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Reward Star Performers | ||||
 Florida Power Kicks Off Scratch Off Incentive ProgramBy Dean Solov - Tampa Tribune Staff Writer CRYSTAL RIVER - Radiation is one of those things where less is better. Dental hygienists know it: they clear out of the room during X-rays. But working around radiation is so commonplace for nuclear plant workers that it's sometimes useful to remind them. So, Florida Power Corporation has embraced an incentive program aimed at doing just that. Company supervisors have been handing out prize winning, scratchoff Star Perks(tm) to workers who go the extra mile reducing their exposure and that of their fellow workers. |
"When you're working around radiation, you can't see it, you can't smell it, you can't taste it," said William L. Rossfield, Manager of Site Nuclear Services. Unlike a traditional lottery type program, every ALARA Star Perk is a winner, and radiation conscious employees can redeem them for prizes that include Florida Power T-shirts, Baseball caps, and even CD Players. "ALARA", an industry acronym, stands for "as low as reasonably acheivable."
The ALARA Star Perks, handed out during the recent maintenance outage, serve as "little pats on the back for our people out there to be a little more ALARA conscious," Rossfield said. Among those who got the pat was Eddie Pike, a mechanical superintendent for Fluor Corp. who, with Fluor pipe fitters, made about 100 welds outside the radiation area rather than inside.
"It could have been done inside, and he had wherewithal to go outside the radiation area," Rossfield said. Florida Power has fared well at staying within federal guidelines for radiation exposure, but Rossfield said the utility can always try to do better. He credits the program -- along with other ALARA efforts -- with helping cut exposure in half during the outage. In addition to safety, less exposure means more savings because of costs involved in protecting employees working in radiation areas. The program -- prizes and all -- cost about $5, 000, and has probably saved about $100,000.
The ALARA Star Perks and prizes all come out of the Bill Sims Co., a Columbia, SC, company that specializes in programs to motivate employees. Bill Sims, Jr, President, at Bill Sims, said the Crystal River Nuclear Plant is one of dozens that have begun using the incentive program -- with its transferable "money" -- since 1990. The programs have saved those plants more than $2 million in two years, he said. The company develops tax-free incentive motivation programs for companies of all sizes, including Dupont, Milliken, and General Motors.
"We develop each program custom for every client." says Sims, who goes on to add, "We start by looking at areas a company can save money through improved employee performance. Then we develop a custom solution that is easy to administer and really works." The Sims Company has documented over $500,000 in savings in Safety Improvement for Dorsey Trailers, and similar achievements in other areas like Bright Idea Suggestions, Absenteeism & Turnover Reduction, Scrap Reduction and Quality Improvement.
One Minnesota poultry processor has had even more spectacular results--reducing injuries from 785 Lost Time Incidences per year to 14 per year. Sims comments, "They were very skeptical about incentive programs at first-- worried that incentives would cause injury hiding. Minor cuts, if not treated, become very serious injuries due to bacterial infections from turkey processing. So we took great care to develop rules that would not promote injury hiding. In fact, we received over 212 Safety Suggestions from employees who helped us find and correct unsafe conditions before injuries occurred."
Another client of Sims is a large bakery firm with over 3500 employees in 10 locations. "One of the worst plants at this firm has 800 employee and has average 8 Lost Time Injuries per month for the last 10 years. This marks their third month in a row with ZERO Lost Time Injuries", says Sims, who adds, "the entire company has had a 50% reduction across the board in injuries." But Sims has a word of caution, too. "Don't make the mistake of thinking incentives are a substitute for a well managed total safety program. Incentives are part of the solution." Experts also suggest that you choose your incentive supplier carefully. What results can they show? What is their track record? How much do they learn about your business before recommending a solution? Every company is different; and what works one place often may not work as well at another. Building a successful incentive program is complex, and it requires lots more than just pretty pictures and flashy gift items. The company has a website at www.billsims.com.
And The Wall Street Journal says...
In the August 13, 1996 issue, a recent article entitled "Kentucky Plant Workers are Cranking Out Good Ideas", Robert Lee Rose, Staff Reporter, writes....
"Jason Moncer has earned a nickname at a Johnson Controls Incorporated auto-parts factory in Georgetown, Kentucky.
Co-workers call him Mr. Kaizen, a reference to the Japanese word for continuous improvement. In June alone, Mr. Moncer came up with 30 suggestions for improving the plant. "I go on sprees," says the 21-year-old, whose latest ideas involve better ways to organize the metal seat components in his work area before he and others insert them into the foam used to make car seats.
In factories across the country, workers are suggesting ways to make their companies more efficient. But nowhere is the art practiced better than at Johnson Control's FoaMech factory, a key supplier to Toyota Motor Corporation's auto assembly plant in Georgetown. Out of 631 employee suggestions last year, the company found 221 good enough to implement. It says that each of the 230 workers provided at least one suggestion, either individually or as part of a team.
By saving money for the company workers improve their collective chances of getting bonuses at the same time they work toward individual awards. Mr. Moncer, for example, is saving up "FoaMech Star Perks" to get a large screen TV.
Now we're not promising that you'll be written up in The Wall Street Journal, but, who knows?
And the January 1997 Safety & Health Magazine
features two of our clients W.R. Grace &
Heartland Foods in this article.
Please call for a reprint of this!
"How To Run an Effective Safety Incentive Program"
"Safety & Health", January 1997, By Doug Toft
Synopsis: Though successful incentive programs differ widely in content, their underlying processes are consistent. Companies that succeed with such programs ask questions that lead to clear goals, meaningful incentives, and longterm follow-through. These factors can be more crucial than the type of incentives used.
