If you don’t measure it, you can’t manage it

One of CPA Group’s core values is accountability. Our culture is one where people take ownership of issues and this translates to a performance of quality, safety and sustainability. And growth!

There is an old saying in management, if you don’t measure it, you can’t manage it. At CPA Group, we have taken this one step further and believe that if you don’t measure it, you won’t improve it.

We understand that data feeds information and information feeds actions. We measure and publish our performance, we set targets and we put in place strategies to ensure continuous improvement. Our performance is open for all (staff, clients and other stakeholders) to see.

Here is an update on data accumulated from 2019.

 Activity

We continue to grow and have achieved 100% client retention. When combined with major new business gains, we are growing and this is demonstrated in all activity statistics including the number of work locations at which we operate, workforce numbers and the number of hours our staff are deployed.

Customer satisfaction rates as measured by independent third party surveys has increased for the third year running.

What you may not know is that CPA Group, as the market leading provider of maritime security, provided security services including Maritime Security Guards for over 1,518 ships last year. Whether guarding, patrolling or screening passengers and baggage, we ensure our clients maintain MTOFSA compliance at all times.

Our maritime market pre-eminence saw CPA Group’s advisory arm, iSafe, assist 23 clients with development, auditing and drill / exercise support of their Maritime Security Plans during the year.

Through our in-house Registered Training Organisation, Baseline Training, we trained 5,975 students in various Health & Safety disciplines. In any  one month, training was delivered in up to 72 distinct locations around Australia.

Safety

Safety is our top priority. Through activities such as our Annual Safety Summit, Health & Wellness Calendar, newsletters, social media and numerous other initiatives the culture of safety is present at all levels.

We measure our performance with both lag and lead indicators. During 2019 we were able to publish our safety performance as advised by WorkCover through the indicator of Workers Compensation premiums, as compared with applicable industry comparators and against our own performance in the past 3 years.

All CPA Group divisions, Security, Medical, Fire and Rescue, Training and Advisory improved against prior years and were significantly better than industry comparators.

Safety is good business!

Diversity

CPA Group continues to see an increase in the diversity of our workforce. 25% of our staff are female, and the number of women working for us increased in 2019 by 10%. Lots more to do here!

We take our indigenous participation strategies very seriously, in 2019 we registered for the first time our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), our Indigenous Ambassador, Lorraine Hatten OAM was extremely active throughout our regional locations and we commenced procurement programs that support indigenous businesses.

One area where we have seen major developments is in our employment of former defence personnel. Throughout 2019 our numbers increased by almost 100%. Today, 12% of our workforce come from a service background, up from 8% as recently as July 2019.

Quality

Our Continuous Improvement Program continued to develop and our auditors were extremely active throughout 2019. We can also proudly announce that we underwent two external ISO audits in 2019 and not only maintained our ISO accreditation in Quality, Safety and OHS but did not receive a single non-conformance.

For our clients, the dependability of CPA Group staffing in terms of roster compliance is paramount – we ensure that qualified, inducted and conforming staff are present as rostered and contracted.

In 2019, our roster conformance reached a record 99.988% – we can do better!!

Sustainability

We are aware of our carbon footprint and we are at the sustainability forefront in our industry. We have developed a Sustainability Plan and we are already measuring the key areas of CPA Group carbon emissions, Air Travel, Road travel and Power usage.

From measurement comes targets and strategies, accountability and improvement. As we grow, we will continue to understand and minimise our impact on the environment.

We have defined our activity as follows:

• Scope I – Operations activity directly delivering our service – deployed staff vehicle and air travel
• Scope II – Essential support functions – for example HO electricity usage
• Scope III – Corporate activity such as air travel for business trips

In 2019, Scope I accounted for 78% of our carbon emissions, Scope II 28% and Scope III 4%.

This data is informing our strategy – with a Brisbane HO, you may be surprised to see how much our electricity consumption and associated carbon emissions changes throughout the year in response to the environment, with much higher usage during hotter months. What can we do about that?

Accountability starts with data. Data becomes information, information feeds strategy and strategy informs initiatives. All conducted in a culture of transparency and continuous improvement.

More later!!!