SAVE Program

Suggestions Are Valuable to Employees (S.A.V.E.) Program

What is the S.A.V.E. Program?

The S.A.V.E. Program provides Lane County employees with an opportunity to provide cost-saving ideas or proposals that increase efficiency in the work place. This program help us improve our service to the community through increased resource efficiency.

How does it work?

Proposal submitted by employees are reviewed by a five-member S.A.V.E. Committee. Proposals and suggestions must accomplish one or more of the following:

Eliminate useless operations, duplications, safety hazards.
Improve methods, procedures, product quality, service, working conditions, tools, material handling, security, departmental layouts or work flow.
Increase productivity, employee motivation; and life and use of tools, equipment or supplies.
Prevent accidents or work errors.
Promote cooperation, coordination, safety practices, or public relations.
Recommend new services or new methods.
Reclaim defective materials and scraps.
Reduce equipment, errors, and non-productive effort.
Save time, materials, labor, money, and energy to the employees job or others.
Produce revenue.
Innovation.
Savings or convenience to the public.

Proposals are evaluated by the committee and those determined to be eligible are forwarded to the Lane County Board of Commissioners for recognition.

Check out the latest S.A.V.E Awards

– and the employees whose ideas are improving the way we do business!

Lorraine Boose proposed that all Lane County employees be required to turn off their computer monitors at night and on weekends to save significant energy costs. One flat screen left on at the end of a typical workday uses 1007kwh/year or $50.35. If the monitor is turned off at the end of the workday the average cost is $18.45 creating a savings of $31.90 per year per monitor. If the County has approximately 1,500 monitors, the savings would amount to about $47,850 each year!

Lorraine, of Lane County Health and Human Services Energy Program, was awarded eight hours of time management for this cost-saving idea.

Ida Weathers was recognized with a S.A.V.E. Award for her suggestion to discontinue billing other County departments for copies made in the research room.

Once a year, the employee gathers information, transfers it into a spread sheet, which calculates the fee and bills the respective departments. Time involved to record the number of copies is one hour. Time to prepare the billing is four hours. Time spent by respective departments to review and approve the bill is another two to three hours. Based on the above assumptions, its costs the county $353.31 per year to move approximately $414. The hours spent generating and reviewing the bill could be utilized in other ways within the department.

Ida, of Lane County’s Management Services/Deeds & Records, was awarded four hours of time management for her cost-saving suggestion!