safety officer

instructional designer

case manager

industrial hygiene manager

insurance agent

WorkSafeBC

What is the best part of working at the company?
Making real difference for regular people in BC, having funding and discretion to help folks directly and immediately, great comradery among genuinely compassionate helping professionals.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
I loved the company and was completely bought into their mission to make a difference, was a valued effective producer but the problem stems from systemic disregard for the incredible overwork...double caseloads, impossible pressures and ethically unsustainable untenable dilemmas...do I help only my most suicidal clients first? Do I help those without recent payments first? Do I help those long neglected first? Do I pick up new clients and promise to attend to them as I want to do or advise them frankly they wont hear from me often due to the crushing amount of work, unless I do huge unpaid overtime to catch up? Do I go on vacation for my sanity knowing others will suffer while coverage is thin among overstretched co-workers?
Management abounds while workers on the front lines dwindle. The workers are often frustrated by policy that is very complex and difficult to explain to the clients easily. Medical evidence based system relies on active involved doctor/ client relationship despite the fact many GPs refuse to take on WCB clients and at least a million BC residents dont have a GP at all. This is recipe for regular medical evidence mistakes disaster. The line staff could be literally doubled tommorow if the political will was there. The funding is available but  management feel that staff are barely managing and somehow ungrateful for the privilege of their position. There is little true humility about the incredible burden of care the frontline staff must shoulder. Many many promises and no real change over my 18.5 years with the staff team. Progressively got worse. Sometimes internal doctors acted as if they were qualified psychiatrists or psychologists with disastrous results for clients. The vaccine mandate was another clear example of human rights and medical rights violations with disastrous results for staff and clients.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Its a cubicle farm with daily overwork in huge amounts. Training is copious but but no amount of training compensates for the number of life affecting decisions that will weigh on your soul for weeks under intense pressure to deliver results without the back up of enough staff to get the job done at all adequately. Many really great co workers...heroes of great compassion and determination and dedication to the craft and science of rehabilitation frustrated by managerial wonks obsessed with stats, productivity and key performance indicators that assuage their superiors, sometimes at the cost of their conscience and souls. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Four to seven in person counselling sessions and up to 15-40 phone contacts with varied people to put out fires, set up meetings and try to move the situation forward. Little time to adequately document your activity. constant interruption from junior co workers seeking support, endless team meetings where your input may or may not be valued and varied training sessions of little or absolutely no relevance. Occasional rah rah conferences where there may be valuable info and insights shared and often more promises of change to come which does not materialize. Managers are promoted and re-organize with good intentions but theyre rearranging deck chairs on the titanic instead of addressing obvious workload inequity.

First of all, I worked really hard to prepare for the interviews for the role i got hired for. 

The first 2 weeks were fine. And then the real training started. I did not have the most positive training experience. I did not like going to the office, and complained every single day that i worked. The trainer that i had was incredibly specific and as a newbie, my understanding in general is that i shouldve been able to make mistakes and learn through it. (I was told by another trainer that mistakes were often fixable anyway.) I wasn’t given any margins to learn from my mistakes, instead i was always told “no, thats wrong” all the time. It’s wrong for the trainer but not for others who have worked in the same role. I was able to glance over other people’s work and they were not even close to mine. It was mindboggling to me that they continue to employ people that were not up to their standards while here i am doing more and still whatever i did was not enough. 

Overtime, always being told no and always being nitpicked brought down my confidence level and i doubted myself everyday and thats why i didnt like going there. Apart from that, i was isolated from my group and always had the one on one training which made me very uncomfortable. (I wondered why i wasn’t being rotated in other groups??? While everyone else had the chance to be evaluated and shadowed by all of the trainers, i sat there and was listened to by one most of the time, i felt weirded out by this like they just assumed that i wouldn’t be able to understand something?) I wasn’t given an opportunity to learn or talk to others while in training so i can get a measure of how im doing. In the end, the decision to leave the job was the best for me. Just know that if you ever train in the teleclaim dept that their training practices are messy and confusing and they just expect you to understand from what came out of their mouth (at least the group of trainers that i had). Theres no structure and you have to find your own way. And when you dont get the “flow” fast enough, they make you feel inferior. Micromanagement at its finest.

