Transparency Made Easy: How Municipal CRM Software Improves the FOIA Request Management Process

May 23, 2023

Municipalities face a complex challenge in FOIA request management (Freedom of Information Act). To find the pertinent information, staff must carefully sift through the vast amount of documentation and data, further complicating the task. Fulfilling these requests involves not only locating the requested data but also scrutinizing it for any redactions or exclusions mandated by law. As a result, the fulfillment of such requests entails a significant investment of time and effort. This effort may divert resources from other critical responsibilities.

However, the fulfillment of FOIA requests is an essential element of government transparency. It empowers citizens to access public records and ensures accountability from their government. Thus, it is imperative for municipalities to prioritize the adoption of a solution that can streamline the FOIA request management process. Ultimately, building trust with their citizens and better serving their communities. This is precisely where a municipal CRM (Citizen Relationship Management) software comes into play, revolutionizing the processes of a municipality.

Centralized Request Management

The number one benefit of utilizing a CRM software is the ability to establish a centralized platform that manages all customer interactions, including FOIA requests. Through this platform, municipalities can consolidate all FOIA requests into one centralized system. A centralized system provides a comprehensive overview of all requests received. This efficient tracking and documentation method ensures that every request is accounted for. As a result, no citizen concern or request falls through the cracks. Outdated systems (or a lack of system entirely) significantly increase the likelihood of missing issues. The outcome of missing issues can result in legal troubles for municipalities.

Secure Document Management

Security and confidentiality are essential considerations when looking to protect the information of citizens. By utilizing a CRM platform, municipalities can ensure that they securely store and manage public records. Additionally, they can restrict access to authorized staff members only, and protect against unauthorized access or disclosure.

Choosing a system that offers trusted and secure document management tightly controls access to records and documentation of who accessed them. Staff can easily fulfill FOIA requests without being concerned whether they will violate the privacy of a citizen or accessing something they weren’t authorized to. Additionally, CRM systems track every time a record or document is updated or changed, providing an extra level of security. This ensures that specific documentation is available showing who made changes to those documents and when it happened, in case of any future concerns.

Automated Request Processing

Another key advantage of utilizing a CRM platform for FOIA requests is the automation of manual processes. The result is an efficient and streamlined FOIA request process. Upon receipt of a FOIA request, the system will automatically generate a confirmation email to the requester, confirming receipt of their request and outlining the next steps of the process. This automated response ensures timely communication with the requester. It also reduces the burden on staff to manually confirm receipt of the request, while still keeping the resident satisfied that their issue is being looked into.

The CRM software can also automatically assign the request to the appropriate staff member or department. This eliminates the need for manual assignment and reduces the risk of miscommunication or errors. To lower the risk of delayed responses or missed deadlines, the system also configures reminders and alerts. Thereby ensuring that the request is processed and fulfilled within the required time-frame.

Real Time Status Updates

One of the most frustrating aspects of a citizen request is often the lack of transparency around the status of a request once it’s been made. Offering real time updates and status look-ups give citizens the comfort in knowing that their concerns are being taken seriously and dealt with appropriately.

CRM software can provide these updates to citizens automatically. Whether it be through a self serve portal, or through email and phone support, municipalities can improve transparency and accountability of FOIA requests. The result is an increase in trust and confidence in their community.

Analytics and Reporting

Finally, adopting a CRM platform for your municipality will provide you with a powerful tool that enables departments to access valuable analytics and reporting capabilities. With a CRM platform, municipalities can gain a deeper understanding of their performance over time. It also allows staff to identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions to streamline their FOIA request process. For instance, they can see which types of requests are most received, which departments are responsible for fulfilling the most requests, and the average time it takes to process a request. Armed with this information, they can tackle bottlenecks head-on. They can also allocate resources strategically, and ultimately enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of their FOIA request process.

In Conclusion

The Office of Government Information Services examined the significance of collaborating with technology experts and tools to manage FOIA requests in a study. The study found that only one out of every five organizations was engaging in such a partnership. Adopting a municipal CRM software solution for managing FOIA requests is crucial for government transparency and accountability. CRM software provides a centralized request management system, automates manual processes, ensures secure document management, offers real-time status updates, and provides valuable analytics and reporting capabilities By streamlining the FOIA request process, municipalities can better serve their communities, build trust, and improve their overall performance over time. Ultimately, the adoption of a CRM software solution is a wise investment for any municipality looking to enhance its efficiency and effectiveness in managing FOIA requests.

