Improving productivity

King Island Council in Tasmania is embracing a whole-of-workforce improvement plan to increase productivity and improve customer service.

As part of this, Council has adopted the ‘Lean’ methodology, which encourages staff to be allowed to identify the things that ‘bug’ them, are unsafe or wasteful and then implement solutions.

The Certificate III and IV training delivered by consultants Productivity Improvers has already provided some outstanding results for over 10 council areas in Tasmania.

Productivity Improvers Director Clynton Jaffray said councils that have benefited the most from the process have been the ones who have trained a high number of their indoor and outdoor workforce.  

“King Island Council are to be congratulated for embracing a whole-of-workforce improvement plan, which includes their senior management,” he said.

On-island training is currently underway, providing King Island Council staff with the knowledge, understanding and tools to measure, improve and measure again.

Council’s Director of Corporate & Community Services, Zoe Behrendt, said the process promises great results for the council.

“By challenging everyone to look at how we can do it better, we will embed the ‘Lean’ methodologies into our culture and see increases in productivity, savings and innovation, all of which will benefit the King Island community.”