Continuous improvement is the linchpin of an Enterprise Agreement between the City of Rockingham in Western Australia and its workforce. With the aim of continuing this successful philosophy, the parties are now finalising their second Enterprise Agreement. This will provide adaptability to changing circumstances, as well as ongoing refinement of existing processes.
Two principal commitments formed the basis of the original agreement.
Key result areas, including resource management, quality assurance, productivity, customer service, cost, occupational health and safety and productivity, were formulated by Council's KPI Working Party, established in 1995. Readily adaptable for other Councils, Rockingham has run workshops to assist staff from other Councils in developing their own Enterprise Agreements.
To achieve their goals staff at Rockingham undertook work organisation studies and KPI measuring activities. This established the current level of services and looked at ways to improve efficiency and effectiveness. In the new agreement, emphasis will be placed on self directed work teams giving staff greater say in matters affecting their work environment.
An extension of the KPI initiatives to broader issues and formalisation of the notion of Continuous Improvement is also included. The initiatives aim to ensure competitive readiness for National Competition Policy and other possible workplace changes Councils in WA may face in the future.
"The initial Agreement obtained marked improvement in a number of key areas such as building and planning," said Barry Austin, Executive Assistant to the CEO.
Drawing up the new Agreement involved both internal and external facilitators in workshop style training. This provided a three phase strategy covering awareness, self directed work teams and continuous improvement strategies.
Incentive schemes in the form of pay increases, linked to specific target achievements, will also be introduced. Overall, the agreement aims to improve efficiency to the point where Council service provision is competitive with external organisations and totally responsive to customer requirements.
For further information, contact Barry Austin, telephone (08) 9528 0333.
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