Get a quote

Hepburn Shire Council – Government

Waste management council team learns to manage aggressive residents

Local government employees upskill on understanding and de-escalating a range of emotional and difficult behaviours.

Services: Customer communications

About Hepburn Shire Council

Nestled amidst the picturesque landscapes of Victoria, Australia, Hepburn Shire Council stands as a beacon of community governance and stewardship. Encompassing a diverse array of townships, including the iconic Daylesford and Hepburn Springs, the council serves as the administrative hub for this vibrant region.

 

Renowned for its rich cultural heritage, thriving arts scene, and natural mineral springs, Hepburn Shire Council embraces a commitment to sustainable development, fostering a harmonious balance between environmental preservation and progressive growth.

The challenge

Local government, like many service sectors in recent times, has seen a spike in aggression and emotional customers. Initiatives like employee assistance programs (EAPs) may help staff cope with the emotional and personal health impacts of client aggression. However, this support typically occurs ‘after the fact’ and doesn’t prepare employees for dealing with difficult clients or de-escalating tense situations. Combining self-management support with customer communication and de-escalation techniques can equip employees to handle stressful interactions more effectively. It also meets the legislative need to reduce exposure and impact of psychosocial risks to employees.

 

The Hepburn Shire Council waste management team had a wide gap of skill competency. Some had rich experience and just needed learning reinforcement, while other participants were new to their roles. In particular, the council wanted to:

 

  • Upskill staff knowledge, understanding, and practical response strategies to support de-escalating a range of aggressive and difficult behaviours.
  • Adopt best practice response strategies as a team collective when handling angry and emotional customers. 

What did CCS do

After pre-consultation with management and supervisors, we mapped out a workshop format for the waste management team based on our most practical and relevant de-escalation strategies. Together with Hepburn Shire Council, we developed real-world scenarios based on common behavioural challenges in day-to-day operations. This supported the relevance of the learning.

 

With a mix of skill levels, experience and competency in the team we were able to observe firsthand in the workshop where some of these gaps existed. The activities and exercises integrated into the learning helped bridge the gap between understanding and practical application. We also provided a report that recommended areas of further improvement for the team post-training to assist them in their ongoing goal of using a consistent response approach for de-escalation.

The results

✔︎ Increase in shared knowledge of best practice responses.

✔︎ Observed benefit to team resilience levels due to healthier self-management practices.

✔︎ Ease of application, as reported by participants.

Success Stories

Providing dynamic learning experiences

Janette Collier

Acting Director, Australian Institute for Primary Care & Ageing
“Our partnership with CCS has been very successful and course participants have contacted me to say how much they enjoyed the training with CCS and how useful they found it. Many have incorporated the skills and strategies into their working and personal life. Their only complaint was that they wanted a longer session!“

Michelle Eddy

Director of Finance, Canadian Armed Forces
“David Patmore led us on our MARATE experience today and was a very engaging instructor. He made me feel confident and equipped to converse with difficult people/situations. This course will be relevant in all aspects of my life: work, family, friends and absolute strangers that I may encounter."

Kiery Pascoe

Organisational Learning Specialist, Southern Cross Community Healthcare
“It was great to have a session where the facilitator was able to adapt to our industry and provide scenario’s that fitted in with our organisation. Loved how interactive it was and real practical skills that can be used immediately. "






Southern Cross Community Healthcare

Naomi Cooper

Acting Health Services Manager - Digital Health, Royal Flying Doctor Service
“The structure and content was really well thought out and was spot on for the needs of the group. I’ve attended a few workshops on the same topic and this was by far the most practical and useful.“