Deakin University Human Resources People Support Plan Version 1.2 Last Update: 16 April 2012 Owner: Executive Director Human Resources

Transcription

1 Deakin University Human Resources People Support Plan Version 1.2 Last Update: 16 April 2012 Owner: Executive Director Human Resources Table of Contents Introduction... 2 Activation... 2 Coordination with External Agencies... 2 General Legal Situation... 2 Human Resources Responsibilities... 2 Human Resources Crisis Management Team Member (Human Resources Coordinator)... 2 Human Resources Support Team... 3 Appointment of a Support Coordinator... 3 Support Call Centre... 3 Counselling Services... 3 Information Management... 3 Affected Staff Member and Family Representatives... 4 Identification... 4 Financial Support... 4 Emotional Support... 4 Ongoing Support... 4 Commemoration... 5 Annex 1: Human Resources Coordinator... 6 Annex 2: Guide for People Support Team... 7 Annex 3: People Support Team Roles... 8 Annex 4: Counselling Services and Other Contacts... 9 Annex 5: Proformas Annex 6: Guide in the Event of Serious Injury or Death of Staff Member Annex 7: Guide to Talking with Anxious or Distressed Callers... 13

2 Introduction The University is responsible for health, safety and welfare of persons on our campuses or carrying out University business. In the event of a person being involved in a serious injury or other traumatic event the University has a number of formal and informal responsibilities. The formal responsibilities include reporting the event to the appropriate authority. In Australia this will generally be the local statutory OHS authority (in Victoria, WorkSafe) and the police. The informal responsibilities involve support given to the person, their family and close friends, and other persons incidentally involved such as academics, colleagues, witnesses and so on. This Plan covers the arrangements where staff are directly or indirectly involved. Human Resources Division is responsible these arrangements on behalf of the University. It is critical to all involved that assistance and support is provided in a timely, appropriate and sensitive manner. The main roles of Human Resources in a crisis or emergency include: Advising the University Critical Incident Management Team on human resources matters Providing personnel information to emergency authorities if needed Keeping in contact with and providing support to staff involved directly or indirectly in the situation Coordinating any support services for staff families and next-of-kin Facilitating pay, leave and workers compensation arrangements Liaising with OHS and industrial regulatory authorities Facilitating and coordinating the employment of temporary staff or redeployment of existing staff if needed (see Business Continuity Plan). Activation The People Support Plan is activated by the Executive Director, Human Resources Division or the University Critical Incident Management Team Leader. Activation is by telephone. Coordination with External Agencies In the event of a major incident, state authorities will be responsible for dealing with the situation in terms of emergency response, coronial requirements and site remediation. The primary authority for the investigation of the incident will be Worksafe (for industrial accidents) and / or the Victorian Police. In event of fatalities or a situation where there have been multiple serious injuries, it is likely that the Police will manage notifying next of kin. However the University may need to provide this information (Annex 3 - Contact Coordinator). Human Resources will nominate a person to liaise with the authorities (Annex 3 Liaison Officer). This may be especially difficult where the University may also be facing prosecution or other censure. General Legal Situation In most cases, the University under workers compensation legislation will be liable for the costs associated with the injury or death of a staff member. Depending upon the circumstances, the University may also face action or prosecution under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Human Resources Responsibilities Human Resources Crisis Management Team Member (Human Resources Coordinator) In a critical incident the Executive Director Human Resources or nominee will join the University s Critical Incident Management Team to provide the Team with advice on staffing, safety or industrial relations matters. Further details are given in Annex 1. Page 2

3 Human Resources Support Team In a crisis the Director, Human Resources (or nominated Human Resources Coordinator) may activate a People Support Team to provide advice to the Critical Incident Management Team, organise services and support to affected staff and families, or participate in business continuity or recovery arrangements. Further details are given in Annex 2. Appointment of a Support Coordinator Depending upon the situation, the Director, Human Resources (or nominated Human Resources Coordinator) may nominate a Support Coordinator. The Support Coordinator is an essential part of the immediate response to a crisis that has or may seriously affect staff members. The Support Coordinator provides the communication link between the University, relevant emergency and welfare services, victims and their families, as well providing services direct to victims and families. Arrangements need to be made to ensure that the Support Coordinator has sufficient support from the University. Once Human Resources has been advised of an emergency or crisis, a Support Coordinator should be immediately nominated. The Support Coordinator, where required, may need to set up a Support Call Centre. Support Call Centre In a situation that affects a large number of staff, a Support Call Centre may need to be established where support information is provided or arrangements are made for support. Depending upon the circumstances this Call Centre may be staffed by University staff and/or trained counsellors. The Support Call Centre would divert media enquiries to the Media Support team. Counselling Services Counselling services will normally be coordinated through the Division of Student Life. Arrangements are summarised in Annex 4. Information Management The availability and management of information is vital for an effective response to an incident, including the provision of information to families. It will be important to get the balance of information right, therefore close coordination within the University, especially Government and Media Relations, and with emergency agencies regarding any statements in relation to the incident, will be essential. With regard to information on staff involved, including names of any seriously injured or deceased, it is important that the University work closely with the Police in charge of the incident site as the Police in association with the Coroner are responsible for notifying next of kin in the event of death. In a mass fatality incident, the Police across Australia have protocols with Interpol for advising the relevant authorities within that persons country. Following a serious incident, the most immediate form of family assistance is the confirmation of family members amongst the victims. The release of information to the families of victims, the media, other interested parties and the general public should only be done in consultation with the emergency authorities. It is critical that any information released by the University is accurate and sensitive to the situation. The families of victims usually expect to be kept fully informed about what happened, and why it happened, in order to make sense of their loss. Every effort should be made to ensure that victims and families are informed of key information about the incident, or its probable causes, before the information is released to the public. The University may need to provide a 24-hour a day contact arrangement for the families of victims, in addition to a system to deal with the information demands of the public. The Support Coordinator would arrange this external support. However, experience has shown that the number of telephone enquiries following a major incident can be substantial. A broadly publicised free telephone number may not be optimal as the main point of public contact. It could be very easy for the University to be overwhelmed by the number of calls, and may encourage nuisance calls. A filtering or screening process, to identify callers with a genuine interest in, or relationship to, victims, should be implemented in a major incident. This would normally be done by the University Call Centre before a call was forwarded to Human Resources. Once a genuine caller is identified, consideration should be given to utilising a separate, non-publicised, free telephone number to facilitate contact with the University. In this situation the University should move quickly to Page 3

4 provide an effective mechanism to deal with large numbers of inquiries. This mechanism should also be able to deal effectively with the likely languages spoken by the families of victims. Human Resources will also work with Government and Media Relations, Knowledge Media and Information Technology Services to maintain up to date information on the University website. Affected Staff Member and Family Representatives The Support Coordinator should try to identify and deal with an appropriate family member that represents the interests of the family of any victims. The identification of the appropriate person to represent the interests of the family may not always be straightforward, and the University recognises the importance of handling this task with appropriate sensitivity. The Support Coordinator may need to seek advice to appropriately recognise and manage cultural differences. There may be international staff involved and different countries will have different requirements for providing advice to next of kin. DFAT can assist with notification to Australian citizens who reside, or are travelling, outside Australia. Identification Responsibility in Australia for identification and notification of deaths to the next of kin rests solely with the Police assisting Coroners. As such, in releasing identifying data, the University would need to work closely with local police authorities in order for the police and properly identify victims. In the case of foreign nationals, advice should be sought from DFAT and/or the appropriate diplomatic missions on how notification of relatives should be made. The University is also aware that diplomatic and consular staff will have liaison and coordination roles in relation to their citizens and early contact with relevant diplomatic missions should occur. Assistance will be sought from Deakin International. Financial Support In the event of the serious injury or death from injury of a staff member at work, the University will provide direct support to the staff affected and their families. The University is legally required to cease payment of salary on the death of a staff member. Where needed, the Executive Director Human Resources can authorise direct or advance payments to affected staff and their families to reduce any financial hardship or stress. Emotional Support Where access is practical, a visit to the accident site by the families, and the survivors, has become a common practice as part of the grieving process. Active encouragement of families to attend the accident site is not recommended. However, where families have a desire to visit the accident site, the University will provide financial and administrative support, including assistance with travel and accommodation. This would be authorised by the Executive Director Human Resources. A range of counselling services should be made available to affected staff members and their families. Counselling for the staff and families is likely to be a major task in a serious event. Depending upon the situation, the service may need to be extended to staff throughout the University. The support can vary, from providing common-sense advice on dealing with the practical aspects of life after the incident, to diffusing and counselling to more significant health care. The University may not have sufficient counselling resources, and may need to have in place arrangements to obtain the services of suitably qualified professionals. This should be coordinated through the Division of Student Life. In a significant incident additional support services may be available through government agencies such as the Victorian Department of Human Services and voluntary organisations such as the Red Cross. Ongoing Support In significant events long-term ongoing support to staff and their families may be needed. Individual cases, including identification and coronial inquests, WorkSafe investigations, return of remains, legal issues and family contact may all become long-running matters. The provision of sufficient resources and effective tracking of issues and cases need to be maintained. This ongoing support, for a period of years, if necessary, needs to be considered. Page 4

5 The provision of support might mean the provision of a telephone number where families can obtain support and advice as the need arises. At a minimum, it means a long-term commitment by the University to continue to facilitate support from qualified counselling staff. Personal effects and so on may need to be retained by the police, the Coroner or WorkSafe for investigative purposes. With the approval from the relevant authority, the University should facilitate the release of personal effects to staff or their families. Commemoration The University may need to involve families in the process of commemoration and memorials. Families need to be assured that they will be able to participate in any memorial services held after the accident, and that they will have the opportunity to be involved in the design of any memorial structures erected in memory of the incident victims. The Director Human Resources should give consideration to how these issues should be handled, and provide advice to the Senior Executive about protocols. This is particularly important up to and at the time of any anniversary of an accident. Page 5

6 Annex 1: Human Resources Coordinator The Human Resources Coordinator is responsible for providing the Critical Incident Management Team (CIMT) with advice and assistance on human resource (HR), occupational health and safety (OHS) and employee relations (ER) issues. The Human Resources Coordinator also initiates and manages actions to address and support the needs of affected staff and families. The function will work closely with Student Support Advisor. If alerted as a CIMT member: Obtain full details of the incident from the CIMT Leader with particular emphasis on your area Review your copy of this Plan If practical, relocate to the Critical Incident Management Room location. Otherwise ensure videoconference or phone links are working and available. Ensure that your office phone is diverted to CMT Call Centre (if one has been established) Ensure that mobile phone is left with your assistant or diverted to the CMT Call Centre when involved in CMT meetings. Minimise the need for persons trying to contact you using voic If the Human Resources Coordinator is not part of the Crisis Management Team, it is essential that the Human Resources Coordinator remains contactable at all times. The Human Resources Coordinator s mobile phone should be kept charged and on at all times. Even if the crisis does not directly involve human resources, the Human Resources Coordinator should carry out a review of the situation and identify any potential human resources implications and prepare necessary contingencies. The Human Resources Coordinator may need to: Activate a People Support Team and nominate a Team Leader as required and provide them with current information. The People Support Team may be required to provide services or simply advice Advise the CIMT on the immediate/future impact and implications of the incident or emergency on employees and contractors, and on strategies proposed and decisions made in managing the crisis Ensure that the People Support Team is functioning and prepared to handle and respond to inquiries and concerns of affected employees, contractors and next of kin/relatives. Ensure that staffing levels within the team are adequate Issue information statements to staff after consultation with the CIMT Leader, Government and Media Relations and Legal Advisors. All statements must be authorised by the CIMT Leader Provide advice on HR and Employee Relation policies and guidelines. Provide information to or initiate negotiations with staff representative organisations Notify WorkSafe and liaise with WorkSafe on recovery activities, worker s compensation matters or investigations Keep the CIMT up-to-date on casualty status and the status of affected staff and families After consultation with counsellors, arrange meetings or visits to homes of injured/dead staff by appropriate senior management Arrange briefings to inform staff Arrange to have morale and stress levels among staff and contractors monitored by local managers; arranging for counselling where necessary Institute and support incident investigations in consultation with the Solicitor s Office. Page 6

