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Spotlight on Innovations and Achievements: Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia
We're highlighting cutting-edge programs and successful strategies used by the 2018 recipients of n4a's Aging Innovations and Achievement Awards in this weekly spotlight feature. This week we're focusing on the Electronic Performance Appraisal Tool (EPAT), winner in the Agency Operations category.
Developed by Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia (SSSEVA), EPAT uses a familiar, user-friendly platform—Survey Monkey—to simplify the employee evaluation process for SSSEVA's staff and supervisors. By enhancing performance measurement through customized questions for each department, position and employee, EPAT provides a logical and fair basis for allocating salary increases; reduces employee/supervisor anxiety during evaluation interviews; and promotes job satisfaction.
SSSEVA identified the need for this program when it adopted a new, web-based human resources management and payroll system that many staff felt was neither user-friendly nor intuitive. Many staff experienced technical difficulties when submitting the forms using the previous system. Another complaint was that the system required employees and supervisors to answer the same questions regardless of their position or job description. In 2016, SSSEVA's Director of Human Resources, Diane Taylor, set out to improve the employee evaluation process. The result was EPAT.
Agencies looking to implement a similar system can easily replicate EPAT by using Survey Monkey or a similar platform. SSSEVA is willing to provide technical support as well as sample questions and reports to agencies that may need help developing an EPAT of their own. EPAT's effectiveness is measured through satisfaction surveys, which found that 76 percent of respondents felt the system measured their job performance more accurately than the previous system and 78 percent of respondents feeling that EPAT is more effective than the previous system that had been used by SSSEVA.
To learn more about this year's winners, read our press release and check out our book of winners to learn how your agency can implement this or similar programs in your community!
Thanks to the generous support of WellCare, the Aging Innovations and Achievement Awards 2019 application process will open in February, so watch your email for updates and consider nominating your agency's programs!