No `police' for extra work time: dept boss

The head of the federal employment department admits she wouldn't directly police staff if they were made to work an extra six minutes a day.

The measure was included in a pay offer that 95 per cent of eligible employees rejected last December.

Department officials told a Senate committee in Canberra on Monday the proposal was designed to increase productivity.

But secretary Renee Leon conceded she didn't police how productive people were "on a minute-by-minute basis all day".

"The extra six minutes is not going to be especially policed with people standing by," she said.

Workers should realise the "intrinsic rewards" of their work over the need for pay rises.

Ms Leon didn't think her staff would "go slow or work less" if they had to work with lower annual rise increments.

"I like to think that the staff in my department are motivated not only by money."

Ms Leon did not foreshadow more job cuts, but did note the government's prediction that thousands would be lost if the public sector union's claim for an extra four per cent annual pay increase was adopted.

Labor senator Doug Cameron criticised the officials for their "scrooge" approach by proposing to take away a half-day off before their Christmas entitlement.

He was told $1 million was now spent on wages for those four-and-a-half hours without getting any work done in return.

Negotiations will continue on another offer in coming weeks.