7 Annex 2: Guide for People Support Team Where a People Support Team is formed by the Executive Director Human Resources, the team is responsible for providing advice and operational support to the CIMT through the nominated Team Leader. Get fully briefed on the facts from the Human Resources Coordinator Establish a People Support Team room and appoint a log keeper Establish what additional resources are required Determine the initial response strategy with the Human Resources Coordinator Brief switchboard and Critical Incident Management Call Centre (generally the University Call Centre) on what to do with incoming calls related to human resource, welfare, safety and employee relations issues. Only take these calls direct when ready. Crisis and major emergencies can generate a high volume of telephone inquires about human resources issues and from next of kin Assist the Human Resources Coordinator or Welfare Coordinator (CIM Team members) in arranging and managing counselling to employees, emergency contacts and relatives using qualified counsellors Work closely with Division of Student Life and Student Support Teams to coordinate and optimise the use of support and counselling resources. Identify any need for external assistance in terms of counselling resources and call centres. This may be very complex with cultural, language and religious matters to be addressed If there are casualties or injuries set up a casualty tracking system (see Annex 4) In some circumstances, affected staff or families may want to visit an incident site and carry out religious or other memorial activities. Support may need to be given to providing appropriate assistance to families who may gather at the incident site. The University may need to provide space on campus or at a nearby location. In some circumstance accommodation may need to be found. These arrangements would be coordinated by the Support Centre If required set up and arrange the staffing of a Support Call Centre. The Support Call Centre would divert media enquiries to the Media Support team or general enquiries to the Call Centre Provide information to and maintain contact with the Media Relations Support Team Manage stress within the People Support Team and across the affected part of Deakin University. Specific team roles are given in Annex 3. Page 7

8 Annex 3: People Support Team Roles Team Leader The role of the Team Leader is to manage the People Support Team and to assist keep informed the Human Resources Coordinator. Depending upon the situation, one or more of the roles below may be carried out by the one person or the Team Leader. Contact Coordinator The role of the Contact Coordinator is to make information available from HRIS to assist emergency authorities and the University. This may include: Providing next-of-kin details promptly to emergency authorities when requested Providing staff personal information to emergency authorities when requested. This may be needed to trace or confirm missing persons Providing photographs of staff members Liaison Officer The role of the Liaison Officer is to maintain contact with the public authorities and other external support agencies involved in the crisis in regards to staff welfare and support matters. The liaison officer may need to divert queries to other members of the team or other parts of the University (legal, insurance etc.) Support Coordinator The Support Coordinator coordinates the support provided to families and others affected by the crisis. This may involve: Arranging counselling services in conjunction with the Division of Student Life Providing monetary support until matters can be finalised Arranging accommodation and travel where required The Support Coordinator must ensure, unless directed otherwise, that regular communications are maintained with people involved. This may mean working with the University media group (Media Relations Support Team) to deliver as far as possible prompt, meaningful information. Communications Coordinator The Communications Coordinator works closely with the Media Relations Support team to ensure that Human Resources have up to date releasable information. The Communications Coordinator may need to develop and update scripts for staff answering phones. Page 8

9 Annex 4: Counselling Services and Other Contacts Counselling services in a critical incident are arranged through the Division of Student Life. The Division can also arrange access to counsellors outside the University. In a major incident counselling help lines may be established. For individual counselling arrangements can be made directly through Health Services on each campus Campus Phone Location Geelong Campus at Waurn Ponds Level B, Administration Building Geelong Waterfront Campus Level 2, 1 Gheringhap Street Melbourne Campus at Burwood Level 2, Building B Warrnambool Campus Building B, Lower Level For more complex or extensive situations, contact should be made with John Devereaux (Director, Division of Student Life) John Devereaux Director, Division of Student Life Telephone: (03) Mobile: john.devereaux@deakin.edu.au Assistance can also be sought from the Employee Assistance Counsellors: Geelong Marcus Romanic 155 Myers St. Geelong 3220 Ph: Dianne Pearce 6 Lunan Ave. Drumcondra 3215 Ph: Jane Whitmore 155 Myers St. Geelong 3220 Ph: Sigmund Burzynski and Associates 165 Myers St. Geelong 3220 Ph: Alison Lewis-Nicholson and Pam Scott Connections 27 Little Myers St. Geelong 3220 Ph: Melbourne Dr Heather Underwood 17 Wellman St Box Hill South 3128 Ph: Susan Lefroy 7/655 Victoria St Abbotsford 3067 Ph: Danny Chabel and Barbara Fraser 200 High St. Lower Templestowe 3107 Ph: Warrnambool Dr Petra Becker East Raglan Clinic 366 Raglan St. Warrnambool Ph: Where contact overseas needs to occur advice should be sought through the office of the Executive Director Deakin International first. Page 9

10 Annex 5: Proformas (for the use of the People Support Team and other HR personnel involved) Staff Tracking Form Staff Member Name: Supervisor Name: and contact details: Nominated Emergency Contact details: Has the nominated emergency contact been advised? Date and Time Status (include location and relevant contacts) Initials e.g. 8/8/08, 14:00 At xxxxx hospital. In serious condition. Family at hospital JR Action Form Staff Member Name: Family contact and contact details: Support Coordinator and contact details: e.g. Organise counselling contact for family Actions (including who is responsible) 9/8/08 When By Completed (Initials) Page 10

11 Annex 6: Guide in the Event of Serious Injury or Death of Staff Member The following guide is designed to assist staff in Human Resources Division in the provision of support and assistance to the line manager in the event of serious injury or death to a staff member. In normal circumstances, in this situation the manager of the person involved would take a leading role in dealing with the staff member involved and their family. However there are situations where this is not practical or recommended. In a situation that has lead to a major emergency or crisis for the University, any local decisions regarding notification must be reviewed by the Executive Director, Human Resources. Where there is any doubt, advice should be always sought from Human Resources Division. Notification In the event of a death, it is the responsibility of the Police to notify the next of kin. This may also occur with serious injuries and motor vehicle accidents. The first task is to establish whether formal or informal notification has already occurred. In the event of an injury, if notification has not already occurred, or there are difficulties in arranging notification, the Support Coordinator (see Annex 3) should facilitate the notification process by the appropriate manager. It is preferable, if possible, that the direct line manager makes initial contact. The following is a guide only for notification of a next of kin of a staff member s injury. It will need to be altered to match the particular circumstances: Confirm the next-of-kin telephone contact details When ringing, confirm the identity of the person you are speaking to Identify yourself and your relationship with the injured person (if you do not know the person) Advise the person: of the injury brief facts about the cause (if known and confirmed) the injured person s current location (hospital, in ambulance on way to hospital) actions the University are or will take immediately concerning support or an offer of support that will be arranged within 24 hours If the person is distraught in anyway, recommend that they arrange for someone else to drive them or take a taxi (offer for the University to recompense) Note: Do not let someone who is emotional or distraught themselves make the call Do not discuss or speculate about fault or cause. Announcements In the event of a death or serious injury, staff should be advised in a thoughtful manner. The circumstances of the death/injury as well as the person s individual situation will greatly influence the response to the news of event. Many people, close to the person, will have already heard of the event informally. In normal circumstances, in this situation the manager of the person involved would take a leading role in making announcements and other arrangements. Depending upon the circumstances the following may be considered: The development of a communication s strategy, possibly in conjunction with Marketing Division The person s manager to organise a meeting of colleagues to inform them officially Announcements in lectures or tutorial to students A portal notice or global Letters or cards of condolences to the family If appropriate and with the agreement of the family, make funeral information available to students and staff members. Specific arrangements may be needed to support this In an ongoing situation, if new and pertinent information becomes available arrange update to staff and students. Page 11