AccessE11 is one such solution. Able to securely manage documents and citizen records while being affordable to small & mid-sized municipalities. Request a demo today and discover the changes you can make to your citizen engagement process.

The power of plain language in the ChatGPT age

April 6, 2023

Does it sometimes seem that no one is listening, or even reading? Do you have a sneaking suspicion that your work is being marginalized, or even ignored? Experience and research tells us that it’s not you, or your work. It’s how you’re saying it.
A recent study in the U.S. proves the point, with data to back it up. The aptly-titled The Effectiveness of Plain Language Proven by Data showed that 72 per cent of readers preferred plain language in disclosure documents. Why? The benefits of plain language include faster reading, quicker understanding, and better message retention. Sixty four percent of readers perceived the plain language text as well-written, making them more inclined to accept and appreciate the message in the document.
How can you take advantage of this in your work? The U.S. National Archives sums it up neatly: “Plain language is clear, concise, organized, and appropriate for the intended audience.” Their Top 10 Principles for Plain Language provide a clear road map to help anyone who writes (and isn’t that everyone?) improve their communication. Their list follows, with my own examples from many years of writing and editing for a variety of clients who will remain nameless.

1. Write for your reader, not yourself. Use pronouns when you can.
The first step here is to identify the reader. It’s not you. Is it your boss, your subordinate, your client or user base, or all three? As you write, picture them reading and understanding your message. Will they “get it” on the first pass? They will only be impressed with you and your work if they do. Use language and diction they will immediately understand.
Unless you are literally writing for a Grade 7 audience, don’t write for a Grade 7 audience, or any other arbitrary measure. A client recently told me that they wanted a Grade 7 reading level, for a public-facing document addressing some serious and complex societal issues. “How many Grade 7 students will be reading the document?” I asked. They understood immediately. The goal is to communicate with your audiences, not hit the magic number on an arbitrary (and often inaccurate) scale.
Needless repetitions of nouns bore and annoy the reader. Pronouns are your friends. Yes, they are your friends. Use them wisely and see readability and comprehension soar.

2. State your major point(s) first before going into details.
The “inverted pyramid” model of writing was invented to deal with the limited space on a printed page. Copy editors can always squeeze a story into a tight space by starting with the most important points and then lopping off the details from the bottom until the content fits. The reader still gets the salient points. Ironically, with the limitless space now offered by digital media, this principle is more important than ever. The short attention span of today’s readers ensures that many will only read the first few lines of your work. Make them count!

3. Stick to your topic. Limit each paragraph to one idea and keep it short.
Did I tell you about the time I had to edit this piece? I was having a bad day, because my dog had just run away with the circus, and then I started to write. Well, …
Some lucky people can simply start writing at the beginning, and know exactly where to start a new paragraph. Others among us need some sort of outline. Rather than spending hours outlining, take pen in hand and write out the key words for each paragraph. In writing this piece, I cheated a bit by using the structure of the Top 10 principles I referred to at the start. Either way, you always need some sort of structure, however minimalist.
As a speech writing teacher once told me, it’s a simple three-step process to write and deliver a good speech. 1. Tell them what you’re going to tell them. 2. Tell them. 3. Tell them what you just told them. (You may have to read that aloud to make sense of it.) In other words, your writing should have an introduction, a body, and a summary. This applies to the document as a whole, and also to each paragraph.

4. Write in active voice. Use the passive voice only in rare cases.
This is the one that many people either don’t understand, or ignore. Many organizations subtly encourage the passive voice to serve as an insurance policy for incompetence or timidity. Lawyers, bureaucrats, and accountants are especially susceptible to this. Here’s an example from an audit report.
Scope
The scope of our audit included a general review of the operating and reporting practices, together with analysis and assessment of the financial and other records, as we considered appropriate in the circumstances. It also included such tests and analysis as well as discussions and interviews as deemed necessary.
Here’s the plain language version:
Scope
We assessed operating and reporting practices and financial and other records. We also interviewed staff and management.

5. Use short sentences as much as possible.
Readers get lost in a long sentence. Be suspicious of more than one comma. Beware of “boilerplate” phrases that lengthen your sentences. Follow the natural English order of Subject, Verb, and Object.
Another example from an audit report:
Our observations lead us to the conclusion that the clinic is in default.
The clinic is in default.

