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Names: Kate Newberg, Erin Ulric, Greg Bellomo
Titles: Principal Consultants, Managing Partner
Project: Workforce Compensation Research (APRA 1.09)
Tell us a little about GPS and what you do.
Government Performance Solutions, Inc. (GPS), is a Colorado firm dedicated to public sector excellence. We are in our 10th year of operation and have a team of seven seasoned professionals. We work with state, local, and nonprofit organizations to facilitate strategic, inclusive collaboration so Colorado’s diverse communities benefit from practical, equitable solutions to society’s most significant challenges.
Kate, Erin, and Greg each bring more than 15 years experience helping Colorado’s public and nonprofit organizations engage, partner, and deliver services through:
- Strategic planning
- Stakeholder engagement
- Operational excellence
- Organizational effectiveness
- Collective impact
The GPS team uses person-centered interactions to maximize accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion by integrating the diverse lived experiences of members, employees, and other stakeholders.
Tell us how your day-to-day work relates to the ARPA project you are involved with.
GPS clients include other state and local agencies whose workforces face similar issues, such as early childhood, public health, and education. This broader view provides us with an opportunity to share success stories and work with other agencies to leverage proven strategies. We understand both the earnest desire to increase worker pay and the constraints agencies operate under when it comes to available funding and access.
Please share with us how this project was identified as a need?
As part of its initiatives to strengthen the workforce and enhance rural sustainability, HCPF identified the ARPA project Initiative 1.09 Workforce Compensation Research. The Department engaged GPS to research innovative opportunities for increasing compensation and benefits for the direct care and case management workforces beyond just wage increases. The research included not only other states, but also sectors experiencing similar workforce pressures. GPS engaged stakeholders throughout the project as a means of gathering suggestions and confirming which ideas resonated most with workers. The Department understands that the needs of these workforces must be met so Coloradans continue to receive high-quality care today and in the coming years.
How are you engaging with the continuum of HCBS stakeholders to inform this project?
We are engaging stakeholders throughout the project using a variety of methods including interviews, virtual group discussion, virtual note boards to allow stakeholders to provide feedback when they have time, and survey data from both the direct care workforce and the case management workforce.
Meaningful practical solutions depend upon having balanced perspectives across various stakeholder groups. GPS is using a variety of methods to engage stakeholders such as:
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Direct Care Workers and Case Managers—Engaged via a Department survey and during Direct Care Workforce (DCW) Collaborative meetings. Workers were asked to provide feedback during the meeting, as well as after the meeting on a virtual note board. Workers shared which ideas they deemed to be most impactful, concerns with the ideas, as well as sharing new ideas.
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Organizations—Engaged leaders at organizations who are also working with the direct care and case management workforces via tailored interviews.
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Advocates, Workers’ Rights Groups, and Providers—Engaged via DCW Collaborative meetings and asked to share a virtual note board with colleagues and other stakeholders to provide feedback.
What innovative opportunities for increasing compensation for the HCBS workforce are you most intrigued by?
Our research confirmed that most (if not all) states are experiencing similar struggles with recruiting, supporting, and retaining both direct care and case management workforces. So, we conducted research on comparable workforces and discovered three areas that are both exciting and potentially feasible, as options the Department may support, which include:
- Tiered compensation with clearly defined competencies associated with each tier; equitable access to training; and clearly-defined reimbursement rates to support the tiered compensation
- Peer mentoring for workers to support one another with skill development and career navigation resulting in lower turnover
- Other benefits such as workforce housing, supplemental payments to support performance and retention bonuses, and other indirect financial support (e.g., health insurance, paid time off, etc.)
We also heard from direct care workers that non-financial assistance, such as flexible work schedules, recognition, and safe work practices, is another way to support and value them and their profession.
What are you most excited about as it relates to this project?
The Department staff are committed to exploring options within the Department’s authority and scope to better support both direct care and case management workforces. Pursuing these practical, impactful solutions will improve the lives of direct care workers, case management workers, and ultimately of the Coloradans they care for.
To learn more about GPS, please visit www.governmentperformance.us or contact Greg Bellomo at greg@governmentperformance.us.
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