The Hon. MATTHEW MASON-COX:

Mr Watson, I refer to your comment that WorkCover is such a good place to work and that is why so many people want to work there. How does that statement stack up in light of the reports in the press about bullying and harassment in WorkCover? Indeed, your own survey showed that that is a real problem within your agency?

Mr THOMSON:

There were some reports. The Public Service Association [PSA] conducted a survey about bullying and harassment within WorkCover in 2007. Only 179 employees out of almost 1,200 staff of WorkCover responded to that survey. WorkCover conducted its own corporate survey, “A Great Place to Work”, around the same time and more than 820 staff completed that survey with more than 65 per cent indicating that WorkCover was a great place to work. Since those surveys, both WorkCover and the PSA have been working together to devise new ways to deal with bullying and harassment issues in the workplace. A further internal corporate survey was undertaken in August 2008 with more than 72 per cent of staff responding, giving staff another opportunity to provide feedback on their workplace, and to enable a comparative analysis with the previous survey.

In 2008 WorkCover and the PSA formed a bullying joint working party to ensure WorkCover continues to build a positive and constructive workplace culture. The working party met on a six-weekly basis during 2008 and the early part of 2009. As a result, a working with respect workshop has been and is being rolled out progressively across the organisation. It complements training that was already in place in an undertaking in 2007. In addition to preventing bullying or to minimise the risk of bullying being able to occur, a policy was developed aimed at identifying bullying risk factors and developing control strategies.
The Hon. MATTHEW MASON-COX: It sounds like a primary school rather than a government agency responsible for workplace safety.

Mr THOMSON: There are two things. WorkCover has two roles. We are an employer in our own right and we are also the regulator, so we have to be clear to specify the differential between both of those. I guess, if I can give you a little bit more information, the working party which is joint between the union and the employer developed a series of procedures that provide staff with options for support and remedial action if they experience, perceive or see, or witness bullying. They are able to take their concerns to a supervisor, manager, directors general managers, or the manager of human resources, to their occupational health and safety representative or committee, the employee assistance service, or directly to a newly developed bullying response service.

The service that was introduced in January 2009 provides individual staff members with an opportunity to receive independent advice or support or see a professionally qualified workplace psychologist. In addition, we have developed the respectful behaviours guide, following extensive consultation that was released to all staff. WorkCover and the association conducted a joint confidential survey of staff around respectful behaviours in the workplace in September 2009, with more than 750 staff responding, and the results provide strong evidence that respectful behaviours are being actively demonstrated within WorkCover. We do, as an employer, have firm policies in place to address bullying and harassment and all reported incidents are taken seriously and addressed promptly and appropriately.

The Hon. MATTHEW MASON-COX:

I refer to the strong results from the 750 people who responded in the September 2009 survey. Would you further elucidate the specifics of that survey?

Mr THOMSON:

There was a range of statements that people were asked to respond to and, I guess, the top 10 were in the affirmative. Any issues of concern around that were very much at the bottom of the 90 odd questions that were asked, to get a flavour of the issue, if there was an issue, and if there was, the extent of the issue. The response very clearly came out, I guess, with a favourable response. Yes, there was the odd occasion that some people may have experienced it or may have witnessed some issues, but it is very much in the minority. The majority of the attributes displayed were in the positive in relation to the way that you have got 1,300 people operating in an organisation.

The Hon. MATTHEW MASON-COX:

Would you provide the committee with the specific statistics of that survey?

Mr THOMSON:

We can provide some information on that, yes.

The Hon. MATTHEW MASON-COX:

WorkCover seems to have conducted a number of surveys over a period of time and, more or less, there seems to have a focus on this issue in the last couple of years. Why is there a problem with bullying and harassment in WorkCover?

Mr THOMSON:

The first point, a couple of surveys were not focussed around bullying and harassment, they were about trying to understand what things we needed to do as an employer to get better engagement and better interactions, and just to see where we stood as an employer. So we were being proactive to try to get buy-in from our staff at a broad organisational—

The Hon. MATTHEW MASON-COX:

Why were you being proactive in the first place?

Mr THOMSON: Because that is what being an employer is about, it is about trying to look after staff and engage with them so it can work with our staff.

The Hon. MATTHEW MASON-COX:

I put it to you that you were being proactive because you knew there was a problem about which you had to do something.

Mr THOMSON:

I do not think that is necessarily the case.

