Organisation: Brisbane Transport
Job Title: Branch Manager Bus Operations
Word Limit: 2 pages
Location: Bisbane
My capacity to lead organisational activities to deliver coordinated, responsive and customer-focused outcomes was demonstrated through my actions as incident manager in response to the 2012 gas cylinder explosion at the Virginia Depot. In this event, a bus’s gas cylinder exploded shortly after refuelling, triggering the involvement of Queensland Emergency Services, the Department of Environment and the trade union and calling in to question the safety of remaining busses. As the Depot Manager at the time of this incident, I ensured continuity of service to customers throughout the aftermath, through rapid and effective liaison with Fleet Management Services and TransLink. As an outcome of my ability to develop relationships across organisational boundaries to facilitate consistent delivery of (Brisbane Transport’s (BT’s) priorities, I retained control of the incident site through coordinating BT’s response and managing the involvement of external stakeholders. Through application of well-developed communication skills and ensuring that I appropriately managed the flow of information, I oversaw a coordinated response by BT to this unexpected critical incident.
Demonstrating my experience in managing complex and contentious issues in a political climate, in 2013 as the Depot Manager of the Virginia Depot I averted significant union action by establishing an alternate route for bus services that were travelling through Kingsmill Street at Chermside. The issue had arisen after parking on that street had increased following the introduction of a parking fee at the nearby shopping centre, leading more cars to seek on-street parking. This led to significant congestion of the street, making it difficult for busses to pass through and leading to an increase in both accidents and negative public interactions. The risk to driver safety was causing significant pressure from the trade union to deliver a resolution to this issue.
Once again facilitating and maintaining relationships across organisational boundaries, I undertook liaison with the relevant Brisbane City Council (BCC) Councillor, Translink and the Queensland Department of Transport. Having developed a potential alternative route, I met with the Councillor to discuss this proposal. Upon being advised that if I was able to gain acceptance from the affected constituents then the change of route would be endorsed to BCC, I utilised the resource of BCC’s Public Relations staff to survey the residents about the issue, which resulted in a positive response. This then cleared the way for the Councillor to take the proposed solution to Council, where it was approved.
Despite this issue having taken some months to resolve, I had managed to avert industrial action through communicating and consulting with the union and providing them with a commitment that the issue would be resolved by a firm date. Demonstrating my ability to lead initiatives which create public value, the solution to this complex issue which I delivered in the form of an alternative route maintained complete continuity of services to passengers and came at zero cost to BT, despite the early potential for this to cause significant expense and service disruption.
Providing a further example of my capacity to lead thinking about initiatives which create public value, as manager of the Network Coordination Centre I developed and implemented two significant initiatives – a new seven-day roster that reduced overtime and provided improved work life balance for employees, and an improved on call strategy that reduced the number of after hour calls required. In combination these new initiatives delivered around $600,000 per annum savings in labour costs. The revised on-call system served the additional purpose of contributing to the development of an engaged, productive and customer-focused workforce.
In line with my commitment to delivering systems and processes which deliver value for the organisation, I had commenced investigation and analysis of after-hours escalated calls to determine why the rate of escalation was so high. As a result of this investigation, I determined that the ‘levels’ at which issues were required to be escalated could be adjusted, providing more autonomy and scope for exercise of judgement at each level. Following provision of training to the relevant staff to increase their competence and confidence in resolving the increased scope of incidents under their jurisdiction, this strategy successfully delivered both reduced labour costs as a result in the reduced number of issues requiring escalation and increased engagement and job satisfaction amongst the employees who had been provided with new skills and greater levels of autonomy in their work.
With a significant record of delivering organisational improvements and managing cultural change, I possess a sound knowledge of and demonstrated ability to apply the principles underlying organisational change. Upon assuming the role of Virginia Depot Manager, I undertook the challenge of addressing the legacy of the previous incumbent which had resulted in poor staff morale, significant absenteeism and a high number of customer complaints. With a change management philosophy which relies heavily on responsiveness to concerns and issues and encourages participation by the workforce, I immediately set about meeting informally with as many staff and trade union representatives as possible to assess staff views, come to understand the dynamics between staff groups and gauge what were the most significant issues affecting morale.
Identifying several opportunities to quickly address some longstanding issues, I immediately took action in relation to ongoing staff performance, bullying and harassment and poor workplace relationship issues. This demonstration of effectiveness and accountability won me the trust of the union representatives and the wider staff group and further encouraged their ongoing participation in the cultural change process which I was managing.
Through championing a culture of equity, demonstrated through a consistent open-door policy and a concerted effort to provide opportunities for multi-skilling and increased responsibilities to staff, I drove significant improvements in workplace culture and maintained an environment of continuous improvement over the 2011 to 2014 timespan. Specific outcomes included improved staff morale as measured by the Your Voice surveys, reduction from extremely high absenteeism rates to the lowest or second lowest absenteeism rates of all BT depots, and a reduction in long-term sick and WorkCover cases by implementing strong case management controls and processes. This development of an engaged and productive workforce in turn had direct benefits for the provision of improved levels of customer responsiveness and increased ability to provide consistently high standards of customer experience.
Possessing extensive experience in management of sizeable budgets, I also undertake development of my own budgets and facilitate input by and consultation with my team leaders and senior staff. This process, with its focus on shared outcomes, allows my staff to develop an understanding of the budgets under which they operate and gain a wider appreciation for the financial considerations affecting the work environment. My sound financial management abilities and capacity to successfully manage a commercial business has been demonstrated through my record of delivering cost savings to the organisation or developing cost-neutral solutions to problems which I am tasked with resolving. The above examples of my delivery of a cost-neutral solution to the challenge of the unsafe route through Kingsmill Street and my labour cost-savings through implementation of new rosters and call escalation systems are two demonstrations of the commercial acumen which I bring to my roles.
As a longstanding employee of the organisation, I possess a sound understanding of the political environment in which Brisbane Transport operates and will always consider the potential political implications and considerations relevant to my proposed actions. My long service in a range of positions has seen me engage in collaboration and strategic decision making both across the organisation and in partnership with external bodies; I am experienced in liaising with and representing the organisation to stakeholders such as TransLink, Brisbane City Council representatives and Councillors, trade unions and the Brisbane Metropolitan Transport Centre Board. My experience also extends to representing the organisation to the community at venues such as the Council’s community forums.
With a keen eye for strategic agenda-setting and development of continuous improvement plans, I was in the habit of developing strategic plans for my own areas of operation even at a time when the wider organisation did not engage in strategic planning. This capacity to plan for and implement clear methods of delivering continuous improvement allows me to lead the delivery of public value and exceptional standards of public service.