Any manager who decides to start a safety incentive program faces a bewildering array of options. The goal seems clear enough-to promote safety on the job. Yet one company offers steak dinners as an incentive to employees who go for a quarter with no lost-time injuries. Another offers gift certificates to Wal-Mart, and a third offers straight cash awards. The question remains: What incentives will work for my company?
This question is a powerful one-and not always the most important. People who are new to incentive programs often focus on the content of the program, e.g., what kinds of incentives to offer. Though this question is key, it's also crucial to ask the "how questions." Such questions reveal the processes that drive successful incentive programs. Though these programs differ widely in particulars, their underlying dynamics are surprisingly consistent.
Incentives-Everything from Bananas to Boats
Begin with a pause to consider how much the term incentive includes-almost any item that human beings value. In his book 1001 Ways to Reward Employees, Bob Nelson illustrates this point with a story about Hewlett- Packard Company. An engineer at the company solved a problem that had plagued his team for weeks. Burning with enthusiasm, he burst into his manager's office and blurted out the solution. Thrilled by this idea, the manager offered the only reward he could find at the moment-a banana left over from his lunch. The incident started a trend, and the Golden Banana Award is now a coveted employee prize.
Though cash awards are an obvious choice for incentives, safety managers often use gifts as well: pens, key chains, personal stereos, compact disc players, televisions, fishing boats, recreational vehicles, and more. The price tag for some incentives runs into five figures. Others, such as a pat on the back and a compliment, cost nothing.
Management consultant Michael LeBoeuf lists ten basic categories of employee incentives. Besides money, these include:
- Recognition
- Time off
- Stock ownership
- Special assignments
- Advancement
- Increased autonomy
- Training and education
- Parties and other fun activities
- Prizes
By asking the three "how questions" that follow, safety managers can narrow down this list and choose incentives that change employee behavior.
- How do we set goals for our incentives
program?
To say that safety incentives should relate directly to safety goals is a truism. Yet goals can be conceived in a variety of ways. Companies that succeed with incentive programs learn to state goals with care, knowing that different wordings of a goal can lead to different results.
An obvious purpose of incentive programs is to raise safety performance. Given that overall goal, employees can receive incentives based on many different criteria: days without recordable accidents, months without lost-time injuries, decreases in workers compensation claims, and more. A successful program could get any of these results, each with a different impact on a company's bottom line.
One basic choice is between change or maintenance. Some companies want to cut losses due to accidents and injuries, while others aim to maintain safety records that are already excellent.
Heartland Foods, a Minnesota firm that processes turkeys, aimed for a big change. "We had a high level of people who were on workers compensation-employees out on a long-term basis," says Marie Huber, safety health and training director. "Now our numbers are way down." After 18 months with a safety incentives program, Heartland went from 785 lost-time injuries to 14. The program has more than paid for itself.
Other companies slant their safety goals toward maintenance. This is true for W.R. Grace, a specialty chemical manufacturer in Atlanta. Vic Anapolle, plant manager, says that incentives help to sustain a record that is already impressive: "We went eleven years without a losttime accident-a million-and-a-quarter employee hours. Our recordables are typically one or two a year for a population of about 70 people. We would hope that incentives programs would drive our numbers even lower."
Raising safety awareness is one goal that fits in almost any case. An incentive program can work simply by forcing people to pay attention. For example, Bar-S Foods Company in Arizona cut its workers compensation costs in half between 1988 and 1993. During that period, the company's main strategy was to carefully record lost-time accidents and closely watch the numbers.
In a similar way, Heartland employees use "close-call" forms to report situations on the plant floor that could lead to recordable accidents and injuries. With an incentive program in place, says Huber, "all of a sudden there is a reason to pay attention, because you're going to get something back for noticing."
- How can we get the most "bang" for our
incentives buck?
Managers commonly assume that the most potent incentive for employees is money. Yet an extra $25, 50, or $100 added to an employee check can quickly vanish, eaten up by taxes or mundane expenses.
For this reason, many successful programs rely on low-cost gifts with high perceived value. According to Bill Sims, whose company designs and administers incentive programs, gifts that reinforce corporate identity can spark high interest. One of Sims' clients, a trucking firm that transports new cars, centered its program on a one-of-akind jacket imprinted with a special crest. To win the jacket, employees had to drive for three months without an accident. "On the last day of the contest, one driver backed his truck into a light pole and damaged the back window of a new car," Sims recalls. "He asked if he could buy that car. He didn't want to lose out and be the only guy at his terminal without a jacket."
W.R. Grace's experience is similar. Anapolle notes that no employee is going to get rich through the company's incentive program. Instead, the program's goals are to promote safety awareness, generate safety suggestions, and routinely recognize employees for safe behavior.
Sims makes such concerns a top priority in the incentive programs he creates. "We put the emphasis on the program itself and how that motivates people rather than on the merchandise awards," says Sims. "The merchandise award certainly is the catalyst. But we put most of the emphasis on how the program works-how it builds teamwork and motivates people outside of the awards."
A related issue is how to distribute incentives. Sims advises against contests that reward only a few people and reinforce the view that safety is a matter of chance or luck. Heartland Foods and W.R. Grace favor lottery-style programs that can potentially make everyone a winner. For example, employees who meet safety goals can receive scratch-off tickets called "Star Perks." If the Star Perk contains matching symbols, employees can redeem it immediately for a prize. If not, employees can still accumulate the Star Perks and redeem them later for gifts or other rewards.
- How can we sustain the incentives program?
Creating a successful incentive program involves a willingness to experiment and learn by trial-and-error. One way to reduce the learning curve is find out what other companies are doing and consult the recent literature on incentives (see sidebar).
