Next steps for the Behaviour and Conduct Office

Our Behaviour and Conduct Office is responsible for managing our complaints process and proactively setting standards. It acts as the central point for education, training and guidance related to values-based behaviour.

2021 was a year of progress for the Behaviour and Conduct Office as it began its transition to a permanent structure and function, with a new team on board.

Recent activity:

• Completed a Proactive Interventions pilot to provide facilitated conversations and workshops to support the resolution of issues within teams, brigades and stations.
• Developed a training and education framework to promote and embed resources which support a positive workplace culture. 
• Progressed the transition to a permanent and fully functioning Behaviour and Conduct Office. As part of this, seven permanent staff were appointed, as follows:
  • Dr Jason Price – Director
  • Michael Balmer – Complaints Manager
  • Georgia Barnett – Complaints Advisor
  • Rose Ayers – Principal Investigations Specialist
  • Josh Thomas – Principal Resolution Specialist
  •  Marcus Boshier – Senior Practitioner Resolution
  • Colin Littlewood – Senior Practitioner, Resolution
• An independent external assessment was conducted to make sure the procedures and structures that have been developed for the Behaviour and Conduct Office meet the intended purpose.
  • The assessment found that the Behaviour and Conduct Office has appropriate support mechanisms, such as support from leadership, appropriate prioritisation and planned resourcing levels to meet its intended objectives.
  • The assessment also identified several opportunities to further strengthen processes to ensure they fully meet the principles of natural justice, address staff and volunteers’ complaints and help us build our positive workplace culture. These include the strong finding that the Behaviour and Conduct Office should hold the end-to-end oversight and ownership of the complaints management process.
  • These findings and opportunities will be addressed in the new year.
• The Board has also recently established a People and Culture Committee that will have a strong governance role over the Behaviour and Conduct Office. Reporting on key activities, key matters, risks and issues will be provided on a regular basis.

Where to next:

Activities to be undertaken by the Behaviour and Conduct Office in 2022 include:

• Raising awareness of the Behaviour and Conduct Office, its role, and the services it offers to our people and members of the public.
• Reviewing and refreshing the Behaviour and Conduct Office Panel to include independent members and ensure they are involved in all key decisions related to the complaints management process.
• Completing the review and process development work underway in both the Complaints and Resolutions team.
• Developing detailed process definitions and supporting Standard Operating Procedures and guides to ensure that we clearly articulate the responsibilities of the Behaviour and Conduct Office and other parties involved in the complaints management process.
• Publishing the latest in our series of ‘How Do I” guides which include:
  • How do I respond if I experience unwanted behaviour?
  • How do I respond as a leader/manager advised of unwanted behaviour?
  • How do I respond when I witness unwanted behaviour?
• Developing guides for:
  • How do I respond as an upstander when I witness unwanted behaviour?
  • How do I respond as a leader/manager advised of unwanted behaviour?
  • How do I respond if I am supporting someone who has experienced or witnessed unwanted behaviour?
  • How do I respond if you are told your behaviour is unwanted?
• Providing education/training to people leaders on the Behaviour and Conduct Office processes and how to keep people safe from retaliatory action.
• Developing MOUs with Unions and Associations and other support networks e.g. Womens’ Development, that outline their agreed role supporting people who may be participating in the complaints process.

We’ve come a long way and made significant progress but there is still a lot of work for us to do before the transition to the permanent Behaviour and Conduct Office is complete. We will keep providing regular updates on progress.

The BCO can be contacted by phone or email:

Phone: 0800 470 951 (available Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm) 

Email: bco@fireandemergency.nz