OLYMPIA — The Productivity Board, a state employee incentive program of the Office of the Secretary of State, voted unanimously Thursday to award four state employees up to $11,300 total for their ideas to save the state money.
The Productivity Board encourages all state employees to help save taxpayers' money by offering up to $10,000 for a successful employee proposal to increase government efficiency. First created by the Legislature in 1982, the Productivity Board saved the state millions of dollars before it was shut down in 2011 due to budget constraints.
“Since the Productivity Board relaunched earlier this year, more than 90 suggestions have been submitted by state employees,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said. “This is a testament to state workers’ dedication to improving the livelihood of Washingtonians by making their government work better for them.”
Hollyann Dahlberg of the Employment Security Department will receive up to $10,000 for their suggestion that the department improve their letter translation protocols. Justin Rumsey, a State Trooper with the Washington State Patrol, suggested that crime lab results be communicated electronically instead of by mail. Trooper Rumsey’s award is estimated to be $900, pending determination of first-year savings.
The Productivity Board members also voted to award $400 in recognition awards. A total of $200 will be awarded to Jerald Dougherty at Central Washington University for his suggestion to reformat campus keycards making them easier to produce. David Halpern, retired park ranger for Washington State Parks and Recreation will be awarded $200 for his improvement suggestion to the Productivity Board website.
Submissions can be made through the Employee Suggestion Program for an individual’s idea or through the Teamwork Incentive Program for larger process improvements for two or more employees’ ideas.
Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees areas within state government including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. The office operates the State Archives and the State Library, documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington, and administers the Combined Fund Drive for charitable giving by state employees and the Productivity Board state employee suggestion program. The Office of the Secretary of State also oversees the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime.