Justice launches work-from-home initiative

Justice launches work-from-home initiative

The daily commute to and from work will end for more Ministry of Justice collections registry officers who will start transitioning to a new innovative working-from-home environment.

Bryre Patchell, General Manager Collections, says about 100 collections registry positions will move permanently from the office to working from home over the next 13 months.

Collections officers handle and process fines and reparation inquiries, and enforce payment when required.

“The vast majority of people now pay their fines online or over the phone, and these staff do not need to be in any specific location to do their job,” Mr Patchell says.

“We began looking into having people work from home some time ago, and in 2013 began a pilot to test the practical realities of this. It turns out the people involved are happier and more efficient when they work from home.”

When working from home, people found it easier to focus, which resulted in them feeling more engaged and being more productive.

“Technology is allowing people to work in ways that weren’t previously possible. The ability to access and receive information from anywhere means people now have greater freedom to decide where, when and how they work.

“It doesn’t matter where these staff work so long as they have a suitable space at home and they’ve got access to broadband. It also opens up future work options for people who live away from the main centres, especially those in rural areas.”

The changes do not affect services to the public, who will still be able to pay fines over the phone, online or in person at a Westpac branch, or at a District Court front counter. If they have any questions about fines they can call us on 0800 4FINES as most people do, or go to their local court.

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