Established in 1951, WorkplaceNL is the province’s employer-funded, no-fault workplace injury insurance system. WorkplaceNL provides services to the public, approximately 19,000 employers and 13,000 injured workers and their dependents through administering the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Act (the Act). The injury prevention programming impacts the safety of some 225,000 workers in the province.
WorkplaceNL promotes workplace health and safety, and encourages everyone in the province to prevent workplace injuries and occupational disease. Should an injury happen, WorkplaceNL ensures injured workers receive the best care possible and benefits to which they are entitled, recover from their injury and return to work in an early and safe manner.
With prudent financial management, WorkplaceNL manages a billion dollar Injury Fund, ensuring adequate funding for benefits and services through reasonable assessment rates.
An independent Board of Directors (Board), appointed by the Provincial Government, is responsible for establishing programs and policies in accordance with the Act and with overseeing the administration of the Act.
Section 4 of the Act provides for nine (9) LGIC appointed directors and one (1) LGIC appointed chairperson. The Board of Directors is comprised of an independent Chairperson, three (3) employer representatives, a minimum of one (1) who is recommended by the Newfoundland and Labrador Employers’ Council, three (3) labour representatives, a minimum of one (1) who is recommended by the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour, and three (3) representatives of the general public, one (1) of whom represents injured workers. In addition, there are two (2) non-voting members, namely WorkplaceNL’s CEO and a representative of the Minister.
The Board is supported by the CEO, the Recording Secretary and the Senior Management team.
Though not required by legislation, ideally, the Board of Directors should reflect the gender and regional representation of the province’s population.
Board members are expected to represent the best interests of WorkplaceNL as a whole, bringing forward their individual competencies and ensuring that stakeholder implications of policies and decisions are identified and considered as part of their governance of the organization. Those who make up the WorkplaceNL Board should collectively possess the following core competencies:
As indicated above, the Board of Directors is comprised of 3 members representative of employers, 3 members representative of workers and 3 members representative of the general public, one of whom represents the interests of injured workers.
Board members are expected to demonstrate most of the following:
Employer Representatives: Employer representatives should have experience working as an employer, business owner or senior manager (e.g. director, vice-president or higher etc.) in any organization.
Worker Representatives: Worker representatives should have experience working in organized labour at a senior level.
Public Representatives: Public representatives should have experience serving on boards of non-profit or heath care organizations and the position representative of injured workers should have knowledge as a representative of injured workers or as an injured worker.
In addition to the competencies and qualifications of the Board members, the Chairperson must have experience as a Board member, preferably of a crown corporation or similar body, an understanding of rules of order, an understanding of crown corporate governance and the role of public sector boards in the overall government framework, and must have acted as a senior leader in another organization.
Chair:
WorkplaceNL holds approximately 10-12 (full-day) Board meetings and approximately 20 committee (half-day) meetings, with some committee meetings occurring on the same day. The Chairperson is an ex-officio member of all Board committees. It would be anticipated a Board Chair would require a total of 45-55 days per year to fulfill his or her governance duties, and approximately 15-20 additional preparatory days. In addition, the Chairperson is the Board’s representative in dealings with the Chief Executive Officer and the Minister responsible, and is required to be available on an ad hoc basis for such matters.
Regular members:
WorkplaceNL holds approximately 10-12 (full-day) Board meetings and approximately 20 committee (half-day) meetings. Board members are expected to attend all Board meetings and serve on at least two committees, for an additional 8 half-day meetings per year. It would be anticipated a Board Member would require a total of approximately 20 days per year to fulfill his or her governance duties, and 10-14 additional preparatory days. Traditionally, Board meetings occur from Monday to Friday, during standard working hours.
Terms are not legislated. Board members are typically appointed for a two- or three-year term to allow for staggered term expires. Members may continue to serve when their term expires until the next appointment commences.
The Workplace NL Board of Directors is seeking expressions of interest for the following position:
Applications are being sought from individuals who possess the background, experience and skill-set identified in the Board profile above and who can bring unique perspectives to the table. Consideration will also be given to a variety of demographic factors to ensure the Board is representative of the population they serve.
