Evidence-based people and culture support for councils navigating complexity, pressure, and community responsibility.
Local government does important, visible work.
Councils operate at the intersection of compliance, service delivery, governance, and community expectation — often with limited resources and increasing scrutiny. Leaders are expected to hold everything together while managing workforce fatigue, skills shortages, safety obligations, and competing priorities.
At The People & Culture Office, we support local governments with people and culture solutions that are practical, defensible, and grounded in regional reality.
A different approach to people and culture
Our work sits in the space between compliance and outcomes – where leadership capability, clarity, and systems shape how work is actually experienced.
We don’t deliver generic frameworks or one-off interventions. We focus on clarity, structure, and leadership capability – the conditions that allow people to perform well, stay longer, and contribute meaningfully.
Culture, employee experience, and engagement are treated as connected systems. When these are designed intentionally, engagement follows.
Engagement in local government
Employee engagement in local government consistently sits below the Australian average.
In our experience, this isn’t about people not caring. It’s more often linked to unclear expectations, stretched leaders, systems that frustrate rather than support, and a disconnect between leadership intent and the lived experience of work.
This is where Engagement Champions comes in.
Engagement Champions is powered by the Gallup Q12 – one of the most researched and globally validated engagement frameworks available. Decades of global data link the Q12 directly to retention, productivity, safety, and performance.
Importantly, it’s actionable at a local level. It shows leaders exactly where to focus, rather than producing another report that looks interesting but is difficult to use.
Our focus is not measurement alone. We support leaders to understand what the data means and where to act, combining engagement data with leadership support, job clarity, and practical action planning. Engagement becomes something leaders actively shape – not something they hope improves on its own.
Culture clarity and alignment
Alongside engagement, we help councils understand what’s really happening inside their culture.
Through our Culture Clarity Survey, grounded in the Barrett Values model, we explore:
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what people value
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what they’re experiencing day to day
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where organisational energy is being lost through misalignment, friction, or confusion
This work gives leadership teams a shared language to move culture from good intentions into consistent behaviour, supported by clear expectations and practical systems.
Leadership capability in real environments
Leadership in local government is complex.
We support leaders to build capability in the areas that matter most, including:
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role clarity and decision-making
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communication and emotional intelligence
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accountability and performance conversations
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trust, safety, and consistency across teams
Our work recognises the realities leaders are operating within and the impact leadership behaviour has on engagement, safety, and retention. The focus is always on practical application – not theory.
Workforce development and strengths
We support strengths-based workforce development using CliftonStrengths to improve collaboration, performance, and development conversations across teams.
This approach creates a shared language for leaders and employees, supports more effective workforce planning, and strengthens day-to-day leadership practice – particularly in diverse and stretched work environments.
Recruitment with intention
Recruitment decisions shape culture.
We work with councils to design recruitment approaches that go beyond filling vacancies, with a focus on:
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role clarity and realistic expectations
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values alignment and behavioural-based interviewing
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candidate experience and relocation considerations
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onboarding that supports long-term retention
Recruitment is treated as a strategic decision that influences performance, stability, and community outcomes.
Workshops designed for councils
We deliver tailored workshops that councils can draw on as needed, including:
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Respect at Work: Building Safe and Respectful Workplaces
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Hire Smarter, Lead Stronger
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Generations @ Work
All sessions are adapted to the organisation’s workforce profile, leadership context, and community environment. They are practical, proportionate, and designed for real workplaces.
Why regional matters
We are a regional business ourselves.
We understand smaller labour pools, workforce visibility within the community, succession challenges, and the flow-on impact leadership decisions have beyond the workplace.
Our solutions are designed to work in real conditions – proportionate, practical, and sustainable.
How we work
We partner with organisations rather than operate at arm’s length.
Our role is to provide clarity, guidance, and structure so leaders can make informed decisions and take confident action. We don’t deliver tools and walk away. We support implementation in a way that fits your organisation, leadership context, and community environment.
Let’s talk
If your council is open to a different way of approaching engagement, culture, or leadership capability, we’d welcome a conversation.
No hard sell. Just an opportunity to understand your context and explore whether our approach is the right fit for your organisation and the communities you serve.