SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ADMINISTERING WORK ENVIRONMENT INDEX

• US 20120047000A1
• Filed: 08/19/2010
• Published: 02/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hartford Fire Insurance Company (The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hartford Fire Insurance Company (The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: O'Shea, Daniel P., Normandeau, Sallie M., Reinhardt, Karin L., Kenney, Barbara M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,781,884 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.42
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/105 Human resources

Abstract

Employees of an organization are surveyed concerning their opinions about the work environment provided by the organization. A computer system that includes a survey question storage module, a survey administration component, a survey results storage module, and a survey analysis component is used to administer the survey and to analyze the survey results. The computer system generates work environment index (WEI) scores for the managers in the organization to summarize the results of the survey as to employees who are within the managers'"'"' departments. The WEI scores are made the subject of performance goals for the managers and are displayed to the managers via their personal computers.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a survey results storage module for storing survey data indicative of employees'"'"' responses to a set of survey questions, the survey questions for measuring attitudes of the employees towards their work environment;

a survey analysis component coupled to the survey results storage module, the survey analysis component analyzing the survey data to generate a plurality of work environment index results, each of said work environment index results corresponding to a respective management employee and derived from survey data which corresponds to a respective group of the employees, the respective group consisting of ones of said employees who report directly or indirectly to the respective management employee, the survey analysis component including a processor programmed to analyze the survey data stored in the survey results storage module, the respective management employee being one of a plurality of management employees;

a performance review component coupled to the survey analysis component for receiving said work environment index results and, for each of said management employees, (a) comparing a respective one of the work environment index results with a respective current year work environment goal for said each one of said management employees, and (b) automatically generating, based at least in part on the respective one of the work environment index results, a respective subsequent year work environment goal for said each one of said management employees; and

a display component, coupled to the performance review component, for displaying said respective one of the work environment index results and the respective work environment goals to said at least one of said management employees.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the display component displays the respective one of the work environment index results as part of a dashboard display.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the survey analysis component calculates the work environment index results as weighted averages of average scores assigned to the survey questions by the groups of employees.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the work environment goals are expressed as target ranges for said work environment index results.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein each group of employees includes at least five employees.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the work environment goals and the work environment index results are expressed as decimal values within a range of one to five.

7. A computer-implemented method comprising:

storing, in a data storage device, survey data indicative of employees'"'"' responses to a set of survey questions, the survey questions for measuring attitudes of the employees towards their work environment;

analyzing, with a processor, the survey data to generate a plurality of work environment index results, each of said work environment index results corresponding to a respective management employee and derived from survey data which corresponds to a respective group of the employees, the respective group consisting of ones of said employees who report directly or indirectly to the respective management employee, the respective management employee being one of a plurality of management employees;

storing said work environment index results in the data storage device;

for each of said management employees, the processor processing the work environment index results to (a) compare a respective one of the work environment index results with a respective current year work environment goal for said each one of said management employees, and (b) automatically generate, based at least in part on the respective one of the work environment index results, a respective subsequent year work environment goal for said each one of said management employees; and

displaying, on at least one display component, said respective one of the work environment index results and the respective work environment goals to said at least one of said management employees.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the display component displays the respective one of the work environment index results as part of a dashboard display.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the processor calculates the work environment index results as weighted averages of average scores assigned to the survey questions by the groups of employees.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the work environment goals are expressed as target ranges for said work environment index results.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein each group of employees includes at least five employees.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the work environment goals and the work environment index results are expressed as decimal values within a range of one to five.

13. A computer system comprising:

a survey results storage module for storing survey data indicative of employees'"'"' responses to a set of survey questions, the survey questions for measuring attitudes of the employees towards their work environment;

a survey analysis component coupled to the survey results storage module, the survey analysis component analyzing the survey data to generate a plurality of work environment index results, each of said work environment index results corresponding to a respective management employee and derived from survey data which corresponds to a respective group of the employees, the respective group consisting of ones of said employees who report directly or indirectly to the respective management employee, the survey analysis component including a processor programmed to analyze the survey data stored in the survey results storage module, the respective management employee being one of a plurality of management employees; and

a display component, coupled to the survey analysis component, for displaying said work environment index results to at least one of said management employees, said display component displaying said work environment index results in a user interface format, the user interface format including an interface element that is actuatable by the management employees, the survey analysis component responding to actuation of said interface element by downloading to said display component information that expands said work environment index results to represent a first portion of said work environment index results attributable to said employees'"'"' intent not to seek other employment and a second portion of said work environment index results attributable to said employees'"'"' feelings of inspiration toward good work performance.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the display component displays the respective one of the work environment index results as part of a dashboard display.

15. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the survey analysis component calculates the work environment index results as weighted averages of average scores assigned to the survey questions by the groups of employees.

16. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the work environment index results are expressed as decimal values within a range of one to five.

17. A computer-implemented method comprising:

storing, in a data storage device, survey data indicative of employees'"'"' responses to a set of survey questions, the survey questions for measuring attitudes of the employees towards their work environment;

analyzing, with a processor, the survey data to generate a plurality of work environment index results, each of said work environment index results corresponding to a respective management employee and derived from survey data which corresponds to a respective group of the employees, the respective group consisting of ones of said employees who report directly or indirectly to the respective management employee, the respective management employee being one of a plurality of management employees;

displaying, on at least one display component, said work environment index results to said management employees in a user interface format, the user interface format including an interface element that is actuatable by the management employees; and

responding to actuation of said interface element by downloading to the at least one display component information that expands said work environment index results to represent a first portion of said work environment index results attributable to said employees'"'"' intent not to seek other employment and a second portion of said work environment index results attributable to said employees'"'"' feelings of inspiration toward good work performance.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the display component displays the respective one of the work environment index results as part of a dashboard display.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the processor calculates the work environment index results as weighted averages of average scores assigned to the survey questions by the groups of employees.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the work environment index results are expressed as decimal values within a range of one to five.

21. A computer system comprising:

a survey results storage module for storing survey data indicative of employees'"'"' responses to a set of survey questions, the survey questions for measuring attitudes of the employees towards their work environment;

a survey analysis component coupled to the survey results storage module, the survey analysis component analyzing the survey data to generate a plurality of work environment index results, each of said work environment index results corresponding to a respective management employee and derived from survey data which corresponds to a respective group of the employees, the respective group consisting of ones of said employees who report directly or indirectly to the respective management employee, the survey analysis component including a processor programmed to analyze the survey data stored in the survey results storage module, the respective management employee being one of a plurality of management employees; and

a performance review component coupled to the survey analysis component for receiving said work environment index results and, for each of said management employees, (a) comparing a respective one of the work environment index results with a respective current year work environment goal for said each one of said management employees, and (b) automatically generating, based at least in part on the respective one of the work environment index results, a respective subsequent year work environment goal for said each one of said management employees.

22. A computer system comprising:

a work environment index results storage module for storing (a) respective work environment index results for each of a plurality of management employees;

(b) a respective current year work environment goal for each of said plurality of management employees; and

(c) a respective subsequent year work environment goal for each of said plurality of management employees;

said subsequent year work environment goals having been generated based on said work environment index results; and

at least one display component, coupled to the work environment results storage module for displaying said respective one of the work environment index results and the respective work environment goals to at least one of said management employees.