Irelands National Workplace Strategy Building a commitment to workplace innovation

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Irelands National Workplace StrategyBuilding a
commitment to workplace innovation

• Edna Jordan
• Head of Workplace Learning and Development

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Overview of presentation

• About National Centre for Partnership and
  Performance
• National Workplace Strategy
• Forum on the Workplace of the Future
• Key features of the strategy
• Implementation and governance
• Progress to date
• Building a commitment to Workplace Innovation
• Workplace Innovation Fund
• Company and employee benefits
• Case examples
• Key success factors
• Public awareness campaign

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NCPP role and responsibilities

• To support and facilitate organisational change
  and innovation based on partnership in order to
  bring about improved performance and mutual gains
• To contribute to national competitiveness, better
  public services, higher living standards, a
  better quality of life and the development of the
  workplace of the future
• To advise the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) on
  matters relating to the deepening of workplace
  partnership in the public and private sectors

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NCPP Timeline

• 2001
• NCPP established by Department of the Taoiseach
  (Prime Ministers Department)
• 2003 2005
• NCPP conducted the Forum on the Workplace of the
  Future
• 2005
• Taoiseach launches the National Workplace
  Strategy
• 2005 2008
• Lead partner in implementation of the National
  Workplace Strategy
• January 2007
• NCPP established on statutory basis within the
  National Economic and Social Development Office
• April 2007
• Workplace Innovation Fund launched in
  collaboration with Enterprise Ireland

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NCPP Council
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National Workplace Strategy - origins

• Ongoing organisational challenges facing public
  and private sectors
• Need to build more cohesive policy agenda for
  workplace development
• Need to develop better understanding of labour
  force issues
• Need to enhance quality of working life
• Recognition of role of Social Partners
• Need to expand the understanding of role of
  National Centre for Partnership and Performance

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Forum on the Workplace of the Future(2003 2005)
Expert Panels X 4
Seminars X 6
Research
Forum Taskforce
Hearings
Submissions
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Research findings

• Under-utilisation of the workforce
• Under-utilisation of womens skills
• Low levels of information and consultation
• Opportunities divide in the workplace
• Innovation and change linked to job satisfaction
  and reduction in stress
• Adoption of bundles of practices associated
  with high performance is quite limited
• Information and consultation
• Employee involvement and participation
• Continuous training and upskilling
• Performance management and appraisal
• Innovative reward systems including financial
  involvement
• Public service poor at knowledge management
  performance management, and highly centralised
• Management and leadership competency gap

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Irelands Workplace of the Future

• Agile
• Customer-centred
• Knowledge intensive
• Responsive to employee needs
• Networked
• Highly productive
• Involved and participatory
• Continually learning
• Proactively diverse

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High Level Implementation Group
Enterprise, Trade and Employment
IBEC
Dept. of the Taoiseach
ICTU
Dept. Finance
High Level Implementation Group
CIF
Dept. Education and Science
NCPP
Dept. Justice Equality and Law Reform
FAS
Forfas
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Implementation Strategic Priorities
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Growing momentum

• Feedback at EU level, national level and
  enterprise-level initiatives demonstrates growing
  momentum behind National Workplace Strategy
• National Workplace Strategy increasingly seen as
  the umbrella under which a diverse set of
  workplace-related issues are finding a common
  reference point
• All indications from EU and OECD are that we can
  expect ongoing emphasis on workplace innovation
  as a source of competitive advantage at
  enterprise and national level
• Ongoing demand for joined-up thinking by
  Government departments, agencies and the Social
  Partners
• Connecting ministerial portfolios
• Connecting multiple strategies for
  competitiveness and innovation under the concept
  of the national innovation system

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Workplace Innovation

• Building Commitment to Workplace Innovation
• National Level
• Policy development implementation
• Public Awareness Campaign
• Sectoral Level
• Enterprise-led networks,
• Health sector, public service, local government
• Research Level
• Stronger Data Infrastructure
• Enterprise Level
• Workplace Innovation Fund

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Workplace Innovation Fund

• Agreed by Social Partners in Towards 2016 in
  September 2006
• 9 million over 3 strands
• Strand I Enterprise-level funding (6 million)
• Strand II Social Partners (1.5 million)
• Strand III Public Awareness Campaign (1.5
  million)

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Story so far

• Jointly managed by Enterprise Ireland and NCPP
• Launched in April 2007
• Promoted extensively by Enterprise Ireland and
  NCPP
• EI and NCPP websites
• Brochures
• Professional and sectoral events (employers,
  unions, expert networks)
• Available in the form of training grants to
  companies involved in manufacturing and/or
  services with export potential
• 33 companies approved so far
• Across a range of sectors
• As few as 13 to as many as 212 employees
• Regionally dispersed
• 11,000 - 201,000

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Workplace innovation is about.

