UNLIMITED/JRA BEST PLACES TO WORK AWARDS

The importance of high quality work and exercising social responsibility as a contributor to increasing workplace productivity and profitability

Speech notes for Minister for Social Development and Employment Hon Ruth Dyson.  The Langham Auckland, 83 Symonds St Auckland

Introduction

Rau rangatira maa,
tenei te mihi ki a koutou i runga i te kaupapa o te ra.
Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.

[Distinguished guests, greetings to you gathered here for this purpose today. Greetings once, twice, three times to you all.]

Thank you for the opportunity to celebrate with you tonight. I would like to congratulate Unlimited and JRA on their leadership.

I congratulate each of you on your commitment to best business practices. I congratulate you on the importance you have placed on valuing your people. You are leaders in this field. You know about the importance of providing opportunities for high quality work and exercising social responsibility as part of the way you operate your business. You also know of the contribution good business practices make to the bottom line.

The importance of people to work and work to people

Ultimately it is our people in workplaces around the country who collectively drive our economy with their ideas, innovations, skills and strong work ethic.
Because people spend so much time at work, it is a place where they seek to establish a sense of self-worth and self-respect and to enjoy the respect of others.

Labour force trends have established a new imperative for improving the attractiveness of workplaces. New Zealand, like many other countries, has shortages of both skilled and unskilled labour, together with a more mobile (and internationally mobile) labour force.

With unemployment at an historical low, employers are increasingly having to compete for workers. Employees are seeking a higher level of job satisfaction and greater balance in the amount of time spent in work and non-work activities.

Three trends stand out. First, the demographic pressures resulting from an aging population. We know that over the next few decades the total number of people of working age will decline as a proportion of the overall population.

Second, the increased demand for skilled labour is being felt internationally at a time when both skilled and unskilled labour has become more geographically mobile. Countries are competing for skills.

Third, the workforce of today has a higher level of skill than in previous generations. Employees who have been up-skilled or who have invested in education will inevitably wish to see a return on their investment – not simply in terms of a financial return in the form of higher wages, but also by having the opportunity to undertake more challenging work, and a chance to contribute their ideas.

Lastly, employees are increasingly looking to reduce the amount of work time that spills over into other aspects of their lives. All in all, workplace practices that offer a higher quality of work life to employees will provide a competitive environment that means that businesses, like yours, will be better able to attract and retain these employees.

The importance of recognising and rewarding staff, staff retention and social responsibility in the workplace

Our government has put a lot of emphasis on establishing a foundation for productivity based on the quality of the relationship between employees and employers.

The employment relations framework is the steel in this foundation. Successful workplace relationships provide the base on which to build the positive and productive workplace cultures organisations need to achieve success.

The introduction of the change to four weeks annual holidays, which came into effect almost a year ago, is another contributor to the framework.

A fourth week of annual leave provides additional opportunity for people to spend quality time with their families and their communities. This is important for the well-being and productivity of our workers, and the wellbeing of our society.

Another initiative launched last year is the upskilling partnership programme. This programme supports the development of literacy, numeracy and language skills. Good foundation skills provide a platform for further skill acquisition and unlocking people’s talents.

The benefits from workplace literacy include improvements in employee engagement; reductions in errors, wastage and re-work; improved health and safety outcomes; and more employee proactiveness around suggesting business improvements. All of these benefits contribute to increasing workplace productivity.

We hope that the workplaces involved in the initiative will over time share their experience with other workplaces. By having good role models who can talk the language of business we hope to significantly increase the number of workplaces engaging in workplace literacy programmes.

Flexible work

Research has demonstrated the links between work quality and productivity. These include the need to have a high quality working environment; good levels of co-operation between management and employees; and work organisation that gives employees challenges, responsibilities and job autonomy.

Another factor is enabling access to quality flexible work arrangements that support work-life balance. There are recognised benefits from improved recruitment and retention, reduced absenteeism, reduced stress and improved productivity from workers, their teams and employers working together.

The government’s work with the business sector, unions and other workplace leaders to promote quality flexible work is built on creating win-win solutions for employers and employees. It provides businesses with the ability to meet changes in demand and increased competition. It provides employees with the opportunity to make changes to the hours or times they work and where they work.

Another aspect of the work-life balance agenda is supporting new parents and providing protection for them in their workplace. Making it easier for parents to return to work helps with productivity as organisations are able to retain their employee’s valuable skills.

Improving the health of the labour force is also important. It is obvious that good health and safety practices improve productivity through decreased down time due to injuries. But they can also improve productivity through the positive workplace practices that are needed to develop a preventative workplace culture.

All of these things, together, will help us to create innovative and productive workplaces. All of us, government, employers and employees need to continue to work together.

The future of work should be decent work

The workplace of the future will be – and needs to be - different to the workplace of today. The profile of people working will be very different. There will be a higher proportion of older people and workplaces are likely to be more culturally diverse. Workers will have different expectations and demands of and on their lives – a large part of which is within paid work.

Paid work is a major part of people’s lives and they look to it to provide them with job satisfaction, to be treated with fairness, respect and dignity, the opportunity to improve their skill levels, and to participate in work-related decisions that have an impact on them.

Building productive workplaces is about a commitment to excellence and continuous improvement. It’s about innovation, interesting and satisfying jobs and working together. But what matters most.
He tangata, he tangata, he tangata
(It is people, it is people, it is people.) which matter most.

You are leaders in this arena. You give me optimism that New Zealand has a bright future. Maintain that ethos of continuous improvement. Value your people, and exercise your leadership and mana in this regard within the broader business community. Your contribution makes a significant contribution towards New Zealand being a leader in the global economy.

Thank you.  Enjoy your night