6. Use everyday words. If you must use technical terms, explain them on the first reference.
Tailor your vocabulary to your readers. If you’re not sure whether the reader will understand a word, provide a short definition. I recently edited a document where the word “intersectionality” (where multiple forms of discrimination combine, overlap, or intersect) was prominent. With the rise of neologisms (new words, usages, or expressions) in every field, this is more important than ever.

7. Omit unneeded words.
Excess verbiage (too many words) is the bane of many writers, especially those with professional designations. You will not impress anyone with writing that forces the reader along a tortuous path to enlightenment. Get to the point!

8. Keep the subject and verb close together.
It’s almost always better to follow the natural English order of Subject, Verb, and Object.
Having ascertained the whereabouts of its perennial foe, the cat, which was known for a visceral dislike (possibly hatred) of virtually all of the rodents it encountered on its nocturnal perambulations, killed the mouse.
Or, “The cat killed the mouse.”
Showy consultant language as above puts a lot of distance between the subject and the verb and object. It does nothing to deliver the message.

9. Use headings, lists, and tables to make reading easier.
Short sentences are good. To shorten them where there is a long list, use a colon and bullets. Never add commas or semi-colons to bullet points. The bullet points are all the punctuation you need. In the editing business, these are known as redundant redundancies.

10. Proofread your work, and have a colleague proof it as well.
Spell check eliminates most errors, but even the best bot won’t notice if you miss word. Errors like the missing “a”in the previous sentence are very common. They are sloppy and harm your credibility. To avoid them, print out your work. Follow along with a “read-aloud” from your word processor. Asking a colleague to team up for a read-aloud proofing is usually not practical, but tech and paper get the job done. You will be amazed at how many errors you can find with this method.

What about the chatbot?
So what does this have to do with ChatGPT? Absolutely nothing. But if you have read this far, you have learned the power of a good lead. And you have also learned how to better communicate with your audiences.

Change takes time. The Future is approaching.

January 5, 2023

So, our first piece of advice is to start thinking about it now. And yes, you can ease into the future; it does not have to happen tomorrow.

When organizations are planning out their new, or enhanced physical security needs we are often asked what are the trends that are likely to shape physical security in the future?

The same question is usually followed up with… “If we do this, or if we buy this, will this sustain us in the future?”

Which also can be interpreted to… “So, we don’t have to buy something else, and that this will last us a long time, right?”

Good questions, but always a challenge to answer. Many factors play out as resistance or even catalysts to these questions and their subsequent decisions. Risk exposure, budgets, actual realized events, change in the organization’s focus, change in the organization’s leadership, campaign promises, or even change in some environments, regulation or legislation “forcing” a change, all impact the ‘future’ question.

What are those future trends shaping physical security? Some trends outlined in the list below may be a surprise, some may appear too futuristic.

Increased use of biometric security measures: Biometric security measures, such as fingerprint scanners and facial recognition technology, are becoming more popular as they offer a high level of accuracy and are difficult to bypass.
Rise of smart security systems: Smart security systems are becoming more common, and these systems often use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to analyze video footage and detect potential threats.
Greater emphasis on cybersecurity: As more security systems become connected to the internet, cybersecurity is becoming an increasingly important consideration. Companies are investing in measures to protect against cyber-attacks that could compromise their security systems.
Increased use of drones: Drones or Remotely Piloted Aircraft System(s) (RPAS) are being used more frequently for security purposes, such as patrolling large areas, inspecting high-risk locations or even in response to incidents in providing real-time surveillance.
Greater use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in training: VR and AR are being used to train security personnel in simulated environments, allowing them to practice their skills and respond to potential threats in a safe and controlled setting.
Integration of physical and cybersecurity: As threats evolve and become more sophisticated, it is increasingly important for physical security and cybersecurity to work together to provide comprehensive protection. This integration may involve integrating cybersecurity measures into physical security systems, such as installing firewall protection on security cameras.

Biometrics, smart security systems, cybersecurity emphasis and the integration of physical and cybersecurity have been on our radar for several years now and have been introduced into our past and current projects with great adoption by our client base.

The trend not mentioned here but remains a constant for us, is the due diligence required to ensure the “paperwork” is complete, up to date, used and enforced. Your policies, and procedures, training programs, guidance documents and standards are the backbones for all these physical security tools to work in the manner they were intended for your organization.

