Working for Local Government

JRA is the leading supplier of employee surveys to the Local Government sector. Because of this, JRA has unique insight into what Local Government employees think about working in this sector, and what Local Government organisations, in general, are doing well with respect to looking after the needs of their employees. See below for some themes that have come out of our analysis of our Local Government sector database of employee attitude and opinion.

Giving staff a sense of personal achievement…

“That is, this organisation has a worthwhile purpose which I am happy to help achieve and a pleasant work environment, along with a great team to work with.”

Local Government Employee, 2006

Local Government organisations are focused on delivering services to the community and its people. This focus on people is both internal and external. Personal development and achievement within Local Government organisations is one of three key drivers of staff satisfaction – my job gives me a sense of personal achievement.

This is primarily because staff in Local Government have a strong sense of purpose and a commitment to making the community a better place. Helping others provides staff with a sense of personal achievement in their work.

Comments from Local Government employees on how Local Government gives staff a sense of personal achievement include;

• “The opportunity to get out into the community and meet genuine people with genuine needs.”
• “Making the city better for our community makes this a great place to work.”
• “Our customers' response when they feel we have done a good job, makes this a great place to work.”
  

Providing flexible ways of working…

“The people that work here and the values that they ascribe to make this a great place to work. There is generally a very good work ethic here, and my manager in particular has been very good about flexibility for attending family events which makes being a busy working mother a little bit easier. You put the hard work in, and you gain a trusting relationship where it is give and take on both sides.”

Local Government Employee, 2006

Flexibility is important in ensuring that people feel they can bring their hearts and minds to work. Family, friends, social activities don’t get left behind at the door. Work is part of life and it is important to provide a flexible work environment that is focused on delivering results. Giving staff space to work freely and nurturing each person by allowing them to express themselves creatively away from their desk is vital for their development.

Comments from Local Government employees on why Local Government is a flexible place to work include;

• “The flexibility and the family friendly environment makes this organisation a great place to work.”
• “I am given the freedom to do my job.”

Having a great team environment and capable staff…

“The group which I work with and the leadership which is shown from these managers make this place a great place to work.”

Local Government Employee, 2006

Because Local Government organisations are people-based organisations, focused on delivering local services to the community and creating a pleasant environment for people to live and work within, they tend to be people focused organisations. This people focus ensures that the organisations teams and people work well together; they have a high sense of belonging to the organisation and confidence in the leadership of the organisation.

One of the highest scoring areas for Local Government staff is, ‘having confidence in the ability of people in my team’.

Comments from Local Government employees on why Local Government has a great team environment to work in include;

• “The people who work here make this place a great place to work. They are cheerful, positive people who go the extra mile to help not only customers but other staff members.”
• “The team I work with are fantastic. If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be here today. It's because of them, we work together with smiles and laughter and that's what makes us happy.”
  

Being part of a FUN work environment…

“…fun and laughter goes hand in hand with good consistent work ethics.”

Local Government Employee, 2006

Why do we need to have fun at work? With deadlines, meetings, budgets to plan, and goals to achieve (and not enough hours in the day to even do this!) when on earth would we find time to have fun?

We know we should make fun an important priority in organisations because we are aware that it affects the services that we deliver to our local community. People who have fun are happy people. And happy people, who enjoy coming to work and enjoy the work they do, provide a better service to your community members.

Waikato District Council is a great example of a local government organisation that is clearly a fun place to work. They are the 2006 winners of the medium-large workplace category of the annual unlimited/JRA Best Places to Work Awards.

The employees of Waikato District Council rated their employer high on all attributes measured in the survey – from leadership to teamwork, from communication to fulfilling and meaningful work. And ‘fun in the workplace’, of course. Gavin Ion, CEO of Waikato District Council, says, “being happy turns the customer experience into to a positive one.”

Comments from Local Government employees on why Local Government is a FUN place to work include;

• “We have a team atmosphere, great people to work with, and opportunities to socialise.”
• “The people here are great, mostly all get on well and have a lot of fun as well as getting the job done”. “A very social group.”