The Department is dedicated to the development of a strong managerial leadership team while at the same time initiating workplace programmes to improve competencies that involve all phases of providing high quality water supplies.

The WSD has nurtured a talented and highly dedicated workforce that extends across the entire range of the Department’s operations. We schedule in-depth training schemes along with inter-branch seminars for our (4,408) staff members to make sure that we continue to meet and exceed the needs and expectations of our customers. This year, we continued to provide training programmes to enhance or upgrade the technical knowledge and managerial skills of our staff members, particularly in the area of water treatment, safety, and information technology as well as programmes to improve their language proficiency. To this end, we have conducted a total of 12,567 training days at a cost of HK$2.8 million. With respect to lowering workplace accidents, the statistics show that we are maintaining a consistently low rate of cases on waterworks contracts. In fact, we are well below the safety limits designated by the Government for public works contracts. We have also conducted over 1,800 man-day training and sharing sessions for our staff to improve our customer services for the public, covering different aspects, including technical knowhow, legal knowledge, customer service skills, and other topics.

In 2010, the Department formed a technology transfer workshop and training group to help increase knowledge of our staff about the latest developments in water treatment. We held seminars and scheduled technical visits to learn about design, contract management, treatment processes and treatment plant operations. During the year, 211 staff participated in knowledge-sharing at three seminars and three technical visits to water treatment plants as well as construction sites of our department and other departments. Our engineering consultants and contractors continue to share their advanced technical knowledge with our staff.

Because treatment works operations are very specialised, and the treatment processes as well as the plant facilities are not the same in each treatment works, on-site training has been arranged for frontline staff in order to achieve a transfer of experience and technical know-how for operation of different treatment works under a pilot scheme comprising Ma On Shan, Ngau Tam Mei and Siu Ho Water Treatment Works in 2014/15. Further training on other major treatment works will be organised in 2015/16.

We are also working hard to expand the strong and effective communication channels that exist between managers and staff throughout the Department. In this regard, the Departmental Consultative Committee and its sub committees have provided useful forums to create an open exchange of ideas on issues of common concern for all staff members. The Department schedules regular meetings with staff unions and senior officers make regular visits to individual offices and work sites to become more knowledgeable about various on-going projects and to help motivate staff. All supervisors are expected to make productivity enhancements and service delivery improvements a top priority as part of their duties. To this end, the Department has introduced a number of motivation schemes to encourage staff to contribute their ideas and opinions on how to improve service delivery and foster greater work efficiency. As a consequence, new innovative ideas are being tried, tested and implemented, significantly helping our operations achieve impressive service and operational improvements.

The large number of ideas and suggestions submitted by staff during the year to help raise the overall excellence of our operations has been carefully considered and, where feasible, the ideas have been implemented.

We have formed a great many partnerships with academic institutions and private sector firms on research and development projects. This has led to strengthened collaborative relationships on technological developments and newly developed applications. The Department actively cultivates a culture of innovation and we have worked hard to bolster confidence throughout the organisation.

Since 2009, the WSD has participated in a Voluntary Cross Posting Scheme (VCPS) that seconds engineers from our Department to the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) in order to expand their overall exposure and broaden their work perspectives. This successful scheme, now in its sixth year, has matched 25 pairs of engineers. Engineers from all sections of the Department can apply for cross-posting for a term which normally spans two years. Based on the experience gained in VCPS, the WSD and CEDD have since November 2014 implemented the Management Initiated Cross Posting (MICP) for engineers who have been appointed since 2008. The first launch of MICP, comprising two pairs of engineers, has been arranged. The duration of each MICP is normally three years. This cross- posting experience helps the career development of staff and offers a unique environment for staff to display their personal initiative and individual capabilities.

To encourage a greater work-life balance among staff members, the WSD arranged a series of different sporting events with more than 400 participants taking part over the past year. Staff members were also invited to participate in sports events organised by outside parties such as the Inter-departmental Table Tennis Tournament, Inter-departmental Golf Friendship Cup, Construction Industry Sports Day, Corporate Games 2014 and other related events. All of these activities have greatly contributed to building better team spirit as well as fostering healthier life styles among our employees.

Staff volunteers showed their on-going commitment to the community by taking part in more than 104 charity events during the year. These included fund raising efforts, visiting the homes of the elderly and assisting the disabled. A total of 4,414 community service hours were spent by staff, and 20 received individual Gold, Silver and Bronze awards in recognition of their dedication to community-focused charity work.

The Department has received a number of awards, both locally and globally, that recognise our work in the areas of service, innovation and manpower development.

The awards received by the Department in 2014/15 include:

1. The Ombudsman’s Awards 2014 for Officers of Public Organisations
2. The Community Chest’ Employee Contribution Programme 2014/15:
   
   • CARE Scheme (Civil Service Category) – 3 ^rd Highest Donation
3. Civil Service Bureau, The Secretary for the Civil Service’s Commendation Award
4. Occupational Health Award 2014/15: Work Stress Management Best Practices Award (Merit)
5. 13 ^th Hong Kong Safety and Health Award
   
   • Safety Performance Award
   • Point and Calling Award
   • Safety Culture Award
   • Safety Promotion Award
   • Safety Enhancement Program Award
6. Group and Safety Quiz Competition Awards for the Construction Industry Safety Award Scheme 2014/15
7. Civil Service Bureau, Civil Service Outstanding Award Scheme:
   
   • Departmental Service Enhancement Award (Large Department) – Bronze Prize
   • Team Award (Internal Service – Gold Prize (Wave Powered Cleaning System by the Energy Management Unit)
   • Team Award (Internal Service – Silver Prize (Biosensing Alert System by the Water Science Division)
   • Team Award (Internal Service – Bronze Prize (Inline Hydroelectric Generating System in Confined Conditions by the Project Development Unit)
8. Team Award (Internal Service – Special Citation (Innovation) [Wave-powered Cleaning System by the Energy Management Unit]