Issue 5 - Customer Service Institute of Australia

Staff Initiative TeamsTeams dedicated to improving the work environment ofstaff have been established in National Offi ce and Stateoffi ces for a number of years. Staff are encouragedto join these teams to play a part in developing andorganising activities that help us maintain a happy andhealthy work environment.Over the last 12 months, these teams have organiseda range of events and activities including:Becoming certifi ed to the ICSS hasprovided us with valuable insights intothe range of initiatives that we can taketo become a best practice serviceprovider.Supporting A Work/Life BalanceDuring 2003–04, we participated in the fi fth annualWork/Life Benchmarking Study conducted by Familiesat Work in conjunction with CCH. We were named inthe top 25 best practice organisations, and receiveda Certifi cate of Achievement. Our certifi ed agreementsupports and encourages a healthy work/life balanceand has the following initiatives in place: Healthy lifestyle subsidy—a subsidy for eligibleemployees of up to $120 per calendar year to helpstaff meet the costs of health programs, equipmentor memberships Vacation childcare subsidy—a subsidy foremployees who have applied for leave and arerequired to work due to operational requirements Employee assistance program—access toconfi dential professional counselling Carer assistance—information about child anddependant care services Part-time work.As part of the core skill program, we identifi ed and rana number of training programs associated with work/lifebalance initiatives. Monthly Excellence in Service awards - staff areencouraged to nominate co-workers who havemodelled our corporate values and have goneabove and beyond the call of duty. The winnersand nominees are presented with certifi cates ofappreciation at monthly staff award ceremoniesHealthy Lifestyle Week, which includes events andspeakers on health issuesSupport and fundraising for various charities andfor HIC families in crisis.Staff Training ProgramsRecently we have placed a signifi cant emphasis onproviding our Customer Service Offi cers (CSO’s) withaccess to consistent, high quality training when andwhere they need it. To achieve this outcome, existingoperational training is being rewritten converted toeLearning modules. In addition, staff have access to aReference Suite that details policies, procedures andinformation relevant to their work. Our CSO’s also havea competency training program that covers the rangeof interpersonal and administrative skills that these staffneed to effectively meets the needs of our customers.Accreditation To The InternationalCustomer Service Standard (ICSS)Becoming certifi ed to the ICSS has provided us withvaluable insights into the range of initiatives that we cantake to become a best practice service provider. We willuse this information to prioritise our resource allocationand to create cross functional teams to undertakecontinuous improvement activities. This awarddemonstrates and recognises the high standards ofservice that our staff already provide to our customersand it creates a sense of pride in the high standard ofservice that they are already providing.For more information about HIC’s Customer Service Initiativesplease contact Marion Wands at marion.wands@hic.gov.au