The Water and Sewerage Corporation has moved to enhance its overall efficiency by employing a new operating model to revitalize internal operations, boost employee productivity, reduce its $24 million accounts receivable, and pave the way for expanding its services.
Newly appointed general manager, Abraham Butler, said the Corporation must improve productivity and reduce operational costs and its continued dependence on government subsidies.
In that regard, the Corporation has created a New Business Development division charged with creating initiatives to increase revenues, customer base, and deal with dormant accounts.
Because of difficulties in managing its operating expenses effectively, Mr Butler explained, the Corporation has had to rely on subsidies from the government to deal with expenses and capital developments.
The New Business Division will seek to reduce and then eliminate that reliance by creating revenue-enhancement measures over the short to medium-term, he said.
Operation Blue Water which comes into effect by the end of June offers clients with bills of more than $1,000 and who have been in arrears for more than 90 days, a period of amnesty, when they can pay off their bills without penalty.
Discounts will be offered persons reconnecting, in addition to a 30 per cent senior citizen discount, in an effort to have persons pay off outstanding accounts.
Included among the early suggestions is a change in billing to a monthly cycle, as opposed to the current quarterly cycle, which the Corporation believes has negatively impacted its cash flow.
As other utilities and essential services bill on a monthly basis, the Corporation feels Bahamians have been programmed to budget for these monthly cycles.
In accordance with the new operating model, employee pay increases will be based on performance, a system that is expected to start in July.
Employees will receive information regarding new service standards, performance standards, and business goals and targets.
Based on job description and the standard requirements handed out for each section, at the end of the year employees will be able to determine their net contribution.
Reviews will take place on a quarterly basis allowing employees to have a sense of their performance so there will be no surprises regarding the outcome of the appraisal, said Mr Butler, the Corporation’s former chairman.
The quarterly reviews will be mandatory, and supervisors and managers that fail to comply will be held accountable.
“You hear a lot about transparency and accountability, but with the new operating model these terms are no longer abstract,” Mr. Butler said.
An employee suggestion programme has been created to encourage workers to bring their business acumen to the table. Under the programme, employees will provide not only suggestions to the business development committee, but also highlight the cost involved for the Corporation to implement the solutions or ideas. If they are accepted, employees will be recognised and compensated for their efforts.
“Through this plan, management hopes to bring home the message of full participation to all of the Corporation’s employees,” said Mr Butler.
A compensation committee, made up of senior corporation staff and two representatives each from the Water and Sewerage Managers Union and the Bahamas Utilities Services and Allied Workers Union, will also be initiated.
Mr. Butler said the Corporation did not want to do battle with either of its unions, and had decided to form a strategic partnership, integrating union officials and corporation management to form the compensation committee.
“The fair play and objectivity in remuneration will help eliminate industrial unrest for the Corporation,” he said. “Officials will review every performance appraisal based on the merit pay policy to determine the salary adjustment for the year.
“There will be no need for confrontation because union officials will be a part of the compensation committee. The decision of the committee is final as it represents the decision of the Corporation.”
Following stinging criticism from the Inter-American Development Bank for being “weak in both technical and financial terms”, with a 50 per cent water loss and a failure to meet with the financial targets for the Family Islands Potable Water Programme, the new operating model is designed to transform the corporation, Mr Butler explained.
The creation of an Internal Control and Compliance Division will further ensure each department complies with the plan. Each department ﾗ customer service, human resources and engineering ﾗ will be audited every six months based on agreed standards. The results of the audits will be the performance score of the department head.
Also created under the new model are a Technical Committee that will oversee any necessary projects to be undertaken in New Providence and the Family Islands, and a Tenders Committee, which will review any bids or tenders submitted to the Corporation, including the Blue Hills reverse osmosis plant, before sending them to the board of directors to sign off on and then on to Cabinet.
There will also be a service agreement between departments. The successful and timely completion of certain transactions often depends on more than one department completing a task.
In this regard the service agreement will commit each department to completing its portion of the task within a reasonable amount of time. The new agenda will be audited every six months to ensure that departments are communicating and cooperating.
Mr Butler said the new model will push a career path that traverses the Family Islands and employees will know what is required of them to move up through the ranks.
“Cross training will be an important element, and the Family Islands provide multiple opportunities for individuals to learn multi-tasking,” said Mr Butler. “The Corporation’s growth area will be outside New Providence, particularly with the number of tourism developments that are expected to come on stream shortly.
“Allowing employees to work in the Family Islands will help to improve the quality of the Corporation’s workforce and see them become multi-skilled.”
Gladstone Thurston, Bahamas Information Services
