HIMstrata Honors Susan Sprigs for Exceptional Work After Discovering It Had Been Counting None of It
The Kevin Files · Story 017
Susan Finally Appears on the Dashboard
A review of HIMstrata's productivity reporting has revealed that Senior Revenue Specialist Susan Sprigs performed considerably more work than the company had been recording, prompting the removal of her Performance Improvement Plan and a formal correction to her evaluation.
The discovery occurred while the department was updating how it measured work performed by employees who handle claim exceptions and complex corrections.
For years, the company's primary productivity report counted completed claims but excluded much of the investigation and correction work that allowed those claims to be submitted successfully.
Sprigs had been assigned a performance improvement plan after her recorded production fell below the department's target.
Billing Supervisor Greg Pendergast said the review provided a clearer picture of her responsibilities.
"We knew Susan was busy, and we knew she was doing important work. What we didn't have was a report that reflected how much of it she was doing."
The updated figures included thousands of claim reviews, corrections, and investigations previously classified as operational support.
Sprigs's evaluation changed considerably.
"That makes more sense," she said when shown the revised report. "I was wondering where my entire workday had gone."
Pendergast confirmed that the improvement plan had been closed, its inaccurate findings removed from her active personnel record, and her performance evaluation corrected.
Human Resources also approved an appropriate compensation adjustment and three paid professional development days.
Sprigs said she was pleased with the outcome, particularly the correction to her record.
"I knew what work I was doing. It's good that the report finally knows too."
The finding prompted HIMstrata to review whether other employees' contributions had been excluded by the same reporting approach.
Several were.
The department began tracking complex corrective work separately rather than comparing it directly with routine automated processing.
Executive Vice President Craig Haddock praised the change as an innovative recognition of human expertise.
"Sometimes the most important work is the work we haven't figured out how to measure yet."
The Operational Excellence Committee proposed establishing an annual award for employees whose contributions had previously gone uncounted.
Susan was selected as the inaugural recipient.
The award consisted of a glass spreadsheet with an illuminated column labeled Other Work.
During the presentation, Susan thanked the colleagues who had helped document the issue and the managers who had corrected her evaluation.
Then she returned to her desk.
The glass spreadsheet was placed beside her monitor, where it cast a faint blue light over the actual spreadsheet she was working on.
The department has since begun including corrective-work totals in its standard performance reports.
Pendergast says the revised system provides a more accurate picture of employees' contributions.
Susan agrees.
She is particularly pleased that no one has asked her to complete a time-management worksheet about the award ceremony.