Anapolle sees advantages in designing a cohesive program and then giving it time. "We took a lot of separate programs that were giving out premiums and various small cash awards. Then we added up what we were doing and said, let's roll these all into one program and see how that works for the next three or four years."
Huber adds that consistency and follow-through are key. "You can't start an incentive program and then walk away and expect that it's going to run itself. You have to have safety meetings and give away incentives every month. Programs work when you implement employee suggestions and correct safety problems as they happen."
A related suggestion from both Huber and Anapolle is to change the incentive program periodically so that it stays fresh. Even a relatively minor change-such as a new gift item-may be enough to sustain employee interest.
Among the "how questions," perhaps the most important is how to keep the focus on fundamentals. After reviewing the relevant research, Nelson argues that incentive programs work when they tap into the reward that employees favor most-a manager's on-the-spot, public recognition of a job well done. He quotes Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, on this point: "There are two things people want more than money . . . recognition and praise."
Huber, Anapolle, and others who've succeeded with incentives also report that these programs are simply the "icing on the cake"-one part of an overall program that emphasizes safety at every point from hiring to training and daily supervision. Asking "how questions" can restore the needed perspective and lift a safety manager's eyes to this larger horizon.
Sources: Vic Anapolle, plant manager, W.R.Grace; Marie Huber, safety health and training director, Heartland Foods; Michael LeBoeuf, professor of management, University of New Orleans; Bob Nelson, management consultant and author; Bill Sims, president, The Bill Sims Company.
When creating an incentive program, safety managers don't need to start from scratch. An rich and extensive literature on incentives-based directly on the experience of companies with successful programs-is now available. Despite the diversity in this literature, a few common themes dominate. Some examples follow.
Decide what behaviors to reward-and reward them consistently
Michael LeBoeuf, management consultant, suggests that anybody planning how to reward employees begin with one question: What behaviors do we want to reward? The thesis of his book The Greatest Management Principle in the World is that "the things that get rewarded get done."
Sounds simple enough. Yet day-to-day practices and unwritten codes of behavior might reward undesired behaviors. For example, an official goal might be company loyalty; yet the highest salaries may go to employees most recently hired, or to those who threaten to quit.
Offer meaningful incentives
Meaningful incentives are tied to specific behaviors or results. In addition, these incentives are timely and appropriate to the level of accomplishment. "An employee who completes a two-year project should be rewarded in a more substantial way than the one who simply does a favor for you," writes Bob Nelson in 1001 Ways to Reward Employees. And to boost the impact of an incentive, give it soon after the goal has been meet.
Customize incentives to your company
Beware the "canned" incentive program. What works for one company might not work for others. Company cultures differ radically; that means successful incentives differ also. Before choosing incentives, consider employee demographics-factors such as age, rate of turnover, geographic location, and racial and ethnic diversity. Nelson suggests distributing a "reinforcer survey" to find out what kinds of rewards employees actually want. Incentive programs thrive on employee input.
Keep it simple
Joan Klubnick, author of Rewarding and Recognizing Employees, notes that managers and supervisors often fail to give recognition for a simple reason: They don't know what to say. Klubnick offers a "recipe" for recognitionbasic guidelines to use on a daily basis:
- the employee by name.
- State specifically what the employee did to earn your recognition.
- Explain how you felt about this behavior.
- State how the behavior added value to the company.
- Thank the person again by name.
Sources:
Bob Nelson, 1001 Ways to Reward Employees (New York: Workman, 1994). Joan P.
Klubnick, Rewarding and Recognizing Employees: Ideas for Individuals, Teams,
and Managers (Chicago: Irwin, 1995). Michael LeBoeuf, The Greatest Management
Principle in the World (New York: Putnam's, 1985).
More Client Feedback...
Watkins Motor Lines, Inc
Harry Mahlen,
6431 Center Park Dr.
West Chester OH 45069,
8/6/2003:
- What was the initial problem or area where you wanted to improve employee
performance when you decided to use our recognition program?
a) Employee participation. They were tired of getting company logos as awards.
b) Increase revenue recovery. When our employees are proactive in sampling for aberrant shipping weight, it recovers revenues that would otherwise be lost. - About what did you spend on the program?
a) In 2002, our internal incentive program cost $6100. It consisted of our company product catalog -- various items with logos.
b) In 2003 we estimate the incentive program developed by The Bill Sims Company will cost $11,000. - What results have you achieved?
(e.g. have injuries reduced? production gone up? etc.)
a) Employee participation was our #1 goal and it has increased dramatically
b) We estimate our revenue recovery using the new incentive program to be $9000 in less than a year. - About what do you estimate the program saved you?
a) The up front costs were higher than other incentive programs we have tried, but we expect that the end of year recovery results will be tremendous.
b) Average revenue per correction has increased.
c) Actual weight corrections per period have increased.
d) Most importantly, our employees are excited with this new program.
Dupont, Kinston, NC
Louis L Barrow, Safety Manager
8/20/2003- What was the initial problem or area..............
Our site was using many forms of recognition, (caps, gift certificates, cups, etc) for which there seem to be little value. I wanted to establish a recognition system that we could build on, whether it be for quality, safety, or just doing a good job, and if it rateda $1.00 value or
a $50.00 value the recognitions could build on one another, with a nice or nicer gift, depending on your patience. In addition there is the added benefit of the Grand Prizes. (Cruise, extra points, vacations) - About what did you spend on the program?
We initially started out with ~$20,000 . - What results.......
Currently we have exceeded two years without a serious injury. - How much money has the program saved?
