills for effective management, we organised tailor-made courses on Staff Management and Project Management.
To strengthen staffs proficiency in Putonghua, we continued to organise relevant courses at different levels for all staff. An Effective English Writing workshop was run for Officer Grades staff to enhance their written communication skill. Various computer courses were provided for staff throughout the year to equip them with updated knowledge on IT applications.
We also regularly arranged talks and briefing sessions by other Government departments and business partners in the private sector to broaden our senior staffs knowledge and exposure on land-related subjects, Government policies and topical issues.
Self-learning
In addition to conventional classroom training, the Land Registry encourages self-learning through e-learning programme. All staff are granted one day e-learning whereby they are free from their office work to pursue self-learning of various interested topics at our Learning Resource Centre.
(iii) Staff Development and Management Initiatives
To broaden staffs perspectives so that they can anticipate and meet new challenges, strengthen their communication and presentation skills and develop policy formulation and leadership capacities, a wide spectrum of staff development activities had been arranged. In 2010/11,
three Senior Land Registration Officers attended the Management Development Programme at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology;
one Treasury Accountant attended the National Studies course for Middle Managers at Sun Yat-sen University; and
one Solicitor attended a Legal Study Programme at the Beijing University.
(iv) Staff Motivation and Recognition
As a Trading Fund department, we put great emphasis on staff motivation and recognition in our continual pursuit of excellence in customer services.
Staff Suggestions Scheme
The Staff Suggestions Committee has been set up since 1993 with the objective of promoting team cooperation among staff to achieve better efficiency and productivity.
Nine staff suggestions on various issues including improvement of service quality, operation, environmental protection, IT security, Christmas card design and efficient use of resources were received in the year and awards were granted.
Best Staff of the Year Award Scheme
The annual award scheme Best Staff of the Year, first introduced in 1997, aims to motivate staff, promote work commitment and give recognition to staff with remarkable contributions.
In November 2010, Land Registrys staff were invited to vote among themselves the Best Staff. Three prizes were awarded.
Long Service Appreciation Award Scheme
The Long Service Appreciation Award Scheme, launched in 1999, is another annual award to give recognition to staff with long and meritorious service.
In 2010, 13 staff with 25 or more years of service were awarded, making a total of 149 awards since the Scheme was first introduced.
Best Frontline Staff Award Scheme
The Land Registry launched its Best Frontline Staff Award in April 2007 to foster a culture of good customer service and to recognise quality performance and achievements of staff.
Individual staff members and teams receiving the highest number of commendations from our customers in each quarter are awarded. To give due recognition, names of the winning staff members and teams are posted at the Customer Centre and NTSOs.
(v) Staff Relations
The Land Registry recognises that effective communication between management and staff is crucial for the provision of quality service to customers. We are committed to providing an environment that encourages communication among staff at all levels through regular staff relations meetings and goodwill visits, departmental publications and staff welfare functions.
Departmental Consultative Committee
The Committee comprising 14 representatives of various staff groups and representatives of the management. It meets quarterly to promote better understanding and cooperation between staff and the management.
Staff Magazine
The Staff Magazine is a departmental publication issued periodically under an editorial board comprising staff of various divisions. It covers a wide range of topics including featured stories, business updates, community involvement, staff news and activity snapshots, environmental protection, health tips and language knowledge, etc. It is popular among staff and has helped promote team spirit and a sense of corporate identity.
Staff Recreation Club
The Staff Recreation Club is run by staff on a voluntary basis. In 2010/11, it organised a number of social and recreational activities for staff and their families, including the Land Registrys annual dinner, Christmas party, volunteer social services, interest classes and outings.
(vi) Knowledge Management
The Land Registry has set up a Knowledge Management System to facilitate systematic management and sharing of knowledge across the department. The system contains over 5,000 reference documents and precedent cases. Everyday over 200 searches were made by our staff for reference in their daily work.