Recognition and Reports123 Project

8/30/2021 Recognition and Reports Project
The Human Resources Practices Development

(HRPD) Project
Project Sponsor: Joan F. Rice, V. P. for Human Resources
The HRPD Core Team
Patricia A. Brady, Project Director, Team Leader
Mark Cason-Snow, Brain and Cognitive Sciences,

mediation@mit
Melissa Damon, Personnel Department*

Margaret Ann Gray, Personnel Department

Peter Narbonne Student Financial Aid Services* Performance Consulting

and Training)
Alyce Johnson, Personnel Department

Steven Wade Neiterman, Information Systems*
Barbara Peacock-Coady, School of Engineering
Affiliates: Maureen Bednarek, Personnel Department
Cynthia Vallino, Personnel Department *
The Recognition and Rewards Project Team

Chris Bates, Program in Science, Technology and Society
Claude Bellot, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Melissa Damon, HRPD, Team Co-Leader

Lee Ann Day, School of Architecture and Planning
Lisa Feltner, Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Kenia Franco, Personnel Department, Team Co-Leader

Sue Mannett, School of Humanities and Social Science

Steve McCluskey, Office of the Dean of Students and Undergraduate

Education
Patricia McCosco, Mechanical Engineering

Ellen Stordy, Physical Plant
* Term of appointment shorter than full term of the project.
Table of Contents
Team Members
Summary
Team Evolution/Scope/Methodology
Findings and Conclusions
Recommendations
Awards Program Administration/Structure/Initiation
Years of Service Program Administration
Costs
Implementation Strategies
Integration Points
Measurements
Success Criteria
Program Categories
Exceptional Job Performance Award
Managing People Award
web.mit.edu/reeng/www/hrpd/reports/rec-rew.html 1/14
Customer Service Award

Cost Savings/Efficiency Award
Years of Service Award
A Special Note about the HRPD Team Reports
This is one of a series of Human Resource Practices Development

(HRPD) Team reports
containing recommendations for MIT human resource programs and policies.

It is

important to note that the HRPD project teams have been charged with
developing
recommendations about human resource practices changes. However, implementation

of
these recommendations is outside of the purview of the HRPD Team which

will be

disbanded in January 1999 after all work has been completed.
Summary
The Evolution of the Recognition and Rewards Project
Team
The Recognition and Rewards Project Team was formed in October 1997 in
response to a recommendation by
the Human Resource Practices Design (HRPD)
Team. The HRPD Team was chartered in the spring of 1996 to
define human
resource practices to support the changing needs of MIT and its workforce.
In its work, the team
was committed to maintaining the diversity, flexibility
and fairness that make MIT a good place to work. These
tenets are at the
heart of the Human Resource Principles adopted in 1994.
During 1996, the HRPD Team researched and reviewed best practices within
the MIT community and at
selected corporations and institutions; as part
of their information gathering process, they interacted with
approximately
10 percent of MIT's campus based staff at all levels. Their major conclusions,
discussed in the
HRPD Design Team Final Report in April, 1997, were that
current human resource practices at MIT no longer
aligned with the Institute's
changing environment. However, they found that members of the community
would
support human resource practices that provided clarity for employees,
supported career development, and
rewarded and recognized high performance
if these practices were designed to meet the diverse needs of MIT's
different
constituencies.
On the basis of these findings, the HRPD Team generated eight broad
recommendations for human resource
practices to help make MIT as excellent
an employer as it is an educator. One of these recommendations, to
develop
a recognition and rewards program, arose from a strong sentiment in the
MIT community that MIT must
recognize the contributions of its employees.
This sentiment was reinforced by information gathered in surveys
and interviews
that indicated a perception among MIT employees that their work often went
unappreciated and
unacknowledged.
In response to these findings, the HRPD Recognition and Rewards Project

Team was formed to recommend
options for recognizing and rewarding administrative
and support staff at MIT. To accomplish this, the ten
members of the team
committed 20 percent of their time for a six-month period beginning on
October 20, 1997.
Scope of the Team's Work
The Recognition and Rewards Project Team was charged to:
identify and evaluate current best practices at the Institute.

