Workers Compensation Board lays off five managers to 'improve efficiencies'

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This article was published 8/3/2018 (495 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba has laid off five managers and is redeploying eight other employees as it streamlines its operations.

WCB employees were informed of the moves by president and chief executive officer Winston Maharaj in an email late Wednesday.

"These changes are part of our ongoing effort to improve efficiencies and streamline services, while at the same time continuing to offer high-quality programs and services," Maharaj said in the email, a copy of which was obtained by the Free Press. "The decision to make these changes was difficult and made for business purposes with the best interests of the longer-term needs of the organization."

The management positions eliminated include:

• director, communications — corporate communications;

• manager, policy, planning and evaluation — policy and research;

• manager, customer service and quality — policy and research;

• manager, financial planning and analysis — actuarial services;

• IT security manager — information technology.

Eight non-management staff, including a communications supervisor and several service-quality analysts are to be redeployed. They remain on the payroll as the WCB and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (Local 1063) negotiate their future employment.

"We're going to be at the table to try to minimize the direct impact to our members," said CUPE national rep Dale Edmunds. The union represents 510 of the WCB's roughly 600 staff.

The Workers Compensation Board is fully funded by premiums paid by employers. It receives no provincial funding.

Maharaj said every effort is being made to ensure the changes are handled in the "most respectful, compassionate and professional manner." WCB is providing separation packages and has retained an independent career transition and counselling service firm to provide support and resources to the affected management employees, he said in his email.

He assured staff the restructuring is not based on individual performance but "on our ability to meet our customers’ needs while streamlining operations to better prepare the organization for the future."

He said there would be no further layoffs this year.

Part of the streamlining comes as a result of a WCB decision to merge its communications efforts with a related organization, Safe Work Manitoba.

Shannon Earle, WCB vice-president, human resources and strategy, said she could not estimate how much money the organization will save as a result of the changes, referring to compensation paid to departing staff.

"Longer term, there would obviously be cost savings," she said.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca