Staff shortages aren’t going away... here’s how to make it suck less
Staff shortages aren’t going away... here’s how to make it suck less
If you work in local or central government right now, you don’t need reminding: it’s tough. Staff numbers are down, budgets are tight, and expectations aren’t shrinking to match.
The Reserve Bank is cutting a fifth of its workforce. Councils are under hiring freezes. A recent survey shows four out of five public servants see workload and staffing as their biggest barrier to deliver better services. (Read more about this here)
None of that is going to turn around quickly.
So what do you do in the meantime? You make it suck a little less.
That doesn’t mean working miracles. It means cutting out the jobs that don’t need to be done by hand, and giving people clarity when they’re already stretched thin.
1. Take the chase off managers’ plates
No one signs up for a leadership role just to send nagging emails. Automated reminders and escalation rules won’t solve staffing gaps, but they do take one small headache off people’s shoulders.
2. Kill the copy-and-paste
Re-entering the same numbers into three different reports isn’t just frustrating — it’s demoralising. If data feeds directly into templates, the report is done without anyone touching a spreadsheet twice.
3. Show only what needs fixing
Most dashboards drown people in green lights. What matters are the exceptions — the risks and measures that are slipping. When you can see those at a glance, it’s easier to act without wasting energy hunting for the problem.
4. Give staff clarity when roles blur
When people are covering more than one job, it’s easy for things to slip between the cracks. Personal dashboards show each person what’s theirs — no more, no less. That kind of clarity makes stretched roles just a little easier to carry.
Why it matters
Reporting isn’t the solution to staff shortages. Everyone knows that. But if it can remove duplication, cut confusion, and stop needless admin, then it’s made the job suck a little less.
That’s what OPAL3 is built for: taking the edge off the reporting burden so staff can get back to the real work of serving their communities.