Based on the industry average, ~$60-70,000/year, Based on our performance for the two years prior to the program, ~$100,000
Siemans VDO Automotive of Canada says...Lydia Gazidis
8/25/2003- What was the initial problem or area where you wanted to improve
employee performance when you decided to use our recognition program (was it
safety, morale, suggestions, or what?)
[Lydia Gazidis] We needed to have a program to improve morale and increase thesuggestions for our employees. - About what did you spend on the program?
[Lydia Gazidis] We spent $30K usd on the Bill Sims program and another $10K on promotional merchandise - What results have you achieved? (e.g. have injuries reduced? production
gone up? etc.)
[Lydia Gazidis] We have received a relatively high number of production related suggestions that are driving the costs down and improving our bottom line. - How much money do you believe the program saved you?
[Lydia Gazidis] todate I would say that we probably are in the tune of $500K annually.
Bobby O'dell
TGM Constructors
2700 Marine St.
Louisville KY 40212,August 25, 2003
- What was the initial problem or area...
Reduce administrative work for our job sites and a larger choice of awards. - About what did you spend on the program?
Initially we have only committed to spend $30,000, but I would expect approximately $100,000 per year per job site after the initial evaluation period. - What results...
By selling the program hard at the beginning and getting our supervisors to buy into it we have gotten our construction project off to an excellent start. We currently have no loss time accidents and we are 137 days into the project. - How much money do you believe the program saved you?
It is too early to tell. We are going to look at cost per man hour at the end of the project and see how the overall safety award cost and work comp costs compare to our histories.
Ana Franklin of Herbalife
8/27/2003- What was the initial problem or area where you wanted to improve employee
performance when you decided to use our recognition program?
Improved communication between Supervisor and reps. Based on rep feedback. They look up to the Supervisors for feedback on development, motivating, coaching and mentoring and this was not happening prior to launching Star Perks. - About what did you spend on the program?
We spent over $30.000. - What results have you achieved? (e.g. have injuries reduced? production
gone up? morale increased? etc.)
The reps enjoy setting goals and achieving them. Most of all, they enjoy selecting items from the Award of Excellence catalog. - About what do you estimate the program saved you?
The program reduced the turn over rate of employees.
Sara R. Plona
18 Aug 2003- What was the initial problem or area where you wanted to improve...
Initial area was to reduce recordable accidents and to reward employees who were accident free. Previous program didn't recognize employees separately. - About what did you spend on the program?
Budgeted for $50,000, actual cost for first year was $46,000 - What results have you achieved...
Recordable accidents and doctor visits decreased by 40% - About what do you estimate the program saved you?
It is estimated that any injury costs the company an average of $22,000 in work comp costs. Estimated savings = $87,000
Steve J Carroll
18 Aug 2003- What was the initial problem or area where you wanted to improve employee
performance when you decided to use our recognition program (was it safety,
morale, suggestions, or what?)
[Steve J. Carroll] We wanted to motivate employees and reward involvement in our effort to become an OSHA VPP Stear site. - About what did you spend on the program?
[Steve J. Carroll] $30,000 over 2 years - What results have you achieved? (e.g. have injuries reduced? production gone
up? etc.)
[Steve J. Carroll] 87 employees have volunteered and been rewarded for active participation - How much money do you believe the program saved you?
[Steve J. Carroll] The program has enabled us to gain a greater level of employee participation in working toward our goal. With employee buy-in, there is a greater desire by employees, because of their ownership, to achieve our safety goals, which includes zero incidents. We have been accident free since the program began 7 months ago.
Hyder Construction
Nicole Frank18 Aug 2003
- What was the initial problem or area where you wanted to improve...
[Nicole Frank] Our initial reason for using this program was we spending too much time and money on other programs, and wanted something that was easy to use and maintain, and took the responsibility off of my shoulders. We were trying to streamline our safety program which the Superintendents have had nothing but complaints about our previous program. - About what did you spend on the program?
[Nicole Frank] Started with $5,000, now we have spent $20,000. - What results have you achieved?...
[Nicole Frank] Morale on jobsites has been improved, superintendents like the program, made my life so much easier in the sense that we have a program that was custom made for our specific needs, requires minimal time from me, and is easy for our superintendents to use. - How much money do you believe the program saved you?
[Nicole Frank] I would have to say that with time I have saved, ease of use for the Superintendents, probably $5,000/year. We only employ approximately 40 people, 10 of those that belong to the safety program, that is a HUGE savings!
Leslie Kent of Axis Staffing, a Distribution Center says...Hi Bill,
I would like to take this opportunity to let you know how the Bill Sims Program is working for us.
We are a staffing agency that supplies associates for light industrial clients. In the years prior to working with you on a safety program for our associates, we averaged 40 workers' comp injuries per year. Then, disaster struck: in the year 2000, we experienced 74 WC injuries. Most of these were within two departments of one large client. Clearly, we now had both an opportunity and an urgent need to see what we could do to improve our safety record for this client.
I began the search for a safety consultant on the internet, and one name kept "popping up" in my research: Bill Sims Company. Your program materials and explanations of successful safety programs, and the questions and concerns that can arise, were professional, thoughtful and obviously reflected experience. No other consultant appeared to have such a thoughtful, experienced approach to employee incentive programs.
We have instituted a safety incentive program for our associates at the large client where most of our injuries were occurring. This location was the site of 52 injuries in 2000, 25 by June; yet this year, as of June 2001, we have had only 7 injuries. And, we expect to implement even more of the Bill Sims' incentive ideas in the months to come, to lower our injury rate even further.
