The Fair Work Commission today released reports from two projects examining user experiences that provide useful insights and recommendations about the Commission’s services. Both reports highlight where processes work well for users and identify opportunities to improve user experience through new or enhanced practices and resources.
The reports add to the Commission’s understanding of how users experience the Commission’s processes. These projects complement and build on other initiatives designed to help drive improvements in the tribunal’s processes and operations.
The reports released today are:
· User experience of unfair dismissal matters
The Commission engaged a specialist practitioner, Cube Group, to conduct user experience workshops with a focus on self-represented respondents from small and medium-sized enterprises (i.e. fewer than 50 employees) and self-represented applicants. Combining user-design and behavioural economics principles to understand the user perspective enabled Cube Group to provide useful, specific and practical insights about the Commission’s unfair dismissal case management process.
The report is available on the Commission’s website at: https://www.fwc.gov.au/about-us/consultation/client-experience-feedback-research
· Working better for small business
The Commission engaged Mr Bruce Billson of Agile Advisory to consult with small business operators and their representatives to identify how the tribunal’s procedures and resources might better meet the needs of small business.
The report is available on the Commission’s website at: https://www.fwc.gov.au/about-us/consultation/small-business-consultation
Having undertaken significant reforms through its Future Directions program in recent years, the Commission intends to publicly outline the next evolution of its change program in a few weeks. This will include how the Commission is responding to some of the feedback from the two reports published today, together with other reforms that are either underway or in development.
Background:
The Commission launched the Future Directions change program in October 2012 to improve the quality and efficiency of our services and lift transparency and accountability. Over 50 new initiatives aimed at enhancing the public value of the Commission were delivered.
Future Directions encompassed four broad themes:
· promoting fairness and improving access;
· efficiency and innovation;
· increasing accountability and transparency; and
· productivity and engaging with industry.
The implementation of Future Directions has significantly improved the service and public value that the Commission provides to the community and enhances the Commission’s standing as the national workplace tribunal.
More information regarding the Future Directions change program is available on the Commission’s website at: https://www.fwc.gov.au/about-us/operations/strategy-vision-future-directions ---