develop flexible, well-defined options for recognizing and rewarding individuals
and teams.
develop a plan that is consistent and easily understood.
develop and recommend an implementation strategy to educate and encourage

the practice of rewarding
and recognizing employees.
develop and test options in real-time at partner sites.
Because of organizational issues involving union or grant contracts, the

team's recommendations focus on
developing a recognition and rewards program
for administrative and support staff. Nevertheless, the team
approached
other groups for ideas and experiences as the basis for their recommendations.
Methodology
The Recognition and Rewards Project Team began by surveying the needs and
concerns of the MIT community.
This fact-gathering process included two
surveys, one to managers and supervisors, and the other to all
administrative
and support staff employees. In addition, team members conducted 23 one-on-one
interviews
with mid- to high-level administrators around the Institute
and held a number of brainstorming sessions with the
Working Group on Support
Staff Issues and members of the HRPD Team (Appendices I, II, III). All
told, the
Recognition and Rewards Project Team solicited input from over
3,000 employees and received responses from
over 1,000 of them, including
faculty and sponsored research staff. However, the primary focus was on
administrative and support staff.
In the process, the team solicited information on current recognition

and reward practices at MIT and ideas
about the funding and administration
of future programs. They also reviewed current trends and issues in
recognition
and reward programs through extensive research on the topic (see Appendix
VI) and incorporated
benchmarking data from twelve sites that included
three universities and nine organizations (Appendix IV). As
the team gathered
information and opinions, members met regularly to review and analyze their
findings and
identify emerging trends. At the end of January, the Recognition
and Rewards Project Team met for a two-day
retreat to review the major
conclusions of their research and to write a first draft of recommendations
for a
program for MIT.
After evaluating input received from the MIT community and combining
this information with their research,
the team wrote a first draft of its
recommendations. During February and March, these draft recommendations
were presented to eight focus groups. On the basis of the input they received
from the focus groups (Appendix
V), the team finalized the recommendations
included in this report.
The team based their recommendations on a series of conclusions that

they drew. These conclusions reflect input
from the MIT community and research
on the topic of recognition and rewards.
Findings and Conclusions
A formal recognition and rewards program will validate current practices

