Employee Suggestion Award Program

(1) The Department shall administer and establish policy governing the administration of the Employee Suggestion Award Program (ESAP) in accordance with T.C.A. §§ 4-27-101, et seq. (2) The ESAP board, made up of members in accordance with T.C.A. § 4-27-102, shall meet quarterly to establish criteria for making awards, evaluate employee suggestions, and approve awards. (3) The board will consider the following factors when making determinations about employee awards and suggestions: (a) Severity of the present problem; (b) Effectiveness of the suggestion offered; (c) The need to encourage improvement in state operations; and (d) Ingenuity of the suggestion. (4) The Department shall annually send ESAP program information to all state employees via electronic mail notification. The notice shall consist of: (a) Information about the program; (b) Information on how to submit suggestions; and (c) Information regarding the criteria for suggestions and cash awards. (5) Cash or honorary awards may be made to state employees and retired state employees whose adopted suggestions will result in substantial savings or improvement in state operations. Any cash awards shall be awarded based on actual realized savings and must be submitted and approved by the agency where employee has made the suggestion. All cash awards shall comply with T.C.A. §§ 4-27-101, et seq. (6) Pursuant to T.C.A. § 4-27-104, the following levels of management are ineligible to receive cash awards under the program: (a) Governor’s staff, department commissioner, or equivalent; (b) Assistant or deputy commissioner, assistant to commissioner, major fiscal and administrative policy department staff or equivalent; (c) Director or division chief, including the full line division chief to a statewide program; includes chief of division supervising several line service units or equivalent; and PROGRAMS ADMINISTERED BY THE DEPARTMENT CHAPTER 1120-09 OF HUMAN RESOURCES (d) Assistant to director or division chief, section chief, or head of a major departmental function or equivalent.