Business services company PartnerHero launched its STEP (Succeed, Transform, Elevate, Prepare) Program in May 2024. The program supports associate growth at entry levels 1, 2, and 3, through job rotation and teaching business acumen, leadership and communication skills, self-awareness, and more.
The program aims to funnel high-performing associates into the talent pipeline for potential future promotion. It equips them to handle the responsibilities of leadership roles, should the opportunity arise, while also enhancing their overall professional development.
Program Details
Associates are invited to participate in the three-tier STEP Program based on three requirements:
- Minimum of six-month tenure with the company
- Good HR standing (no disciplinary actions or performance improvement plan)
- Performance review score of more than 2.0 on a 3-point scale
STEP is 19 hours in duration and taken over nine months. All tiers include pre- and post-assessments. Course examples include:
Tier 1: Foundation Level
- PartnerHero Business Model Course
- Outsourcing Basics Course
- Coaching & Feedback Course
- Foundations of Managing a Team Course
- Google Suite Foundations Course
- PartnerHero People Manager Tools Course
- Job Rotation for: Reporting, Payroll, Quality Assurance, Coaching, and Queue Management
Tier 2: Intermediate Level
- Critical Thinking Course
- Time Management Course
- Handling Customer Escalations Course
- Emotional Intelligence Course
- Performance and Data Interpretation Course
- Programs and Project Management Basics Course
- Google Sheets Basics Course
- Job Rotation for: Handling escalations, using Quality by Operator, creating reports based on key performance indicators (KPIs)
Tier 3: Advanced Level
- Communication Foundations Course
- Business Communication Course
- Coherence in Writing Course
- Creating and Delivering Presentations Course
- Interviewing Preparation & Practice Course
- Job Rotation for: Attending a Partner (client) meeting; perform an end-of-day report for management; prepare and facilitate a team meeting, discuss labor laws, processes, and disciplinary matrix; live monitor associates; and deliver coaching feedback
Both the associate and their team leads (supervisors) attend training facilitated by the Learning and Development (L&D) team to understand the program’s scope and their responsibilities.
The STEP Program introduces high-performing entry-level associates to key department leaders they would not normally interact with (e.g., Partner (Client), Operations, WorkForce Management, and Quality), etc. The program provides job rotation support via activities they share with their supervisor. As the entry-level associates complete each tier of the program, they are awarded eBadges that display in their home page of PartnerHero’s learning management system (LMS).
The eBadges completed and the quality score of the job rotation are data points that can be leveraged during the promotion process. PartnerHero’s Performance Appraisal Process is leveraged to continue the associate’s development. Each tier of the program identifies areas of strengths and opportunities that can continue to be improved. This involves quarterly self-appraisal and leader scoring followed by weekly coaching sessions.
Results
The participant satisfaction score is 4.85 out of 5.0. The learning gain average is more than 20 percent. The overall average course knowledge check score is 99.25 percent.
A business goal of the program is to reduce quarterly attrition to less than 10 percent. PartnerHero has exceeded that goal in its Honduras operation.