Of course, great planning and the execution of that plan is essential. Planning is a cyclical process that can start, stop, and reset when required. The future is changing. Be prepared.

Plan the Work. Work the Plan.

Reach out. We can help.

Should your Municipality need assistance, contact Michael White Group International today, and we will be happy to answer your questions. Visit michaelwhitegroup.com/contact/

Focusing your Business Continuity Management (BCM) (Continuity of Operations (COOP))

May 19, 2022

The arrival of Covid-19 two years ago posed a serious and more difficult threat to most enterprises’ existence. The importance of business continuity management (BCM) in reducing possible hazards, speeding recovery, and meeting customer expectations has become critical for every firm, regardless of size, business vertical, government, or private entity. BCM is a methodology for determining an organization’s risk of being exposed to both internal and external threats. The purpose of BCM is to give the organization the capacity to respond effectively to risks such as pandemics, natural disasters, and data breaches while also protecting the organization’s commercial interests. Disaster recovery, business recovery, crisis management, incident management, emergency management, and contingency planning are all included in BCM.

When done correctly, BCM may provide any organization a competitive advantage. This is especially true if a disruption affects an entire group segment and you are able to respond or recover faster than your competition, reducing consumer inconvenience. When it becomes evident that you excel at dealing with operational disturbances, your brand will gain trust and certainty, allowing you to position your organization as a preferred alternative for your clients and even bolstering confidence and increasing shareholder value. This is no different in being a trusted government entity, department, or agency.

Understanding continuity and preparedness requirements, establishing business continuity management policies and objectives, implementing and operating controls and measures for managing an organization’s overall continuity risks, and continual improvement based on objective measurements are all covered by one internationally recognized standard, that being ISO 22301. The standard highlights the need of meeting and exceeding customer expectations in order to secure business longevity and revenue development.

It is critical that the thought leadership and every level of the organization understand the importance of readiness and continuity.

The most crucial part of developing a BCM is clearly articulating stakeholder demands; consequently, consumers must receive special attention because they are critical to the organization’s success. Focusing on customer needs will also allow the BCM to be fit for its purpose and provide the organisation with a clear picture of process criticality. As a result, you can expect positive results if you design and implement the business continuity plan from a customer’s perspective to drive the business impact analysis. Understanding your customers’ demands is critical to determining where you add value to them, as it allows you to prioritise and determine how much downtime is tolerable in various areas before affecting your bottom line.

Be S.M.A.R.T. about creating strategies and objectives for business continuity management.

Doing this guarantees that objectives are defined and matched with customer-oriented criteria. Internal and external dependencies that may have the greatest impact on an organization’s consumers are identified when policies and objectives are developed. Customer objectives should attempt to surpass consumers’ expectations rather than merely satisfying their requirements. As a result, any organization should make sure to provide top-notch quality consumer objectives. The goal of this setup is to ensure client retention, brand image, and eventually revenue growth.

There exists the importance of putting in place operational controls and procedures to manage an organization’s overall continuity risks.

Following the identification of customer demands and the establishment of essential policies and objectives for the organization, the next stage will be to implement controls that address and mitigate the identified risks. Because risks and changes are unavoidable in the environment in which your organization operates, a systematic approach to putting in place controls to reduce hazards is required. Setting up disaster recovery sites, business continuity strategies, and business continuity procedures are examples of these controls. Lack of these will eventually cause an organization to fail, leaving clients with little choice but to shift to competitors who will provide better choices, or at minimum a choice.

It’s a cycle of continuous development and improvement.

Continuous improvement is a continuous, cyclical endeavour to enhance goods, services, or processes. Processes are assessed and adjusted on a regular basis based on their efficiency, effectiveness, and adaptability to changing consumer requirements and business circumstances. Organizations employ a variety of approaches to structure the process of recognising and acting on opportunities for improvement. Six Sigma, Kaizen, Lean, and the Toyota Production System are examples of prevalent approaches. Although these approaches differ, they all share a common foundation in the continuous improvement paradigm and principles.

Small tweaks, rather than significant paradigm leaps or new breakthroughs, lead to improvements. One percent improvement a month leads to a 12% improvement annually. Employee suggestions are quite helpful. When Employees take ownership and are involved in incremental changes, which are often affordable to execute, improvement occurs.

And finally…one more thought.

