WorkplaceNL tables three-year strategic plan, identifies three key pillars

The Confederation Building serves as the home of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly in St. John’s. Photo: Adobe Stock

WorkplaceNL has tabled its three-year strategic plan for 2023 to 2025 which is focused on three key pillars — building healthy and safe workplaces; return to work and recovery after a work-related injury or illness; and growing strategic partnerships.

Activities under the plan include: implementing new education tools, identifying key performance measures, enhancing individualized return-to-work and recovery approaches, and working with partners to inform program and service delivery changes.

Progress each year will be reported in WorkplaceNL’s Annual Performance Report.

“Our purpose is to improve the quality of life of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador through safe workplaces and support for our clients – we know we cannot do that alone,” said John Peddle, Chair, WorkplaceNL Board of Directors. “I thank our many partners and stakeholders for their feedback as we consulted to develop this strategic plan, and look forward to continued and new partnerships as we collectively move forward.”

Peddle added, “Our Board remains committed to ensuring that the workplace injury compensation system provides benefits to injured workers and coverage for employers for years to come. Strategic efforts over the next three years will test new approaches and tap into partnerships to mitigate rising claim duration and costs – and more importantly, reduce the impacts of workplace injury and illness on workers, families, employers and communities.”

Building healthy and safe workplaces

WorkplaceNL is starting to implement its 2023 to 2028 provincial injury prevention strategy. This is being developed in partnership with the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Division of the Department of Digital Government and ServiceNL.

It is also consulting stakeholders about the changes, it said.

“We will introduce changes to our Prevention and Return-to-Work Insurance Management for Employers and Employees (PRIME) program, based on feedback from consultations in 2021 and 2022. Our goal is to help more employers participate in this financial incentive program – to improve their OHS programs and early and safe return-to-work practices,” it said.

Return to work and recovery

It noted that an injury doesn’t just impact the worker, but also their family, employer and community.

“As we support worker recovery and return to work, we plan to explore individualized approaches based on workers’ needs. We also plan to introduce new evidence-based tools to help with our decision making on claims,” it said.

Growing strategic partnerships

WorkplaceNL said it “can’t do this alone” and is planning to build on strategic partnerships with its diverse stakeholders.

“We will create opportunities to collaborate with partners as we regularly monitor and assess our programs and services to determine if we are meeting our goals. We will use their feedback to inform changes to programs and services, understand compensation requirements and improve employer assessment-related services,” it said.

Read the full report here.