at the Institute; provide
consistency throughout all areas and departments;
and create a way for managers, supervisors, peers and
customers to acknowledge
the work of Administrative and Support Staff employees. The team defines
"recognition" as an acknowledgment that can stand-alone and "reward" as
something tangible that must be
accompanied by recognition.
MIT would benefit from an organized program of recognition and rewards.
In the data gathering phase,
employees often described MIT as a "praise-free
zone," a statement which reinforces the HRPD Team's
findings that MIT employees
felt that their work was neither valued nor appreciated. A recognition
and
rewards program could go a long way toward improving morale, particularly
in the midst of change. Not
only would such a program improve morale and
thereby increase productivity, it would help to position
MIT as a "good
place to work." This positioning is critical if MIT is to remain competitive
in the future.
Industry changes are already affecting staffing, recruiting
and retention of employees, especially in areas
where highly skilled workers
are in great demand. It may be difficult for MIT to compete with businesses
in the area of salaries, but it can maintain a competitive edge if it is
able to use a series of incentives, a
good work environment and its prestige
to compete for the best workers.
Recognizing and rewarding employee contributions can benefit both the employee
and the employer. Bob
Nelson, whose current book 1001 Ways to Reward
Employees is on the "Business Week Best-Seller List,"
describes the
benefits in terms of lower stress, lower absenteeism and reduction of turnover
and its related
costs. The resulting improvement in morale among employees
leads to greater productivity and increased
competitiveness (hiring and
retention of employees). These results were also reinforced in the
benchmarking
data when institutions cited the positive effects of such programs as Harvard
University's
"Harvard Heroes Award," L.L. Bean's "Bean Award" and the Saint
Elizabeth Hospital's "Star Award
Program" (Appendix VI).
MIT currently has a variety of informal recognition and rewards efforts,
but these programs exist only in
units and areas with the necessary time
or financial flexibility and resources to make them possible.
Managers
willing to find ways to recognize and reward their best employees take
the initiative in these
efforts. However, there is no consistency in the
way these informal efforts are administered throughout the
Institute. Some
departments also have more formal awards programs such as the Department
of Electrical
Engineering which recognizes exceptional work performance
with a monetary award of $1,000 (funded
through an endowment) or Physical
Plant which formally recognizes years of service with service pins.
The most popular forms of recognition at the Institute, according to the
survey data, are a luncheon or
dinner for an individual or a group, and
time off or flextime. People are being recognized and rewarded
when they
perform exceptionally well, take on additional responsibilities or short-term
projects, exhibit
extra initiative or complete a specific amount of service
time. When the team surveyed what people would
like to receive in the future,
the overwhelming response was monetary bonuses. However, the other three
most popular responses were aligned with what they are currently receiving.
The team made a conscious
effort of communicating that bonuses are outside
the scope of their work and that they are currently being
addressed by
the Classification and Compensation Project Team (under the auspices of
HRPD).
A research of current practices at MIT revealed the Institute currently
has a series of awards such as the
James N. Murphy Award, the Gordon Y.
Billard Award (both part of the Annual Awards Convocation), the
Martin
Luther King Award, and the President's Community Service Award. Some of
these awards are
open to faculty, students and people outside the MIT community.
Brainstorming sessions, one-on-one
interviews, and surveys from administrative
and support staff employees indicated a lack of awareness of
these awards
or confusion about who is eligible for them.
A recognition and rewards program at MIT should be separate from a program
that recognizes employees
for years of service. Focus group members consistently
expressed this opinion. They felt that an awards
program celebrates individual
or team achievement above and beyond normal responsibilities whereas the
years of service award automatically recognizes any and all employees for
their loyalty and dedication.
In order to be successful and provide maximum benefit to both MIT and its
employees, recognition and
reward programs should have a formal and an
informal component which include a variety of recognition
and reward options.
In the surveys, MIT employees expressed a strong desire for a recognition
and
rewards program that was flexible enough to operate within specific
areas as well as Institute-wide. Their
responses have been confirmed by
research that cites an informal gesture (a spoken thank you, a letter,
an
e-mail) as the most effective way to motivate people. However, research
shows that these gestures lose
their impact if they are not followed up
and supported by more substantial forms of appreciation such as
money,
gifts or public acknowledgment.
The team concluded that the most successful recognition and rewards programs
operate on multiple levels.
In the team's internal research, the community
expressed not only interest in a program that provides
greater flexibility
in the kinds of awards being given at the local level, but also interest
in a program with
Institute-wide support and recognition at the highest
levels. In addition, a formal, system-wide program
can be more consistently
administered and provides an opportunity for the whole organization to
celebrate
employee achievements. Formal programs also lend credibility
to the more spontaneous, informal rewards
used daily.
In the process of drawing these conclusions, team members identified a
number of instances where
successful implementation of the Recognition
and Rewards Program depended on support from other
areas within MIT or
integration with the work of other HRPD teams. These are listed in Appendix
X.
Recommendations
The team believes the following two-part program will make it possible
for MIT to recognize and reward
individuals or teams who make a significant
contribution to the Institute. This program also provides a way to
make
MIT employees aware of the value the Institute places on such contributions.
These recommendations incorporate feedback from the MIT community, along

with established and successful
award program models. They also reflect
the team's consideration of what might be needed in order to
successfully
integrate, implement and administer such a program at MIT. The proposed
program has two parts:
an Award Program and a Years of Service Program,
both of which have a recognition and reward component.
In developing their recommendations, team members have solicited input

broadly from the MIT community to
understand key human resource issues
within all employee categories and to look for and build upon MIT’s best
human resource practices across departments, labs and centers. Consequently,
their deliverables to the Vice
President of Human Resources will be generally
applicable to the Institute. This means that they do not address,
specifically,
particular requirements of employee groups whose work may be defined by
labor contracts, funding
agreements or other factors. Relevant issues
of this type will be addressed at the time new practices are
implemented.
Award Program
According to the Human Resource Principles for MIT People, "The organization
of the future will place an
emphasis on high performance and flexibility.
This will require an increased focus at all levels on establishing
performance
goals, measures and evaluation, training when necessary, and rewarding
employees according to
the achievements of those goals."
In keeping with these principles and their research, including feedback

received from the community, the team
recommended four types of awards.
These categories were specifically chosen to reinforce current practices
at
MIT and address future needs. They are summarized below and described
in detail in the attached charts (pages
10-14) which include both recognition
and reward components.
1. Exceptional Job Performance - Surveyed employees indicated a growing

