USAG Bavaria Public Works workforce to begin recognizing its own

Photo By Bryan Gatchell | JOINT MULTINATIONAL READINESS CENTER, Germany -- From left, John Sturtz, the director of Public Works for U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria, and Bernd Weber, the Hohenfels deputy director of Public Works, describe DPW's "Pay it Forward" incentive program next to Klaus-Dieter Meyer, a technician with DPW's Operations and Maintenance division and Hohenfels first recipient in the program. Meyer's task as recipient will be to choose a fellow DPW employee who embodies an industrious work ethic. (U.S. Army photo by Bryan Gatchell, USAG Bavaria Public Affairs)  

HOHENFELS, BAYERN, GERMANY

03.15.2023

Story by Bryan Gatchell 

U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria

JOINT MULTINATIONAL READINESS CENTER, Germany – Across U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria, the Directorate of Public Works has found a new way to recognize talent within its workforce, notably by having talent recognize talent.

At each of the four main communities that compose the garrison recently, DPW leadership awarded a novelty check to one outstanding worker, who would then go on to find another worthy coworker to award the check.

And then that recipient would recognize the next, and so on.

With some leadership oversight, the incentive program would from then on be largely in the hands of the workforce whom it is recognizing, according to John Sturtz, chief of Public Works for the garrison, who called it grassroots peer recognition.

“The whole idea of them rewarding and recognizing their peers is a very powerful idea,” he said.

Romina Horvath, who works with the Business Operation and Integration division at Tower Barracks at Grafenwöhr, was the first recipient Feb. 24. DPW then recognized Andreas Strobl, with the Operations and Maintenance division at Garmisch Feb. 27. They awarded the giant novelty check to Klaus-Dieter Meyer with Operations and Maintenance division at JMRC at Hohenfels Feb. 28. And they finished off the first round with Alexander Heins with Utilities at Rose Barracks at Vilseck March 1.

When Sturtz and Bernd Weber, deputy director of Public Works at Hohenfels, awarded the check to Meyer at a Public Works communal room at Hohenfels, and he explained the program to the assembled members of the workforce.

“This program we call ‘Pay-it-Forward,’” Sturtz said. “Somebody in this room, Mr. Weber picked as the very first recipient here in Hohenfels. Now, most employee-of-the-month program, Mr. Weber picks. This is not like that at all. So, when we give this award to this person, there are two things that have to happen. He is going to get this giant check, and he can display it wherever he wants.

“And he has to pick somebody in another division that he thinks is a hard worker and should be the selection for March,” Sturtz continued. “I don’t pick; Mr. Weber doesn’t pick; Klaus will decide.”

And thus, Meyer was announced as that month’s recipient as his peers applauded him.

“So you have a lot of responsibility to pick somebody who is a hard worker,” continued Sturtz to Meyer. “So, congratulations again, and thank you for all your hard work.”

• Date Taken: 03.15.2023
• Date Posted: 03.16.2023 09:52
• Story ID: 440465
• Location: HOHENFELS, BAYERN, DE