Governing for Results 13 - Washington State Digital Archives

Employment Security Department
Claimant Placement Program Orientation Scheduling
The process of scheduling Unemployment Insurance (UI) claimants to attend job
seeking skills workshops at the WorkSource Columbia Basin was a lengthy, labor
intensive, 4-step process. Claimants were first identified from a list produced by
the automated UI system, then three screens had to be checked to determine
various information—such as payment history, employer attachment, name, and
address. Once the identification process was complete, names, addresses, and
social security numbers were entered into Windows; then using the merge data
feature, appointment letters were printed. The letters were checked for accuracy,
corrections made, and copies prepared for the local file. The last step was to
create a list of individuals scheduled to attend the workshop by typing their
names into an Excel schedule form. Because the scheduling process took so
long, not every claimant that was identified to attend the workshop got
scheduled. The team explored other scheduling alternatives and found that
WorkSource Walla Walla was using an Access downloading process. This
eliminated the need to key information into Windows for printing appointment
letters and into Excel to produce the workshop schedule. The team coordinated
and collaborated with Walla Walla staff to adapt their system and train staff.
Results
★ Saved 819 FTE hours by reducing staff time from 936 hours per year to 117
hours per year.
★ Doubled the number of claimants scheduled each week for workshops, from
80 to 160.
★ Doubled the number of workshops held each week from four to eight.
★ Improved accuracy of data.
★ Adapted and implemented as a “best practice.”
Team Name: WorkSource Columbia Basin
Team Members: Josie Acob-Campbell, Daryl Campbell, Sally Casey, Sandra
Ortega
CONTACT: Sally Casey, (509) 734-5946
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