WPP Newsletter 7 - August 2008

Thank you for subscribing to our quarterly Workplace Productivity update. This issue contains quick links to new information and resources about workplace productivity on our website.

How productive is your workplace?

Use the online questionnaire or download a paper version to assess this.

What's New on the Workplace Productivity Website?

New Resources

State Services Productivity Kit

The State Services Workplace Productivity Kit was officially launched on 17 July 2008 at the Wellington Town Hall by the Minister of Labour. The Kit was launched at end of the first day of a two day conference aimed at implementing organisational improvements to increase productivity and public value.

The Kit includes a modified snapshot tool, information on productivity in the State Services and Partnership for Quality, the Workplace Productivity Seven Drivers and information on where state sector organisations can obtain further resources and advice.

The Kit also includes written and film case studies of initiatives state sector organisations have undertaken to improve their workplace productivity. The Switzer Rest Home, Outward Bound and Auckland City Mission (not-for-profit organisations) from the private sector Starter Kit also feature in the State Services Productivity Kit.

The new State Services resources are available on the workplace productivity website. The new video case studies can be viewed via this video case study link.

State Services Productivity Conference

A State Services Conference, “P3 - Partnership, Productivity and Public Value” was held in Wellington in July 2008 and opened by the Minister of State Services. The Conference was organised by the Department of Labour, State Services Commission, and Public Service Association. The Conference brought together delegations of employees and managers from nine State Services organisations to develop practical programmes around increasing public value in their respective service delivery functions.

The key themes of the Conference were:

• Increasing public value, particularly in service delivery functions
• Developing high performing workplaces based on high trust relationships
• Enhancing  citizen engagement with and trust in Public Services

For further information on the P3 conference (links to the speeches, papers and an explanation about the conference) please click here.

Work Foundation visit to New Zealand – July 2008

David Coats Associate Director of The Work Foundation was sponsored by PSA to speak at events in New Zealand for two weeks in mid-July. He spoke at PSA planned seminars as well as the State Services Productivity Conference in July alongside Dr Rose Ryan who provided a New Zealand perspective.

‘The Work Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation, that brings all sides of working organisations together to find the best ways of improving both economic performance and quality of working life. A current major project is ‘The Knowledge Economy: how knowledge is reshaping the economic life of nations’

For further information on the Work Foundation please visit The Work Foundation website. 

Workplace Productivity Events

Pay and Employment Equity On-Line Tool Launch

The Minister of Labour, Trevor Mallard, and Chief Executive of Business NZ, Phil O’Reilly co-hosted the launch of the National Advisory Council on the Employment of Women’s Pay and Employment Equity online tools on Wednesday 27 August 2008 at Parliament.  The launch was aimed at business leaders in the private sector who will promote and support the tools.  The tools are available in Microsoft Word so they can be adapted to an individual business’s needs, which may include:

• carrying out a full pay and employment equity review
• reviewing methods of specific human resources practices, for example, performance management or career progression
• coaching HR staff on the importance and impact of gender on workplace practices
• identifying positive practices which already occur in the workplace.

The tools were developed in collaboration with the Human Resources Institute of New Zealand and are available online.

Contact us

If there is anything you want to know about the Workplace Productivity project, or comments you have to make or to order a productivity 'starter' kit, State Sector Productivity Kit or CDs of the case studies please email us at info@dol.govt.nz or write to us at:

Workplace Productivity Project Team
Department of Labour
P.O. Box 3705
Wellington
New Zealand