Entry received from: Te Kaunihera a rohe o Heretaunga Hastings District Council
Category: Excellence in Organisation and People Development
At Te Kaunihera a rohe o Heretaunga - Hastings District Council, we set out on a journey in 2019 to improve the engagement levels ō tātau kaimahi, our staff.
A People Engagement score of 65 per cent in a 2019 staff survey was just below the national local government average of 66 per cent, and not where we wanted to be. Research shows us that engaged staff have greater productivity, innovation, improved sense of belonging, and are more likely to stick around, so we started a three-year project to lift our People Engagement score by at least two per cent, to 67 per cent.
After three years of hard mahi, listening to our people and making deliberate changes to build our culture, we were proud to see our People Engagement score rise to 71 per cent in 2022, a substantial increase of 6 per cent. On top of this, the number of people leaving the council has remained steady compared to what has been called 'the great resignation' being felt across New Zealand, while our sick leave has also reduced, and our people are delivering more than ever.
Hastings District Council's staff turnover remained at just on 14.5 per cent in 2022 (14 per cent in 2018) compared to 17.3 per cent in the public sector, while sick leave levels dropped 18.3 per cent from 2018 and 2022.
Thank you to our category sponsor