WorkSource staff, customers and friends enjoy an evening at Joe Martin Stadium at a Bellingham Bells ball game on August 9, 2005
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Whatcom All-Staff Meeting

September 14, 2005

From Gary

Center Use Team to Facilitate All-Staff meetings –

Management Team has determined agenda setting and facilitation of All-Staff Meetings are to become the responsibility of Center Use Teams.  A manager will always be present at the meetings, but the Center Use Team will now prepare the agenda, facilitate the meetings and follow-up on discussions, ideas and issues to be addressed.

E-mail/Facilities scheduler - due to e-mail being down the facilities scheduler is not receiving your requests from the website.  Gary asked staff to voicemail AnnMarie (staff member responsible for the scheduler now) any requests they had made in the last week.

A couple (positive) comment cards were also read.

The Center Use Team facilitated today’s meeting and shared the following information:

1.  Pager Protocol – revision: in May the pagers were reinstated in the Resource Center and we have modified the protocol based on input from Resource Specialists and observations in the Resource Center.  Customers are being assisted by the RS so the pagers will now be used when customer flow is low and one of the Resource Specialists leaves the area. 

Click Here for revised Paging Protocols

2.  Staffing agencies and on-site interviews – staffing agency interviews are JOB interviews, NOT practice interviews.  Staffing agencies are businesses conducting business here.  Remember, if you suggest an interview with a staffing agency to a customer be sure she/he understands it is for a job, not practice.

It was also mentioned that staffing agencies could/might inform UI if a customer interviews and does not accept a position because she/he thought it was for practice.  Practice interviews are available in WinWay Resume on the interview video tab.

3.  Customer comment cards – if you talk with a customer who has a problem, complaint, concern or suggestion (the good and the bad) a comment card is one way we can respond.  We need data and specific information to be able to learn about the issue and to make improvements.  Please inform customers that using the comment card is the way to get problems resolved and to make changes and improvements.

4.  New Resource Center PC image (green key/start menu) and www.worksourcenorthwest.com – After opportunity for staff and customer input, these are now on the computers in the Resource Center.  The job seekers’ module is complete on the new site and a link to it is on the WMS instruction/logout screen for easy access.  Be sure to point it out to customers.  The information, resources and links available through the (colorful) Menu of Services are on the new site, including the handouts that had been in the file cabinet in the Resource Center.  (Due to costs/budgets we no longer stock printed copies and have made the handouts available for on-demand printing.)  Customers working from home (or other locations) can now review and print these PDF files.

The BUSINESS module of the new site is under development and then the secure staff area will be developed.  Information on InsideWorkSourceNorthwest will be moved to the password protected staff area and InsideWSNW will be vacated.

Next All-Staff meeting will be on 9/24 from 4-5pm

Whatcom All Staff Meeting Notes
July 13, 2005

Reflections on WorkSource-Columbia Basin Best Practices to Adopt in WorkSource-Northwest Partnership

LEADERSHIP

1. Problem resolution accomplished at leadership level
2. Partnership is an equal playing field for all partners
3. agreement on common outcomes
4. No public disagreements – consistency of message and voice
5. Do we know our own mission statement? & do we check our actions against it?
6. Board members could be more familiar with local operations at Centers (Open Houses?)
7. Staff make presentations to leadership (Note: Management Team here) regarding process improvements

STRATEGIC PLANNING

1. Try it! It doesn/t have to be perfect the first time
2. Ask “Why do we do it that/this way?” to identify ways to constantly improve

HUMAN RESOURCE

1. Functional orientation of staff work stations
2. Empower staff for problem resolution and system design
3. Recognize staff accomplishments/contributions regularly – rewards like Starbucks cards
4. Dedicated or “static” Resource Specialists
5. Cross training of staff
6. Staff are interviewed to assess skill sets/interests and are placed in positions accordingly

PROCESS MANAGEMENT

1. Shared processes/tasks done the same way – this may not work regionally as there are limitations/variations by site
2. Ask “Why do we do it that/this way?” to identify ways to constantly improve

INFORMATION & ANALYSIS

1. Share projects and agency updates with each other
2. Clear drivers and targets are tracked and progress/corrections made based upon the data

CUSTOMER & MARKET FOCUS

1. Business Services team and focus on business customer (to include events like business in the AM)
2. Triage and seat customers in Resource Lobby based on computer literacy and their need for staff assistance
3. Refer needy/unskilled customers to group workshops for skill building
4. Provide customers with at least one, preferably two referrals each visit
5. Provide a visual “tour” of the Center for new members pointing out key features

BUSINESS RESULTS

1. Results shared with all staff as drivers to performance
2. Partners’ performance is shared