PUT TITLE HERE Attendance Support Project Update Presentation to COSBO October 2008 1
Status Update Project Objectives Our Approach Overview of Key Tools Developed Key Findings Attendance Support Implementation Plan 2
Project Objectives Review and assess existing attendance management systems and policies and their impact on absenteeism in key performing Ontario school boards Research, analyze and develop recommendations and options as they pertain to Attendance Management Best Practices for the District School Boards of Ontario Ensure that solutions would help boards: Increase management capacity Reduce unnecessary costs related to absenteeism Support student achievement through the development of a healthy work culture and consistent staff attendance 3
Project Approach Investigation of leading practices structured through: Survey Review Interview Guides / Questionnaires Results / minutes are captured in Excel Interview Template Results used to refine: Attendance Support Framework Attendance Support Maturity Model Results used to develop: Final Report Board & External Org Interviews 4
Overview of Tools Developed - Interview Guides Provides a framework for discussion of Attendance Support Questions aligned with leading practices in both official languages Can be re-used by boards in self-assessment Included in the appendix of the report 5
Overview of Tools Developed Attendance Support Framework The Framework is a basic conceptual structure used to describe a complex issue Structure used consistently throughout the report and becomes a common language 3 phases in the Attendance Support life-cycle : Planning, Monitoring and Evaluating 5 leading practice categories in each phase of the framework 6
Attendance Support Framework Cont. Each category across each phase contains 10 15 leading practices Boards can quickly get a sense of what good looks like 7
From Framework to Maturity Model Content and structure from the Attendance Support Framework used to develop a tool for measuring leading practice adoption Maturity levels are characterized by the number of leading practices adopted vs the number of typical challenges still existing 8
Attendance Support Maturity Model 4 Maturity Levels: Implementing leading practices still being identified or initiated Building partially adopted, foundation being built still evaluating Refining implemented to a significant extent, have been evaluated and are just being refined (usually annually) Mature leading practices have been adopted to the full extent, have been refined over a period of years Maturity Model can be used for: Self Evaluation Where are we? How far do we need to go? Planning and prioritizing What should we do next? Common language and vision How do we define improvement? Are we on the same page? 9
Planning Phase - Key Issues Policy & Guidelines Unsure of what contents should be Don t want to risk interference with collective agreements Roles & Responsibilities Limited buy-in from Exec Committee HR-driven Limited capacity in HR to design / plan Limited involvement or interest from Principals / Supervisors Culture & Environment Culture of employees right to use maximum number of sick days Union refusal to participate in planning Assumption that program seeks to violate human rights Wellness & Benefits Unsure of what programs would improve attendance Limited visibility between program managers Data Analysis & Reporting System and codes not flexible Current reporting not useful or timely Data not reliable 10
Planning Phase Leading Practices Policy & Guidelines Clearly defined thresholds for intervention, processes, flow charts, guiding principles Requires collaboration and endorsement by stakeholders Initiatives are included in multi-year Board improvement plan Roles & Responsibilities Accountability for Management is clearly defined in policy Attendance Committee includes all stakeholders (union reps, Principals, etc) Principals and supervisors required to play a significant role Culture & Environment Management training focused on timeliness and consistency of policy enforcement to ensure employee compliance and eventual erosion of entitlement culture Third-party intervention / analysis of employee needs (no HR or Mgmt involvement) Communication Plans designed for positive and consistent message Intervention process and training assumes that employee requires support for illness/disability first and foremost (less focus on communicating or initiating punitive) steps Wellness & Benefits Perform analysis/ benchmarking of organizational wellness, then set targets Design benefits and wellness programs according to analysis and employee feedback Data Analysis & Reporting Perform system review + retrain Align absence codes with collective agreement language Design reports for how you will manage employees (and management) and attach them to the policy 11
