Clients & Cast Studies

We were asked by a tech company help them with a compensation project.  At that time, the organization had no real structure, inconsistency was prevalent, and they were not incenting the performance they were looking for. 

Three general goals were identified for this project: (1) Assist management in determining what an appropriate and effective compensation philosophy and strategy should be; (2) develop the policies, structure, and tools to support that philosophy and strategy; and (3) conduct various reviews and analyses to assure compliance with federal and state requirements governing employee compensation.

  They had attempted to address compensation in the past, but with less than stellar results.  They were very concerned because they knew and understood that people get very uneasy when you tinker with their compensation.  We assured the client that we would handle everything carefully and collaboratively.   When we completed the project, they then possessed an easy to use system and structure that management and employees had bought into collectively.   We even helped them implement a simple tool to help determine the appropriate merit increase for each employee in an objective manner. 

The project was such a success that our client contact who sponsored the project was promoted to the executive leadership team!

A hi-tech firm was having significant problems getting productivity from their people.  They were also facing turnover issues across the organization.  They wanted to understand what was happening and why.  They brought us in to design and run an employee engagement survey. 

The engagement numbers were some of the lowest we had ever seen.  The comments we full of anger and colorful language.  The organizations was at an all-time low.  We held focus groups to provide an opportunity for people to help find solutions and clarify certain results.  It came down to senior leadership not living up to the culture.  The values espoused on the walls were a joke.  Certain senior leadership behavior was the equivalent to bullying or harassment.  When times got tough, senior leadership got rough. 

We held a meeting to debrief the senior leadership team of the organization, but in actuality, it was more of an intervention.  Once they were able to acknowledge their issues; we were able to design and implement a plan to change the culture from the top to the bottom.  In one year, they not only saw their score jump to a healthy organization’s level, but they also saw an 11 million dollar positive shift in their profitability due to the work we had done with them. 

People decided to stay and more importantly, employees were driving the growth and profitability. They were giving their discretionary effort and speaking up; ensuring the company was going in the right direction.  The growth led to a highly profitable sale of a division of the business.

We worked with a client in the logistics world with significant turnover in a key position where the company had made substantial investments in recruiting and retaining individuals for this position.  Our client had a difficult time getting employees to open up and be honest about the reasons why.  They also had challenges getting previous employees to participate in exit interviews.  What little feedback they did receive focused on paying people more.  Concerned they were not getting enough information or that the information was accurate they asked for our help. 

We proceeded to utilize our on-line survey platform to conduct exit interviews with past employees and stay interviews with current employees.  We also interviewed a few individuals that wanted to talk live.  We compiled the data and ran a key driver analysis.  We identified core issues that needed to be resolved.  We then held focus groups to gain further clarification and insights into the results of the data. 

Surprisingly it was not compensation that was the issue.  Work-life balance was the big issue, followed by equity.  People there wanted to work to live not live to work.  Employees had actually taken pay cuts in order to have a semblance of life.  More importantly, there were inequities in expectations and pay.  We were able to make specific, actionable recommendations to stop the attrition that our client was able to put in place.

A financial services company facing a volatile stock market and the customers were taking money out of investments. The money managed was actually decreasing which affected the income of the brokers and the health of the organization. PerformancePoint provided an engagement and change model. We helped the organization redefine what success looked like using a proprietary process and model. Once new expectations were created, we provided a coaching for change and engagement model for leaders using our FastChange Model. Within six months, 350% increase in calls to initiate new sales cycles, 130% increase in referrals, 150% increase in contacts with new prospects, 112% increase in number of initial prospect meetings, 56% increase in revenue from new accounts.

A pharmaceutical company was struggling with commoditization and increased competition. Sales were flat and they were being squeezed on profit. The sales people were unable to create value in the current relationships. They were making less money and the company was having attrition issues. PerformancePoint provided a sales engagement and change process in order to shift the behavior and approach of the sales people to a manner more appropriate for competing in this new environment. As a result, the number of contacts with customers increased by over 50%, profit increased by over 17%, and revenue per customer increased by over 30%.

