Case Study: City of Houston achieves 10% employee performance gains and 280% ROI with Saba's Talent Management Suite

City of Houston - Customer Case Study

The City of Houston, a municipal government of 22,000 employees, faced a complex web of talent processes across 22 departments, inconsistent manager–employee communication, and an accelerating wave of retirements in middle management that threatened continuity and service quality. Leadership described the pace of change as “dizzying” and needed a coordinated approach to align people, process, and policy with city priorities.

They launched HEAR (Houston Employee Assessment and Review), a multi‑faceted talent management program built on Saba’s Learning, Performance, and Collaboration tools to strengthen the employee‑manager partnership, clarify goals, and drive development. Within a year HEAR produced measurable gains — roughly a 10% rise in top performance ratings, an estimated 5% improvement in resident service quality, reduced turnover, increased revenue, and a reported 280% ROI — and the approach has already been adapted by the City of Los Angeles.

City of Houston

Noel Pinnock

Former CLO