Customers are the lifeblood of every organization, and this is something that every organization understands, or should understand. As a result, their pleasure is critical to the organization’s success, which may be secured by providing exceptional customer service. Customer happiness, brand image, and revenue growth have all been shown to improve when BCM is implemented. BCM is critical in this age of unpredictability, and enterprises are encouraged to use it to provide corporate stability and sufficiency for ever-changing client demands.

The Michael White Group International is an approved PECB ISO Standard(s) training provider. It all starts with a conversation.

Plan the Work. Work the Plan.

Reach out. We can help.

Should your Municipality need assistance, contact Michael White Group International today, and we will be happy to answer your questions. Visit michaelwhitegroup.com/contact/

Are you practicing SITUATION AWARENESS?

May 11, 2022

Situation Awareness is a skillset that should be practiced daily and is a valuable tool for staff.

Increasing situation awareness, through constant development and use increases security, protection of staff, protection of assets and overall resiliency of staff and the organization.

Training Situation Awareness benefits every department across the organization.

This training can take many forms. The focus however should always be the same. Elevate the staff member’s capability of being aware of their surroundings and the different influences, factors, items, and people that make up the environment they’re in. Situation Awareness is a mental image of what is happening all around you. Hearing, seeing, feeling for information and the various cues and clues that those influences, factors, items, and people are making in that environment and piecing them together so that they can have a good idea of what is happening and then using that information to predict what happens next.

There are many reasons why we need to be situationally aware.

Personal Safety & Security
Crime
Workplace Safety

Personal Safety & Security

Situation Awareness training can greatly improve an individual’s personal safety and security, regardless of if they’re at work, home or at play. Being aware of the environment you’re in reduces the risk of placing yourself in harms way or removing yourself from harms way. Being aware of the individual that wants to or is about to cause you harm or steal some of your personal belongings, unfortunately in some locals, environments and situations is much needed. Unfortunately for most, we traverse through many different environments on a daily basis that vary in degrees of safety.

Crime

Levels of crime or criminal activity vary geographically and from environment to environment. Unfortunately, criminal activity affects many of us, especially crimes against a person, theft, verbal abuse, physical abuse all the way to the far end of the spectrum of terrorist events. In efforts to be continuously aware, individuals should keep themselves abreast of local news and events and equally important when travelling, their destinations local news and events.

Workplace Safety & Security

It is everyone’s collective and individual responsibility to make and improve workplace safety and security. Law enforcement organizations, Crime Stoppers chapter always encourage us to “See something. Say something”. This very same message applies equally from our personal lives to our working environment. “That’s not my job” just doesn’t cut it anymore. Situation Awareness training assists organizations in bettering the safety, security and overall resiliency of their employees resulting in a more safe, secure and resilient organization.

Situational Awareness Training Delivery

There are options for organizations when seeking out Situation Awareness training.

In Person
Virtual Classroom

In Person Training

It has been said that In Person training is the best delivery method and most beneficial for the participants. It can create an environment of interactivity between the instructor, the participant and with the other participants also. Our delivery of this training will only take up to half a day.

Virtual Training

The recent and ongoing pandemic also allowed us to pivot the training and provide it in the virtual world in the varying platforms of virtual meeting spaces. Virtual training offers benefits also in that, we can bring together staff from geographically challenging locals where costs to bring them together is prohibitive making an even larger training group more feasible.

Benefits

The benefits of Situation Awareness training are many for al individuals. Increased personal safety and security, increased security culture in the workplace and increasing the individual’s knowledge of the environment around them. Whether it is a high or low risk environment, situation awareness belongs there.

The value of the training, the value of the results shouldn’t be overlooked or underestimated.

Should your Municipality need assistance, contact Michael White Group International today, and we will be happy to answer your questions. Visit michaelwhitegroup.com/contact/

Considerations for Employees who are Working Remotely – Part 2

April 6, 2022

Part 2 – Clearly outline when the employee is considered to be in the physical work environment and when they are not.

In our last article we noted that Covid-19 changed the way many organizations do business and organizations have had to learn how to navigate the many challenges of remote work: lack of face-to-face supervision, keeping employees engaged and motivated and managing the work environment are just some of the challenges with remote work. During the pandemic, many employers shifted to a full or hybrid remote work arrangement, but with COVID restrictions being lifted and life slowly returning to the pre-pandemic norm, what was just a temporary measure necessitated by the COVID pandemic is becoming a more permanent arrangement by choice.

