Wellington emit Exit Feedback Form ‘Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire, Please be assured that: ‘+ the information you provide us with is confidential and anonymous (unless otherwise requested by you) ‘= completed forms will be destroyed after data is collated and reported (unless otherwise requested by you) + data will be reported in a general organisational sense — individuals will pot be identified ‘The purpose of gathering information from people who are leaving Wellington Zoo Trust + toassess various aspects ofthe way we conduct business in different areas + tolook at improvements forthe future + tesgive you an opportunity for feedback on any aspects of your imo here Please be as honest as you can, and if you need to made additional comments, write these on a separate sheet of paper. you would ike to discuss your responses in more depth we encourage you to complete this form as part of an exit interview with HR or your manager. HOW IS THIS FORM BEING COMPLETED? 1.0) Interview - 2. LX) Self-completed (no interview) Today's date: 10/09/2018 Date last working day: 10/09/2018 Please return this form to: The People and Culture Team. Reasons for leavin: Q1. What would you say is the single most important reason for your decision to leave Wellington Zoo Trust. Please provide as much detail as possible. NOTE: Please do not wnte “alterative employment” as your response. Rather, we are interested in ‘knowing about the reason or reasons why you decided io seek another jb. if you are leaving due fo your ‘contract expiring then you may simply state that | would first like to start by saying that | have little confidence that this document will be seen by the appropriate people and used to make any positive changes. The reason why so many people are leaving the Wellington Zoo Trust is @ cause for concern and something the Board of Trustees needs to be aware of and address. My intention is to offer constructive feedback that will hopefully assist staff that remain at the ‘Wellington Zoo. | answer these questions not only from my experience, but also on behalf of current employees and ex-employees still in the zo industry. Many people are leaving but don’t feel they can provide honest answers to these questions in fear of retribution. Let’s be clear; the zoo community is very small and a person's reputation can easily be tarnished without any supporting evidence. It is a very real fear. | am leaving the industry completely and have no hesitation in giving honest and direct responses to these issues. Money; fair pay. Money is one of the biggest influential reasons for seeking alternative employment. Conversations | have had with senior management about this issue falls on deaf ears. ‘They are proud of themselves that the Wellington Zoo Trust offers employee's the “living wage’. On paper the living wage concept looks great, but in reality itis far from it. With the ever increasing living costs of rent, interest rates and deposits required to Exit Feedback Form Zoo doox Page 1a2, obtain a mortgage, petrol cost increases, food, insurances, family costs...$42,000 is not a living wage by any stretch of the imagination. ‘Ayoung person that has just finished their studies, is flatting and have no responsibilities other than themselves, the living wage is probably more than. sufficient. It is naive to think that this is then suitable for staff across the board. Staff with family and mortgages can not live off this amount. So what does that mean? This model fails to retain experienced staff and is certainly one reason for the horrendously high staff turnover at the Wellington Zoo. ‘The way in which the pay scale Is calculated needs to be revisited and examined by an Independent organisation to provide a fair assessment for everyone. There are many online tools both through government agencies and independent organisations that compare pay scales across similar and identical industries. www_payscale.com is one such tool which looks at a range of circumstances to Compare pay rates to that of other job titles and positions. The Wellington Zoo Trust is listed in their comparable organisations. Completing all the questions and comparing, my pay, the results show a median difference of $21,000 less than what I should be getting. The information produces a statistic that 96% of people in the same position get paid more than | currently do. The same result is returned for other positions within the zoo....except for senior managers. | urge the board to make it a priority to reassess pay equity through an independent panel and be completely transparent with all staff of the result. ‘What other factors influenced your decision to leave Wellington Zoo Trust? Please list as many as you can think of (attach a separate piece of paper if necessary). Culture: | served 13 years in the New Zealand Police. An organisation that went through some serious but much needed changes after a series of public enquires into police culture. Bullying, intimidation, sexual misconduct, ‘favours for mates’ were al serious issues that were investigated as part of the enquiry. With the expansion of technology and social media platforms, we now operate in atime where everyone gets to be heard; where things can no longer be kept quiet and swept under the carpet. The #metoo movement is one such example The police have over 11,000 employees. It astounds me that the Wellington Zoo Trust, with less than 100 employees can have the similar issues. Bullying and intimidation is Prevalent at the Wellington Zoo and it starts at the very top. | have experienced it first hand and my friends and colleagues have also experienced it on a regular basis. Speaking out about it comes back to my first paragraph that retribution is a real reason that keeps people quiet. One way to monitor this is to have an annual workplace engagement survey that is, compiled and reported through an independent body that provide staff with security to speak up about the issues without becoming a target. ‘There have been some great ideas by staff to improve practices around the zoo and increase care for the animals. On almost every occasion these are road blocked by at Feedback Fom Zoo.docx Page 2senior management; seemingly in fear of change or control. Every organisation requires a chain of command to make the important decisions, but that shouldn't close off minds to good ideas from employees. A good manager won't be so arrogant that they know it all Em Turnover It's not surprising then with a toxic culture and low pay that staff turnover is well above the average attrition rate for an organisation. In the past 12 months 17 permanent, full-time staff have left the Wellington Zoo, giving a turnover rate of 20.73%. It is my understanding, last year reached 33%. ‘That surely must worry the Board of Trustees? ls anyone listening to the issues raised? know of at least two staff that have recently left and expressed their concerns. | wonder if the Board of Trustees has been given this information, Code of Conduct: Every company or organisation has a code of conduct to fairly inform employees of what is expected of them. This is a good thing and | fully support it. In March this year the code of conduct for the Wellington Zoo was updated and an email sent out to staff to note the changes and sign it, acknowledging it was understood. Most did. | suspect 98% didn’t even read the changes and signed the employment document. | read the changes and noted something that concerned me. A change in reporting of traffic offences; mainly the requirement to advise your supervisor if you were issued a traffic offence notice (which includes a parking ticket) even outside of employment hours. After seeking advice, it was clear the z00 had over stepped the boundary of a fair employer and were trying to seek more information ‘then legally entitled to. This was brought to the attention of management on 31% May 2018. To date no one has ever got back to me about the issue raised. It is a clear example of an important issue getting swept under the carpet. Amazing Staff: ‘The Wellington Zoo is privileged to have some experienced, talented staff with forward thinking ideas that try and keep the place functioning even with limited resources and lack of support. There are some that | feel should be acknowledged; in particular John Brien, Chris Jerram, Amanda Tiffin and Mauritz Basson. These people have high integrity and treat staff with compassion and respect. | know Amanda Tiffin has also recently resigned and unless the culture and conditions improve at the 200, | can see more people leaving in the near future. Exit Feedback Form Zoo docx Pages