The Financial Markets Authority building in Auckland. Photo: Google Street View
*This story has been updated to clarify that the staff fill in the survey weekly, regarding each day's work; and the spelling of Blair Scotland's name corrected.
The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) has told staff to complete a weekly survey detailing things like hours worked, tasks daily and how long they took, and what meetings they attended.
The 'Weekly Activity Survey' - which was called the 'Weekly Work Tracking Survey' in its draft form - is running between 12 May and 6 June. The FMA said it was designed to ensure it was using resources effectively.
An employment lawyer said the data may not be valuable because employees could skew responses, and it reminded him of Elon Musk requiring US federal workers to justify their work - but he also noted there was some merit to it.
The survey is compulsory for all staff "with tailored exemptions", and has 17 questions to answer about each workday, with an extra three questions about the weekly workload.
The 'daily work log' section asks about hours worked, tasks completed, how long each task took, and the names and durations of internal and external meetings.
"Which tasks did you complete today? Please be specific in describing the activities relating to the task, i.e. writing X, reviewing Y,… Use natural language, do not include sensitive information that can be used to identify parties.
"Of these tasks, how much time did you spend on each one individually (in 0.5h increments)?
"Can you explain how these tasks were assigned to you? [BAU, Ad-hoc request, Project work, Regulatory reactive response, Other]
"Did you have all the information and resources needed to undertake today's tasks? [yes, no, Inadequate resources, awaiting internal input/clarification, awaiting external input/clarification, other]"
Under the 'work attendance and hours' section, staff are asked how many days they had off, how many were worked in the office and whether they had "a signed off deviation to the 3/2 [work-from-home] requirement".
They are also asked about how manageable their workload was, and whether any tasks could have been completed more efficiently.
"We want to ensure that we always look to improve the value we add and deliver for New Zealanders, this is all this survey is about," a spokesperson for the FMA said.
Elon Musk. Photo: Frederic J. Brown/ AFP
"We are working to ensure that we are using our resources as effectively as possible and identify any opportunities for how we could make improvements."
But employment lawyer Blair Scotland from Dundas Street Employment Lawyers questioned its value.
"I immediately thought of Elon Musk's directive to federal workers in the US… the email that went out, 'name the five things that you've done this week'," he said.
It reminded Scotland of management practices of the 1990s when 'time and motion' studies were used to measure efficiency, which he had not seen "in a long time".
Using the survey as a standalone tool to assess what the workforce was doing had shortcomings, he said. He pointed out one of the survey questions asking staff whether they were working below, at, or above capacity.
"Who in their right minds is going to select below capacity, or even at capacity? I would imagine you're going to get a high proportion of people who will say 'above capacity', whether or not that might be the case."
People would not want to say anything that could risk their jobs, or their colleagues', so survey answers could be skewed meaning its data would not be all that valuable, Scotland said.
But he said there was some merit in it - for example, answers might reveal if a certain area of the workforce felt they did not have the tools to do their job, and leadership could do something about it.
But while it was completely lawful, he warned it could create a sense of alarm.
"Much like the DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency] emails in the States, it may actually breed, sort of, discontent and distrust in the workforce."
'Won't go down well'
Massey University management professor Jarrod Haar said it was a good idea to get a picture of people's daily workload and identify trends, but so much detail was overkill and came across as micromanagement.
"Employees do not like being micromanaged, they do like autonomy."
It would have been better to take a quick pulse, he said - for example, a one-day survey to get a snapshot of the workforce's activity, followed by conversations with managers, would more easily reveal areas for improvement.
Capturing information on such small increments of work over a month would generate a huge amount of data for management to review, he said.
Public Service Association national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Public Service Association national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons also likened the survey to Musk's approach at DOGE. Requiring people to document their workday in detail was onerous and made staff feel like they were not trusted to get on with their job, she said.
"A better approach is to deal with problems when they arise, and really encourage teams to develop efficient practices in partnership with management through open communication and working together, rather than these isolating and blunt surveys.
"It will be viewed as over the top micromanagement that won't really create that positive workplace culture where employees feel valued."
The survey was unusual and out of step with the public sector, she said.
"It just won't go down well in New Zealand workplaces."
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