need to hold people accountable,
especially as MIT employees are required
to do more work with fewer people. This award would
recognize and reward
exceptional job performance above and beyond job requirements.
2. Managing People - A recurring theme from the internal research highlighted
the need for employee
feedback, consistent performance reviews and evaluations,
coaching and mentoring. This award is to
recognize and reward supervisors,
managers, or team leaders who demonstrate strong management skills
and
create a supportive and diverse working environment where people can do
their best work.
3. Customer Service - According to a December 1997 special report,
A National Mission, from The Office of
Charles M. Vest, MIT must strive
to improve the value and efficiency of the services it provides. To
support
this effort, quality service must be delivered to all the Institute's customers.
For the purposes of
this award, a customer is defined as any recipient
(i.e. faculty, students, external or internal personnel) of a
service provided
by Administrative and Support Staff employees.
4. Cost Savings/Efficiency - Recent reengineering efforts have placed
heavy emphasis on improving
efficiency and using technology to implement
cost saving measures. The surveys indicated significant
interest in recognizing
and rewarding employees who improve the efficiency of the Institute's
administrative
processes. In keeping with this principle, this award will recognize and
reward employees
who develop and implement strategies which save money
and/or time.
Administration of the Awards Program

The team recommends that the Awards Program (described below) be administered
centrally from the Personnel
Department by a single, part-time administrator.
This makes sense because rewards are closely linked to
compensation. The
Compensation Office within the Personnel Department oversees salary structure,
both
administrative and support staff review processes, and may manage
variable pay and bonuses in the future.
Through the surveys and one-on-one

interviews, the community voiced a preference for a centrally administered
program that provided flexibility at the local level.
For the Institute-level awards, the team recommends an appointed committee

of seven individuals to review
nominations and select the winners. Every
year the four winners from the categories will serve on the selection
committee
for the following year with three appointees from a cross-section of the
Institute. Obviously, the first-
year committee will be composed of only
appointees.
It is recommended that the regular program administrator, based in the

Compensation Office, be appointed to
serve as a non-voting member of the
committee to provide continuity and support for the program. In addition,
the administrator's job responsibilities will include marketing, communications,
and public relations. The
administrator will be key in encouraging the
fair and consistent use of the program and serve as a community
resource.
Structure of the Awards Program

The recommended Recognition and Rewards Program has been structured in
tiers to accommodate its operation
at both a formal and informal level.
The three tiers are: Local/Department Level, Dean/VP Level, and Institute
Level. Moving across the tiers from the Institute to the Local/Department
Level increases the opportunity for
flexibility, spontaneity and personalized
recognition and reward.
At Tier I (the most informal), the Department Head or Director or his/her

designee will administer the
program. When applicable, this person will
receive the nomination forms and process the appropriate
rewards. This
person can also further define the awards criteria to fit the organizational
unit.
At Tier II, the designee will be appointed by the appropriate Dean or Vice
President. This person's
responsibilities may include further defining
the criteria (such as the meaning of the term "significant" for
the cost
savings award) and working out any conflict of interest.
As already indicated, Tier III (Institute-wide) awards will be managed
by a specified program
administrator and a committee.
Within each tier, awards can be given to either individual employees or

to teams. The Recognition and Rewards
Project Team recommends the use of
an open nomination process to maximize people's abilities to receive
recognition
and rewards from those that are more familiar with their performance and
services. This process
allows nominations from anyone who has a working
relationship with the nominee. Where appropriate, a special
form will be
used to submit the nomination to the person who is administering the program
at the appropriate
tier.
Initiating the Award Program
The team recommends an implementation team to either officially roll out

the program or to test it Institute-wide
for a year. The team believes
that piloting in selected areas of the Institute will not be effective
for the following
reasons:
The team found overwhelming interest and support for a program across the
MIT community.
Employees not included in the pilot might feel they are being excluded
from recognition.
A pilot would take time, could yield inconclusive data, and delay the program
for as much as a year.
Distribution of the Institute awards as part of a pilot may not be as meaningful
since the award winners
will represent a smaller pool of nominations.
Unique differences among Institute organizational units would make pilot
results difficult to apply
Institute-wide.
Years of Service Program
According to the Institute's Personnel Policy Manual, "long service

testifies to loyalty and commitment and
implies a record of responsible
performance." This award will help the Institute acknowledge dedicated
years of
service and celebrate special milestones in people's careers at
MIT.
A letter of recognition and a small token of appreciation will be awarded

for every fifth year of service. This
award will complement the Quarter
Century Club, a highly regarded tradition at MIT.
Administration of the Years of Service Program

