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BUILD A WORKPLACE COMMITTED TO SUPERIOR SERVICEInvesting in technology, processes and people to improve the overall customer experience for both workers and employers. |
We are building the WorkSafeNB of the future through transformation. We need to do so to meet the ever-changing needs of our clients.
In 2018, we launched our transformation, by focusing on reviewing our systems and processes to see where we could realign, improve or upgrade them to make it easier and faster for clients to do business with us. Part of this commitment included restructuring WorkSafeNB to better enable our teams to act, and react, faster and more efficiently for the workers and employers of our province. This restructuring means shifting from a regional model to a shared services model that, when complete in 2019, will allow us to standardize our processes to best serve clients by identifying and remedying inefficiencies.
We recognize that too many of our processes are paper-based and outdated, and, in 2018, we initiated several enhancements to increase our capability to analyze and manage data - a need that was highlighted in the Auditor General’s report on our claims management process.
One way we reduced our paper trail was through direct deposit conversion. Direct deposit offers a faster, more reliable method of payment for our clients, providing peace of mind during their recovery. Faced with a possibly long postal strike, in 2018 we embarked on a mission to convert clients still receiving their benefits by cheque to our direct deposit system. The project was a success, allowing us to decrease the number of cheque payments from 13% to 5%, resulting in significant economies in internal resources and costs and allowing more workers to have convenient and fast access to their payments.
In 2018, we mapped our entire claim process from the time of injury to return to work, from the client perspective. By doing this, we were able to better understand all the moving pieces and identify areas for improvement. Through this, 19 continuous improvement projects were initiated in 2018 to address these gaps. Of these 19, 14 were completed in 2018, with the other five on track to be completed in 2019.
While upgrading some of our systems to reduce manual effort, we identified an opportunity to provide online access T5 forms from 2018 and later, through MyServices. It was a logical addition to the offerings and provides our clients with convenient and timely access to their tax forms. It marked the first year we provided this multi-channel service delivery model to connect our clients to the documents they need faster, and from the comfort of their own home.
All of our organization’s projects are supported by our newly-assembled performance excellence and project management office. The new team hit the ground running in 2018, supporting and providing guidance on a number of initiatives within the organization, helping us prioritize major projects, set realistic time lines and focus on improving our clients’ experience.
CLIENT SATISFACTION WITH OUR SERVICE DELIVERY
Client satisfaction results have been relatively stable in the recent three years in which they were collected. However, employer satisfaction has declined since 2014, which is not unexpected given the extra challenge that increasing premium rates have placed on New Brunswick employers recently. We are pleased to see an increase in worker satisfaction and we continue to strive to meet the needs of both workers and employers. In 2018, the Integrity Commissioner gave us a green light to resume our client satisfaction surveys, after working to enhance the survey to guarantee privacy.
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
An engaged, committed and valued workforce is central to achieving our goals – when we meet our employees’ needs we are able to meet our clients’ needs. We continually take the temperature of our employees’ engagement to see what is working well and what we can do better. This year, we achieved a 93% response rate on our survey. We are encouraged to see that our staff want to be heard, and we are listening. We are working to improve overall engagement, and we are proud to see gains made in these two areas: “This organization encourages innovation” is up by 5%, and “In the last year I have made recommendations for organizational improvements” is up by 6%. We look forward to moving the needle in creating a work environment where all of our staff can thrive and provide excellent client service.
