Personnel Rules and Regulations

Employee Recognition

Annual Employee Service Awards (New policy effective July 1, 2003)

The Annual Employee Service Awards Program is designed to recognize the tenure and dedication to service provided by employees. One way to show this appreciation is by recognizing years of service with the City.

Eligibility

Part-time and full-time City employees become eligible at five (5) year intervals beginning with their fifth anniversary. Awards are based on hours worked and must equal full time service: e.g. if someone works 20 hours per week they would need to work 10 years to receive the five-year certificate.

Presentation

Employees eligible for five (5) year Service Awards will receive a Certificate of Service. The certificate will be presented in the individual departments in a manner approved by the Department Director.

Employees eligible for ten (10) year Service Awards may receive their award at a citywide awards banquet.

Employees eligible for fifteen (15) year Service Awards, and at five year intervals thereafter, may receive their award at a citywide awards banquet. In addition, a personal holiday will be awarded at the beginning of the payroll calendar year in which they are recognized for their years of service at the awards banquet. This day must be used by the end of the last pay period of the payroll calendar year. On the timesheet it should be coded as “P” for Personal Holiday (Revised June 1, 2004).

A Celebration of Service Banquet is held each year (Revised June 1, 2004) of each year. Employees who complete the required number of years of service during a given year will receive their service award at the following year’s banquet.

Exceptional Performance Award Program (New policy effective July 1, 2003)

The City of Fort Worth considers its most important resource to be its employees. The purpose of the Exceptional Performance Award Program is to recognize and reward on a quarterly basis employees and teams who act in extraordinary ways. In this way we will show appreciation to employees and teams who model the courage, caring, competence and commitment necessary in a high performance organization.

Process

Any employee may nominate any other fellow employee or team for an Exceptional Performance Award regardless of level or department. All nominations shall be through the nominating employee’s chain-of-command (including, but not limited to the immediate supervisor and the department director) to the Learning Services Division of the Human Resources Department (Revised 2-10-06) by the 10th of the month following the end of each quarter. Quarters are defined as:

1st Quarter............................... October – December
2nd Quarter.............................. January – March
3rd Quarter.............................. April – June
4th Quarter.............................. July - September

Nomination forms are available on the intranet, from the Learning Services Division of the Human Resources Department. Nominations may be submitted in hard copy or electronically.

The determination of award recipients will be made by the selection committee with approval by the City Manager.

Organizational Announcements

The Learning Services Division of the Human Resources Department will be responsible for developing announcements recognizing the award recipient. (Revised 2-10-06)

It will be the responsibility of the employee’s Department Director or Manager to provide appropriate departmental recognition of award recipients. (Revised 2-10-06)

Awards will be presented at a regularly scheduled Pre-Council Meeting (revised June 1, 2004).

General Provisions

Employees may be granted one award per six-month period.

Nominations cannot be approved if the employee has received disciplinary action within the preceding 12 months.

Determination of award recipients will be made by the selection committee.

Criteria:

Nominees meeting the criteria below, recommended by the committee and approved by the City Manager, may receive an award.

The performance for which an employee is nominated and may result in an award will normally be within one of the following areas (Revised 2-10-06)

Performing (Revised 2-10-06) superior customer service.
Unique acts of courage and caring.
Accomplishing extraordinary feats or significantly exceeding expectations particularly in accomplishing strategic goals.
Demonstrating exemplary project or program performance by completing projects or program activities in an exceptional, exemplary manner that may be part of one’s job responsibilities. Such an act may not necessarily disqualify a nominee(s). In cases such as this, the act or project must be exemplary in nature.

Selection Committee

The City Manager will appoint a committee to assist in the employee recognition program. The committee will serve a two-year term, and will be comprised of 11 city employees from all levels of the organization

Selection Committee Responsibilities

This committee will review nominations, conduct interviews, and make decisions about the award.

Committee members will observe strict confidentiality in the selection work. If an employee has been nominated for appointment to the committee, but feels this could create a problem, he/she is strongly encouraged to respectfully decline appointment to the committee.

Nature of the Award

Individual Awards

Individual award recipients receive a lapel pin, and a wall plaque presented at a Pre-Council meeting. They also receive an award of $500 added to their next paycheck after the Pre-Council presentation. (Revised 2-10-06)

Team Awards

Team awards recipients receive a team wall plaque. Each team member will receive a certificate and a lapel pin. They will also receive a monetary award added to their next paycheck after the Pre-Council presentation. Teams of one (1) to three (3) will receive $500 per member. Teams consisting of 4 or more members will receive a maximum award of $1500, which will be equally divided among the members.(Revised 2-10-06)

Performance Incentive Program (“Pat on the Back” Awards) (New policy effective July 1, 2003)

The Performance Incentive Program is designed to provide recognition to employees who demonstrate the core values of customer service and communication. By recognizing individual acts of customer service and communication, the City will demonstrate its commitment to these values.

