Saskatchewan crop insurance changes adjuster model
REGINA — Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. is moving toward permanent, full-time adjusters.
Darby Warner, executive director of insurance, said the corporation hired its first one about five years ago and intends to have a complement of 40.
That means permanent part-time adjusters, who were guaranteed a certain amount of total hours in a season, are being phased out. Casual adjusters, also known as per diem adjusters, will still be hired to top up staffing during heavy workloads.
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Why it Matters: Many adjusters were farmers or retired farmers who may now be out of their part-time jobs.
Warner said the full-time permanent staff are a better fit, and as part-time positions became vacant, they haven’t been filled.
“Hiring full-time adjusters helps us with the ability to mobilize our workforce,” he said.
“With per diem adjusters, they work for us when it suits them, so we can’t mobilize them. We were finding that we were getting less and less mobile all the time.”
When certain regions experience a high claim volume, SCIC can move its own employees into the area.
“Of these permanent positions that we have, we filled 29 of them in the last fiscal year, (and) 26 of those people were casual adjusters or came from some place within the organization,” Warner said.
These workers will have year-round jobs.
About five years ago, occupational health and safety rules meant adjusters could no longer climb bins, so much of the verification work is now done in the winter. Warner said staff will also work on wildlife predation claims.
“When we’re looking for 40-some positions, it’s because we have 40-some full-time equivalents of that work that we do in a year,” he said.
The move to full-time employees is revenue neutral, he added.
Warner said per diem adjusters who aren’t willing to travel, or can’t because they work elsewhere, may see reduced hours. However, SCIC picks up all the expenses for those who can deploy.
Source: producer.com