What are The Key Metrics for Workforce Optimization? 

Healthcare Performance Solutions (HPS) has developed a group of 28 core questions that best allows healthcare organizations to measure the engagement of their workforces. These core questions are known as The Key Metrics of Workforce Optimization (KMWO).  

What are the benefits of using the KMWO scale? 

By utilizing the 28 core questions of the KMWO, the scale provides a standardized benchmark allowing healthcare organizations to compare the satisfaction, loyalty, and engagement of their workforce to other healthcare organizations across the U.S. You may benchmark your results as an entire organization, by department, or by position. Depending on the scale of your assessment results, you may also choose to view the KMWO scale as a 100 point or 5 point scale.  

How do I use the KMWO scale for percentile ranking?

• First, your organization must have been involved in a workforce assessment or survey process. While your workforce assessment may not have been with HPS, many of the well-known assessment companies include questions that are similar to the KMWO, making the scale compatible with many different assessment companies’ results.  

• Next, choose a question and compare your score to the KMWO scale. Find the two percentile ranking scores your score falls between on the KMWO scale for that particular question.  

• Example: You are comparing the question “I am satisfied with my job,” from your survey to question 1 on the Engagement/Loyalty Index, which is also “I am satisfied with my job.” The score on your survey is a 75.00. This would put you somewhere between the 60th and 70th percentile on the KMWO scale.  

• In general, HPS considers organizations/departments/positions falling within the red zone (1st-49th percentile) unhealthy, those in the yellow (50th-79th percentile) healthy, and the green (80th-100th percentile) very healthy. 

How do I use the Top 2 Box Scores Scale and the Top Box Score Scale? 

• Most assessment companies measure responses on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest score.  The Top 2 Box Score Scale benchmarks the percentage of employee responses that were 4s or 5s. Similarly, the Top Box Score Scale benchmarks the percentage of responses that were 5s only.

• First, you look at your data and calculate the number of responses that were 4s and 5s for each of the 28 core questions as a percentage.

• Next, choose a question and compare your percentage to the KMWO percentage. Find the two percentile ranking percentages your percentage falls between on the KMWO scale for that particular question. 

• Example: You are comparing the question “I am satisfied with my job” on the Top 2 Box Score Scale. Of the responses to “I am satisfied with my job” on your survey, 79% of them were 4s and 5s. This would put your organization between the 80th and 90th percentile on the KMWO scale.

•  In general, HPS considers organizations/departments/positions falling within the red zone (1st-49th percentile) unhealthy, those in the yellow (50th-79th percentile) healthy, and the green (80th-100th percentile) very healthy.

Useful Definitions: 

• Median: If the entire array of data were put in order from least to greatest, the median would be the number exactly in the middle of the array. The median is also the same number as the 50th percentile ranking number.

• Top Quartile: The top quartile refers to the top 25% of scores taken from the entire sampling. For example, if the top quartile score was a 78.00 on Engagement/Loyalty question 1 and you had a score greater than or equal to 78.00, you would be in the 75th percentile or higher. Twenty-five percent of the total sample scores would be equal to or higher than yours and 75% would be lower.

• Bottom Quartile: The bottom quartile refers to the bottom 25% of scores taken from the entire sampling. For example, if the bottom quartile score was a 60.00 on Engagement/Loyalty question 1 and your score was greater than or equal to 60.00, you would be in the 25th percentile or lower. Twenty-five percent of the total sample scores would be equal to or lower than yours and 25% would be higher.

• Index score: An index score is the average of a group of numbers. For example, the Engagement/Loyalty Index on the KMWO scale is the average of questions 1-3, which all pertain to Engagement/Loyalty.

• Grand Mean score: The grand mean score is the average of all 28 core questions.

If you have additional questions, please feel to contact us:  

Jeffrey Jamison

Healthcare Performance Solutions

(406) 582-8884 (ext. 102)

jjamison@healthcareps.com