The team recommends that this program also reside in the Personnel Department
and be administered by the
administrator of the Awards Program. This individual
will notify Department Heads/Directors on a regular basis
of their employees'
significant anniversary dates. Each organizational unit will then decide
how to commemorate
the event. (For Administration and Implementation details,
see Appendices, VII and VIII).
Costs
The annual cost of the recommended Award Program for Administrative and
Support Staff (excluding the
Sponsored Research Staff) is approximately
$270,000; the cost for the Years of Service Recognition Program is
$30,000
per year; and the administration cost is $80,000. The total program costs
of $380,000 represent
approximately .10 percent of the Institute's total
operating budget ($400 million). (See Appendix IX for
complete cost details).
The MIT community expressed a strong opinion that this money should not
be taken from
the existing merit pool. There was general consensus that
central funding would not only encourage the use of
the program, it would
eliminate unfair disadvantages in departments with budgetary constraints.
The team recommends that a high percentage of the award program budget
be allocated to the department (Tier
I) and Dean or VP level (Tier II)
to ensure that more people are recognized and rewarded more often. The
money
could be allocated based on a percentage of headcount for Administrative
and Support Staff members, with a
minimum of $200 per administrative unit.
Budgeted funds, if not used within one year, should be carried over to
the next fiscal year so that supervisors/managers don't feel pressure to
spend their budget if no one merits an
award.
Implementation Strategies
It is important to note that this Recognition and Rewards Program has been
designed to make use of MIT's
existing infrastructure. For example, a cost
center (i.e. an object code) could be assigned for recognition and
rewards,
or the existing "morale object code" could be used by the administrative
unit as long as the appropriate
amount is allocated. Regular business and
financial forms can be used to process transactions to buy gifts or
rewards,
and the MIT ID might be used as an internal debit card in places like the
cafeteria and MITAC.
The Recognition and Rewards Program should be accompanied by on going

publicity and employee
communications. All MIT employees should receive
information on the implementation of the program and then
be kept regularly
informed of its operation. This could include articles in campus publications
about award
recipients, notices on department bulletin boards, even an
annual booklet listing all award recipients Institute-
wide. In addition,
all new employees should receive information about the program as part
of their orientation.
The success of this program depends on the managers
and supervisors who will use it to reward their best
employees. To make
certain that they understand its use, the team recommends that information
on the
Recognition and Rewards Program be included in training courses
for managers and supervisors. The program
"Management Principles" which
focuses on legal issues, MIT policies, and good management practices, would
be an ideal training program. The Institute-wide Mastering Performance
Reviews course could also include a
section about recognizing and rewarding
employees beyond performance reviews.
Integration Points
It became obvious in the process of developing these recommendations that

a Recognition and Rewards Program
at MIT must be integrated at certain
points with other activities, both ongoing and projected, within the Institute.
Team members specifically pinpointed the following actions as important
to consider as part of the
implementation and management of a successful
Recognition and Rewards Program.
Insuring that Performance Management Practices are used to provide a solid

foundation for the selection
of award recipients
Including information about Recognition and Rewards as part of the proposed
orientation program for
new employees
Expanding the program at some point to include other payroll categories
(union and sponsored research)
Incorporating a short training piece on Recognition and Rewards into existing
management training
programs
Educating the MIT community through campus media early and often
Integrating the Program with current and proposed compensation programs
Building connections with existing award programs
Measuring the Program's Success

The team recommends the following ways to measure the success of the program:
A survey should be completed prior to program implementation to establish

a baseline against which to
measure future survey results. This baseline
survey would be used to determine employees' morale and
their awareness
of rewards and recognition programs at MIT. Surveys done regularly after
the program
begins will be used to measure changes in morale and awareness.
Department or area use of the allocated budget for the Recognition

and Rewards Program can provide a
good indicator of use. The team recommends
a regular review of this budget item to measure program
implementation.
Success Criteria
The success of a consistent, Institute-wide Recognition and Rewards Program

can be easily measured by
employee awareness of its existence and the number
of recipients acknowledged. However, the more significant
success of such
a program lies in the benefits it will bring to MIT by:
changing the perception of MIT as a "praise-free zone"

improving job performance
increasing the quality of customer service
improving cost saving/efficiency
creating better management practices
Exceptional Job Performance Award

