Since January, City of Stirling CEO, Stuart Jardine, has been working in one of Council’s 149 services for one morning a month to gain a better understanding of what the City’s 1,100 employees do on a daily basis.
Located in the northwestern suburbs of Perth, Stirling is Western Australia’s largest Council by population.
Stuart Jardine’s ‘work experience’ objective is to gain a better insight into the vast and varied services the City offers its residents; and to spend time with frontline workers.
“Too often, CEOs of large organisations become out of touch and removed from the challenges and issues that staff face in their roles on a day to day basis,” Stuart Jardine said. “There is nothing like getting out from behind your desk and spending time with the staff that actually perform the jobs daily.
“I am committed to visiting one of the City’s services each month, and already I have gained so much from the four visits I have been involved in.”
Stuart has already spent a morning with the Waste Collection Team in one of the City’s rubbish trucks; a morning on beach patrol with the Beach Inspection Team at Scarborough Beach; and a morning with the Health and Compliance Team, conducting routine food premise assessments on a number of retail shops.
Most recently, he worked with Council’s Meals on Wheels Team, when the City’s six millionth meal was delivered.
“So far, the knowledge and understanding I have gained is priceless and as CEO it allows me to do a better job too,” Stuart Jardine said. “Staff have been very positive about me coming to work with them. They don’t hold back on talking to me about the challenges they may face, which is brilliant, as all this information helps me to understand the services the City provides, gain firsthand knowledge on the jobs involved in providing this service and lending an ear to the staff to help them in improving their day to day roles if possible.
“Most importantly, the experience has armed me with knowledge that no one can gain from reading a report or sitting behind a desk.”
Stuart said it is important that all CEOs understand all their areas of business.
“No matter how large your business is, get out there and get to know your staff, the tasks that they perform and the services your organisation provides,” he said. “You will be amazed what you can still learn and how that will benefit you in making more informed decisions in the future. More importantly, nothing beats human interaction and engagement with your coworkers.”
Stuart Jardine’s next frontline visit will be at Council’s Animal Care Facility.
For further information contact Simone
Holmes-Cavanagh at Stirling on (08) 9345 8657.