Whether you choose to adapt to a fully remote workforce or a hybrid remote work arrangement, employee’s activities while working remotely should be subject to the same standards that are applied at the organization’s offices regarding confidentiality, security, quality, and access to business documents just to name a few. In addition, an employer must continue to comply with applicable employment legislation and continue to ensure the health and safety of employees to minimize the risks of workplace injuries while working remotely. To help minimize liabilities, employers who are considering implementing a permanent remote work arrangement should ensure that they establish and implement a clear remote work policy along with a well drafted remote work agreement between the employer and the employees.

In Part 1 we talked about these key areas to consider when creating a remote work policy; Availability and Hours of Work, Physical Environment & Security. Here are some additional areas to consider when creating a remote work policy.

Client Confidentiality

Some employer’s client information may be particularly sensitive. Customers have a right (both legal and moral) to expect their confidential information to be protected. Employees who are working remotely should be reminded of their obligation to take appropriate precautions to ensure that confidential information not be exposed to third parties, including family members, visitors or any other persons residing, working or simply present at the remote work location.

Health and Safety

The remote work location is an extension of the physical office. While the Ontario Health and Safety Act appears explicitly to not apply to work performed by the owner or occupant in or about a private residence, the employer should practice due diligence and it would still be considered best practice to direct employees to observe all applicable health and safety policies when working remotely.

Remote work may also be conducted in locations other than the employee’s home. This could be highlighted in the policy and employees reminded that they could consult with their health and safety representative (if applicable) in respect of best practices in setting up a remote-work location. Employers continue to be responsible to take every reasonable precaution to protect the well-being of their employees. And in the context of a “distributed workplace” employers should be clear about the employer’s and employee’s shared responsibility to ensure a safe workplace.

Injuries sustained at the employees’ homes would be treated as a workplace-related injury, so it is imperative that organizations continue to manage health and safety for employees who are working from home. To minimize the health and safety risks associated with working from home employers should ensure that the remote-work policy covers the following:

Define the workplace. Where does the workplace extend to and how does the workplace extend into the employee’s home?
Clearly outline when the employee is considered to be in the physical work environment and when they are not.
Be clear about break times and ensure that employees understand that breaks are time away from work.
Employees should be made aware that just as they are expected to maintain a safe work area free of safety hazards while in the office environment, they are required to do the same in their home workspace.

Confusion of expectations and disconnections between employees and employers from not having a clear remote work policy can result in undue risk to both parties. An effective remote work policy should establish the guidelines and expectations for performance while working remotely, along with providing a framework for monitoring and addressing situations of non-compliance. By doing so the employer may enjoy a competitive edge, even during trying and difficult times, as they provide employees the opportunity to continue to contribute to the organization’s ongoing success in an evolving understanding of how work gets done.

By Adrian Johnson, ASSOCIUM Consultants

Through our collaborative approaches, innovative HR products and customized advisory solutions we impact four leadership priorities: managing risk, driving productivity, strengthening talent capabilities and supporting your bottom line.

Let’s connect to find out how ASSOCIUM Consultants can help your organization.

Considerations for Employees who are Working Remotely – Part 1

April 6, 2022

Part 1 – Your remote work policy should outline the importance of protecting confidential information in remote work settings.

Covid-19 changed the way many organizations do business and organizations have had to learn how to navigate the many challenges of remote work: lack of face-to-face supervision, keeping employees engaged and motivated and managing the work environment are just some of the challenges with remote work. During the pandemic, many employers shifted to a full or hybrid remote work arrangement, but with COVID restrictions being lifted and life slowly returning to the pre-pandemic norm, what was just a temporary measure necessitated by the COVID pandemic is becoming a more permanent arrangement by choice.

Below are some key areas to consider when creating a remote work policy:

Availability and Hours of Work

A remote work policy should clearly outline availability expectations. One of the disadvantages of working remotely is that employees are in various locations. This sometimes makes it difficult to have spontaneous meetings or pop by someone’s desk for a quick meeting or chat about business. A solution for this may be to incorporate schedule requirements including structured, periodic check-in times with employees. While there has been much written recently about the value of flexibility for employees who can have greater control over their schedules while working remotely, it may still be necessary to set parameters for hours of work and set rules for overtime. So, regardless of the flexibility of work schedules, the employer may want to set expectations for employees to be accessible during particular hours and to be available to respond promptly to any time-sensitive calls, emails, or other communications from the organization’s clients or other third parties critical to the organization’s purposes.

