Follow ups promised on DSHS Community Services Division workers

At last week’s (Jan. 28) meeting of the DSHS Community Services Division Ad Hoc Union/Management Communications Committee, the Federation team reached agreement to receive follow-up on a long list of issues.

Included:

• continued allowance of flexible schedules so that employees can serve more clients, especially those who work during the day;
• when overtime is offered, the employees be allowed to work the batch, which the union team considers to be the work with the highest impact on providing good customer service and reduces call volume;
• the team also asked that daily state deployment put more emphasis on the batch work, even if it causes longer call-wait times for clients because the longer-term payoff for customer service is worth it;
• that further roll-out of the Service Design Review (SDR), including the call centers, be delayed until the pilot areas work the bugs out;
• that more opportunities be created for employees and managers to work together collaboratively to solve problems, at the statewide and office level.

WFSE CSD Leadership team ROCKS with CSD Management

Today the leadership met for the first of two meetings with CSD management team. Feelings from all members on both sides were positive. Alot of constructive conversation was had with the hope that the job members do within the CSD plan is successful. Check out the different blogs on this site to see what specific ideas and solutions were passed between the teams. Let's make this the best place to work and be the proud and poductive workers we are.

January 28th Meeting w/Management

DSHS Management Agrees to Meet

DSHS management has agreed to meet with the CSD Leadship team for two full days of discussion on CSD issues related to implementation of the call centers and CSO changes. Dates have not yet been set.

Watch this blog for updates.

Links to topics, where you can give input on issues that need to be discussed with management, are below and to the right.

Welcome to your blog - DSHS CSD employees!

In a proactive response to a meeting with Leo Ribas, CSD Division Director, during our WFSE bi-annual Convention, a small, representational team was created to develop member-driven interaction with Management, based on ALL CSD members’ concerns, suggestions and direction.

Toward that goal, the CSD blog was created to connect and engage members all over the state in respectful and spirited dialog. Together, we will collaboratively identify issues, develop creative solutions, provide broad specific ideas to address the crushing budget deficits-all toward our shared commitment to ease the impact of continuing change on our clients and each other. The outcomes of our interactions will be presented to the CSD management on an ongoing basis with the results brought back to you for further discussion and direction.

All here on OUR Blog, FROM HOME, with our favorite beverage, relaxing in our jammies!

“State employees are the solution to the problems we face, not the glitch that the legislative and administrative branches-have-if not vocalized, certainly have demonstrated in their actions.”
Representative Brendon Williams

“State employees must be considered as an asset rather than a deficit."
DSHS Secretary Susan Dreyfus

This Blog will put reality where there is rhetoric, take us from REACTION to PROACTION and demonstrate that we are, indeed, the SUBJECT EXPERTS.

IF YOU participate, spread the word and actively engage on an ongoing basis.

As you can see, the Leadership Team has begun to use this forum, explaining the vision, mission and goals for OUR CSD Blog and are posting concerns and ideas that are likely to be agenda items for forthcoming meetings with management. The Team will also function as Blog moderators.

Your CSD Leadership Team is made up of twelve WFSE members, one from each of the six regions that encompass the Community Services Offices and one from each of the six districts that include the Region 7 Call Service Centers.

If you are uncomfortable or feel you need to remain anonymous, you are encouraged to e-mail a team member directly with your problem or idea. You and the team member will decide how to get your idea out there.

Please join us in this unprecedented adventure. The connections we develop, the synergistic effect of our focused wisdom and united and informed voice will change our future.

It is a dream realized and you are here, helping to shape it. Welcome to OUR CSD Blog.

Posted by Gayle Chamberlain-Smith

My CSO will still have a phone center?

I'm curious to see if you guys are noticing the same thing in your offices-

So my coworkers and I are discussing the new arrangements being made at the Belltown CSO to comport with the new phone center model, and it comes out that we are still going to be operating our own phone number for customer service, using CSO employee's. In response I said, "no way that can't be true. That's crazy! I mean what the heck did they switch to a phone center model for anyway?" (I am editing my words slightly due to all the children who use the internet these days)

Seriously, as far as I can tell so far, this is the deal from the top down- Management has made the decision to commit a huge chunk of CSD's workforce to an enormous state-wide phone center. CSO's are being reduced to "store fronts" with the bulk of eligibility determination and customer service being done by this massive phone center over the phone and internet. This necessitates CSO's having far fewer workers on the floor doing things- like, say, providing customer service over the phone- and yet any person who does not find the wait times of Region 7 to their liking can simply call up the CSO and expect to receive immediate help that way. How will the CSO's find staff to answer these phones? Well... they will probably assign some of their workers to the phones, and thereby create yet another phone center.

Genius plan, management, genius plan. The idea is so bad that I have to think at this point it must be just a misconception or miscommunication of some kind. Maybe I just don't get it for some reason. Post a comment if you have noticed the same thing at your office, or if you think there is some good reason for this madness.