The Hon. MATTHEW MASON-COX:

Not necessarily the case?

Mr THOMSON:

I do not think it is. Yes, we have had the odd issue like most employers do. As a regulator—and John is probably more appropriate to talk on this side—we go out and give advice and guidance to employers about how to manage issues of bullying and harassment that occur in a lot of workplaces around, not just New South Wales, but the country. We are trying to get a clear handle and understanding of our staff’s perceptions and getting their buy-in and where there were issues, be they perceived or real, try to take action proactively to deal with them.

The Hon. MATTHEW MASON-COX:

Is it not true that those issues have been in workplaces for years and years? In that case, why has it taken WorkCover so long to be proactive about such issues that have been a problem for a long time?

Mr THOMSON:

I have been in the organisation nearly seven years and I would say it has not been a significant issue inside our organisation. There may have been the odd issue here and there but it has not been a major driving force inside the organisation.

The Hon. MATTHEW MASON-COX:

Are you aware of the article in the Daily Telegraph that documented that 86 per cent of staff of WorkCover who were surveyed nominated that these were problems? I know you have carried out a few surveys since then but it continues to be a problem according to sources that we have noted. In fact, as late as last week officers of WorkCover’s licensing unit were leaving the WorkCover building after being bullied and harassed. Is that true?

Mr THOMSON:

I think the survey that the Telegraph is alluding to is the one that was one by the PSA separately and, clearly, the way you ask questions and develop questions relative to a survey can design or drive particular results. I guess, the bullying and harassment survey and the respectful behaviour survey which we did as a joint exercise between the PSA and the organisation has actually demonstrated that the issue is not a significant issue inside the organisation, and that is a joint one which has been shared between both the PSA and the organisation.

The Hon. MATTHEW MASON-COX:

Why is it that as late as last week—this has been put to us and perhaps you can verify this—officers of WorkCover’s licensing unit were seen leaving the WorkCover building after being bullied and harassed? Are you aware of that?

Mr THOMSON:

I am aware of an incident that occurred in licensing. I would not agree that it was through bullying and harassment.

The Hon. MATTHEW MASON-COX: Will you take that on notice and come back with a full explanation as to what has happened in that regard and what steps you are taking to address the situation as you see it?

The Hon. PENNY SHARPE: How can you answer that question? Just because someone was seen outside a building you are assuming that there is some suggestion—

The Hon. MATTHEW MASON-COX: He has just put to the Committee that there is a problem and he will go back and have a look at the circumstances.

The Hon. PENNY SHARPE: He did not say there was a problem. Stop verballing the witness.

Mr THOMSON: There was an issue inside, but I am not saying it was bullying or harassment. That has been dealt with and managed with the staff as you would do in any organisation. It has already occurred inside the organisation and been resolved as far as the parties are concerned.

The Hon. GREG PEARCE:

Yes. Who is responsible for your IT management?

Mr THOMSON:

I will take that question on notice.

The Hon. GREG PEARCE: Last year there was significant expenditure on computer software. Were there any particular major projects underway?

Mr THOMSON:

There has been an ongoing project called the corporate data repository. That is where we collect and store all data relative to the workers compensation system for self and specialised insurers, including scheme agents. That very significant piece of work has been carried out over time. In the past 12 months the expenditure has been about bedding that down and getting increased stability across that platform and the like. It has certainly been a significant piece of work that is now delivering the appropriate outcomes.

The Hon. GREG PEARCE:

Was that conducted by external consultants?

Mr THOMSON:

The majority of IT development and the like is handled in house. We have developed the corporate data repository in house.

The Hon. MATTHEW MASON-COX: Are you talking about a data centre?

Mr THOMSON: It ends up being a piece of software. We develop the software using a certain language. I am not sure that that is the full cost, but it would certainly be a component. We do buy other software such as Microsoft Word and things like that. But the significant piece of internal work has been the management of the data elements for the workers compensation system.

The Hon. GREG PEARCE: Can you provide some numbers on what has been expended on that project? It is obviously lost amongst the general figures. How many people are working on it?

Mr THOMSON: The level of work has reduced because that project has been done over three or four years. It is now merely maintenance and an enhancement of effort. The numbers involved in that area have reduced.

The Hon. GREG PEARCE: Have people moved on to other jobs?

Mr THOMSON: There would be other activities as we move forward.