RE: Convincing employees

["Harris, Jody" <Jody.Harris@state.me.us>]

Paul's suggestion is an excellent one. Another suggestion may be to help
employees understand how performance measurement can help them with their
work such as:

* highlighting program successes; recognition for a job well done
* documenting work loads; justifying new resources
* identifying efficiencies; with savings used to buy something the staff
need
* understanding what they are supposed to achieve; help set priorities to be
able to say no to added work or new projects 

Of course, it all starts with employees themselves helping to determine what
the measures are.

To follow up on Paul's point about getting employees to see how their work
contributes to a bigger picture of what the organization is trying to
accomplish --In Maine, we conducted a survey of our 13,000 state government
employees. 75% of the respondents said that knowing how their individual
work effort contributes to the organization's goals and objectives was a
significant contributor in improving morale. Performance measurement can
help you (and them) see where their efforts make a difference.

Best of luck.

Jody L. Harris
Strategic Planning Coordinator
Maine State Planning Office
38 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
TEL (207) 287-5424
FAX (207) 287-8059
E-MAIL: jody.harris@state.me.us
WEB: www.state.me.us/spo



-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Epstein [mailto:epstein@pipeline.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2001 11:17 AM
To: Delvin Lane; upm@raw.rutgers.edu
Cc: Harris, Jody
Subject: RE: Convincing employees


My first suggestion is not to approach public performance measurement
 as
"measuring employees," but as "measuring what we are achieving for the
public."

Don't focus the opening value proposition on making employees feel they are
being judged whether they are doing "good" or "bad" work, or whether they
are "efficient" or "inefficient."  But focus it on how effectively the work
of organizational units or teams is focused on improving how well the
organization accomplishes its mission, satisfies customers, or contributes
to improving public outcomes.

You may eventually have to get down to the point of using measurement to
improve the performance of teams or even individual employees.  But it is
almost impossible to start there and have employees accept the measurement
system and help make it work.  You've got a better chance, however, if
you've first gotten employees to see how their work contributes--adds value
to--to a bigger picture of what the organization as a whole is trying to
accomplish for the public.

 --Paul Epstein
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Epstein & Fass Associates (www.epsteinandfass.com)
140 Nassau St., Suite 9C, New York, NY 10038
Phone: 212-349-1719  Fax: 212-349-4054  e-mail: epstein@pipeline.com

 -----Original Message-----
From: owner-upm@raw.rutgers.edu [mailto:owner-upm@raw.rutgers.edu]On
Behalf Of Delvin Lane
Sent: Tuesday, July 17, 2001 5:48 AM
To: upm@raw.rutgers.edu
Subject: Convincing employees

Delvin Lane
Senior Project Manager
energywatch
delvin.lane@energywatch.org.uk
(m) 07721 300254

Dear All,

Can anyone help me with ideas on how to sell the benifits of performance
measurement to the very employees we are trying to measure?

Any presentations, papers etc would be most helpful.

Kind Regards,

Delvin Lane.

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