Building a Culture of Care: Autex’s investment in training, wellbeing, and organisational culture to support Pasifika workers
Training and Development > , Organisational Culture and Capability >
Pasifika workers have traditionally been heavily represented on the factory floor in Aotearoa New Zealand. Autex, a leading New Zealand-owned manufacturing company, stands out for its investment in an overall wellbeing focus for its Pasifika staff. Its nurturing environment and investment in Pasifika wellbeing and progression is considered by the company to be the reason for its high levels of employee retention, satisfaction, and Pasifika representation in key middle management roles.
Existing initiatives include:
Inhouse health and wellbeing services designed and delivered in a way that supports Pasifika staff:
An on-site gym encourages physical activity and fitness through boot camps led by Pasifika leaders.
Provides full medical insurance coverage for workers and their family members up to the age of 25 years old.
Free alternative healing services during work hours, and a subsidised canteen.
Community engagement by:
Actively involving partners and families of Pasifika employees, such as the graduation party for those who have completed training programmes.
Addressing language barriers.
Support for internal progression:
Autex promotes from within where possible.
Currently, all Autex’s production team and manufacturing department heads are Pasifika, many with 15-40 years’ service with the company.
Autex currently pays Living wage for the majority of staff, there is future focus to make this across the board including apprentices.
A new plank of its approach is investment in training and development. Autex has started offering a 26-week training program, delivering workshops in soft-skills such as financial and digital literacy, communication, and leadership, which not only equip employees with essential life skills, but support internal career progression.
Importantly, the training is all paid for, and is done during work hours, which are crucial features of any programme for upskilling blue-collar Pasifika staff. The training initiative was instigated by the Managing Director, and supported by the Manufacturing Director and Human Resources, particularly in the sourcing of external training providers, and implementation of courses. Participants who had not studied at a tertiary level before were able to take advantage of the ‘first year free’ policy, while Autex covered the approx. $3,700 per staff member for the rest.
Autex has noted that uptake is still a challenge, despite the supportive conditions. However, good indicators so far are the completion rates of courses, and the number of staff enrolling in more than one course. Autex aims to focus on the achievements of its trailblazers and early adopters to “show others that it is possible and encourage them to take part.” It is expected that the trainings will improve staff interactions and provide a boost to team culture.
Case Study Summary
-
Improve wellbeing, retention and progression through a range of wraparound supports and training opportunities for blue collar Pasifika staff.
-
General Manager spearheaded the initiative, with implementation support from Manufacturing Manager and Human Resources.
-
Range of wellbeing supports and worker benefits, including: Strong support for Pasifika culture, private health insurance for workers and their families.
Set-up and running the initiative.
Various wellbeing and worker benefit supports have been part of BAU for some time.
For the relatively new training programme, Manufacturing Manager and Human Resources staff used the private training provider Edvance to put together a part-time 26 week-long workshop-based training programme that would be done during paid work hours. However, Autex will be looking into other options for training providers in future iterations.
-
Autex covered the cost of the training programme, which was about $3,740 per person, but those who had not taken up tertiary study before this benefited from the ‘first year fees free’ government policy.
-
General outcomes of the overall approach to holistic wellbeing and positive support of Pasifika workers is high general satisfaction and retention among Pasifika employers, and good representation of Pasifika among middle-management in the production divisions. Training initiative yet to show clear outcomes.
-
Success:
Positive support of Pasifika workers and Pasifika culture clearly led and resourced from the top.
Training initiative able to take advantage of government policies subsidising first year of tertiary studies.
Training made more accessible by being during paid work time.
Challenges:
Reluctance of Autex’s Pasifika workers to take up further training still not completely overcome.
However, early rounds of the training initiative are creating a cohort of Pasifika trailblazers who can help improve engagement with training.
-
Health/wellbeing services and soft-skills training for Pasifika worker wellbeing and career progression.
-
Autex
-