I would highly suggest creating a general script of what to say at least in the beginning and at the end of a call just so its more streamlined. I was told to convey messages and ask questions clearly and specifically but didn’t know how to word things TO THEIR STANDARDS so i was wrong all the time. I was told that i said something different on every call and they just waited and waited until i said the right thing? And when i did, they didn’t exactly tell me? Like what? Im supposed to just guess what i did right and wrong? Why dont you just make a script of exactly what you want me to say? 

I had asked to be trained by another person  (2x) that i jived with and that i understood better but was not given the chance, instead i had to endure another day with my trainer who explained things in such a complicated way when it could have been said in much simpler terms. It was really frustrating so i left.


The Case Manager role was, by far, the worst job I've had in many years of working in disability management. The months-long training was entirely online and moved at a ridiculous clip--often we were asked to review materials outside the workday and on our own time. The actual content is poorly designed and delivered rapidly, with no attention to the needs of adult learners and very little actual practice.

Many people in the cohort quit during this training; they were wise to do so. Once the job started, the case loads were instantly unreasonable, with very little support, and heavy-handed, metrics-driven oversight. I was assigned a "mentor" who was brash, disorganized, did most of the talking, and contradicted much of the training I went through. The mentor relationship rarely focused on my needs or my work. 

My manager was similar--did most of the talking in our meetings, was critical and largely unhelpful, put constant pressure on me to increase the speed of my work, and spoke at length about the data they have access to in reviewing my case load and progress; they set both unclear and unrealistic expectations and offered very little support. Most Case Managers are working early, late, and on weekends to stay above water, although this is actively discouraged by management.

Culturally, case management here is essentially run as a call centre. Adherence to disability case management best practices is low on the priorty list. Working through as many calls and case notes as possible, as rapidly as possible, to advance and improve the "data picture" is the goal. 

Taking leave, and requesting vacation, is scrutinized and can be denied by "the board." When I encountered unforseen and difficult personal ciscumstances, management was brutal, unsupportive, and skeptical and downright insulting. These are unionized positions, and the union appears to be in a constant battle with management over the treatment of staff. 

This was, by far, the most negative  work experience of my life. I left as quickly as I could, for a much better position where I am treated well and have a reasonable workload. I regret my decision to join this organization completely and would avoid working here at all costs. 

Politics here are rampant throughout the company. You would think that they would be focused on serving their clients, but no. 

It's really difficult to affect change here, to the detriment of company culture. Every decision seems to be fraught with the need to include others in the conversation, whether useful or not (the latter is typical). I came in, hoping to be able to contribute but essentially, there are too many cooks in the kitchen. So many processes are incredibly outdated and over-wrought, which also contributes to slow change. It's insane. Don't believe the internal PR and hype!

Our group's people management is incompetent, condescending and negative: doesn't actually listen to feedback and is more concerned with treating intelligent adults like children. Furthermore, these techniques are supported by HR!!!!!!! Where is the accountability to ensure that managers are competent and well-versed in MODERN management techniques that keep people engaged and motivated? I don't see any evidence of it here. 

I have met some really amazing, fun, competent and intelligent people here, but more recently I have seen 6 HIGH-PERFORMERS leave the company in less than 6 months, which is relatively high (12%)... but then it's pretty average for IT and tech. They are definitely going to lose more. You would think this would be significant to our management, but they think they're doing an awesome job and don't see the writing on the wall. 

I have come to realize that I am not being empowered to get the job done due to factors outside of my control. My initial enthusiasm and hopes have been severely dashed and it would take almost a miracle to convince me to continue on. In speaking with a few long-time colleagues and managers, I have received the following message: if you value your own personal and professional happiness, find a different organization to work for where your contributions will be valued.

I've been with the board now for 8 months and it has been a big shift moving from private to public sector, in a good way.

Being one of the younger employees on my team, I've never felt more welcomed by the HR staff and various divisional teams. People here truly care about what they do because it's linked to a powerful overall organizational purpose, which is making workplaces safer across BC. As a millennial working for an organization that makes an impact everyday, my job feels very fulfilling. I feel like my opinions, thoughts, and suggestions actually matter, like I'm am important part of the team everyday, which makes me more driven by what I do, rather than by a what I make (pay and total compensation package is best I've ever received).

