LONG TERM GOAL 4

NEW ZEALAND’S WORKPLACES ARE ATTRACTIVE, INNOVATIVE AND PRODUCTIVE

CONTRIBUTING MEDIUM-TERM GOALS

• Sectors and regions engage in identifying labour market constraints and opportunities.
• Increased awareness and uptake of excellent workplace practices.
• New Zealand workplaces effectively balance employers’ and employees’ needs and interests.
• Responsive labour market regulation supports economic and social development.
• Reduced barriers to labour force participation.
• Occupational injuries and disease are reduced.
• Global skills and talent are attracted and retained.
• Education and workplace learning support positive employment outcomes, and appropriate skill development and utilisation.
• Our values and labour market and migration interests are promoted and supported through participation in a rules-based international system.

CONTEXT

The role of the workplace is pivotal in achieving
productive work and high-quality working lives
for New Zealanders. High performing workplaces
achieve multiple objectives, including attracting good
employees and being innovative and productive.

Attractive workplaces include those that promote
good work-life balance, have good health and
safety systems, balance the interests of employers
and employees, encourage career development,
and have a large proportion of staff with high job
satisfaction. In a tight labour market, workplaces
that are not attractive may have difficulty
recruiting and retaining good staff. Without good
staff committing themselves long-term, workplaces
may struggle to be innovative and productive.

Innovative workplaces achieve greater productivity
and productive workplaces provide greater
opportunity for innovation.
This goal complements the Department’s other
long-term goals. For example, high-performing
workplaces have a key role in developing a skilled
workforce and achieving optimum levels of labour
market participation.

Identifying a ‘prototype’ high-performing workplace
is neither easy nor useful. Workplaces operate in
different economic, social and geographical climates
and face different constraints. The following
characteristics of high-performing workplaces are
useful to stimulate debate and raise awareness
about possible best-practice models:

• core obligations are delivered on and exceeded in health and safety, and employment relations
• the contribution that can be made by a diverse workforce is recognised and promoted by a workplace culture that supports flexibility and work-life balance
• work is organised to optimise use of employees' skills
• workplace culture encourages and values input from all levels of the organisation, and supports people to generate and implement new ideas
• investment is made in employee skill development
• investment is made in relevant technologies, and in ensuring that people are able to realise the productive potential of technology
• the workplace has a clear purpose, goals and values, a clear understanding of performance, and a focus on continuous improvement
• effective networking, collaboration and benchmarking is undertaken with other workplaces and groups that can assist in improving performance.

CONTRIBUTING MEDIUM-TERM GOALS

Most of the Department’s medium-term goals support this long-term goal. Components that feed into the effective functioning of a workplace include:

• good people with diverse skills
• good workplace practices
• education and workplace learning that support positive employment outcomes, and appropriate
  skill development and utilisation
• an appropriate regulatory framework.

THE DEPARTMENT’S CONTRIBUTION

Our contribution to this goal includes work on:

• developing the Department’s labour market performance and information function
• workplace productivity agenda
• decent work and the facilitation of good workplace practices
• work-life balance
• pay and employment equity
• skills
• immigration
• migrant and refugee settlement.