• Finding new ways to doing things in the workplace
• The design and adoption of
• New practices, operation and processes
• New structures/work arrangements
• New relationships
• New products and services
• Providing greater opportunities and arrangements
  for employee involvement

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Company benefits

• Increased efficiency, productivity and
  profitability
• Improved product/service design and operational
  processes
• Enhanced flexibility
• Reduced time spent in conflict and dispute
• Lower absenteeism
• Enhanced employee understanding of the business
  challenges

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Employee benefits

• Greater opportunity for learning, training and
  career development
• Greater opportunity of having a say
• Less monotonous work
• Greater interaction and improved relations with
  colleagues and management
• Improves health and safety
• Lower levels of conflict greater levels of
  trust
• Access to flexible work arrangements
• Contributes to a positive work environment

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Workplace innovation - organisational change and
development

• Provides an ongoing basis for change
• Creates a mindset which is open to change and
  innovation
• Helps to change attitudes and beliefs
• Accelerates change
• Makes change more sustainable
• Contributes to a culture of high performance,
  high involvement
• Facilitates the creation of a quality work
  environment

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Swift Fine Foods
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Swift Fine Foods

• Manufactures high quality, healthy option,
  chilled and frozen ready meals
• 43 employees
• 2008 initiated a WCM strategy
• MD recognised the importance of employee
  involvement in the delivery of the strategy and
  the longer term success
• Vision to have a highly flexible and motivated
  workforce where all team members are encouraged
  to be involved in driving continuous improvement
  and innovation in their workplace.

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Swift Fine Foods

• Established High Performance teams
• Goals and performance targets identified across
  the business
• High level of collaboration between management,
  teams and individual employees
• Training and development programme
• Teambuilding, collaborative decision making and
  problem solving, communications, HR management
  competencies
• Efficiencies in the region of 250,000
• Shift from problem focused to solution focused

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Ovelle Pharmaceuticals
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Ovelle Pharmaceuticals

• Develop and supplies a wide range of sensitive
  skin care products
• 42 employees
• 2008 initiated a workplace innovation programme
• Involvement of employees was critical to the
  realisation of the companys goals and potential
• Need to develop management and leadership
  capacity to engage employees in the achievement
  of high performance and innovation

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Ovelle Pharmaceuticals

• Implemented defined measurements prior to the
  initiation of the workplace innovation activities
• Overall Equipment Effectiveness
• OEE Availability x efficiency
• Within 5 months OEE improved
• From 42 to 63
• Two product runs sustained 74 and 80 OEE
• Achieved by
• eliminating waste identified by the operators
• Empowering the operators by involving them in the
  implementation and decision making around the
  change process
• More ownership of issues and commitment to
  finding solutions
• Increased empowerment leading to improved
  motivation and satisfaction levels among all
  employees

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Key success factors

• Leadership
• Senior management commitment to embracing and
  implementing workplace innovation
• Vision and values
• Incorporation into organisations vision and
  business objectives, ensuring employee
  involvement and engagement is a core workplace
  value
• Performance management
• Inclusion of workplace innovation and employee
  involvement in objective setting, reward and
  recognition
• Ownership of workplace innovation agenda
• Must be spread throughout the organisation

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Ongoing development of WIF

• Reduction of minimum company spend from 25,000
  to 12,5000
• Introduction of a 5,000 voucher system
• Workplace Innovation and Competitiveness Starter
  Scheme
• Targeting sectors previously not eligible e.g.
  Construction
• Targeting companies of regional/sectoral economic
  importance
• Designing support strategies for approved
  companies
• Programme of awareness raising among key
  stakeholder groups
• Development of case studies as tools for shared
  learning

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Public Awareness Campaign
TV Online
TV Offline
Radio Online
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• www.workplacestrategy.ie
• www.ncpp.ie