Do the Right Thing
In 2015, Milwaukee County’s largest department, the Department of Health and Human Services, purchased an employee engagement program from an expensive communications firm. While the design package was well-received, the functionoal elements of the program weren’t well-researched, causing it to have trouble taking root. It defined values the department believed important (Partnership, Respect, Integrity, Diversity, Excellence – P.R.I.D.E.), had a catchy name (“Do the Right Thing”) and solid branding and design, but only 20-30 employees out of a 900-person department were participating in it each month.
In 2016, DHHS engaged me to help make “Do the Right Thing” work. A number of opportunities were identified: The program needed constant communication support and engagement, employees needed to see tangible results of peer recognition, and employees needed to see management investment. All active elements to fix a campaign that was originally (and expensively) designed passively.
Mission
Make “Do the Right Thing” do something.
Identified Opportunities
Frequent communications support via e-mail, video boards, and variable-data print collateral.
- Produce tangible results of peer recognition.
- Show management investment in the program at the highest levels.
- Broaden creative support.
- Create annual opportunity to recognize peers for exceptional work.
String of timed e-mails, on a regular basis, directing traffic to program page on company intranet.
- Individualized certificates for every peer recognition submitted.
- System whereby division administrators (second highest level of management in department) personally deliver individualized certificates.
- Brand-supportive intranet page, e-mails, and other broad collateral set.
- Development of annual “PRIDE Awards,” named after the acronym of department values, to include photo, video, intranet, and e-mail support.
Employee peer recognitions climb from 20-30 per month, to 70-100 per month.
- Aggregate employee engagement rates increase 13%.
- Dozens participate in major annual recognition event.
- Rising levels of employees feeling they “trust” management, that their career can develop at the department, and that DHHS is an overall “great place to work.”
- Public Relations Society of America Paragon Award of Excellence
Testimonial
Diane Zettelmeier
Program Lead – Do the Right Thing
Milwaukee County Dept. of Health & Human Services