Of course, a business must remain profitable and make money but shedding staff should not always be the first option.
Years ago I worked for a large organisation that needed to cut costs. Staff numbers were to be reviewed too but that's not where they focused first. You get quick runs on the board when you start by reducing staff.
That's a big operational overhead that most businesses undertaking a review start with.
The organisation told staff that services needed to improve, and significant savings across the whole organisation had to be identified and made. Staff were asked to help do that. Staff were told staff numbers would only be cut when they had exhausted all other avenues of cost savings.
There was an amazing response from staff. Probably for the first time they were being asked to identify areas in their workplace that could be dramatically improved, enhanced and in some cases scrapped even. What were the areas, they believed, savings could be made.
There were to be no "sacred cows". Everything would be evaluated.
"If we were starting again today, is this how we would do it"? In virtually all cases the answer was a "big fat no".
The organisation made significant savings that could be sustained. After six months a new organisational structure was proposed and put out for staff consultation and input. Only then did the reduction in staffing numbers happen. There was a 12-month moratorium placed on hiring of staff.
People who left were not replaced. Their work was redistributed among other staff. Anyone interested in taking redundancy could put a hand up.
Now you can guess how long ago this took place as there are few individual employment contracts these days with a redundancy clause.
Even if their job was not under threat all staff were given the opportunity to apply for redundancy. In the end the large number of staff who chose to move on, of their own accord, meant that many others could remain in their jobs.
That's why after 10 years in business I see nothing wrong with Maori Television proposing to make some changes as to how they go about their business.
Their new CEO Paora Maxwell should press on and do it. If they were starting up today what would they do differently, because things do change over 10 years? They now know what they do well and want to continue doing and they'll also look closely at where improvements can be made. And if staff don't like it that's too bad.
All services have to remain relevant and "fit for purpose". Some staff will choose to move on and some possibly helped to move out.
Nothing remains the same and organisational change should bring new and exciting opportunities. The next 10 years is looking brighter already for Maori Television.
• Merepeka lives in Rotorua. She writes, speaks and broadcasts to thwart the spread of political correctness.