Is this organization perfect? No. Do things take time here? Yes. But what I see here is that they're making the right strides to change and adapt to stay current, reduce redundancies, incorporating technologies for a more streamlined process and it's all headed by strong leadership, especially by their new CEO to make diversity and inclusion a high priority.

I found the hardest part of working here is just at the start, learning their processes which can take a few months or longer like with most jobs. But at the end of the day, I get to come into work and know that what I'm doing helps makes workplaces safer and I don't need to kill myself over 50-60+ hour weeks anymore. Work-life balance isn't just a word here, it's highly encouraged, seriously! I'm happy where I am, and am excited to learn and develop with this organization!

Great work life balance. Probably the most employee friendly organization in BC. However, this depends on the department you are in. I&T and Marketing are very progressive with a very safe culture. WSBC pays their full time employees a less than competitive salary for the expensive life in BC. Otherwise, they have all the benefits you can imagine and a top notch pension plan.
Your growth and appraisals as an individuals are not linked to performance. Annual hikes are applied uniformly. Thus, a mediocre performer's heaven. The only way you grow is through applying for internal positions and having the unmentioned blessing of your manager. For staff, it is a unionized environment. Unlimited job safety for staff (not managers) at the cost of getting a less than average and forever stagnant pay.
Interview process requires candidates to answer textbook answers in order to pass (talent and skill is of little value in the process).
Majority of the organization now works from home and is unlikely to go back full time in the massive office building in Richmond.
Overall, a great place to learn, or settle down for retirement.

The job is in total crisis right now. Very little support from senior or executive leadership about the situation to address or at least attempt to resolve the issues. 

There is a high attrition rate and many people are leaving not long after training is complete, when they realize that the job is not as advertised and completely unmanageable. 

Despite your best efforts it is physically impossible to keep up with the workload. Constant pressure and demands makes it extremely challenging to manage the work and constantly changing priorities. 

The never ending work means there is literally no job satisfaction. Rather than being proactive, you are reactive and basically putting out fires all day and dealing with clients who are angry or upset. 

The pay/salary and benefits are attractive but at the end of the day aren't worth it. You are actually doing the work of 1.25 or 1.50 people and not the work of 1.0 full-time employee that you were hired for. As well, the lack of work-life balance and overall high stress take a toll on your overall well-being both physically and mentally.  Overall, most people have a low morale here so it really isn't that great of a working environment.

I left because at the end of the day, I would rather take a small pay cut and have better work-life balance and less stress in my life. 

I was at WorkSafeBC for almost 15 years. I found moving the organization's mission forward to be very rewarding.  Working along with employers and unions to prevent preventable injuries at work and helping injured workers to regain their health and get back to work is wonderful work. My colleagues were all very intelligent and very positively motivated to do the right thing. Managers were very supportive. It was a very stimulating environment.  There were a great many opportunities for advancement.  

Everyone at WorkSafeBC is focused on how their work impacts the people of BC.  Injured workers and employers rely on our information and support. 

All staff are aware of the contribution of other departments and divisions and help wherever possible to get the job done.  We are proud of our hard work and accomplishments and have a culture of helping others inside and out.

The hardest part of the job was hearing about work place accidents.  Negative feedback about us and our work. 

The most enjoyable part was  seeing how our work helped an injured worker get back to work, and companies that have had a great drop in workplace accidents.  No one goes to work expecting to be injured, and we try to help stop it.

Great salary and benefits, and great people to work with, but management is a complete failure. No shortage of being monitored. You will be asked to update them frequently on your status, or whether you are actually working or not. If working in a call queue, your stats are reported to the nearest second, and you cannot be late, or come back from lunch even 2 minutes after the schedule. You will be messaged by your manager if you are. If you don’t mind being treated like a prisoner for good money and good benefits, you will enjoy this company a lot. Be prepared for ZERO employee appreciation.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Safety officer 2 salaries reported	$54.78 per hour
Instructional designer 13 salaries reported	$71,729 per year
Case manager 1 salary reported	$48.23 per hour
Industrial hygiene manager 1 salary reported	$54.78 per hour
Insurance agent 8 salaries reported	$60,754 per year

Working at WorkSafeBC: company overview and reviews

WorkSafeBC

WorkSafeBC ratings

Popular jobs at WorkSafeBC

Salary satisfaction

Job seeker tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected