Four ways to help your department reach its PSP goals

Clear information, delivered in many ways and places, pays off for employees and their region

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2010

Problem

Unit-based teams are giving KP regions new ways to meet their business goals. And the Performance Sharing Program (PSP), a benefit for all Union Coalition-represented employees, offers cash incentives for meeting certain annual goals.

But managers often face a disconnect when new PSP goals are announced, as will happen soon in most regions: People at the work-unit level don’t always see how they can influence service, quality, financial or other outcomes that require the effort of employees across the region.

Solution

The Mid-Atlantic States region’s performance sharing plan, dubbed Rewards for Results (RFR), reflects the belief that employee understanding, leadership engagement and communication—lots of it—are key to the program’s success.

Regional leaders—with the help of the LMP Council—have developed several practices to increase frontline performance on their annual goals.

• The program is part of new employee orientation so new hires learn from the start what’s expected.
• Regional leaders explain the goals, and the business reasons behind them, at meetings, training sessions and UBT rollouts. Messages around workplace safety, attendance, service and other goals are consistent and steady.
• Templated presentations explaining the RFR program and its goals for the year are available for managers to customize with facility- or department-specific performance numbers. These presentations cascade from senior leaders’ direct reports down to frontline teams.
• Mailings explaining each year’s goals go to employees’ homes; performance measures for the goals also are posted on the region’s website and updated twice a year. 

In addition, unit-based teams provide a structure for discussing annual goals and what they mean to each team. “We’ve used UBTs as a venue to get the messaging down, to make sure everyone is aware and to get them on board,” said Beverlie Brinson, senior director of corporate communications for the Mid-Atlantic States.

Results

In March 2009, Mid-Atlantic’s Partnership employees each received a performance-sharing payout of $1,962 for meeting or exceeding their 2008 goals. That was one of the highest payouts of any KP region.

The region met its stretch goals for member satisfaction, workplace safety, the number of unit-based teams launched and the number of UBTs with established projects. As of December, they were on target to meet their workplace safety and UBT goals.