Program Details
Objectives
- Recognize and highlight the critical role played by its employees in helping the University fulfill its fiscal roles and responsibilities
- Provide positive visibility to the fiscal role
- Promote fiscal responsibility and encourage good business practices and good fiscal decisions by all employees and departments
- Encourage organizational learning
- Reinforce and reward important fiscal-related outcomes and accomplishments by providing timely and meaningful appreciation and recognition to University employees for individual and team accomplishments/outcomes or achieving/maintaining exemplary performance in their respective areas
- Express appreciation for excellence when it occurs
- Promote positive morale in the fiscal areas of the University
- Give visibility to employees making a positive impact
Eligibility
- All permanent employees who have been with the University a minimum of six-months.
- Teams must be comprised solely of eligible employees.
- A member of the fiscal employee recognition program's selection committee may be nominated for any award, however, the employee must exclude him/herself from the discussion and voting on awards for which the committee is involved in the selection and/or recommendations of award winners.
- Eligible employees will be limited to the number of times they can receive and the frequency of receipt varies by award type:
- Spot awards - one per fiscal year.
- Quarterly awards - one per fiscal year.
- VP Fiscal Excellence Award - one every five fiscal years.
- Winners of one award type are not precluded from consideration for other award types.
Rewards
- All rewards must be in compliance with University policy.
- All awards are based on demonstrated behavior or accomplishment and classified as merit under the Procurement Procedural Statement "Recognition and Training".
- Rewards vary by award type (i.e., Spot, Quarterly or Annual -- see specific award information), but may include, but may not limited to:
- Cash
- Gift Certificates
- Prizes
- Food
- Special Events or Activities
- Letters of Recognition
- Plaques/Pins
- All cash and cash-like awards will be subject to appropriate tax deductions and are non-base building.
- Individual spot award and quarterly award recipients (including teams) may have the option of selecting from a menu of items. Menus will be developed based on input from the program's selection committee.
- The number of individuals as part of team awards will determine the amount of award available to each individual.
Selection Criteria
- Spot Awards are given to individual employees. Teams of employees are not eligible to receive this award.
- Specific criteria varies by award type (i.e., Spot, Quarterly or Annual -- see specific award information).
- Only Quarterly Awards may be given to individual employees or teams of employees.
- The Vice Presidential Fiscal Excellence Award is given to one individual only. Teams of employees are not eligible to receive this award.
- First, all eligible activities must be related to fiscal roles and duties, and then exemplify the following behaviors:
- Outstanding one-time accomplishment
- Development or implementation of an idea that results in significant savings, strategic improvements
- Completion of a significant project or program
- Attainment of departmental goals
- Improved department/unit performance or enhanced operations
- Increased customer/client satisfaction
- Sustained outstanding individual or team performance
- The nominee's contributions should exceed those that are generally expected of an employee during the normal course of performing his/her duties.
Guiding Principles
The program should strive to:
- Be fair, equitable, and impartial.
- Focus on quality and excellence.
- Recognize teamwork and collaboration.
- Reward the right things.
- Provide an opportunity for more staff to receive recognition--whether for improving performance, for extra effort, for creativity, or for reliably doing their job each day, and should:
- Not take the place of informally appreciating or recognizing employees on a daily basis.
- Supplement existing and other informal, day-to-day recognition of employees.
- Provide for a personalized approach as much as possible. (One size does not always fit all.)
- Promote a positive working environment, be fun and celebrate individual and unit accomplishments - whether planned or spontaneous.
- "Fun, joy and sharing go hand-in glove with world class quality."- Tom Peters.
The program should ensure that:
- All employees know and understand the criteria and selection process used for formal recognition.
- All awards are in compliance with University policy.
- All awards are based on merit.
- Appropriate public announcements of award recipients are made.
- There will be continuous review and monitoring of the program's awards and criteria to make sure they are still relevant and meaningful to employees and appropriate for the University.
Program Funding and Continuation
- This program is funded at the CU System-level.
- This is an annual program in which the assessment and the availability of funds may vary from fiscal year to fiscal year.
- The Vice President for Budget and Finance and University Controller, in consultation with the Selection Committee, will monitor and review the program after each fiscal year and recommend continuation and/or changes for each succeeding fiscal year, including future funding recommendations.
- Updated guidelines and instructions will be provided annually.
Implementing Process
The Office of the University Controller will announce the program to the University community and handle the program administration, including:
- Answering questions;
- Making the nominating forms available;
- Organizing the appropriate selection process; and
- Notifying the winners/winner's supervisor upon selection.
Nomination Process (Quarterly Awards and VP Excellence Awards)
- Any University employee (subordinate, supervisor, peer, or other employees, students, and/or faculty) can nominate an eligible CU employee or themselves for a Quarterly Award or the Vice Presidential Fiscal Excellence Award.
- For the Vice Presidential Fiscal Excellence Award, supervisor concurrence is required.
- Each nominator is responsible for completing and submitting, by the posted deadlines, a completed nomination form.
- Each complete nomination form will remain in the recognition pool for the Quarterly Awards for a total of four fiscal quarters.
- The complete nomination form for the Annual Award must be received by the deadline, but activities that occur in the last quarter of fiscal year may be submitted in the next fiscal year.
- After four fiscal quarters, if the nominee was not chosen, the Nominator may resubmit the nominations packet for the next fiscal year, if desired.
- The nomination process is confidential, but nominators will need to identify themselves.
- Nominees may be allowed to know who nominated them, if nominators allow.
- Nominations may be submitted on hardcopy or electronically, but electronic is preferred.
Selection Process
- Selection Committee
- Selection Committee Responsibilities:
- Review the completed nomination packets for the Quarterly Awards and select winners each quarter.
- Review the completed nomination packets for the Vice Presidential Fiscal Excellence Award and make recommendations to the Vice President for Budget and Finance by the end of each fiscal year.
- Review the program after each fiscal year and recommend continuation and/or changes for each succeeding fiscal year, including award options and future funding recommendations.
Recognition Process
- Nominees for all awards will receive certificate of nomination recognizing they were nominated and considered for an award.
- Units will be contacted to help coordinate the announcement of winners and appropriate ceremonies or meetings as forums for presenting awards. Efforts to combine with other ceremonies/events will be made when possible and appropriate.
- Public acknowledgement of award recipients is essential to give employees appropriate recognition. Means of acknowledgement will include:
- Written congratulations and certificates of nomination and recognition;
- Public congratulations/acknowledgements at appropriate campus gatherings/meetings;
- Public acknowledgement in the Silver and Gold Record, campus newsletters and/or websites; and,
- Individual and team plaques/pins, as appropriate.