Our DOL March 2021

Our DOL Family is the newest segment in the OUR DOL newsletter. Each month, we will be highlighting some of the new faces and rising stars in the DOL family. This month, we want to introduce you to two members of the UI executive team, Sue Filburn and Lars Thompson.

Susan Filburn
Title: Deputy Commissioner for Unemployment
Job Duties: Heads up unemployment operations
Past Experience: DOB, OGS, US Army
Location: Building 12, Albany

Sue Filburn graduated from West Point, flew black hawk helicopters in Sarajevo and battled wildfires in Idaho. For her next challenge, she brings her unique experience to the DOL as the new Deputy Commissioner for Unemployment.

Lars Thompson 
Title: Associate Commissioner for Unemployment Insurance
Job Duties: Runs day-to-day operations of UI 
Past Experience: 12 Years in DOL 
Location: Building 12, Albany 

Few things could prepare Lars Thompson for the challenge of his new position as the Associate Commissioner for Unemployment Insurance quite like coaching his son’s hockey team. Through years of teaching children the fundamentals of a sport played on a sheet of ice, Lars was singularly suited to jumping into his new role in the middle of a pandemic and succeeded like few people could. 

By Crystal Haring 

In March 2020, many of us traded our offices for remote workplaces. In Rockin’ It Remotely, we interview members of our DOL family who are Rockin’ It while working remotely. This month we recognize another outstanding remote DOL team member.

Heather works in Unemployment Insurance in the Adjudications unit, where she is a Labor Service Representative (LSR). Heather joined us on April 2, 2020, during one of the pandemic's busiest times. Heather was immediately trained to work in the call center, helping to process the calls coming in for benefits. Taking calls was a challenge at first; however, in July, when she started her position of LSR, Heather had already learned the ropes and gathered valuable experience for her role in Adjudication. 

Heather's supervisors have nothing except praise for Heather. Her supervisor Lisa McGuire writes, “She has shown she can adapt well to all the changes that have taken place at DOL.” Heather is also admired for taking the initiative to learn all aspects of Unemployment Insurance. She has completed most of her traineeship while working remotely, and handles the remote learning very well. That is not an easy task to complete, yet her supervisor says she approaches everything positively. 

Heather really loves her job. Her favorite part of her role with us at DOL is how interesting and dynamic the cases can be. Each claim is a new investigation, an opportunity to figure out the story of what happened, which always keeps the position interesting. Although the role and cases can prove challenging, she enjoys providing closure to the claimants and employers regarding their unemployment claims. 

Heather glowingly attributes her success to her supervisor. She says that Lisa has set her up for success, providing information, support and guidance as she grows in her role. Lisa is also always available for questions and offers assistance in navigating self-serving resources like the LSR webpage or Sharepoint sites, giving Heather the ability to learn on her own how to handle different aspects of her job. Another part of Heather's success in working remotely is her cat Bella who enjoys laying in Heather’s lap while she is mulling over difficult adjudication determinations. Bella never gets tired of learning UI law. 

Heather has some great tips for working remotely, such as tricks for staying focused and on task, having a separate area dedicated to work for keeping your mind focused on your work tasks, and making sure to use lunch and breaks to give yourself time to step away from work so that you can come back clear-minded and ready to focus. One essential part of Heather's work zone is a notepad; she finds that making a list of tasks can be a tremendous asset in tackling her tasks. Another great tip: your work area should be a haven for yourself, free of distraction, yet it should be a good reflection of what brings you peace. Heather keeps her desk facing out a window overlooking the park; her desk is always organized and clutter-free to create a zen space to focus on work. 

For Heather, working remotely is a great experience, and she feels very productive. The only part she misses is not knowing what all of her coworkers and supervisors look like. 

Thank you, Heather, for Rockin’ It Remotely and for being part of the DOL Family. 

By Daniel Gorman

This year’s theme for Women’s History Month is “Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to be Silenced”. As we celebrate the important work of the likes of Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Ida B. Wells, we wonder, did they realize their place in history as it unfolded around them? Did they consider how future generations would look back on the importance of their work? What will future generations see when they look back on the accomplishments of women during the pandemic?

Women’s History Month isn’t just a time to celebrate the achievements of women in our nation’s history, but also a chance to reflect on the incredible contributions of women now, during a period that sfuture generations will surely look back on with admiration and respect. This month, as we honor the efforts of the women who marched for equal rights, who broke gender barriers, and who fought for better working conditions, let’s also take a moment to appreciate the women of today, who rose up to guide us through one of the most difficult years in our history.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many critical challenges to New Yorkers and to the DOL. It has also provided us with the opportunity to dramatically improve the technology and procedures we use to help provide important benefits and services to our customers and businesses.

ID.me is the latest addition to the DOL fraud prevention toolbox. This secure, online technology allows New Yorkers to submit their identity documentation and receive their benefits faster, safely, and efficiently. With ID.me, the DOL has added one more line of defense to a system that has already stopped $7 billion in fraudulent claims.

The DOL is also using several bots to better communicate with claimants and help claimants get their benefits more efficiently. One new bot helps with overlapping benefit claims caused by claimants reapplying for benefits, while another utilizes SMS messages to collect missing information needed to complete an application for benefits. And there are also bots on our website and social media accounts that have answered almost 3,000,000 questions for nearly 800,000 New Yorkers since May.

Bots aren’t the only way we have improved connecting with New Yorkers. Our GovDelivery email and text messaging system continues to be one of the most effective communication tools. GovDelivery is used every day to update customers about the progress of their claim and to provide major updates, such as reminding them of their Benefit Year Ending (BYE) date. Since we began using GovDelivery in May, we’ve sent 37,386,519 emails and 30,911,650 text messages directly to New Yorkers.

The Blue Star Mothers, Capital Region-New York 2 Chapter, are collecting supplies to make care packages for our military member overseas. 

The Freedom Boxes are a way to show our appreciation for our brave troops by providing them some of the comforts of home. 

Item donations are being accepted from April 5 through April 9 in Building 12, or you can send monetary donations directly to the chapter. 

To learn more about how you can help, contact Anyata Williams ([email protected]) or Grace Losacco ([email protected]).

This year marks the 110th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, in which a horrific and preventable industrial accident killed 146 people, most of them young immigrant women, because the owners of the factory put profit before the lives of their employees.

From this tragedy, the New York State Department of Labor was born, and our goal is the same today as it was one hundred and ten years ago: to do everything we can, to make sure that this never happens again.

In this time of crisis, we hope you’ll take a moment to watch this video and remember how the Department of Labor began, and how vital the work we all do truly is.