Without your expertise, I doubt we could have created a successful program. One of our goals was to avoid re-inventing the wheel in the area of safety incentives by making our own mistakes. This we have accomplished: your feedback and guidance as we considered different program ideas and options was invaluable. We WOULD have made several mistakes without your advice. I think this is one characteristic of the Bill Sims Company that sets it apart from other safety consultants: having more than a superficial or formulaic approach to the problem. You are able to customize your range of options to create an incentive program that fits the customer's specific needs.
There is a genuine excitement among our associates for the program. We have incorporated instant prizes, Star Perks, and a Grand Prize into our program and all have been well received. There is real anticipation for the upcoming Grand Prize drawing and honestly, I am glad that we can reward our associates' efforts to work safely with such a nice prize. Again, I can say that you have helped us create a program that is well designed from "top to bottom."
Your expertise has been invaluable to us, and your service has been flawless.
Thanks Bill!
Max Dover of Fontaine Specialized says...The following is some information and I hope it helps you to make a decision:
- How has The Bill Sims Co. helped your firm?
We are currently utilizing the program to help reduce the increasingly high costs of Workers Compensation. We manufacture heavy duty, customized, flatbed trailers Which require handling extremely heavy steel parts and consequently, have had an enormous amount of back, knee and shoulder injuries, which are costly and terrible for morale. After the first year with Bill's program, we reduced the number of injuries by two thirds, from approximately 60 to 19. We are now in our second year with the program and after five months have not had a lost time injury. - How long have you used their services?
At this location we are in our second year. Previously, I was with a company called Gold Kist, Inc. and they have been with Bill for at least six years. - How would you characterize the relationship between your firm and the Bill Sims
Company?
It is strange that you should ask about our relationship with the company, as I demand a personal relationship with all my vendors. Bill and his staff have responded to every need that I have and even for the personnel, provided a toll free number to assist with their problems when ordering items. I don't think you will find a more congenial and responsive company to Work with! I have tried others and as you can see have returned to Bill's program. If I can be of further assistance please contact me.
Max A. Dover
Human Resources Manager
Fontaine Specialized
5398 US Highway 11
THARCO Inc says....Hi Bill,
Well our San Lorenzo facility kicked off the program on Monday and Tuesday and feedback has been GREAT! We have lots of excited employees around here! Thanks for all of your help and support!
One question that did come up was regarding the price list and the statement of "199 points for a carnival cruise"...is that correct or is it a type error? Our employees can't believe that they could get a cruise for only 199 points!
Ray Montaigne says…Ray Montaigne
Heery International, Inc.
17900 International Blvd
SeaTac, WA
98188I'm only too glad to give a positive reference for Bill and his company. In response to your questions:
- Bill Sims helped me set up a customized awards program for our employees. We had an
employee census of approximately 1100 employees. Everyone participated - from senior
management to the yard help. We offered an incentive monthly, which provided continued safety
awareness. We issued "Star Perks" to those who worked a month without a lost time or
reportable injury, and doubled the award every three months of safe work. And, we raffled a color TV every month along with a telephone and radio head set. In a two year period, we reduced
accidents and incidents to zero.
- We ran their program for over a two year period, when top management decided to go a
different route due to financial downturns in our business.
- Bill's relationship was kin to that of a relative. He and his firm went out of their way to assist us,
to correct miss-shipments, and in every other way he could. You will find Bill Sims to be very
personable and sincere.
Regards,
Ray Montaigne
Doug Burgner of Polk County says...I am honored that you would use me as a reference. I believe in the program. I just sent such a message to Adam Wilberding of asipaving.com.
I am thinking of restructuring the program I have. I need some ideas to make the input for rewards more challenging. Currently I have rewards for:
Best Division,Best Safety Committee
Most Improved Division; Safety Close Call & Safety Sentinel; Are there other areas I should consider?Thanks,
Doug Burgner
John Marquart of ATG says...Hey Bill,
I spoke with Dave Copeland, Safety/Project Engineer from a Detergent company; he had some question on how I liked the Star Perk program. We spent about 30 minutes together on the phone. I hope he likes it as much as ATG does.
John
Marie Jones of LSI says...Hi Richard,
Sorry, for the delay in the reply. I can only tell you that they were the best company that I have ever worked with, as far as follow up, support, creativity to fit our company needs. They were available 7 days a week, did all changes we needed and helped every step of the program. It cut our Workman Comp claims down to next to nothing; improved employee morale and overall was the best money we ever invested. Bill Sims Jr. even made a trip out to help with the final set up. If you need anything else please feel free to call me.
Marie Jones
Administrator, LSI. Inc.
Marie Huber of Heartland Foods says...Marie Huber
9400 Mystic Lake Blvd
Prior Lake, MN 55021- How has The Bill Sims Co. helped your firm? In what areas?
Substantial financial savings, in Workman Comp claims due to employee awareness in safety procedures. All company employees with improved morale. - How long have you used their services?
Four (4) years until company was sold to a larger corporation. - How would you characterize the relationship between your firm and The Bill Sims
Co.?
Excellent, they were available to us seven days a week and Bill Sims Jr. came out to help with final set-up of the program. Best company support I have ever received. I would recommend their company to anyone looking to improve employee morale, safety or whatever issue you want to address within your own company.
I am currently working at Mystic Lake Hotel and Casino with approximately 4,500 full time employees. They do not have any type of program in place at this point and it is most likely, the reason for the turn over that we have.
Employee retention is always hard in this type of environment, but they need to be encouraged to do the things that are just part of their everyday job. They need to have some type of positive reinforcement that says, we noticed that you did your job and you did it better than your peers. I have encouraged our firm to look into this type of program and since we are currently in transition, it will not be done until we have a new VP in place. I do believe it is the type of program that will work in your environment and encourage good positive behavior and happier employees.