Monitoring Phase Key Issues Policy & Guidelines Policy and procedure monitored / applied only on an ad-hoc basis Roles & Responsibilities Limited Principal/Supervisor involvement and accountability in monitoring Limited contact between employees and management during absence Limited capacity within HR to monitor, coordinate, coach, act as sentinel, etc Culture & Environment Inconsistent management styles / approach / communication Wellness & Benefits Difficulty identifying trends related to attendance Management perceptions of attendance support or RTW programs are not always positive Data Analysis & Reporting Data not timely or consistent (misuse of other coding category, inconsistent coding for supply teachers for PD sessions). Creating and interpreting reports requires advanced technical skills Limited Site-based self-service reporting available Reports not being incorporated into management processes No benchmarks to measure improvements 12
Monitoring Phase - Leading Practices Policy & Guidelines Policy and procedure material distributed to all employees. Policy applied on a consistent basis through monitoring and support of management as well as employees Refresher training for employees and management is ongoing Roles & Responsibilities Ensuring Principal/Supervisor involvement and accountability through training and personal coaching/planning Employees must report absence to Principals./Supervisors (Sentinel) in addition to using SmartFind Express (supply auto-dispatch system) Dedicated resource in HR to coordinate Attendance Support initiatives and act as coach Culture & Environment Management is supported by standard templates, real-time coaching and peer support Actions of management are monitored for consistency through training Proactive employee intervention when trends have been identified Satisfaction and Commitment Surveys conducted Wellness & Benefits Utilization of programs is measured against attendance trends Education and statistics provided to all management to improve any negative perceptions of attendance support or RTW programs Data Analysis & Reporting System automatically flags employees with paterns of absenteeism Employees Data entry is site-based and monitored by HR for accuracy (corrected immediately) User-friendly reports available to management, shared with unions and incorporated into committee meetings 13
Key Findings Evaluation Phase Issues Policy & Guidelines Limited ability to evaluate effectiveness of policy, program or compliance with policy Roles & Responsibilities Difficulty evaluating individual management or departmental performance in supporting Attendance Limited capacity or accountability for performing and reporting on evaluation. Culture & Environment Culture and environment varies and is difficult to evaluate changes or improvements. Wellness & Benefits Limited experience in drawing correlation between wellness / benefits use and attendance No baseline for wellness No wellness program Data Analysis & Reporting Attendance Data not segmented, detailed or accurate enough to analyze Limited access to financial data necessary for conducting cost benefit analysis No benchmarks 14
Key Findings Evaluation Phase Leading Practices Policy & Guidelines Evaluate management and employee feedback through committee Measure the number and type of program-related grievances, Roles & Responsibilities Evaluate absence data entry accuracy / compliance by facility + circulate report to all Principals / Facility Managers Evaluate caseload and performance of HR Survey quality of support provided to managers by HR In the planning phase dedicate a resource to coordinate the evaluation process Culture & Environment Evaluation of satisfaction and commitment surveys Wellness & Benefits Evaluate usage and satisfaction of programs as well as providers Evaluate LTD and RTW for signs of change Data Analysis & Reporting Evaluate attendance by group not on annual result but month by month comparison with previous year. Annual cost avoidance used to validate funding for program / resource Ensure attendance tracking system configuration and other system (financial) data requirements are identified in the plan and someone is accountable for reporting 15
Attendance Support Implementation Plan Don t expect returns on investment or changes in culture in the first year; Be patient, be consistent and continue to communicate, communicate communicate; and Ensure the plan is formal, has been approved by the Board and has been incorporated into the multiyear improvement plan Assessment & Planning Develop Attendance Support Committee Perform (Self)-Assessment & Benchmarking Develop Attendance Support Policy and Processes Develop Roadmap + Annual Plan Develop Communication Plan + Support Tools Implementation Ensure Resource Alignment & Capacity Refine attendance tracking and reporting systems Roll-out Education & Training Roll-out / coordinate with services (ie. Wellness, RTW, etc) Monitoring Ongoing Monitoirng of Perfomance and Compliance Ongoing Communication Satisfaction & Cultural Surveys Evaluation & Refinement Ongoing evaulation of Program Effectiveness Refine Program for next year PLANNING IMPLEMENTING BENEFIT REALIZATION Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 16
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