Purpose
To recognize and reward exceptional job performance above and beyond

job expectations.
Eligibility

part time administrative and support staff.
- All full and

Does not include (at this time): faculty, service, other academic,
sponsored research, voucher, temporary, or
contract staff.
Criteria
- Showing
concern for working well or for surpassing a standard of
excellence.
- Demonstrating consistent superior performance and significantly exceeding

position requirements.
Examples include: pro-active/innovative approach, problem-solving skills,

achievement orientation, results
oriented.
- Taking on significant responsibilities in addition to exceeding the

expectations of their job.
Local/Department Level - Dean/VP Level - Tier II Institute Level - Tier III
Tier I
Options
Recognition Thank You post-it Certificates from Plaques from President
notes, notecards, and Senior Officer Vest
email ("e-plause" Article in school or Tech Talk Article
template) other publication Awards Ceremony
Certificate or letter
from Supervisor, Team
Leader, Manager, Head,
Director,
or equivalent
when appropriate
Rewards Choice of reward using Choice of reward Choice of $5,000 award

(recommendations R&R dollars up to $200 using R&R dollars or
of rewards listed in value per individual up to $1000 in 1 month -time off with
separately or team member. value per pay per individual which
Time off with pay individual
or
team can be taken
member. intermittently
or
Time off with pay continuously over a two
year period.
Nomination Open process for rewards = nomination by peers, supervisors,

customers (internal and
Process external to MIT or organizational unit), students,
faculty, other academic, administrative,
support, sponsored research, and
service staff, who have a working relationship to the
nominee. Nomination
forms should be given to the appropriate designee or to the R&R
committee
as appropriate.
Administration Designee will be selected by Designee will be selected Program Administrator and
and the Department by Dean, VP's area. Selection Committee
SelectionProcess Head/Director.
Recognition and/or Rewards will be commensurate
with the number of criteria met and/or
the consistency with which they
are displayed, with more attention paid to length of time
involved, amount
of effort required, degree of difficulty of work, and level of performance
as award value increases up through the tiers. Recognition can stand alone
but rewards
must be accompanied by recognition.
Frequency As often as appropriate Semiannually or as Annually
appropriate
Managing People Award

Purpose
To recognize and reward supervisors and managers who demonstrate strong

management skills and provide a
good working environment where people can
do their best to support the mission of MIT.
Eligibility
- All full and part-time administrative staff who have administrative

responsibility (responsible for hiring, salary
adjustments, contributing
to performance evaluations, promotions, and termination) for managing;
or a formal
group leader of a formal team.
- Must have been in a manager or team leader capacity for at least

one year.
contract staff.
Criteria
- Demonstrating excellent leadership skills: coaching, mentoring, training

and providing other career
advancement opportunities for their employees.
- Creating an inclusive work environment that supports the full utilization

of all employees and fosters,
encourages, and respects diversity
- Demonstrating strong performance management practices that are consistent

and fair.
- Demonstrating strong conflict resolution skills including mediation,

negotiation, and fair handling of employee
relations issues in a way that
is consistent with Institute policies.
- Advocating on behalf of the administrative unit, while maintaining

good citizenship at MIT.
- Motivating people to perform at the highest level.

Local/Department Level - Dean/VP Level - Institute Level - Tier III
Tier I Tier II
Options
Recognition Thank You post-it notes, Certificates Plaques from President
notecards, and email ("e- from Senior Vest
plause" template) Officer Tech Talk Article
Certificate or letter from Article in Awards Ceremony
Supervisor, Team Leader, school or other
Manager, Head, Director, publication
or equivalent when
appropriate
Rewards Choice of reward using Choice of Choice of $5,000 award

