H1N1 Workforce Reduction Forum

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H1N1 Workforce Reduction Forum

• Theresa A. Masse, State Chief Information
  Security Officer
• Department of Administrative ServicesEnterprise
  Security Office

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Agenda

• Opening Remarks
• Public Health
• QA
• DAS Enterprise Security Office
• Agency Panel
• DAS Human Resources Service Division
• DAS Risk Management
• QA

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Opening Remarks

• Scott Harra, Director
• Department of Administrative Services

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Opening Remarks

• Official state guidance
• Public Health
• www.flu.oregon.gov
• HR Issues
• www.oregon.gov/DAS/HR/flu.shtml

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Public Health
Michael Heumann, MPH, MAEmergency Preparedness
CoordinatorOregon Public Health Division
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Public Health

• What is flu?
• Typical impact of influenza
• What is a flu pandemic?
• What now addressing the current pandemic

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Public Health
What is the flu? -- Seasonal respiratory
illness caused by influenza virus Influenza
symptoms - Respiratory illness - Fever,
headache - Cough, sore throat - Muscle
aches and - Diarrhea, nausea vomiting -
Cough and fatigue can last for more
than a month Most people will recover within a
week to 10 days
Electron Micrograph of Pandemic H1N1 Flu Virus
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Public Health

• Transmission
• DROPLET spread most important.
• Cough or sneeze
• 3-5 feet
• Incubation period One to three days.
• - Can be contagious before symptoms develop.

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Public Health

• Flu virus changes in a minor
• way each year
• Antigenic drift.
• New strains appear each year to which most
  people are susceptible.
• Need new vaccine each year to match
  circulating strains.

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Public Health

• Periodically virus has major changes
• Antigenic shift.
• Nobody has immunity.
• Causes a widespread epidemic, or pandemic.
• Severity of the new virus strain a major
  concern.

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Public Health

• Impact of Influenza in a typical year
• 10-20 percent of population gets influenza
• each year.
• 225,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths
• from influenza in U.S. in an average year.
• - 2,750 hospitalizations and 450 deaths
• in Oregon.
• Most deaths from secondary pneumonia.
• - i.e., bacterial infection of lungs after
• infection with influenza virus.

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Public Health

• Pandemics 1918 Spanish flu
• Catastrophe against which all modern
• pandemics measured.
• 20-40 percent of worlds population ill.
• 20 million deaths in world, 500,000 in U.S.
• - Killed more Americans than all wars in 20th
  century.
• - Quick felt well in morning, dead by
  nightfall.
• - Others died from complications.
• - Attack rate and mortality highest among
  20-50 year olds.

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Public Health

• Other flu pandemics and Pandemic Threats
• 1957 Asian flu 70,000 U.S. deaths.
• 1968 Hong Kong flu 34,000 U.S. deaths.
• 1976 Swine flu threat.
• 1977 Russian flu threat.
• 1997-9 Avian flu limited spread.

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Public Health
What now? Why worry about pandemic H1N1?
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Public Health

• Pandemic H1N1
• New strain appeared spring 2009 and rapidly
  spread
• throughout globe.
• - Younger people especially affected.
• World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a
  pandemic.
• Everyone is susceptible, so potential for
  widespread
• illness this flu season.
• Severity difficult to predict, but could stress
  
• healthcare systems, and economic functioning.

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Public Health

• What are goals of Public Health?
• Reduce spread of flu.
• Protect vulnerable people from complications.
• Assure availability of treatment for severely
  ill.
• Minimize social and economic disruption.

