WesCEF - Employee wellbeing and operating safely

Mental health and employee wellbeing remains critically important for WesCEF and COVID-19 management added another layer of complexity. Many employees were forced to quickly adapt to working from home, which was a source of stress for some. There was also the fear of the unknown with the pandemic and what it may mean to individuals and their loved ones.

With a rising number of team member accessing WesCEF’s Employee Assistance Program, the existing health and safety support services were expanded to develop a new online resource hub offering information, courses, and tips about staying connected with others when working remotely. WesCEF doubled the number of free counselling sessions available to its team members and their immediate family members. 

WesCEF introduced a fully revised Working from Home Policy for those employees that adapted well to working from home and wanted greater flexible working arrangements. 

Completion of WesCEF’s mental health training increased from 50 per cent of supervisors in the 2020 financial year to 73 per cent in the 2021 financial year, and from 74 per cent of employees in the 2020 financial year to 86 per cent in the 2021 financial year. 

Keeping employees physically safe at all times remains a priority for WesCEF, with a particular focus on situations or events that have the potential to cause serious harm. These are known as high potential (HiPo) hazards and incidents. 

WesCEF continued to focus on hazard reporting throughout the year, and pleasingly achieved a 40 per cent increase, or 1,507 separate reports, compared to the previous year. Identifying and implementing additional controls to address these hazards leads to an overall reduction in risk of serious harm to team members. Although the increased hazard reporting has not yet resulted in less incidents, continued focus is expected to achieve this outcome in future years.

The HiPo risk management program is continually reviewed and was further enhanced during the 2021 financial year to expand the offering for critical control checklists that identify and check controls that, if not in place or not effective, could lead to a HiPo hazard or incident.

To further mitigate risks, WesCEF is planning to develop a set of performance standards for each HiPo risk and introduce multi-level verification activities next year.