CASE STUDIES
Workplace Productivity in Practice
We know we can lift workplace productivity, because New Zealand companies are already doing it.
As these case studies demonstrate, no matter what your business does, or how big or small it is, there are a range of ways you can improve its productivity.
Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC)
A key challenge for ACC with the tight labour market is attracting and retaining the workforce it needs now and into the future to best meet the needs of an increasingly diverse customer base.
Auckland City Mission
Over the years the Auckland City Mission’s advocacy role has increased and with it the need to recruit and retain skilled staff, establish clear processes and robust planning, ensure appropriate sponsorship and funding and develop performance measures and benchmarks for the organisation.
Coll Electrical
Coll Electrical is a company, specialising in high quality electrical work,
that has grown in size and profits after they developed the internal leadership
team.
Cottonsoft
Cottonsoft, tissue manufacturer, involved staff in improving work practises
and identifying how product output could be improved.
Department of Labour – Health and Safety Inspectorate
The Department implemented a mobile tool solution as part of a strategy to facilitate better co-ordination and encourage understanding and knowledge of each other’s work between the different areas of the organisation.
Department of Labour – Immigration
Productivity improvements were identified as one way to increase staff retention in the Immigration Contact Centre in Auckland. The approach used was the Partnership for Quality (PfQ) project, a project in partnership with the Public Service Association (PSA).
Furnware
Furnware has become a world leader in ergonomic school furniture after it
invested in research and design to develop new high value products.
Good Time Food Company
Tackling high staff turnover rates and improving human resources practices
helped Goodtime Food increase staff morale, reduce high staff turnover and
increase profit margins.
Information Tools Limited
Information Tools Limited has been developing software programmes and database services since 1990. The firms’ success has been credited to three factors- a constant focus on innovation, valuing staff and their ideas and creating an environment where people want to work.
Inland Revenue
Inland Revenue recognised that many owners of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), were not meeting their tax responsibilities. Often unintentionally, some customers would be incorrectly registered or producing incorrect returns.
James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor
The core challenge for the James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor in Wellington has been staff retention which is a common issue in the hospitality industry.
Kapiti Island Alive
Kapiti Island Alive is a small family run business near Wellington, which has experienced business growth annually since 1999. Managing the customer growth has been a challenge given staff and resource constraints of a small business whilst also developing succession planning and up-skilling staff.
MaintainNZ
MaintainNZ, a National Centre of Maintenance Excellence, in Kawerau is a partnership initiative which has been established to lift manufacturing productivity levels across New Zealand’s major industries.
Outward Bound
The story of this iconic not-for profit organisation is about investing
in staff, and using business improvement processes to become a world class
outdoor education provider.
Paewai Mullins Shearing Ltd
Paewai Mullins Shearing is based in Dannevirke. The business has focused a lot on retaining staff, knowledge transfer and having a strong foundation of Maori goals, values and perspectives in their workplace culture and interactions.
Rotaform Plastics
Providing staff with literacy training saw Rotaform Plastics go from crisis
to success story.
Switzer Home
The challenges facing the Switzer Home over the years have included retaining and recruitment of staff, managing health and safety, finding suppliers of equipment in a rural location, and responding to growth in the region and the services they provide through better organisation of work.
Toll Tranz Link
Toll Tranz Link turned from loss-maker into profit generator by getting
good leadership in place, investing in new technology and building better
relationships with their staff.
Video Case Studies
These case studies reflect workplace practices that have improved productivity in organisations in the manufacturing and service sectors as well as the State Sector and not-for-profit organisations. Video content will continue to be added and developed in the coming months so please continue to check the WPA website for further updates.