CASE STUDIES: Nicki Lancaster

"There's no waste in creating a positive work-life environment in your organisation"

Creating a positive working environment is not about being a soft touch but about being reasonable, attentive and accommodating to worker needs, says Nicki Lancaster, finance and administration manager at the Christchurch-based Recovered Materials Foundation.

She says: "If a person knows they are valued they will work a lot better than if they think they just turn up and get paid and that's it."

The Recovered Materials Foundation is a waste recycling business and factory, employing around ninety people. A charitable trust that works in partnership with the Christchurch City Council, the foundation aims for cost effective, practical ways to build a work-life balance culture. "We are working towards a triple bottom line: social, economic and environmental - that is our brief and looking after staff is a priority", says Nicki.

Access is an important tool to help workers balance their work and home lives. Children of employees can ring the factory if they need to. "We are conscious that people do have family and our organisational culture is built around this awareness." The CEO is also a family man and that sets the tone according to Nicki.

She says that providing flexi-time policies for manual workers in a factory situation isn't easy. And that's why the little gestures count even more. When someone has a baby, the company always tries to send flowers. There are ten-pin bowling nights and a picnic in January. Workers are able to take leave to watch their kid's sports day if it can be arranged.

For an organisation working a seven-day roster the picnic idea wasn't easy to put into practice but Nicki says they worked it out - they have two picnics!

Recovered Materials Foundation is now known as TerraNova.  Visit them at www.rmf.org.nz