Member Profile

About Shelley Rowan…

As vice-president of Marketing, Communications and Human Resources for the Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia, Shelley Rowan spends her days working to make Nova Scotia workplaces a safer place. An early graduate of Mount Saint Vincent University’s Public Relations program, she began her career working for Canada Post. It was there that she first learned about managing crises, as the organization dealt with a number of major labour stoppages.Her experience has given her the knowledge and foresight to deal with a range of issues. As with any important job, the process begins with preparation.

“Any communications person should always be thinking strategically about what is on the horizon,” says Rowan. “You may not know which way things are going to go, but you must have a system or plan in place. That way, when something hits, you’re never starting from zero. Instead of spending time addressing issues that could have been addressed before the crisis, you can focus on what you need to do today. Preparation allows you to stay focused and stay calm.”

Shelley had the opportunity to put her experience to the test in 2004 when the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the Workers’ Compensation Act’s benefit regime for workers with chronic pain was discriminatory. As a result of this decision, it was necessary for the WCB to review claims for over 6000 workers with chronic pain – some of which dated back over 20 years.  She quickly realized the situation required more than good messaging or an efficient communications plan, it required full commitment to the process across all levels of the organization.

“It wasn’t about one department, it wasn’t about PR explaining the issue,” she notes. “We needed our full team to come up with a solution; we needed a full corporate approach. More than that, through it all we had to be open and transparent. Over 6000 people were waiting to know if they would be eligible to be assessed for benefits. Maybe not everyone would be happy with the outcome, but at least they could see that something was happening.”

In the end, the WCB hired an additional 70 employees and spent over 3 years to address all the claims, but eventually, as the work gets completed this year, all those who are entitled to benefits will be receiving them. Too often a crisis can lead people to lose sight of the people being affected by that crisis. It is all too easy to focus on limiting damage instead of helping people. Talking to Shelley it is clear that her measure of success extends beyond the success of any single campaign or promotion; it’s measured in the number of Nova Scotians who have been helped by WCB, by avoiding a workplace injury or facilitating a safe and timely return to work when an injury occurs. Reaching the 300,000 workers in Nova Scotia covered by WCB is no easy task. In order to promote and spread the WCB’s message, Shelley has recruited a group of stakeholders that know the organization better than anyone: WCB employees.

“Our employees are in a unique position of influence with workplaces across the province, their family, friends and neighbours.” So, before launching a recent ad campaign, employees were invited to attend a “preview screening” of the new ads and received an owner’s manual sharing information on the campaign, how it was developed and how it fits into the business strategy. The employees engaged in the ads whole-heartedly, becoming ambassadors of the campaign and the company’s brand. Engagement like that is hard to create, but once the organization connects, the value is obvious: “It’s not about one person saying something; it’s about 400 people believing it.”

Ultimately, employees will only get behind something they truly believe in. To Shelley, it’s that belief in the WCB’s goals that sustains and rewards her. “I feel as responsible for delivering on the goals of the organization as the rest of the corporation. Everyone who works here has an opportunity to make our community a better place,” she says. “In a way we’re not just selling insurance for workplace injuries, we’re selling an idea for how to make Nova Scotia a better - and safer – place to live.”