Powell Staff Wins Incentive Award for
“Best Unit” performance

The Department of Human Resources was presented with a new alternative in the Fiscal Year 2008 budget cycle. Approximately $1.8 million dollars was made available to provide incentive awards. That is providing one time cash incentive awards to recognize employees for doing an outstanding job. This is covered in DHR policy 803 Incentive Pay and Meritorious Awards [Rev. 10/06. ]

The DHR Incentive Awards Program was designed to award both team and individual outstanding performance in support of DHR WIGs: the DHR Strategic Performance management System (SPMS) goals; and other mission-critical initiatives and projects. It was determined that the FY 08 award period would cover from October 1, 2007 through May 15, 2008 with all payments to be awarded no later than June 30, 2008. Divisions and Offices were given the option to divide this period into two shorter periods at their discretion. The following criteria must be met in order for an employee to be eligible for an award:

1. No disciplinary or performance/attendance improvement intervention during FY 2008.
2. Overall performance evaluation scores of at least “met expectations” during and at the conclusion of FY 2008.
3. Employed for at least four months during FY 2008.
4. Employed as of June 30, 2008.
5. Members of DHR Leadership Team will not be eligible for awards.

MHDDAD elected to use the information that was submitted as part of the Covey 4 Disciplines of Execution and make the incentive award an award for the “best unit” at each Hospital based on the data gathered to support the MHDDAD WIG. WIG is defined as the Wildly Important Goal (WIG). While any important goal is worth achieving, the WIG must be achieved and failure to achieve the WIG renders other achievements inconsequential.

The MHDDAD incentive plan centered on the WIG: Reduce the number of incidents that may lead to death or serious injury to people in the Georgia MHDDAD hospital system. For the award period the criteria would be to use the scores from each hospital based on the Lead Measures of the MHDDAD WIG.

CSH Units are: Allen, Binion, Boland, Craig, Crittenden, Freeman, and Powell.

Powell was selected as the "best unit" at CSH based on the Covey information. The second period winner was determined by using numbers for each unit at the hospital in response to the MHDDAD Wig and Lead measures for the period of January 1, 2008 through May 15, 2008. The Lead measures included nursing face to face contact with clients, staff call-ins, double shifts worked, hourly staff used, etc.... These indicators were selected for all state hospitals to use to make that determination. Any staff member with less than a met, had attendance issues, disciplinary issues , worked less that 4 months, not employed as of June 2007 were not eligible. Additionally we looked at the number of call-ins for the period and any staff with more than four call-ins were excluded. Physicians were not eligible.

All eligible members of the Powell unit that qualify will receive a one time financial award of $300. Payments are in their June 30, 2008 paycheck.

I congratulate the members of the Powell Unit for their special recognition and encourage the other units to continue their efforts to improve. This is the second time this fiscal year that we will have the opportunity to provide incentive awards to staff for outstanding and exceptional performance.