"The larger your company is the smaller your employees feel."
They need to know that they are an important part of your business and that what they do, does make a difference. It does not matter if you're a restroom attendant, valet, beverage server, housekeeper, supervisor or area manager, without you there to do a good job it will always effect the guest and the bottom line. If you keep your employees safe and happy and let them have input into their own well being, you will have a more positive work environment no matter what line of business your in. I'm sure that you will find Bill Sims and his staff to be a very professional and ethical company to do business with. They will do everything to support you and help you get your program off the ground and running smoothly. You will not be disappointed in the follow-up you will receive.
I have worked with Bill and his company since 1993 and have not been disappointed or had any referrals tell me that they have not been happy with his program or support team. Best of luck with your program you will see the positive effects it has on your employees and on your bottom line. The program more than paid for itself when we used it in our company with the decrease in accidents, comp claims and retention.
Marie Huber
Administrator
Cathy Tubridy of Wheelabrator. (a division of Waste Management) says...Been busy with safety kickoff and observations. Things are going well and the employees LOVE this program thus far!!! (I am so proud I am bursting!) So, if you need any testimonials or help I am here for you! Janet McIntyre at out Pinellas plant is looking at the program and trying to justify budget increase; I am helping her. She has all my set-up rules and stuff; as her facility is pretty much like mine. Once these annual reports are out of the way for us sites will be looking; kind of watching to see how the program takes off, to see if they want to try it (we are leaders here and just go for it!)
We are sending back a box of pack backs today and would like to swap for leather duffle bags (I gave mine away and they like it).
Thanks again!
Cathy
Victor Garcia of Texas Mexican Railway says...By the End of February last year we had four reportable injuries, all were lost time injuries. This year we have had one reportable injury and zero lost time injuries. Looks like the program is working! Thanks Bill!
Victor Garcia
Jan Crawford of Georgia Pacific responds...- How long have you used Bill Sims Company? I believe we are in the third consecutive contract
with the Bill Sims Company.
- How has the program been received by your employees? The employees were very
enthusiastic. I contribute this in part to the kickoff we held as suggested by Bill Sims and also, the
intermittent "re-kick offs" that have been held.
- How satisfied are you/your employees with the prizes provided? As I'm sure you're aware, you
can rarely please 100% of the people 100% of the time -- But in my15+ years with this company
and many of the same employees, they were more pleased with this than with anything we had
ever done.
- How satisfied are you/your employees with the timeliness of delivery of prizes? Are there many
out-of-stocks or other delivery problems? We had only a couple of problems that I was made
aware of... and Bill Sims got right on it. I think of the three "delivery" problems that were brought to
me.... only one was due to any fault of Bill Sims's distributor - the other two were due to UPS or
FedEx making errors. All were remedied within a reasonable amount of time. As for out-of-stocks,
employees were sent cards back immediately so they could reorder. I always made a point to
emphasize about ordering VERY early for occasions such as Christmas. The employees really
liked the gifts coming straight to their homes (as did our receiving department.)
- How satisfied are you with the Bill Sims Company as a vendor? I was very satisfied. He always
returned calls, responded to e-mails, and provided the time and flexibility we needed.
- Did you have someone look into the "tax-free" status of prizes for your company? Yes. I am a
CPA myself. - As long as you stay within the guidelines you are given.
- Are the newsletters well done? Do employees read them? That is one aspect of the program
we probably dropped the ball on. I (or my department) had always done the newsletters myself
and just continued to do so. The newsletters looked good and when left on the break room tables,
many employees took a look. Once again, that was something we could have utilized better.
- Did the program meet your objectives (to lower injuries, increase training participation, etc.)?
We have achieved and maintained VPP Star Site Status. The program got good reviews in
OSHA's review.... even though OSHA is not a big fan of "paying" people to be safe. Our main
objectives were employee awareness and employee involvement. The BINGO program in
particular helped us achieve that easily.
- Have you considered another vendor? Or, were you previously with another vendor? Yes, the
safety committee over rewards and communication checked in to several companies. Immediately
prior to selecting the Bill Sims Company, we were doing an in-house safety bonus calculation and
various other incentive ideas.
Thanks again,
Jerilyn Lanham Meckler, SPHR,Human Resource Manager
An Interview by Bill Sims, Jr., with client Cathy Atkinson, of West Valley Nuclear Services.Result: $20,000 program results in over $2 million in savings in 2 years.
What was the problem?
The West Valley Demonstration Project is a unique environmental cleanup operation within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). It came into being through a Congressional Act in 1980. The Act requires that the DOE is responsible for solidifying high-level radioactive waste, disposing of waste created by the solidification, and decommissioning the facilities used in the process. The Project is conducted in cooperation with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. West Valley Nuclear Services Company (WVNS) manages and operates the WVDP.
The Department of Energy mandates every environmental cleanup/restoration site have a Waste Minimization and Pollution Prevention Program (WMin/P2). This is an integral part of the effort to educate and encourage employees to minimize waste and prevent pollution to protect the environment both on a local and global scale. The WMinP2 Program is also responsible for providing reports both on a federal and state level regarding the amount of waste generated and minimized.
In November 1999, the Secretary of the Department of Energy issued several goals at a national level for all Department of Energy sites, including the reduction all types of waste streams (radioactive, hazardous, industrial, and sanitary) through the 3R philosophy of reduce, reuse, and recycle, as well as conserving energy and buying recycled products.
Although the Waste Min/P2 Program had been in place since 1994, participation in the program by all employees was not clearly visible nor seen as effective by the customer, even though many employees actually did contribute to minimizing waste streams in their daily work activities. Tracking all of the various initiatives and activities was difficult to document as many employees simply did the work but much of what was being done was not captured in the reports generated.
