The organisation’s role as regulator won’t fundamentally alter, but the way staff assess risk and make decisions, applying principle based judgement, engaging in deeper conversations with applicants, and ensuring risk is actively mitigated. This represents a profound cultural shift, improving safety outcomes for both road workers and users, and the transition must be complete by mid-2026.
The challenge:
The challenge is less about systems and more about mindset. Staff who are used to certainty and compliance now face a shift into a principles-based environment that demands confidence, agency, and new skills like de-escalation. Without clear support, there’s a risk of confusion, resistance, or inconsistent application of standards.
The approach:
Our employee experience partners, Purple Shirt, are helping guide the change through an HCD and change management approach that keeps people at the centre. By co-designing tools, scenarios, and communications with staff, the change is becoming something clear and tangible rather than abstract. This approach aligns the technical requirements of the new framework with the practical realities of people’s day to day work. At this early stage, their focus is on making the change real for staff through co-designed communication and storytelling:
- Bringing principles to life through scenarios to help staff see what “good judgement” looks like in practice.
- Comms design, translating abstract regulatory principles into relatable, role-specific examples
- Using co-design and interviews to uncover how staff experience the change today, creating insights that shape training and tools.
- Aligning leadership narrative, to clearly articulate the “why” of the shift and set a confident tone.
The impact:
People are beginning to engage with the new principles-based approach in practical ways. Instead of viewing it as a compliance exercise, they are exploring how the principles apply to their roles. Our employee experience partners, Purple Shirt, are supporting this shift with a clear change plan built around storytelling, co-designed scenarios, and practical tools. This early focus is helping people feel supported, not overwhelmed, as they adopt new ways of working, marking the start of a longer journey to fully embed and sustain the change across the organisation.