Eligibility

Individual employees who perform an exceptional example of customer service or communication.

Process

Supervisors will be provided with “Pat on the Back” award forms. When they observe an exceptional example of customer service or communication, they will write the details on a form and give it to the employee. Any city employee can give a Pat on the Back to any other city employee. The duplicate of the form should be submitted to be entered into a monthly prize drawing. There is no limit on how many times an employee can be entered, although there will be a limit of one prize per employee per month.

Prizes

Examples of prizes include movie tickets, gift certificates, logo items, merchandise and tickets to sporting events.

Program Awarding Your $uggestion (PAY$) (New Policy Effective July 1, 2003)

The Program Awarding Your $uggestion (PAY$) is the City of Fort Worth’s employee suggestion program. PAY$ solicits and reviews employee suggestions and may award cash and prizes for ideas that generate revenue, save money, streamline work processes or benefit the City in other ways.

The Human Resources Department administers the PAY$ Program and a committee of seven (7) employees oversee the program guidelines. Each department selects one or more staff members to serve as Idea Specialist(s) for the department.

The HR Director selects the PAY$ Program Administrator who is responsible for coordinating activities of the PAY$ Committee and works with department staff appointed to serve as Department Idea Specialists. The PAY$ Program Administrator facilitates PAY$ Committee meetings. On issues brought before the PAY$ Committee, the PAY$ Program Administrator votes only when a tie-break vote is needed.

The City Manager appoints members to the PAY$ Committee. The members reflect the diverse culture of the organization – cultural/ethnic makeup, position classification, tenure, etc. The PAY$ Committee makes program policy changes and is the final authority in resolving disputes regarding program administration.

Department Directors select staff to serve as Idea Specialists for their respective departments. Larger departments may select 3 or 4 Idea Specialists, smaller departments should appoint at least 1 Idea Specialist and invite another staff member to serve as backup. Idea Specialists handle the evaluation process for suggestions sent to their department. The Idea Specialists ensure that adopted ideas are implemented.

A copy of the PAY$ Guidebook outlining program guidelines and a PAY$ manual are available to provide greater details regarding the PAY$ Program. Both can be accessed via the City’s internal website at http://www.cfwnet.org/hr/pays/index.htm

