Recognition Award Program

Purpose of the Program

The DePaul University Recognition Award Program is intended to reward specific accomplishments, and/or critical contributions by employees.  The goal of the program is to identify and reward the distinctive and exceptional achievements on the part of DePaul University staff (i.e., exceptional customer service, achievements that go above and beyond the call of duty, and significantly contribute to the University’s 2008-‘09 initiatives, etc.) while maintaining the day to day duties for the department at the meets expectation level. 

Funding

The Office of Human Resources administers a central account specifically for the Recognition Award Program.  Funds are allocated to each Vice President or Dean during the 1st quarter of the fiscal year based on the number of full-time staff in each area. 

Eligibility

University managers/supervisors may nominate any full time individual employee, reporting directly to them, for a Recognition Award.  If the nomination is for an employee who is not a direct report, the employee’s manager/supervisor must be contacted and concur with the nomination.  The award may range from a minimum of one hundred dollars ($100.00) to a maximum of three thousand dollars ($3,000.00) depending on the scope of the activity or accomplishment.  Awards will be distributed in the form of an after tax payment that is direct deposited to the employee’s account.  Employees are eligible to receive a maximum of one award per fiscal year. Vice President and Dean level employees are not eligible to participate in this program.

Procedure

1. The process begins with the requestor completing the nomination form which can be found on the HR website: https://hr.depaul.edu under the compensation section.  Self-nominations are not allowed; however, any faculty or staff member may make recommendations to the manager/supervisor of an employee deemed to have made worthy contributions.
2. The requestor must identify and describe on the nomination form the exact accomplishment(s) that support the Recognition Award. The nominee’s manager must approve the request and the employee must have a current performance rating of “meets expectation” or higher.
3. The next level of approval must be obtained through the Vice President or Dean of the respective department or school, the budget manager, and the Office of Human Resources for final review and processing.  Funds will be deducted from the budgeted account monitored by the Office of Human Resources.
4. Upon approval and processing, the nominee will receive the award as a direct deposit less all applicable taxes.  The award will be paid as soon as practical and consistent with a payroll period following the approval of the award.  The employee’s manager will be informed of the pay period so that the employee may be informed in a timely manner.
5. Managers are responsible for informing the employee when their recognition award will be paid.

Recognition Award Nomination Form