At the same time the new DOE goals were issued (Fall of 1999), Cathy Atkinson was designated as the Lead Person and Chairperson for the WMin/P2 Program which consisted of about 40 employee volunteers. Ms. Atkinson met with her DOE counterpart to discuss new ways to meet the new goals. As Ms. Atkinson said "we wanted to find a way to track how we were meeting our goals, save money, recognize employees for the good things they were doing, encourage them to do more, and have documentation to prove that we were doing all of these things to meet our goals".
Why a cash suggestion program didn’t work?
A cash suggestion program was already in place at the WVDP; however, they were not aligned with specific goals for waste minimization. The rules and regulations for that program were cumbersome to many employees. The perception by many employees was that only people in certain job classifications could benefit from this program - not everyone could contribute and/or benefit from it.Why WVNS wanted to spend $20K even when business was bad for this program?
Even though the Waste Minimization Program was mandated by the Department of Energy, having an incentive program to reach our goals was a new concept. The DOE had just recently mandated new goals that were rather aggressive. Both the company’s and program’s performance and budget was dependent on reaching these target goals so we knew we had to "get out of the box" to hit our target. Budget cuts loomed largely throughout the entire federal and state government (which allocated 100% our funding). We had to prove ourselves - that was our reality. We knew had to make a bold step forward to prove the company was being proactive in reaching these goals, which included cost avoidance and savings as well as our other goals to protect the environment. We chose a program that would allow us to align our goals, track our progress, make it easy for employees to use, and recognize employees for their efforts, and give us a return on investment.What were the results?
According to Cathy Atkinson "In the 18 months that I was in responsible for this program, the company realized over $2.2M in cost avoidances and savings by using this program. There were 183 suggestions made, with 63 ideas actually implemented. As a result of utilizing this incentive program, we able to document what was being done to reach our goals and justify the value of the entire P2 Program. Our customer, the Department of Energy, gave us very high ratings for developing such an innovative and costeffective program. At the national level, the program was recognized in the DOE Pollution Prevention newsletter and was one of the highlighted achievements when WVNS applied for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Performance Track Award."How did employees like it?
Cathy says: "The employees loved this program! Because the goals and criteria were clearly stated and provided on every suggestion form, employees knew what was expected and could place their efforts in the areas they had direct knowledge about. They also knew up front what they could expect for their efforts; meaning, their level of participation would enable them to receive 'x' amount of Star Perks tickets and a chance to win a Grand Prize every quarter."Because the team that reviewed the suggestions on a regular basis (every 2 weeks), employees received feedback in a timely manner. This served to keep them motivated and working on implementation of the suggestion, if it met the specific criteria and was accepted into the system. Employees could pick out the gift of their choice and share the gift catalog with family members, if desired. Once the person received and submitted their tickets to The Bill Sims Company, their gifts were shipped directly the employee’s home. It became more personal to the employee and their family, as both saw the rewards for participating in this program. "I believe we were able to instill a stronger culture of the purpose and goals of the Waste Minimization and Pollution Prevention Program not only with our employees, but with their families as well by using this approach in recognizing and giving value for ideas submitted by the employees."
Certainly, both WVNS and the Department of Energy will agree that this program has paid for itself many times over, not only in cost savings but in minimizing waste, saving energy, and promoting affirmative procurement - the goals set forth by the government at the inception of this program.
Overall, The Bill Sims Company provided a win-win situation for the employees at the West Valley Demonstration Project, the contractor (WVNS), the customers (DOE and NYSERDA), and the taxpayers at large.
Cindy Drushal of Kindred-Healthcare responds to an inquiry...Dear Kim,
We have been with The Bill Sims Award of Excellence plan for a couple years now. We have been very satisfied with the customer service we get, plus the prize selection is fantastic. I'll try to explain the program we have.We are a large health care company with over 360 facilities which include Nursing homes and Hospitals all across the United States. We looked at our highest workers compensation claims and developed a Safety Awareness program based on our highest losses. (I.E. slips, trips, and falls; lifting injuries, etc) We worked with our graphics department and developed 6 posters that are mailed to every facility so they can change them every other month. Along with the posters is a Safety Gram, which is our news letter that has a series of questions that the employees must answer. This Safety Gram is mailed through our internal mailing system and goes to the facilities at the beginning of the month when they change the posters. After they answer the questions, they tear off the quiz portion at the bottom where the answers are and label their quiz with the facility name and contact phone number. The Safety Gram Quiz is used to distribute the actual incentive prizes as long as the facility had no lost time claims for that two month period.
Each facility was given a select number of prizes based on the number of employees that they have the right to distribute any way they want. This means, if the facility has no lost time claims for the two month period, the administrator or CEO gets to decide how many prizes are awarded. Usually, they take the total number of prizes and divide by 6. (6 award periods for the year). The nice thing about this program is the facility has 6 changes every year to get those prizes awarded. Every facility last year got to distribute prizes. A couple of them had one massive party because they only met the terms to award prizes late in the year.
It takes a lot of work on my field staff (5) to monitor the program and it has taken a lot of work on my part to get the program up and running. Now that this is the third year for it, most people know about it and how it works. Occasionally there is still a building out there that has no idea why they have prizes, but it has gotten much better. It also helps that all our facilities have the same e-mail system now. So we send out a notice to all the administrators and CEO's (and their AA) when we get all the data back from our workers comp reporting agencies to let them know if they can award prizes.