A Suggestion. A suggestion is a written proposal that clearly states the current condition and a specific recommendation for improvement.
Submitting Suggestions. Suggestions must be submitted on a PAY$ Suggestion Form, either online or hard copy. Suggestions must be submitted to the PAY$ Office located in the Human Resources Department, City Hall Annex, 908 Monroe Street, Room 607.
Evaluating Suggestions (that are not already implemented). Each suggestion is investigated for merit so a sound decision can be made as to whether it should be adopted. Every suggestion is reviewed by the PAY$ Administrator, and an Idea Specialist or a Work Team. The PAY$ Administrator notifies the suggester as to the outcome of his/her suggestion.
Eligibility. Suggesters must be regular full-time or part-time employees of the City of Fort Worth or a volunteer serving in an authorized position classification to be eligible to participate in PAY$.
Awards. Awards are paid out when a suggestion is both adopted and implemented. Suggestions will be evaluated based on one of the four categories:
Category One – Direct Tangible. Any suggestion that creates a cost savings that can be taken immediately from the budget such as a reduction in materials needed to perform a process. Category One suggestions are eligible to receive an award amount from $50 to $5,000, depending upon the actual savings involved.
Category Two – Indirect Tangible. These types of suggestions come from cost savings that cannot be immediately taken from the budget, such as time and labor savings. Category Two suggestions are eligible to receive an award amount from $50 to $5,000, depending upon the indirect savings involved. Suggestions indicating monetary savings below $500 will receive the minimum $50 award. (revised June 1, 2004)
Category Three – Intangible. Suggestions that cannot be easily quantified with a cost savings, such as improved customer service or quality are considered intangible. All intangible suggestions receive $50 and are eligible for a “Best of the Quarter” bonus award of $250.
Category Four – Helpful Hint. These suggestions result in savings below $500 and will receive a program incentive, with a bonus of $250 available for the Helpful Hint chosen as “Best of the Quarter”.
Ineligible Suggestions. All suggestions are welcome except for the following:
1. suggestions pertaining to conditions over which the organization has no control;
2. suggestions regarding departmental reorganization, staffing levels, transfer of services from one department to another;
3. suggestions that were under active consideration by management prior to their submission;
4. duplications of suggestions that have been adopted or previously considered within the past twelve months;
5. suggestions expressing personal grievances or proposing salary increases or job reclassifications;
6. tasks that were specifically assigned to the employee for improvement or problem-solving as a part of his/her job duties and responsibilities;
7. suggestions that do not propose a method or way to make the improvement;
8. suggestions that do not adequately solve the identified problem;
9. complaints;
10. anonymous suggestions;
11. suggestions concerning normal maintenance and repairs of buildings, equipment or grounds, unless such suggestions contribute to a solution of maintenance problems; and,
12. corrections to obvious errors.
13. concepts that are implemented in various city departments;
14. suggestions proposing the purchase of specific software/hardware packages unless the suggester identifies a department that will commit to all cost associated with acquisition and implementation;
15. constructing or redesigning forms; ideas regarding paper weight/size/color;
16. all ideas regarding sign installation or development;
17. Suggestions that focus on reducing or eliminating printing cost for documents/reports by:
  1. Decreasing amount of paper used (fewer copies, print double sided);
  2. Providing different formats (paper, electronic, CD, DVD, etc.),
  3. Using different mediums (intranet, internet, etc.)
18. Suggestions that propose acquiring/replenishing/relocating standard supplies/equipment; an
19. Suggestions that propose solutions requiring legislation or funding that is not currently in place (i.e. installing parking lots, constructing buildings; enacting new laws, etc.) (revised June 1, 2004)
Ineligibility Exception. An exception to ineligibility rule #6 (specifically assigned tasks): Any suggestion that comes from an assigned task, but goes “beyond the call of creative duty” (as deemed by the immediate manager or supervisor) will be eligible for consideration and award under the PAY$ Program.
Duplication of Suggestions. When two or more suggestions are submitted stating the same condition and the same recommendation for improvement, the suggestion with the earliest date is eligible for award consideration. When two or more duplicate suggestions are received on the same date, the suggestions will be combined and signers of the suggestions will be considered co-suggesters, with any resulting award divided equally between the suggesters.
Employee Collaboration. When two or more employees submit a suggestion they are considered co-suggesters. If any co-suggester is ineligible for awards and signs the suggestion form, that suggestion will not be eligible for an award. All co-suggested awards are shared equally among the co-suggesters, and the award amount will be rounded off to the nearest cent.
Functions of the PAY$ Committee. The PAY$ Committee will periodically review and revise the PAY$ Program rules as needed, evaluate subjective decisions regarding suggestions. (revised June 1, 2004)
Appeal Process. When a suggester disagrees with decisions regarding non-adoption of a suggestion or the amount or type of award for an adopted suggestion, the suggester will have 30 calendar days from the date of notification of the non-adoption to formally make an appeal of the disputed decision. Appeals of non-adopted suggestions will be reviewed by an ad hoc team composed of managers with implementation decision authority regarding the concept described in the suggestion. Appeals regarding reward amounts will be reviewed by the PAY$ Committee. Ad hoc team and PAY$ Committee decisions are final and binding. Absolutely no further appeals will be allowed on that particular suggestion.(revised June 1, 2004)
PAY$ Program Changes and Revisions. The City of Fort Worth has the right to change/terminate its PAY$ program and its rules at any time, with or without notice. The City of Fort Worth has exclusive authority to determine policies and procedures which include: 1) the eligibility of the suggestion or the suggester; 2) the amount and type of award; and, 3) any or all policies or procedures pertaining to the suggestion system.
Adopting Ideas. Before any cost savings idea is adopted, a cost analysis will be performed by an Idea Specialist and must get budget approval by the appropriate implementing supervisor/manager. (revised June 1, 2004)
City of Fort Worth Rights. All suggestions, including patents, become the exclusive property of the City of Fort Worth. The organization reserves the right to use the implemented idea in any manner it deems appropriate. The suggestion becomes the absolute and exclusive property of the City of Fort Worth upon submission. The organization assumes no legal responsibility beyond the maximum award for any suggestion.
Monetary Award Payment Process. PAY$ monetary awards are considered earned income for employees and applicable taxes and retirement contributions will be deducted from award payments. Monetary award payments will be included on the employee’s payroll check paid in the regular City payroll cycle. If an employee terminates employment before a suggestion award has been paid, it will not be paid to the former employee. However, there are two (2) exceptions to this rule: When terminations occur due to 1) a reduction in force or 2) retirement, the award will be paid. (revised June 1, 2004)
Non-Monetary Incentives/Gifts. PAY$ incentives and gifts are provided during specific timeframes and as stock levels allow. The PAY$ Office may substitute an advertised incentive with another of equal value. Most incentives will be delivered via inter-office mail. The PAY$ Office is not responsible for broken, lost or stolen items. The PAY$ Office is unable to exchange, replace or refund the cash value of an incentive.
Suggestion Evaluation Process. The suggestion evaluation process has been standardized to ensure program consistency, credibility, and verifiability. Idea Specialists use the same procedure for calculating time savings, revenue enhancements, and all other savings and all other implementation costs.
Program Effectiveness Measures. The PAY$ Administrator will monitor program activities to ensure adopted suggestions are implemented, to serve as a quality check of evaluations, to determine if the processes are being done correctly and to verify the amount of savings. PAY$ reports will be generated to provide program statistics such as dollar savings, revenue enhancements, return on investment and participation rate.(revised June 1, 2004)