Physical Environment

If there is a preference for a physical working environment for your employees, outline these expectations in your policy. Ensure your employees know what the requirements are for a physical working environment whether it be in the employee’s home or alternative location. If necessary, the employer may require employees to provide addresses and locations from which they are working remotely and update these when necessary. Employers may wish to establish expectations for dependent care arrangements and personal responsibilities to ensure that employees are able to meet their job responsibilities without interruption or distraction.

Security

Security is a big concern with remote work. Your remote work policy should outline the importance of protecting confidential information in remote work settings. Your policy should set guidelines for working remotely to secure records and prevent unauthorized disclosure of confidential business information.

Employers should consider the processes for storing business documents, especially sensitive and/or highly confidential files, on the organization’s secure servers and not on the employee’s remote hard drives.

Your organization might consider specific policies mandating secure internet connections or virtual private networks with a strict exclusion of public wi-fi. And there should be a policy and process for reporting a security breach if the employee has any reason to believe that business information has been accessed by any unauthorized person(s).

And, of course, if budgets permit, it may be prudent to provide remote-work employees with secure computers and other hardware, owned by the organization. Related policies could then restrict the processing or storage of any of the organization’s information on the employee’s personal equipment.

This is a two-part conversation, so watch next week for Part 2 of our article, where we’ll cover, Client Confidentiality and Health & Safety considerations.

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By Adrian Johnson, ASSOCIUM Consultants

Let’s connect to find out how ASSOCIUM Consultants can help your organization.

2022 Security Risk Budget Outlook

January 20, 2022

Moving on up

At the onset of the pandemic, Security Risk budgets decreased as organizations shuttered their doors and employees left the office, and organizations under duress looked for places to cut costs. Many found their savings in the Security budget. But now, the potential to double or triple budgets in 2022 maybe a reality.

Our research shows approximately two-thirds of security budgets increased in 2021 from 2020, but still have yet to reach or return to 2019 levels. 2022 has the potential to change that.

As organizations are set to come back to life in 2022 security risk events have not gone away. In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic created new security challenges. The new challenges have yet to be solved, and as schools and businesses reopen / remain open during potential future surges, the security risks of the past return as well. In order to protect themselves from past, current, and future threats, organizations need to reinvest in physical security.

Really watch

Real camera surveillance and real-time monitoring integrated with a uniformed security guard force that is properly trained may be for some organizations the order of the day. High-caliber uniforms security guards and training necessary to protect against threats to an organization cost more than $15-20 an hour. Challenges will emerge to protect your organization, your information, your IP, your personnel. All of this may lead to an explosion of security requirements, and the budget.

Another factor contributing to budget increases in 2022 is executive protection. According to the Ontic 2021 Mid-Year Outlook: State of Protective Intelligence Report, 58% of CEOs and senior leaders who expressed a stance on political issues received physical threats. Senior Public Officials and local health department leadership who encouraged health measures like vaccination or mask-wearing have also become targets of physical threats. Against the backdrop of this increased threat landscape, executive protection has grown in importance among physical security professionals.

An inner look

These aforementioned types of threats could also come from inside an organization. Leadership will either take a stand, or not take a stand. The personnel of an organization expect their leaders to take a stand, whatever that might be, for or against a particular issue or concern. Unfortunately, pent up frustration surrounding decisions may not even be pandemic related, and at times still result in leaders being threatened. In many areas of the country, threats against “leadership” is foreign territory for many organizations.

Integration

The threat landscape has always been uncertain and rapidly changing. With many advancements in approach, strategy, and technology, organizations can protect themselves with integrated security risk strategies.

As both physical and cyber threats compound, organizations are tasked with protecting themselves on all sides. With increased and realized threats there is one unfortunate downside. Higher security costs as risks to supply chains, cyber and physical security risks increase. During this pandemic many organizations have unfortunately learned that their security profile may not be or has been at a level they had hoped it to be. New gaps have been found, existing weaknesses have become even weaker and due to other impacts of the pandemic, organizations may have struggled to get the necessary supplies, purchases and even personnel in a manner to which they were once accustomed.

Plug it

Identify your shortfalls, your gaps and plug the holes. A comprehensive risk assessment will assist in that process. If organizations fail to plug those holes, and as they begin to re-open even more, they unfortunately will remain or fall back into a vulnerable position.