(recommendations R&R dollars up to $200 reward using or
of rewards listed in value per individual. R&R dollars up 1 month -time off with pay
separately) Time off with pay to $1000 in per individual which can be
value per taken intermittently
or
individual. continuously over a two
Time off with year period.
pay
Nomination Open process for rewards = nomination by peers,

supervisors, customers (internal and
Process external to MIT or organizational
unit), students, faculty, other academic, administrative,
support, sponsored
research, and service staff, who have a working relationship to the
nominee.
Nomination forms should be given to the appropriate designee or to the
R&R
committee as appropriate.
Administration Designee will be selected by the Designee will be Program Administrator and
and Department Head/Director. selected by Dean, Selection Committee
SelectionProcess VP's area.
involved, amount
but rewards
Customer Service Award

Purpose
To recognize and reward employees for high standards of quality Customer

Service. It means focusing one's
effort on discovering and meeting the
customer's needs. A customer includes anyone, internal or external, who
is
a recipient of the services provided by the employee. This may be more
clearly defined by each area.
Eligibility
- All full and

part-time administrative and support staff.
contract staff.
Criteria
Must show
one or more of the following:
- Taking ownership of services rendered and

acting on behalf of the
person being served.
- Demonstrating a helpful and positive attitude.

- Providing exceptional and conscientious service.

"wants" but at
the same time analyzing the customer's
- Going the extra mile, understanding the customer's
"needs" to ensure total customer
satisfaction.
- Demonstrating strong and consistent follow-through.

Local/Department Level - Dean/VP Level - Tier II Institute Level - Tier III
Tier I
Options
Recognition Thank You post-it Certificates from Plaques from President
notes, notecards, and Senior Officer Vest
email ("e-plause" Article in school or Tech Talk Article
template) other publication Awards Ceremony
Certificate or letter
from Supervisor, Team
Leader, Manager, Head,
Director,
or equivalent
when appropriate
Rewards Choice of reward using Choice of reward Choice of $5,000 award

(recommendations R&R dollars up to $200 using R&R dollars or
of rewards listed in value per individual up to $1000 in 1 month -time off with
separately) or team member. value per pay per individual which
Time off with pay individual
or team can be taken
member. intermittently
or
Time off with pay continuously over a two
year period.

support, sponsored
nominee.
R&R
Frequency As often as appropriate Semiannually or as Annually

appropriate
Cost Savings/Efficiency Award
Purpose
To recognize and reward employees who develop and implement a strategy

which saves money/time for the
Institute.
Eligibility

- All full and

contract staff.
- Must have saved a significant amount of money or time.
(Significant - may be further defined within each area, with

special
consideration paid to the relative value to
that working unit).
Criteria
- Must display extraordinary initiative and dedication to improvement

of work processes or environment.
- Cost savings/efficiency strategy must be practical, useful, and feasible

to the working unit.

- The strategy must be implementable.

Local/Department Level - Tier I Institute Level
Dean/VP Level - Tier II
- Tier III
Options
Recognition Thank You post-it notes, Certificates from Senior Plaques
notecards, and email ("e-plause" Officer from
template) Article in school or other President
Certificate or letter from publication Vest
Supervisor, Team Leader, Tech Talk
Manager, Head, Director,
or Article
equivalent when appropriate Awards
Ceremony
Rewards Choice of reward using R&R Choice of reward using

(recommendations dollars up to $200 in value per R&R dollars up to $1000
of rewards listed individual
or team member. in value per individual
or
separately Time off with pay team member.
Time off with pay

support, sponsored
nominee.
R&R
Administration Designee will be selected by the Designee will be selected by Program
and Department Head/Director. Dean, VP's area. Administrator
SelectionProcess
and Selection
Committee
involved, amount
but rewards
Frequency As often as appropriate Semiannually or as appropriate Annually
Ideas for Recognizing and Rewarding

No-0
Low-$
Mod-$$
High-$$$
0
Specific "1 on 1" thanks

Thank you note posted in employee's office
"You done good" note cards
Rotating award
Article in newsletters
Plaques & trophies

Flowers & balloons
Day of appreciation lunches/dinners
Magazine subscriptions
Car wash tickets
Event tickets (All)
Contribution to favorite charity
Gift certificate to local store
Pens (office supplies) - engraved, if possible
Personalized coffee mugs
T-shirts, hats, etc.
Parking Fees (low-high)
Personalized books
$$
VIP lunch passes

