The social security institution provides sufficient financial resources for workplace health promotion and established structures and rules for managing those resources.

Planning for workplace health promotion should be integrated into the social security institution’s strategic planning.

In facilitating and enabling workplace health promotion, the social security institution must plan services which focus clearly on the needs of the target group (its client enterprises/organizations).

A social security institution commissions on a regular basis an independent expert review of the work carried out in respect of the social security scheme valuation. The actuary responsible for the valuation fully cooperates with the independent reviewers.

A well-defined reporting process is a vital element of good governance for social security schemes. Actuarial and financial reports based on sound data, assumptions and methodology contribute to the financial sustainability of schemes. Information presented in such reports can send “early warning signals” if a scheme is experiencing difficulties; it can identify short-term and long-term trends that have a potential to make the scheme unsustainable, and, as a result, trigger public and other stakeholder consultation regarding the sustainability of the scheme.

The actuary, on behalf of the social security scheme, assists national authorities in complying with the national and international statistical reporting standards. When carrying out calculations required for the purpose of compiling national accounts, government financial statistics and/or any other national and international statistical reports, the actuary uses relevant methodology and assumptions.

The Guidelines on Actuarial Work for Social Security have been produced jointly by the International Labour Office (ILO) and the International Social Security Association (ISSA). They were written by Assia Billig and Jean-Claude Ménard from the Office of the Chief Actuary – Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, Canada, Simon Brimblecombe from the ISSA General Secretariat, and Hiroshi Yamabana, André Picard, Cristina Lloret and Anne Drouin from the ILO.

The institution establishes a strategy to identify the population groups to be covered either through in-house efforts or in partnerships with external organizations.

Social security institutions play a vital role in society. As the main point of contact between the government and citizens, such institutions help individuals in situations in which they need support and advice. Citizens must be able to know where to look for support, and to know what support is available, how to access it and what are their rights and responsibilities. Above all, the institution has to deliver on its promise if it is to earn the trust of citizens.

The communication unit and the functions it performs are essential to effective communication services.

The specific guidelines in this section are:

The institution uses communication as a strategic tool to develop a social security culture based on rights and responsibilities.

The backbone of the contribution collection and compliance system is based on certain operational processes for carrying out the key functions of contributor registration, collection of declarations, contribution calculation and billing, collection of payment and debt management. Providing online services to contributors is another key feature in the implementation of contribution collection and compliance systems.

The institution implements specific information dissemination campaigns to generate awareness of programme changes and specific information about members’ responsibilities.

The aim of such campaigns is to foster a sense of responsibility in every stakeholder about the contribution process.

Legislation, policy or decree provides for the board’s independence from political interference to implement its mandate by prescribing the selection process and by defining the grounds for removal from office solely for just cause.

Members and beneficiaries are regularly and periodically informed of their rights and privileges, as mandated by the legislation, policy or decree that establishes the social security programme.

The management ensures that it identifies the risks that the institution faces, proposes policies and measures to manage or avert these, and implements those that are approved by the board. These risks may arise in various forms, including but not limited to strategic, operational, political, economic, regulatory, geographic and demographic risks.

Suggestions to improve the institution’s services to its stakeholders are properly evaluated and, if they have merit, are submitted to the board for information or approval, before implementation by the management.

Internal audit is the central unit that undertakes independent and objective reviews of all areas of operation of the institution, and verifies and certifies compliance with all pertinent laws, rules and regulations. The scope of its work is comprehensive. By undertaking independent and objective reviews of policies, operations, systems and procedures, internal controls, risk management, information management, ICT systems and governance processes, it promotes a disciplined approach to the overall management of the institution.

The board and/or management ensure the professional safekeeping of the investment assets of the institution.

Performance appraisal is embedded in the institution. The objectives of individual staff members are clearly aligned with the strategic objectives of the institution.

ICT governance can be defined as a “framework for the leadership, organizational structures and business processes, standards and compliance to these standards, which ensure that the organization’s IT supports and enables the achievement of its strategies and objectives”.

This set of guidelines addresses the delivery and support of ICT services, covering the aspects related to the overall software and service life cycle (planning, development and software construction, operations and maintenance). The purpose of ICT service delivery is to provide agreed levels of service to users, and to manage the technology that supports the application of administrative procedures implemented by the institution.

The institution has a workplan to manage the overall implementation of interoperable social security programmes.

Implementation may depend on prior steps having been achieved, such as developing supporting information systems, signing agreements with other organizations and installing enabling technologies. The workplan should cover all required information resources and products and facilitate economies of scale in implementation.

The institution develops mobile-based services according to institutional plans, taking into account the main types of user interaction and system integration approaches.

The institution implements the master data systems taking into account the functional requirements of all involved business areas of the institution.