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Public Health
Specific planning to help prevent or reduce the
effects of a flu pandemic - Track the
epidemic - Provide accurate information to
public - Provide more detailed information to
specific sectors, (e.g. schools, hospitals and
businesses)
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Public Health
Ways we can all minimize the spread of H1N1
1- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue
when you sneeze or cough. Throw the
tissue in the trash after you use it.
2- Wash your hands often with soap and water,
especially after you cough or sneeze.
Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also
effective. 3- If you are sick, stay home.
Seek medical treatment when necessary.
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Public Health
Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP) can help
reduce service disruption at work Steps you can
take - Identify essential functions - Develop
order of succession delegation of
authority - Assess workplace risks and
facilitate adaptations - Consider allowing
staff to work remotely, when feasible
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Public Health
Workplace planning can help everyone reduce the
effects of a flu pandemic

• Stay informedinformation changes rapidly
• Develop a COOP plan
• Promote social-distancing
• Initiate non-punitive policies that allow people
  to stay home if sick or to care for a sick family
  member
• Communicate plans and policies to employees

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Public Health
Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I wil
spend the first four sharpening the axe. -
Abraham Lincoln
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Public Health
For further information about H1N1 pandemic
www.flu.oregon.gov www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/ www.ore
gon.gov/DAS/HR/flu.shtml www.oregon.gov/DAS/PEBB/
flushots.shtml
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Enterprise Security Office

• Theresa A. Masse, State Chief Information
  Security Officer
• Department of Administrative Services
• Enterprise Security Office

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Enterprise Security Office

• Workforce Reduction - Key Considerations
• Commitment to deliver services
• Critical Business Functions (defined in BCP)
• Interdependencies with Business Partners
• Protecting State information
• Planning/preparing in advance

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Enterprise Security Office

• Telecommuting
• A planned/pre-approved regular schedule for
  working from an alternate location
• Teleworking
• Working remotely on an irregular or ad-hoc basis

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Enterprise Security Office

• Teleworking Checklist
• What are agency remote access capabilities?
• Email
• System/Applications
• Phones
• Consider third party workforce
• State or personal equipment

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Enterprise Security Office

• Teleworking Checklist
• Document agreements - in advance
• Protection based on Information Classification
  level
• Test test - test!

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Agency Panel

• Holly Mercer, Executive Director
• Oregon Board of Nursing

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Board of Nursing

• Regulate approximately 70,000 licenses of nurses
  and nursing assistants.
• 48 FTEs, 12.1 million budget
• Process an average 3,316 licenses per month.
• Call center (4 people) fields an average 4,800
  calls per month.
• Receive an average of 60 complaints via phone or
  e-mail per month.
• Process an average 117 criminal history hits per
  month.

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Board of Nursing

• Preparing a plan to assure continuity of service
  with a 40-50 reduction in staff.
• Core business functions
• Licensing (public safety ensure healthcare
  staffing needs are met).
• IT Finance (ecommerce fee based revenue)
• Complaint intake (identify possible emergency
  situations to maintain public safety).
• Working to identify skill bank among staff.

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Board of Nursing

• Management team will gather periodically to
  handle reallocation of staff/duties as needed.
• Need to manage expectations of customers in
  advance e.g. communicate that staff may not be
  able to take calls directly, but will return
  messages within 24 hours.
• No telecommuting assess telework as needed.

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Agency Panel

• Paul Cleary, Executive Director
• Public Employees Retirement System

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PERS and Our Customers

• Agency
• Three locations two in Tigard, one in Salem
• 364 employees
• Customer profile
• 167,000 active members
• 48,000 inactive members
• 105,000 retirees
• 870 employers
• Customer contacts
• Phone centers employers, members, and
  third-party administrators
• Email and website
• Walk-ins in Tigard and Salem
• Group presentations
• Individual counseling sessions

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2008 Retirement System Workload

• 5,700 Tier One/Tier Two and 5,359 IAP retirements
• 9,932 account withdrawals
• 172,000 telephone calls (incoming/outgoing)
• 118,861 emails (outgoing)
• 12,502 written benefit estimates
• 12,773 employer reports with 3,501,158 member
  records received
• 263,000 member annual statements
• 200 million in benefit payments each month

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Business Seasonality Workload Processing
FLU SEASON
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Increased Telephone and Email Volume

