As a result of the Business Consultation Program discussions, a number of issues were identified for further investigation and action. These include:
Childcare delivery
Some leaders indicated that limited availability of childcare services is a critical issue for parents returning to the workforce.
Outcome: City of Melbourne has conducted a review of childcare services in the municipality. Council is now working on the development of a model to help organisations better understand the needs of their workforce and identify solutions in flexible work arrangements to attract and retain those with children.
Safety and amenity for night shift workers
Increasingly, companies based in the city are providing 24-hour support to their customers – mostly through call centres. This means more workers are using the city at night. Organisations are now required to consider the safety implications for workers arriving to their job late at night or leaving work in the early hours of the morning. These workers also require access to healthy snacks and places to visit during their breaks.
Outcome: The Community Safety and Wellbeing branch will visit the call centres with members of the emergency services, to hear from workers what their concerns are and to share safety tips. This is part of Council’s KSA 2 – City Safety for 2011-12. The branch is also working on a larger project, part of the 24 Hour City policy, to increase the retail and hospitality on offer at night time, aimed at this particular group.
Retaining expatriate workers in Melbourne
According to research, one in three executive expatriate assignments in Australia fails within the first 12 months. The financial costs associated with the relocation of executives and their families can be costly to companies. However, these are not the only costs that companies face. The loss of business objectives and damage to relationships with clients can have a long lasting impact for an organisation. Poor perception of the host city also involves the risk of a negative reputation of Melbourne internationally.
Outcome: City of Melbourne interviewed experts in the subject of relocation, as well as other expatriate workers to ascertain what the key issues for expatriate executives in Melbourne may be. Also, to identify opportunities where the City of Melbourne may be able to improve expatriates’ experience during the assignment. City of Melbourne will soon release a guide that provides support to this particular group.
Traffic congestion in Docklands during peak hour
Issues around traffic congestion in Docklands during morning and evening peak hours generated significant discussion.
Outcome: These issues were raised with Places Victoria (formerly VicUrban) and VicRoads, which has led to a number of immediate actions, such as adjusting traffic signals and tram travel times to improve traffic flow. The City of Melbourne is actively involved in securing longer term solutions.
Engaging in sustainable business practices
Some businesses indicated that they find it difficult to engage in sustainable practices. They find there is too much information and no clarity as to what is the ‘right solution’ for them.
Outcome: City of Melbourne has developed a working paper to determine Melbourne’s capability in the environmental sustainability sector. We are also improving the content of the Enterprise Melbourne website, to become a ‘one-stop shop’ for businesses who want to identify environmental sustainable practices and programs that best suit them.