Proactive hard work

Technology enhancements, uniformed security, executive protection, education, and plain old attentiveness and proactive behaviour towards security risks to quickly address existing and newfound challenges brought forth because of the pandemic will require increases in security budgets in 2022.

Now more than ever we need to move beyond reactive, and proactively secure our organizations.

It all simply starts with a plan.

We can Help.

Plan the Work. Work the Plan.

Should your Municipality need assistance, contact Michael White Group International today, and we will be happy to answer your questions. Visit michaelwhitegroup.com/contact/

Vaccination Policies for Municipal Employees and Consultants

September 15, 2021

While there is currently no federal or provincial legislation in Canada requiring mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for all employees, we are seeing more and more municipalities implementing requirements for their employees, consultants and contractors.

This is a controversial issue and muniSERV is not speaking out for or against these policies. We believe that municipalities have an obligation to protect the health and safety of their employees, as well as their residents and the community as a whole. Although implementing a mandatory vaccination policy poses potential legal risks, such as human rights and privacy claims, most municipalities are moving forward. This blog is meant to help clear up some misconceptions and to help municipalities make informed choices when developing, implementing and enforcing their vaccination policies.

Human Rights

Human rights legislation, pertaining to employment, prohibits discrimination on certain grounds, including disability, sex and religion. If an employee refuses to comply with mandatory vaccination policies with a justifiable exemption, the employer must make accommodations. These can include working remotely or more specific measures like increased PPE or modified work hours. Many municipalities are requiring staff who have are not fully vaccinated to attend vaccination education training and undergo routine COVID testingPrivacy Concerns

In most Canadian provinces, an employer may collect, use or disclose personal employee information only with their consent and for reasonable purposes. In order to enforce a mandatory vaccination policy, employers would be required to ask employees if they are vaccinated. This qualifies as the collection of personal information, which means that the employee would have to consent but also that the employer must demonstrate that they are collecting the information for a reasonable purpose.

In this case, the employer could reasonably request vaccination information but only to be used for the implementation of vaccination policies, health and safety protocols and infection control measures. This information should, ideally, be kept separate from regular personnel files and only accessed with required.

Termination

An employee who refuses to be vaccinated because of a medical condition or religious belief cannot have their employment terminated as that would be considered discrimination under the human rights code. But, the reality is that employers can invoke a “without cause” termination as long as the proper severance is paid.

Non-compliance with vaccination policies could leave employers in a delicate situation, forcing them to discipline their employees and even possibly terminate their employment.

Unionized Employees

Since many municipal employees are also union members, municipalities must work closely with the unions before finalizing and implementing their vaccination policies. Workplace safety is a founding principle for most unions but the pandemic has produced new obstacles for everyone.

Of course, it is always best that municipalities explore all of their options and obligations when developing, implementing and enforcing their vaccination policies.

Being aware – situationally aware

June 15, 2021

Our world has always been in a state of perpetual change. Now more than ever, it is perceived to be doing that at an ever-rapid pace.

Positive changes such as economic growth, and technology advancements to note a couple. Unfortunately, with the positive, comes the negative. A continuous cycle of persons who wish to do harm.

Safety and Security experts inform us that violent events will continue to happen. The violent extremist motivated and driven by an ideology, to the targeting of individuals, place of business, worship, acts of violence that permeate into every vertical, sector of business and government.

Active safety and security programs are continuous reviewed, modified to face existing and the new challenges of tomorrow.

To make your safety and security programs more effective, the program needs ambassadors, staff.

Ambassadors need to be aware. Situationally aware.

Situational awareness training provides your staff with valuable intelligence & time when facing safety and security situations of potential harm or danger.

Being situation aware is truly a change in mindset.

It is a way of thinking that will focus a person’s behaviour, their outlook, and their mental attitude. People that are aware are no longer vulnerable but capable.

Capable individuals are always prepared. Capable individuals are not complacent, they use technology to enhance their preparedness and response and their planning always includes a contingency plan.

Situationally aware staff improve the effectiveness of your safety and security program.

Situationally aware individuals enhance the workplace and enhance their personal safety and security.

We can Help.

Plan the Work. Work the Plan.

Should your Municipality need assistance in Situation Awareness training, contact Michael White Group International today, and we will be happy to answer your questions.

Michael White Group International is Arcuri Group LLC approved Situation Awareness Specialist Certification Training provider.

We connect municipalities and the businesses that serve them.

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