Montgomery County’s gainsharing program, Rewarding Excellence, was featured in this month’s issue of Governing magazine. Begun in 2009, Rewarding Excellence has so far resulted in five successful proposals from front-line employees that are expected to save the County approximately $850,000 annually. Other projects are in various stages of approval.

Gainsharing program ideas are generated by teams of eight to 12 people plus one or two facilitators who receive special training. The teams then meet regularly to brainstorm new, money-saving ideas, develop detailed proposals and then present them to senior management and union representatives for approval. Team members are rewarded for successful programs with one-time bonuses of up to $5,000, depending on the amount of money the program saves.

“The gainsharing program not only saves the County money in the long term, but also empowers employees to take more responsibility for ensuring that taxpayer dollars are being spent in the most efficient way possible,” said Joe Adler, director, Montgomery County Office of Human Resources. “Employees who take part in Rewarding Excellence develop a sense of ownership in their work, fostering an environment of trust and collaboration that results in highly effective employees.”

Although the Governing article by Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene focused on problems gainsharing programs are having during tight times, Montgomery County’s program actually began during the peak of its economic downturn to encourage teams to develop creative ways to reduce the cost of government.

“Front-line employees are in a unique position to identify ways to work more efficiently and develop cost effective solutions,” said Adler. “We are partners with our talented workforce in finding ways to make a top-notch government even better.”

View Governing magazine’s article online.

More information about Montgomery County’s gainsharing program is available on the County’s website.