HomeMy WebLinkAboutCAO-06-024 - Staff Recogition Program1
Ki~~.R
~hiefAdministraror's
Off)ce
REPORT
Report To: Chair Barry Vrbanovic and members of the Finance and
Corporate Service Committee
Date of Meeting: April 10, 2006
Submitted By: Doug Paterson
Prepared By: Doug Paterson
Ward(s) Involved: n/a
Date of Report: March 31, 2006
Report No.: CAO-06-024
Subject: STAFF RECOGNITION PROGRAM
RECOMMENDATION:
That funding of the city-wide staff recognition program be increased from $50,000 to $100,000
on an annual basis and this program continue to be funded through savings achieved through
the gapping program.
BACKGROUND:
City Council passed the following resolution at its regular meeting held on Monday, February 27,
2006:
"That the request of staff to increase funding of the City-wide Staff Recognition Program
to $100,000. from $50,000., as outlined in Chief Administrator's Office report CAO-06-
011, be deferred and referred for consideration to the April 10, 2006 special
Council meeting (Strategic Planning Session) to allow thorough discussion of the
issues raised and additional information to be provided, including: a breakdown of the
existing program budget; intended use of the addition funds; and clarification of
associated concerns related to the recruitment process."
For background purposes, I have included a copy of the earlier report, CAO-06-11, leading to
the above-captioned resolution.
REPORT:
Council requested additional information under three headings and I will endeavour to respond
to that request.
1. A breakdown of the existing program budget. The program budget is currently
established at $50,000. per annum. All of the monies are expended on recognition
programs for staff members. In an attempt to give Council a flavour of recognition
activities, the following list provides examples. The final one "Partners in Excellence", is
a recognition plan unique to Community Services. A brochure outlining the "Partners in
Excellence" program is included for Council's information.
$46.22 Engraved pen for a staff member obtaining a professional designation.
$48. 19 Thank you gift certificates to recognize a staff member who postponed
vacation plans in order to help out.
$50.00 Thank you to staff member in another division who always provides
excellent customer service.
$67.82 Recognition lunch for volunteers who worked at a public event.
$86.40 Bulletin board created for the purpose of recognizing staff: "Wall of Fame"
$116.00 Recognition lunch for an ad hoc group upon the successful completion of
a project.
$15,695.00 "Partners in Excellence" -Community Services Department (brochure
attached)
A survey of general managers regarding recognition clearly favoured flexibility to
respond to the unique recognition needs identified within their work forces. Hence, while
the "Partners in Excellence" program is extremely successful in Community Services,
other general managers prefer a different approach, and the proposal to increase
funding of the recognition program does not entail a "one-size-fits-all" approach to
recognition.
2. Intended use of additional funds. Building on the success of the initial plan, it would
be our intent to see as much as possible of the additional funds reach individual
employees. The additional funds would allow for greater opportunity to recognize part
time employees in a more significant manner.
The project committee identified potential administrative costs, such as training for all
management in the principles of the recognition program and/or costs associated with
teaching and monitoring the program. A best guess at these other costs is in the range
of 5 to 10% of the proposed $100,000. allocation. It is the intent of Human Resources to
keep all associated administrative costs to a minimum, so that as much of the additional
$50,000. as possible is directed to staff.
3. Clarification of associated concerns related to the recruitment process. A
recognition program's main focus is to enhance the Corporation's ability to attract, retain
and motivate staff in pursuit of excellence in the public service.
Admittedly, it is difficult to categorically link the presence or absence of a recognition
fund to issues such as the Corporation's ability to attract or retain employees. Similarly,
establishing a direct linkage between performance and recognition is difficult given the
many variables that can exist. Nevertheless, our recruiting efforts are seeing the early
signs of difficulty in attracting the high calibre of applicants that this Corporation expects.
Furthermore, in some cases, even the volume of applicants has dropped noticeably over
the last two years.
Experts in the field predict that this situation will worsen as the competition for talent
heats up throughout Canada. As recruitment efforts run into problems one can also
expect retention issues to surface as staff may be "head hunted" away from the
Corporation.
In the final analysis, it is difficult to argue at this time that the absence of funding for a
recognition program is catastrophic to the Corporation. The horizon appears to be highly
competitive and the prudent course of action is to have well-established practices to
mitigate this future situation.
With respect to performance enhancement, in surveying the general managers it is
evident that tangible rewards for extra effort are appreciated by staff and encourage staff
to "go the extra mile".
CONCLUSION:
As identified in our report of February 14, 2006, recognition is a complex issue that cannot be
addressed by one single response. Our strategy is to provide an array of tools for management
to draw from and utilize to promote "Pride in the workplace."
Respectfully submitted,
Doug Paterson