One of PerformancePoint’s largest telecommunications clients was acquired by another company. This acquisition resulted in the creation of a multibillion-dollar global leader in infrastructure solutions for communications networks. The new organization expressed a need for diversity-related consulting work to satisfy the requirements of an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) conciliation agreement. The agreement required the organization to implement a full-scale diversity program and report its progress to the EEOC on a monthly basis for the next three years.

During the first year, PerformancePoint experts were instrumental in creating and training our client’s first Executive Diversity Council and in conducting diversity training for more than 670 of its employees. We also reviewed and revamped the organization’s human resources (HR) policies and practices. Since then, we have conducted additional projects related to its compensation and benefits policies and performance management review systems.

A client contracted with PerformancePoint to outsource all its Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) investigations and draft appropriate responses to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on behalf of the company. One of our investigations at one of the client’s warehouse facilities resulted in three discrimination charges being filed immediately afterwards, all relating to the same complaint against a specific supervisor. The case, which involved a hanging noose, received widespread local media attention and had the potential to cause great damage to our client’s reputation.

Following the filing of several supplemental responses and after satisfying multiple requests for additional documentation, the EEOC dismissed all three discrimination charges filed against the company, finding no probable cause and releasing the company from any liability.

A construction company hired PerformancePoint to develop a human resources (HR) organization that could function proactively while the company grew and also provide a structure for future growth. Our consultants worked with company management to develop appropriate policies and practices, assist in training staff and select an HR data management system. Our team continues to offer support on specific issues as they occur, such as exit management and compliance matters.

Another client, a large mid-western Indian tribe, engaged PerformancePoint to provide organizational and procedural assistance to the various entities and enterprises operated by the tribe. As a result of our review, the tribe made significant changes to its organizational and reporting structures, resulting in more effective operations, cost reductions and better staffing.

A manufacturing company was experiencing poor employee productivity, quality issues, significant waste, excessive absenteeism and a safety record that was the worst among industry peers. Additionally, union organizers were active in the community. PerformancePoint was engaged to help achieve a new corporate culture. We administered an employee opinion survey, developed recommendations from the employees’ feedback and implemented changes in some of the most critical problem areas.

Our team addressed structural issues by developing sound personnel policies that were understood and consistently applied. The most significant policy change was the adoption of an attendance policy based on an objective point system, which reduced absenteeism by 75 percent. We also implemented a new pay structure, which ensured jobs were paid fairly compared with one another and the labor market. Other changes established clear lines of promotion, providing more opportunities for employee growth. In addition, a group incentive plan was created that rewarded everyone whenever production, quality, waste and safety goals were achieved.

Management members had strong technical knowledge, but they lacked leadership ability and communications skills. We provided coaching and training that improved the performance of all but one key manager, who decided to leave the company. The supervisors and managers learned they were accountable for positive employee relations, not just production. Finally, the company enlisted our vital signs services where we periodically evaluate morale, provide coaching and suggest recommendations for improvement.

As a result, the company has achieved record levels of productivity and quality. Scrap rates are the lowest in its history, and the company has been free of accidents for 16 months.

A small law firm needed a consultant to investigate allegations of sexual harassment involving one of its top partners and his legal assistant. The managing partner was anxious to have the investigation completed as soon as possible. He wanted not only to avoid a potential Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charge/lawsuit, but also to attempt to salvage the 35-year legal career of the accused as well as the career of his accuser.

​A PerformancePoint consultant conducted interviews with both individuals and drafted an investigative report summary and recommendations for the client. The client was so pleased with our work that the law firm also contracted with us to provide one-on-one executive coaching sessions for the alleged harasser to re-emphasize the firm’s zero-tolerance harassment policy. As a result, both individuals were able to maintain their working relationship at the firm.