Orchard Park Water Staff Suggestion Scheme

Why we have a scheme

At Orchard Park Water, the people who do a job every day are often the best placed to see how it could be done better. Our suggestion scheme gives every employee the chance to put forward ideas that could save money, improve safety, reduce waste or make life easier for our customers. Last year more than three hundred ideas were submitted, and over forty of them have now been put into practice.

What makes a good suggestion

A suggestion should describe a specific problem and explain how your idea would solve it. Ideas that simply ask for more staff or a larger budget are unlikely to be accepted unless you can show how the cost would be recovered. Complaints about individual colleagues, or about pay and conditions, are not dealt with through this scheme and should be raised with your manager or your trade union representative.

How to submit an idea

Suggestions can be submitted using the online form on the staff website or by filling in a paper form, which can be found in every staff room. You may submit an idea on your own or as part of a group of up to four people. If you would prefer your name not to be shown to the judging panel, tick the box marked confidential; only the scheme coordinator will then know who sent the idea.

What happens next

Every suggestion receives a written acknowledgement within five working days. The coordinator then sends it to a manager in the relevant department, who will assess whether it could work and what it would cost. The coordinator may contact you if more details are needed. You will be told the outcome within eight weeks. If a suggestion needs a trial before a decision can be made, the person who suggested it is normally invited to help run the trial.

Rewards

Every accepted idea earns a £50 shopping voucher. Where an idea leads to a saving that can be measured, the person who suggested it will receive ten per cent of the savings made in the first year, up to a maximum of £5,000. Group suggestions are rewarded in the same way, with the amount shared equally. Each December, the best idea of the year is also announced at the staff awards evening.

Who cannot take part

Directors are not eligible for rewards. Employees whose job already involves improving the way the company works, such as members of the efficiency team, may only receive a reward for ideas that fall outside their own area of responsibility. Temporary and agency staff are welcome to take part on the same basis as permanent employees.