12 Follow-up with the Family The timing and the nature of follow-up will depend upon the circumstances. Follow-up in the case of accidental death or serious injury must be approved by the Executive Director, Human Resources. It is important that follow-up occurs promptly. Depending upon the circumstances it can be the appropriate manager or the Support Coordinator. The follow-up call should not be sub-contracted to a non-university person such as an external counsellor. Before the follow-up call, the Support Coordinator should identify potential counselling support and familiarise themselves with pay or other support arrangements. This may be complex with casual staff or in the case of a death. The purpose of the follow-up call is to see how the staff member and their family are going and to confirm with them any support arrangements. Depending upon the circumstances, arrangements may be made for the counsellor to contact them, or alternatively they may want to simply make a note of the counsellor s contact details. Unless there are urgent matters or queries raised by the family the first follow-up call should be limited to issues of support. A further follow-up date should be determined. Depending upon the circumstances the following may need to be discussed in further follow-up calls: Identification of and contact details for a family spokesperson (with traumatic injuries or death) Arrangements for a home visit or hospital visit by the manager, colleagues or senior University managers (may not be appropriate with traumatic injuries or death) Investigation arrangements and progress (may be best done by someone other than the manager or Support Coordinator) Funeral attendance, tributes and University memorials Salary maintenance, disbursements and workers compensation arrangements. Follow-up with Other Affected Persons Staff and students should be given time to take in and reflect on the loss. Where appropriate, counselling assistance should be offered or arranged. This can take many forms ranging from specific individual counselling, group counselling to diffusing assistance. The individual circumstances of the incident may determine other actions. For example, after a violent incident on campus, arrangements may be needed to address fears and concerns about personal safety, even if they are essentially unfounded. It is critical to balance the recognition of the events that have lead to the death or serious injury and the healthy return to normalcy. Other matters that need to be considered are: Sensitivity in dealing with personal affects and the person s work location/office. Do this over time and in consultation with the family and co-workers Dealing with inappropriate enquiries Responding to offers of condolences and offers of unsolicited or unneeded assistance Anniversary activities or remembrances. Page 12

13 Annex 7: Guide to Talking with Anxious or Distressed Callers In a major emergency or crisis it is likely that the University will receive phone calls from a range of people. Many of these calls will be filtered out at the switchboard or diverted to other appropriate areas. However it is likely that people wanting personal information or assurances about the safety of individual staff members will be put through to Human Resources. This should be anticipated and arrangement made to put calls through to a prepared group of operators. Each situation will vary but it is likely that the more serious the incident and the less known about who is affected will result in more calls. It is also possible that local lines will not be able to cope with the number of incoming calls resulting in long delays and disconnections. This means that many callers may be very anxious or frustrated as a result. The following notes will assist in dealing with these calls. You do not have to listen to abusive or angry calls. Give the caller a warning and if the abuse continues hang up. Record the details of the call including time and date. Take the name and contact details of the caller. Identify their relationship to the person they are enquiring about. Assure the person their call will be followed up and they will be called back when confirmed information is available. Do not provide detailed information about individuals or their condition. General Script Operator Deakin University. Thank you for your patience we are trying to attend to calls as quickly as possible. My name is (First name only) Can you please tell me your name? What is your query? We are unable to give out personal details at this time but if you give me your contact details we will get back to you when information is available If you are able to contact your (family member / friend etc) later, and you get a chance, please ring me back to advise me that everything is OK. My name is (First name only) Notes Identify who they are enquiring about. Record their name If it is not a personal welfare enquiry handle appropriately: do not divert calls to other areas unless absolutely necessary If it is a welfare enquiry ask them their relationship with the person (partner, child, friend etc.) Express empathy for their situation and reassure them that everything is being done to manage the situation and help those affected. If the person wants details about the incident, refer them to the University website Page 13