Getting Started

How to use these Resources

These resources are handy for identifying actions that your workplace can take to improve productivity.

Improving workplace productivity involves exploring all the ways that a workplace can do things better and work in smarter ways.  Each workplace has its own way of doing things, as you will see from the case studies included in these resources.

We’ve compiled these resources for managers and employees in the Public Service and State Services.  They will also be useful to other people who work in the State Sector, Public Sector and also for organisations in the private sector.

Workplace Productivity in the State Services

State Services productivity is different from productivity in the private sector.  In the private sector, goods and services are produced for the market and productivity is defined as the ratio of outputs to inputs.  State Services organisations operate under significantly different conditions, producing services that, in many cases, are not for sale.  We still need to respond to the needs of New Zealanders in a responsible and economically efficient way.  State Services productivity involves the concepts of efficiency and outputs as well as effectiveness and outcomes.  The notions of efficiency and effectiveness are encapsulated in the term ‘public value’.

Public value expresses three interconnected components: services, outcomes and trust.  The public value of services is based on user satisfaction as well as on the ethos and culture expressed in their delivery.  Outcomes are produced in part directly by services but also by the effects of those services interacting with other factors.  Trust is at the heart of the relationship between citizens and government.

Public value is the notion of responsiveness to the expressed needs of citizens, which is delivered in an efficient and effective manner by the State Services and making the best use of resources by the government of the day.  A key part is the contribution that workers make to public value; through their motivation and commitment, their interaction with service users and their ability to bring forward ideas that improve and develop services.

Key Messages about Workplace Productivity

Workplace productivity in the State Services is about:

• Advancing the Development Goals to achieve efficient and effective State Services that are trusted by and meet the needs and expectations of government and New Zealanders
• Every organisation can take steps to raise workplace productivity
• One size does not fit all – you know what works best for your workplace
• Being more effective in achieving desired outcomes
• Being more efficient
• Delivering public value – quality, trusted State Services
• Unions and government working together to increase workplace productivity in the State Services.

How can these resources be used?

The resources and ideas in the State Services Workplace Productivity Kit can be adopted – or adapted – by organisations of any size.  Believing as we do in Kiwi ingenuity, there’s an emphasis throughout on DIY and drawing on the creative talents and skills of everyone in the workplace. 

How to get started

Think about setting up a small in-house team to devise and implement ideas for your workplace productivity activities.  Make sure your team has a clear brief and copies of the productivity questionnaire and resources. 

A union/employer partnership forum or meeting may be a good place to start the discussion.

You can use the productivity questionnaire as a starting point.  You can focus on one, several or all of the drivers, and develop an action plan as a result of your answers.  [An action plan template is available with the questionnaire.]

Read the case studies to get ideas of how other organisations improved their productivity.

As a team, watch the video case studies to get ideas about workplace productivity and discuss what could work in your organisation.  Involve your union representatives, if you have them. 

Your action plan may mean that you need to get outside advice.

The State Services Workplace Productivity Kit contains information on other useful organisations that may assist you further or you can look at www.workplaceproductivity.govt.nz

Using the resources – some ideas to consider:

• Involve employees in identifying where improvements can be made and coming up with ways to make this happen
• Focus on one driver or a couple and use relevant case studies in video and paper copies to support this
• Identify people from local case studies who can tell their productivity story