HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 08121997 - C101 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORSf Contra
FROM: Phil Batchelor Costa
y County
Count Administrator °asT, . :r.���'
DATE: August 12, 1997
SUBJECT: Employee Recognition: Award of Excellence Program
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATION:
Adopt the updated and revised Award of Excellence Program recognizing
excellent County employees as recommended by the Director of Human
Resources.
Direct the County Administrator to develop procedures to implement the updated
and revised Award of Excellence Program.
REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION/BACKGROUND:
The Board of Supervisors previously recognized excellent employees for their
outstanding service to the County and asked its staff to formulate a new program
to allow it to resume the practice of recognizing its excellent employees.
The County Administrator has recommended a revised program developed by
staff and has reviewed it with the Board. The Award of Excellence Program
acknowledges and rewards those employees who have demonstrated the
County's fundamental beliefs, as expressed in the County's Statement of Values,
through excellence in their work. These awards provide employees with the
opportunity to be recognized for performance that is exceptional. The Program,
as described in the attachment, will include recognition of employees with the
following awards:
• Excellence in Leadership
• Excellence in Customer Service
• Excellence in Creativity and Innovation
• Excellence in Inspiration
• Excellence in Commitment
• Excellence in Supervisory/Management Achievement
Employees selected for awards recognizing their excellence will be honored at
Board of Supervisors' ceremonies in the Spring of each year.
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES SIGNATURE:
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURE(S)
ACTION OF BOARD ON AUGUST 12, 1997 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AND
CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AND
V/ UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ) ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
AYES: NOES: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: (a, 199 7
ATTESTED �
Phil Batchelor,Clerk of the Board of
Supervisors and County Administrator
CC: HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT BY %) PA DEPUTY
C.lo1
Contra Costa County
Award of Excellence Program
The Award of Excellence Program acknowledges and rewards those employees who have demonstrated
the County's fundamental beliefs, as expressed in the County's Statement of Values, through
excellence in their work. These awards provide employees with the opportunity to be recognized for
performance that is exceptional.
Categories:
• Excellence in Leadership:
• To create an environment that:
* removes obstacles to accomplishing quality work;
* promotes the safety and welfare of employees;
* maximizes productivity;
* stimulates initiative; and
* fosters creativity.
• To provide quality services in the most responsive and cost effective manner.
• To recognize that our employees are our most valuable asset and to treat them with
dignity and respect.
• To participate in training and career development opportunities to enable every employee
to become an excellent performer.
Excellence in Leadership is the demonstrated ability of an employee, who is not a supervisor, to lead
other employees in positive directions by their personality, wisdom, knowledge, perseverance, and
other traits which encourage others to follow the good example set by this employee. By definition,
this employee is not in an assigned leadership position but takes on this role voluntarily and without
direction from a higher level staff, and leads peer employees to accomplish their work in a positive,
effective, and productive manner. The employee may be a mentor, helping others to advance; or the
employee may take on additional responsibilities as a team leader on projects or in an emergency
situation; or the employee may volunteer to participate regularly in activities with County-wide or
department-wide benefit. This employee's positive attitude, work habits and interactions with others
enhance the "quality of worklife" and promotes a positive attitude in others.
• Excellence in Customer Service:
• To understand that the County exists to serve the public.
• To provide quality services in the most responsive and cost effective manner.
• To work and fulfill our responsibilities with integrity.
Excellence in Customer Service is demonstrated by an employee who provides customer service to the
County's internal and external clients, customers, taxpayers, and other citizens in ways that elicit
voiced satisfaction from the customers and recognition of the extraordinary effort by other employees.
This employee consistently goes beyond the basic job requirements to see that their customers receive
the services they need. This employee is knowledgeable, efficient, and effective in completing their
work. This employee uses excellent communication skills to assess the customers' needs and to
communicate information and solutions and does everything possible to provide assistance for our
customers.
• Excellence in Creativity and Innovation:
• To provide quality services in the most responsive and cost effective manner.
• To create an environment that:
* stimulates initiative; and
* fosters creativity.
Excellence in Creativity and Innovation is demonstrated by an employee with innovative ideas and
practices.in performing the job, saving the County or our customers money, or in suggesting creative or
innovative ways of solving problems. The award is earned by an employee who shows initiative in the
creation of a unique solution or result that benefits the County. This employee may have originated an
idea, task or program, or demonstrated an inventive or unique approach to problem solving. This
employee shows self-motivation in either the origination of the problem-solving idea or the approach
used to complete an assignment. The approach used must demonstrate the employee's "vision" of the
whole organization so that the idea, solution, or practice does not solve a problem in one area while
creating a problem elsewhere. This employee demonstrates commitment to follow the problem-solving
idea through to acceptance or to follow the task approach through to completion.
• Excellence in Inspiration:
• To recognize that our employees are our most valuable asset and to treat them with
dignity and respect.
• To work and fulfill our responsibilities with integrity.
Excellence in Inspiration is demonstrated by an employee whose positive attitude and excellent
customer service skills are an inspiration to all those with whom they come in contact. This employee
demonstrates the ability to see the positive attributes of others. This employee encourages development
in others by treating them with respect and admiration and enabling them to realize their own potential.
