The Local Authority – Involving front-line staff
The Challenge
A Local Authority with an already impressive household waste recycling record wanted to make further improvements. Having invested resources in a variety of practical initiatives they then decided to focus on the role of their workforce and how they could be involved in increasing recycling rates further.

The Solution
The development of a bespoke staff involvement programme. The programme had two main aims:

1. To interest the workforce in, and inform them of, the Local Authority’s need to increase recycling rates and to highlight the importance of their role in the process. This was done by using the senior management team to explain to staff the legislative and financial drivers behind the Authority’s recycling targets and then by using an interactive quiz to establish existing levels of knowledge among staff, provide them with relevant information and stimulate their interest.


2. To involve the workforce in developing new initiatives for tackling the problem. This was achieved by running a series of activities that gave staff the opportunity to put forward their ideas in an open, yet non-threatening environment. These ideas were then feed back to the senior management team for review. The programme culminated in a meeting where both the staff and the senior management team outlined their commitment to the new initiatives.

The rationale behind the programme was therefore one of involving and engaging the workforce so that they took ownership of new systems and were eager to see them succeed.

The Outcome
Whilst it is still early days for the Local Authority to be able to quantify the effect of the programme on increasing recycling rates, feedback from staff has been extremely positive and it is hoped that this will be reflected in improved recycling performance. In addition, the Local Authority, having seen the benefit of the involving approach, has undertaken to continue to involve staff in the development of systems through regular workshops and improved channels of communication.