• Perennial triggering events
• First three business days of a month when retiree
  checks are mailed
• Mondays
• Retirement spike (January 1 retirements)
• Tax season (January April)
• Variable account adjustment for retirees
  (February)
• Annual statements (mailed in May)
• Retirement spike (July 1 retirements)
• Cost-of-living adjustments (August)
• New plan participants (September educators)
• One-off events
• Litigation and legislation
• Changes in benefit calculation factors
• Media coverage

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Key Business Functions
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• Critical Business Functions and Staffing Review

• Identify and prioritize time-sensitive
  transactions and qualifying events
• Review production chain for weakest links and
  essential staff
• Assess staff skills/work experience for
  redeployment
• Identify system access methods, roles, and
  security levels
• Assess potential workflow process and service
  delays caused by external and internal partners
• Review opportunities for manual work-arounds and
  outsourcing

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Focus on Mitigating Staff Shortages

• Redeployment options and cross training
• Documentation of procedures (desk manuals)
• Streamline system access/approval processes
• Temporary delegation of authority
• Assess and communicate the need for alternate
  contacts with employers, vendors, and third-party
  administrators

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• Teleworking Considerations and Concerns

• Limited remote access capability on current
  infrastructure
• Production work from home raises security risks
  and accuracy concerns
• Employees at home assumed to be sick or caring
  for sick
• Extended school closures or other extenuating
  circumstances may require teleworking
  consideration

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• Manage Customer Expectations

• Communicate production priorities and estimated
  timelines via website, newsletter, and automated
  phone messaging
• Engage stakeholders in helping communicate
  production priorities and timelines
• Encourage use of online benefit estimate
  calculator instead of written estimate
• Prepare members for estimated benefit payments

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Agency Panel

• Karen Gregory, Deputy Director
• Oregon Department of Revenue

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Department of Revenues H1N1 Plan
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Topics

• Brief overview of DOR business
• How DOR will handle 2040 potential absenteeism
  including
• Communication Plan
• IT plan for the season
• Working offsite (telecommuting)
• Web Conferencing
• Questions and answers

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Overview

• DOR administers over 30 tax systems
• Governments rely on all of these collected taxes
• Business peaks February-April, yet constant
  throughout the year

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Swine flu paranoia is getting out of hand!
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Plan to Handle

• H1N1 Plan
• 6-prong approach
• Work units determine priorities and create plans
  for core work
• Agency plan focuses on additional revenue
  commitments made to the legislature
• Communication planagency wellness committee
• IT Plan includes partnering with SDC

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Approach

• Telecommuting
• Why
• How we did it
• Managers reactions
• Results
• Benefits
• Downsides

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Approach

• Web Conferencing

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Presented by Karen Gregory Deputy Director
Oregon Department of RevenuePhone
503-945-8288Fax [phone]E-mail
karen.s.gregory_at_state.or.us
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Human Resources Service Division

• Rebecca Gray, Senior State Human Resource
  Consultant
• Department of Administrative Services Human
  Resources Service Division

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Human Resources Service Division

• Telecommuting Policy - Draft
• Inclusive of both Telecommuting and Telework
• Focus on accountability while working at
  alternate location
• Agreements
• Telecommuting agreement
• IT Telecommuting Application
• Gathering additional comments

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Risk Management

• Deb Bogart, Senior Safety and Risk Unit
  Consultant
• Department of Administrative Services Risk
  Management

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Workers Compensation H1N1 Claims

• It is a workers right to file a claim
• Claims for contracting H1N1 are likely
• Employee burden of proof is high
• Risk will be monitoring the nature and number of
  these claims

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Workers Compensation Coverage

• Out-of-state telecommuting requires special
  coordination to ensure WC coverage
• Routine use of alternative worksite
• Out-of-state teleworking does not require special
  WC coverage coordination
• Non-routine, short-term use of alternative
  worksite
• Where is the grey line?
• Use Policy Model Agreement and/or Checklist to
  offset offsite worksite risks

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Questions?

• Thank You!