CSC Dos Cares

Organization

Civil Service Commission Regional Office II

Best Practice Focus Area/s

Citizens / Customers

Year Implemented

2020

This is a GBPR entry

Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic caused many restrictions on the continuity of work in Region II. This caused the Civil Service Commission Regional Office II to initiate the Civil Service Commission Regional Office II’s Delivery of Outstanding Satisfaction through Collaborative Activities for Resilient and Excellent Streamlining (CSC DOS CARES). It is the banner name for the office’s implementation of its short and long-term Business Recovery Action Plan (BRAP). It included monitoring health compliance, capacity building, knowledge sharing, and recognition. The activities resulted in the continuity of their operations, the safety of their employees, and recognition from other organizations.

Background and Problem

The COVID-19 pandemic caused many restrictions on the continuity of work in Region II. The status of community quarantine was constantly shifting and reverting, and different places also had other guidelines, altogether causing many travel restrictions and ultimately challenges in work schedule. Work scheduling in the region also considered the health of employees and their immediate families as there had been an increasing number of positive cases of COVID-19 in the cities of Tuguegarao and Santiago. And notably, the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino were considered “high-risk areas.”

Seeing the need to actively participate in the whole-of-society and whole-of-government effort to contain the spread of COVID-19, the Civil Service Commission Regional Office II (CSC RO II) promptly crafted its Business Recovery Action Plan (BRAP). Notably, it included the New Normal Workplace Guide documenting all the efforts to be done as early as 27 April 2020.

Solution and Impact

The CSC DOS CARES is the banner name for the office’s implementation of its short and long-term Business Recovery Action Plan (BRAP). Notably, its components were patterned after the 4Cs of Change Management.

Commitment to Change.

Because of the pandemic, the office required its employees to strictly comply with newly implemented health protocols detailed in their New Normal Workplace Guide and in accordance with guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) and the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, RA No. 11469. Notably, employees’ compliance with these changes is captured in their Individual Performance Commitment and Review (IPCR), Department Performance Commitment and Review (DPCR), and Office Performance Commitment and Review (OPCR).

Capacitating Change.

Despite alternative arrangements, employees were still required to deliver outputs as expected. However, they were provided opportunities for capacity building and digital upskilling. Employees were also allowed to share where they needed further support.

Contributing and Collaborating.

The implementation of this program also supported endeavors around mentoring, coaching, and collaboration throughout the office. This created an environment where everyone was encouraged to participate in the interchange of knowledge and skills. Likewise, the project also involved activities that nurtured these outcomes.

Celebrating and Continuing Change Collaboration.

Employees were recognized and given Bida Best Awards and CSC Rewards. Recognition came through the CSC eNewsletter, the CSC eBulletin, and the CSC Reporter. In some cases, group recognitions were conferred.

The program was released in tandem with an electronic monitoring system named eBRAPCHECK, Electronic Business Recovery Action Plan Check, and Compliance Kit. This facilitated the regular monitoring and evaluation of the program’s implementation. It featured designated excel sheets per tab, each capturing the program’s activities and measures. It detailed items that required immediate action and long-term implementation, and it even described the specific steps to be undertaken, the person/office responsible, resources, target date, and status of actions. It is subdivided into seven (7) sections colorfully tabbed for easier identification.

Its unique feature is the electronic compilation of all Evidence Requirements (ERs) and Mode of Verifications (MOVs), which is embedded in the details of the implementation, showing the file being referred to and described in an instant click. The CSC RO II also continuously collaborates with other agencies to benchmark and share best practices. The CSC DOS CARES has often been presented to heads of agencies, key officials, and members of various task forces during regional meetings, conferences, and webinars.

Milestones

Through the upskilling provided, the office could continue its services digitally. This also provided them with high levels of client satisfaction. The increase in digital skills also created a snowball effect, leading the office to develop many other digital innovations. Audits conducted by TUV Rheinland, the Quality Management System Audit Team, and the CSC Internal Audit Service Team resulted in positive findings for the program’s initiatives and innovations.

And because of their employee’s strict compliance with the health protocols, they only had very few employees who tested positive for COVID-19. Notably, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) also conferred the Safety Seal to the office on 8 July 2021. The Safety Seal affirms that an establishment or government facility complies with the government’s Minimum Public Health Standards (MPHS). The office’s New Normal Workplace Guide also prompted it to create its Safety and Health Committee. Likewise, it also opened up partnership opportunities with the regional offices of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Department of Health (DOH) in crafting Regional Guidelines for COVID Control and Prevention in the Public Sector.