The University Record, October 22, 1996
LSA honors staff; UMatter program says ‘thanks’
Andrea Beauchamp (left), program associate, Department of English, was nominated by her colleagues ‘who feel that you have the ability to balance the needs of students, faculty, administrators, donors and the public; to handle diverse tasks ranging from the fiscal to the literary; and to serve as librarian, hostess, accountant and counselor, among other things, for the Hopwood Room.”
Colleagues of Jane Johnson (at right), administrative assistant, Department of English, feel she provides ‘a wide range of services for your department and the College, especially in your past role as interim key administrator. Your coworkers felt tha t you rose to the challenge of a difficult situation in the Department of Sociology. They also noted your strong supervisoy leadership, knowledge of College and University policies, and your professionalism.’
With this presentation of staff award winners from the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, the Record inaugurates an ongoing section that will honor all awards winners, at both the unit and Universitywide level.
We need your help in making this work. If your unit has a staff recognition program, please let us know about the program and when you will announce recipients. We’ll then make arrangements to have photographs taken of the recipients at their worksite.
Winners in the new Universitywide UMatter program also will be recognized in this section. (See article below.)
In the presentation in the Record, we’ll include the photo and excerpts from citations or nominating materials highlighting the achievements for which the winners are being honored.
This special section will appear on an “as needed” basis, but we’ll work as fast as schedules allow to make the announcements in a timely manner.
Record staff names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses are on page 4 of each issue, so let us know what your plans are.
Warren Smith’s nominators said he goes ‘beyond the call of duty by exhibiting dedication, innovation and technical talent, and that you go to great lengths to make physics understandable for science and non-science students alike.’ Smith is a lect ure demonstrator in the Department of Physics.
LS&A award winners
Three individuals received awards recently from the College of Literature, Science and the Arts in the first year of its staff recognition program. The awards, presented by LS&A Dean Edie N. Goldenberg, include $500 and a certificate. Winners also have their names engraved on a plaque mounted in the dean’s office area.
Introducing UMatter
UMatter is the name of an exciting new staff recognition program at the University. It is designed to individually recognize staff members based on one or more of the following criteria:
Special achievement or contribution to the unit or the University as a whole.
Unusual initiative or creativity.
Outstanding customer service.
Contributions to the success of departmental and/or University goals.
Anyone can nominate a regular staff member. Students and faculty members are not eligible. The awardees will be selected by a team of human resources personnel and representatives of the University work community, who will review nominations and select up to 10 individuals to receive awards each month.
The award is a specially designed UMatter pin. Winners also will receive certificates from their supervisors or directors and will be honored at an annual Universitywide staff recognition event. The program will begin in January 1997 and additional details, such as how to nominate candidates, will be published in the Record prior to that time.
Sometimes a simple `thank you’ is all that’s needed
Results of a recent survey by the Council of Communication Management confirm what almost every employee already knows: that recognition for a job well done is the top motivator of employee performance.
Yet most managers do not understand or use the potential power of recognition and rewards. This is true even though 33 percent of managers themselves report that they would rather work in an organization where they could receive better recognition.
|
Essential principles
What most motivates people who work for you is recognition.
“I don’t care about the money; if my boss would just say `thank you,’ if he/she would just acknowledge that I exist. The only time I ever hear anything is when I screw up. I never hear when I do a good job.”
Managers have fewer ways to influence employees and shape their behavior. Managers increasingly must serve as coaches to indirectly influence rather than demand desired behavior.
In tight financial times, rewards and recognition provide an effective low-cost way of encouraging higher levels of performance from employees.
Studies indicate that employees find personal recognition more motivational than money.
89 percent of American workers think their companies would perform better if employees were given meaningful incentives to improve quality and productivity. |