Night on the town (Dinner, Theater) $$, $$$
Health Club membership
Massages & facials
Gift certificate
$$$
Roundtrip airline tickets

Electronic equipment
Cellular phones and/or service (1 year)

Internet service (1 year)
Sporting goods
Years of Service Award

Purpose
To recognize support staff and administrative staff for their dedication

and years of service at the Institute.
Eligibility

- All full and

contract staff.
- Only regular
years of service at the Institute will be counted (exclude
voucher or student employment service).
- If an employee has taken a leave without pay for a year or more,

that will not be counted towards their years of
service.
- If an employee has been reinstated or rehired, the combined years

of service will be added.
Criteria
- Must be
celebrating 5th, 10th, 15th and 20th anniversary of employment
at the Institute by the end of the fiscal
year.
5th year anniversary 10th year anniversary 15th year anniversary 20th year anniversary
Options Recognition:
Recognition:
Recognition:
Recognition:
Letter from President
Vest Letter from President

Vest Vest Vest
Token of appreciation:
Glass paperweight with

Token of appreciation:
Token of Token of
MIT Logo and years of Picture Frame with MIT
appreciation:
appreciation:
Service. Logo and years of Pen Set with MIT

Clock with MIT
Service. Logo and years of Logo and years of

Service. Service.
Process Personnel produces reports and letters to be
sent to the Senior Officer for signature and distribution.
Tokens of appreciation
should be distributed at a luncheon or dinner
Return to the HRPD Homepage

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8/30/2021 Recognition and Reports Project

The Human Resources Practices Development

The HRPD Core Team

Patricia A. Brady, Project Director, Team Leader

Mark Cason-Snow, Brain and Cognitive Sciences,

Melissa Damon, Personnel Department*

Margaret Ann Gray, Personnel Department

Peter Narbonne Student Financial Aid Services* Performance Consulting

Alyce Johnson, Personnel Department

Steven Wade Neiterman, Information Systems*

Barbara Peacock-Coady, School of Engineering

Affiliates: Maureen Bednarek, Personnel Department

Cynthia Vallino, Personnel Department *

The Recognition and Rewards Project Team

Claude Bellot, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Melissa Damon, HRPD, Team Co-Leader

Lee Ann Day, School of Architecture and Planning

Lisa Feltner, Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences

Kenia Franco, Personnel Department, Team Co-Leader

Sue Mannett, School of Humanities and Social Science

Steve McCluskey, Office of the Dean of Students and Undergraduate

Patricia McCosco, Mechanical Engineering

Ellen Stordy, Physical Plant

* Term of appointment shorter than full term of the project.

Customer Service Award

A Special Note about the HRPD Team Reports

This is one of a series of Human Resource Practices Development

containing recommendations for MIT human resource programs and policies.

recommendations about human resource practices changes. However, implementation

these recommendations is outside of the purview of the HRPD Team which

disbanded in January 1999 after all work has been completed.

In response to these findings, the HRPD Recognition and Rewards Project

Scope of the Team's Work

The Recognition and Rewards Project Team was charged to:

identify and evaluate current best practices at the Institute.

develop and recommend an implementation strategy to educate and encourage

Because of organizational issues involving union or grant contracts, the

In the process, the team solicited information on current recognition

The team based their recommendations on a series of conclusions that

Findings and Conclusions

A formal recognition and rewards program will validate current practices

These recommendations incorporate feedback from the MIT community, along

In developing their recommendations, team members have solicited input

In keeping with these principles and their research, including feedback

1. Exceptional Job Performance - Surveyed employees indicated a growing

Administration of the Awards Program

Through the surveys and one-on-one

For the Institute-level awards, the team recommends an appointed committee

It is recommended that the regular program administrator, based in the

Structure of the Awards Program

At Tier I (the most informal), the Department Head or Director or his/her

Within each tier, awards can be given to either individual employees or

Initiating the Award Program

The team recommends an implementation team to either officially roll out

Years of Service Program

According to the Institute's Personnel Policy Manual, "long service

A letter of recognition and a small token of appreciation will be awarded

Administration of the Years of Service Program

The Recognition and Rewards Program should be accompanied by on going

It became obvious in the process of developing these recommendations that

Insuring that Performance Management Practices are used to provide a solid

Measuring the Program's Success

A survey should be completed prior to program implementation to establish