Since I'm on the prizes let me tell you how much the facility staff like the prizes. If our reporting data is running late, my phone starts ringing!!! People love the quality and the quantity of Bills' prizes. If you give Bill your budget, tell him how many employees you have, he will put together a program for you that will reduce your injuries. The first year we started with Bill, we under estimated prizes. We actually assumed that 84% of our buildings would be successful our first year. Boy, did we get fooled. We had to go back to Bill, who had to express things from the Orient to get them made fast. We actually had 92% of our buildings succeed. We ran out of Water Bottles that were a prize to go to every employee. That was a struggle to keep straight for a while, but Bill has an excellent tracking system in place and by using UPS can always tell you where a package is. That works great when you can tell a facility who signed for it and when.
We had only one problem the first year with some mailing issues. But, Bill pulled that back into his distribution system and it has been wonderful ever since. I know what is mailed out, when and to whom. I send a notice through e-mail and the facilities know to start looking for their stuff. Bills' team mails all the prizes, posters, etc. Oh, and the employees love the cruises and free trips. Everyone who has gone said they were wonderful. We use the cruises as an end of the year grand prize.
My suggestion is to have Bill put together a proposal for you and see what he can do. Even at crisis management he has done a great job and found some way to get the stuff we needed. Hope this answers any questions you have. If you need something else, feel free to call me at the number below.
Cindy Drushal
Senior Administrative Assistant; Loss Prevention DepartmentFrom: Kim Massengale, Corporate Tax Manager
Cindy,
Our company is considering implementing The Bill Sims Company Employee Award of Excellence program and would like to hear of your experience with this program at Kindred- Healthcare.
Elena Stokes of Pacific Gas & Electric responds to an inquiry...Dear Kim,
I worked for Pacific Gas and Electric for 20 years and just recently retired. The last 10 years I was the Administrator for the Employee Recognition Program. We tried various methods (gadgets, cups, keychains;etc) all were worthless gifts, didn't REWARD good behaviors and the methods we tried were very labor intensive.In 1992 we did a study that took one year to complete. We benchmarked companies with existing Reward Programs. In the end we decided to go with The Bill Sims Co. who was already known by us but we had only been using them on a small scale for another department. Their reputation and willingness to work with us had proven to be exactly what we were looking for.
We expanded the Program with help from Bill to include the entire Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant also our Humboldt Power Plant in Eureka, and our main office in San Francisco.
By using the Bill Sims Co. we were able forget the problems associated with the gift buying and concentrate on promoting those good behaviors for our employees, concentrating on our goals of Safety and Generation for our company.
We found the Bill Sims Company to be most honest and very professional. You will find they are very easy to work with and will work with you to accommodate your needs for your company. I personally know the Sims family and would recommend their services. I am now retired from PG&E but welcome any questions you might have on how we put together a great employee recognition program.
Elena Stokes
Retired - Administrator Employee Recognition Program
Pacific Gas and Electric Company 805-481-9513From: Kim Massengale
Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2003 5:26 AMElena,
Our company is considering implementing The Bill Sims Company Employee Award of Excellence program and would like here of your experience with this program at Pacific Gas & Electric.
Bob Nelson, Best Selling Author, Refers to the Bill Sims Company in his new BookI feel the best recognition efforts start small and build. Take, for example, the "Reward of Excellence" program currently used at Herbalife, the health and nutrition company based in Los Angeles. The Distributor Services department wanted to increase the amount of recognition being used in the department and to find a way for employees to be able to better recognize one another as well. They looked at various incentive suppliers, called references and finally selected The Bill Sims Company to help launch a departmental recognition program.
The program used two-part "WOW!" cards to provide employees the ability to jot a thank you note or praising to any other employee for service, teamwork, etc. One part went to the employee and the second part went into a recognition box that was reviewed monthly by six volunteer members of a recognition committee (two from each department).
The committee selected the most stellar example from the "WOW!" cards each month, which was then posted on a "WOW!" bulletin board. The person selected is given extra points toward merchandise purchases as well as extra tickets for a cruise drawing held at the end of six months. All honorees are also automatically submitted to the company's "All Star" program for additional recognition and visibility.
To give the program the best chances for success, they started it with a trial period of three months over which time they collected feedback and suggestions from employees to make the program best fit their needs and preferences. For example, when they found out that employees balked at having to pay freight and handling for merchandise they had selected, those amounts were built into the awards, which employees preferred better even though slightly more points were then required to earn the same merchandise.
Besides obtaining the original goal of increased recognition, the company found other benefits emerged as well. Ana Franklin, senior manager of the Order Support Department identified three such benefits: 1) The program has helped employees set more specific goals - and has provided systematic tracking and acknowledgment of results against those goals; 2) the program costs less money than they had previously been spending, although it has had a longer term, more motivational impact on employees, replacing what had previously been a "hit-and-miss" approach to recognition (occasional distribution of gas cards and gift certificates by managers); and 3) employees can now include their families in selecting merchandise they are working to earn, providing an added motivational incentive for everyone involved!
Once the program was successful, it was easy to leverage it to other departments in the organization, several of which asked to be included. The word-of-mouth excitement of participants is much more persuasive than any number of corporate policies, announcements or Human Resources initiatives that might seem forced on employees.
Bob Nelson
Bob Nelson, Ph.D., is president of Nelson Motivation Inc. in San Diego; a best-selling author of 1001 Ways to Reward Employees, The 1001 Rewards & Recognition Fieldbook and Managing For Dummies; and a frequent presenter to management groups, conferences and associations. For more information visit www.nelson-motivation.com
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For more information on the Bill Sims Company, call Bill Sims at 800 690 1860 or visit www.billsims.com
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- What was the initial problem or area..............