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Kaipara District Council has launched a campaign to encourage better behaviour towards its staff, after reporting that they are subjected to aggressive treatment “far too often”.
“Our people have described being intimidated, subjected to racial slurs, and even physically attacked by members of the public,” said KDC chief executive Jason Marris. “I have heard first hand from our people the impact these incidents have on their wellbeing and the way they do their job.”
Council said about 16 per cent of hazards reported by staff over the last year involved “members of the public acting in an aggressive manner over the phone, via email or in person”.
“The term ‘hazard’ is anything that has the potential to cause harm if left unattended,” health, safety and wellbeing manager Glynis McCarthy said, citing examples such as abusive language, intimidation and written or verbal threats.
Council said it took the safety of staff seriously, and was improving processes to prevent and respond to unsafe situations.
The ‘Our Council, Our Community’ campaign will involve a series of online profiles of staffers, revealing “the real people who pick up the phone when you call, who answer your emails and Facebook messages, and who deliver vital services across the district”.
“Many council staff live in our communities – they’re your neighbours, they volunteer alongside you in community groups, they play in your sports team,” Marris said. “They are mums, dads, aunties, uncles, and grandparents. They deserve to feel safe and be treated with respect, just as you do.”
Council was always looking to improve its service, and welcomed constructive feedback from the community it served, he said. “However, we’re asking people to be polite and respectful to staff so they can address your concerns and work on a solution.”
During the covid pandemic, some councils around the country reported an increase in mistreatment of staff, often linked to facemask requirements and vaccine passports and mandates.
Auckland Council health, safety and wellbeing manager Paul Robertson said that in response to more violent, aggressive and antisocial conduct towards staff, council had introduced a programme of actions it could take to mitigate the incidences of that type of behaviour, “identifying things that are within our control to change”. As a result, reported incidents had dropped by nearly 40 per cent, from around four per day to an average of 2.5 per day.
