The Employee Suggestion program is one of the City’s five Reward and Recognition programs implemented June 16, 2015. This program allows employees to share innovative ideas, which may enhance productivity, efficiency, effectiveness, safety, and/or the quality of local government services. Employees whose suggestions and innovations result in monetary savings, increased revenues to the City, improved quality of services, or otherwise benefit the City and its residents are recognized annually and may receive a monetary award based on program guidelines.
At the end of the year, additional prizes are awarded based on a recommendation from the Procedure team, including intangible recommendations; one award of $1,000 goes to an employee for the suggestion of the year resulting in cost savings/revenues for the City and up to three others go to the runners-up at $500 each.
In addition, viable and implemented suggestions estimated to result in savings or revenues of more than $5,000, will be evaluated for a trial period of six (6) months. The applicable department(s) will assess the success of the trial and recommend whether the idea should be adopted permanently. If adopted permanently, the employee will receive a special award, based on the savings or increase in revenue generated by a “tangible” idea with awards up to 1% of the estimated net monetary savings or increase in revenue during the first full year of implementation ranging from a minimum of $50 to a maximum of $5,000 per suggestion. The cost of capital expenditures shall be amortized over the useful life of the equipment or facility. Direct labor costs and indirect or administrative costs of implementation shall be considered first year costs.
For FY 2020, two suggestions were selected for additional prizes and possible implementation:
Suggestion 1: Host an Annual 5K race to bring business to specific areas of need
Employee suggestion submitted as ““The City should have an annual 5k running race and if possible, add a 10k. It would draw positive attention and business to the City. Ocean Drive is an iconic area, but maybe hosting the race in the North part of the beach would help draw attention and eyes to an area that feels neglected. Many cities host annual 5k and 10k races; such as, Doral, Miami Springs, Tampa, and many more.”
Benefits:
- Common and popular type of community event
- Draws many participants into the area
- Participants remain in the area supporting local restaurants, bars and retailers
Challenges:
- Disruption of traffic and limited parking
- Include local businesses and associations as planning partners
- Locating efficient staging that can safely accommodate large crowds
- Past City walks have been on a smaller scale targeting only employees
- Additional staff support needed to assist throughout the event
Suggestion 2: Promote Art in Public Spaces in South Pointe Park
Employee suggestion submitted as “South Pointe Park - To create a public art area and "instagrammable" feature that will increase our reach and exposure on social media, TV and print while also providing a venue for local artists to display their work.”
Benefits:
- Public artwork improves the image and identity of the local community
- Public artwork directly influences how people see and connect with a specific place
- Public artwork ecosystem supports local artists and other creatives by validating their contribution to the community
- Public artwork is a visual mechanism for understanding different cultures and perspectives and reinforcing a social connectivity with others
- Public artwork allows pedestrians to slow down and appreciate the area and provides a positive impact on our mood
Challenges:
- No budget