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Who

Australian Bureau
of Statistics

What

Communications Strategy

Comms Program Delivery

Design + Production of multimedia program
Copywriting

Where

Sydney

CONTEXT

  • Census data processing centre employing 300+ multicultural staff

  • Low engagement and retention due to repetitive, high-volume data entry work

  • Initial brief focused narrowly on poster design

  • Underlying challenge was lack of meaning, connection, and team cohesion

REFRAME

  • Shifted from isolated communications to an engagement-led communications strategy

  • Transformed newsletter into a participatory cultural and storytelling platform

  • Introduced visual data storytelling, rituals, and team-based milestones

  • Created shared meaning around the impact of census work on national decision-making

OUTCOME

  • Newsletter expanded from 16 to 64 pages through voluntary staff contribution

  • Significant increase in engagement and cross-cultural connection

  • Staff retention reached an exceptional 95%

  • Program recognised internally as highly effective in improving morale and cohesion

Following each national census, the Australian Bureau of Statistics establishes a large data processing centre employing hundreds of staff to transform raw information into policy-shaping insights.
 
An initial request for posters revealed a deeper issue: high staff turnover due to low engagement within a repetitive multicultural work environment where staff could not see the significance of their contribution.
 
The focus shifted from communication outputs to engagement architecture. A participatory newsletter, visual data storytelling, cultural rituals, and milestone-based installations reframed the work as meaningful and collective rather than transactional.
 
As participation enthusiastically expanded, the newsletter grew from 16 to 64 pages and staff retention reached 95% — demonstrating how structural reframing and shared meaning can materially improve engagement and performance
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