Their positive approach and enthusiasm generates similar attitudes and behaviors in others, making the
execution of assigned tasks easier to perform. This employee's overall enthusiastic personal satisfaction
in successfully accomplishing their work inspires their co-workers and contributes to a positive work
atmosphere.
• Excellence in Commitment:
• To recognize that our employees are our most valuable asset and to treat them with
dignity and respect.
• To work and fulfill our responsibilities with integrity.
• To provide quality services in the most responsive and cost effective manner.
• To create an environment that:
* removes obstacles to accomplishing quality work.
• To prepare and plan for change.
Excellence in Commitment is presented to ten employees who demonstrate their commitment to the
County or departmental team by illustrating excellent job performance and devotion to the job, other
workers, and clients on an everyday basis, continuing throughout difficult situations and problems.
These employees are self-starters, work independently, and can be counted on to be thorough, efficient
and accurate. They are sensitive to the needs of the others and assist others when necessary, looking
beyond the confines of their "job description" to complete important tasks. The selected employees
need not have made an outstanding contribution in any one single area, but are recognized for the
consistently high quality of their work and their commitment to the County, their department and their
co-workers.
• Excellence in Supervisory/Management Achievement:
• To create an environment that:
* removes obstacles to accomplishing quality work;
* promotes the safety and welfare of employees;
* maximizes productivity;
* stimulates initiative; and
* fosters creativity.
• To recognize that our employees are our most valuable asset and to treat them with
dignity and respect.
• To work and fulfill our responsibilities with integrity.
• To provide quality services in the most responsive and cost effective manner.
Excellence in Supervisory/Management Achievement is awarded to two supervisors or managers who
demonstrate a combination of extraordinary leadership, creativity, commitment, initiative, fiscal
responsibility, and customer-service orientations. One award will be presented to a supervisor or
manager who directly supervises staff and/or work groups and one award will be presented to a
management employee who does not directly supervise others.
For Supervisors or Managers: This employee demonstrates outstanding management skills, manages
people effectively, gets the work done, manages in a way to reflect the increasing importance of public
perceptions, and promotes innovation and improvement. This employee leads by example and builds
the self-confidence and esteem of subordinates and peers. A supervisor or manager selected for this
award should have work group(s) with high morale and motivation which demonstrates their respect for
their supervisor's or manager's leadership in a variety of unsolicited ways. The manager's and
supervisor's nominations should come from their subordinates or peers and carry with them the positive
recommendations of their supervisors, rather than being recommended only by their supervisors or
managers.
For Management Management Employees who do not supervise do not supervise others: This employee demonstrates work of
outstanding quality and the individual's services are sought after by their peers and supervisors. This
employee demonstrates significant leadership and organization in order to accomplish complex tasks in
completion of a program or project. This employee sets a good example for their peers and builds self-
confidence and esteem of subordinate level staff and co-workers. This employee demonstrates high
morale and motivation in many ways so that others are aware of it, remark upon it, and are energized by
it.
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Award Eligibility: All permanent, non-management employees are eligible for nomination in the
following categories. One employee will selected for each award.
• Excellence in Leadership • Excellence in Customer Service
• Excellence in Creativity and Innovation • Excellence in Inspiration
All permanent employees are eligible for nomination in this category. Ten (10) employees will be
presented with the Excellence in Commitment award.
All permanent supervisory and management employees are eligible for nomination in this category.
Two (2) employees will be presented with the Excellence in Supervisory/Management Achievement
award.
Recognition: Each year, the Award of Excellence Program Recognition Ceremony will be held on the
third Tuesday of March in the Board of Supervisors Chambers.
A Board Order honoring each employee receiving an award will be read aloud during the Board of
Supervisors Recognition Ceremony. The Board Order will be signed, framed, and given to the
employee, with a copy filed with the Clerk of the Board.. In addition, pictures will be taken, included
in the year-long recognition plaque, as well as being sent to newspapers for publication with a press
release. The ceremony will be videotaped and broadcast on CCTV and a copy of the video tape will be
given to the all employees receiving an award. A luncheon with the Board of Supervisors will be also
be held immediately following the Board ceremony for all of the Award of Excellence Program
winners and one guest of their choice.
Continuing Recognition: Employee Recognition Plaques with the employee's picture will be hung on
the wall outside of the Board Chambers for the duration of the year for the Excellence in Leadership,
Excellence in Customer Service, Excellence in Creativity and Innovation, Excellence in Inspiration,
and Excellence in Supervisory/Management Achievement awards. Recognition will be continued with
a brass plate for each award category on a perpetual wall plaque.
Awards: All Award of Excellence Program nominees will be sent a Certificate of Nomination suitable
for framing.
A $500 U.S. Savings Bond will be presented to employees receiving awards in Excellence in
Leadership, Excellence in Customer Service, Excellence in Creativity and Innovation, Excellence in
Inspiration, and Excellence in Supervisory/Management Achievement. A $100 U.S. Savings Bond will
be presented to each of the ten employees receiving an Excellence in Commitment award In addition,
an Award of Excellence pen will be provided to each employee receiving an award.