1.1 Community Focus
Driver: 1.1
Dimension: Cause
Supporting aspiration: Strategy and budgets are anchored to community outcomes people can see.
Why it matters
Employees are more likely to commit effort when they can see how Council priorities, budgets and services connect to community needs.
What great looks like
Community priorities are translated into service plans, budgets and team objectives. Employees can explain the community value of their work and customer/community feedback is visible in planning and improvement conversations.
Employee Survey alignment
| Item | Survey question |
|---|---|
| Q1 | Our plans and strategies are aligned to the needs and expectations of our community |
| Q2 | The work my team does positively impacts our community |
| Q3 | Our community and customers speak positively about Council |
How to interpret a weak result
A weak result for this driver should prompt a practical diagnosis, not an immediate solution. Ask:
- Is the issue whole-of-council, concentrated in particular work areas or linked to specific employee groups?
- Which question-level result is driving the pattern?
- Do comments or leader perspectives explain the issue?
- Is this mainly a system/process issue, a leadership issue, a resourcing issue or a communication issue?
- What would employees reasonably expect Council to do next?
Possible actions and interventions
- Connect delivery program priorities to team planning and manager briefings
- Use community outcomes as a reference point in workforce and service planning
- Share customer/community feedback with teams in practical formats
- Use plain-English progress updates that show what has changed for the community
Evidence to review alongside the survey
- Employee Survey question-level results and comments
- Relevant people metrics such as turnover, absenteeism, vacancy, overtime, grievances, safety or EAP themes
- Leadership and SME perspectives
- Relevant workforce, service, budget or risk data