Spotlight
on Outstanding Smith Employees
Human Resources recently
announced a new program called Spotlight
Awards that will recognize
college employees for outstanding service. Here is a list
of frequently asked questions about the program.
What are Spotlight Awards?
A Spotlight Award is a monetary award designed to acknowledge
the contributions of employees who go above and beyond
the everyday scope of their responsibilities, or those
who have particularly excelled in the execution of a job
duty. Spotlight Awards have a pre-taxed value of $150
and will be included in the recipient’s paycheck,
usually within two weeks of receiving recognition. Recipients
will also receive a Spotlight Award Certificate from his
or her supervisor or department head. The will
acknowledge monthly award recipients by name
and department, and will announce the reason each received
the award.
How many employees are eligible for a Spotlight
Award?
Through this new program, up to 60 staff members will be
acknowledged for their contributions to Smith each year.
How does it differ from a bonus?
Bonuses will continue to recognize notable work or achievements
that have a significant impact campus-wide like a major
project implementation. Spotlight Awards will be more narrow
in scope and will acknowledge positive attitudes, resourcefulness,
completion of a smaller project, etc.
Who is eligible to receive a Spotlight Award?
All full- and part-time administrative and administrative
support staff, as well as staff in participating unions,
who have been employed at the College for at least one
year and who are below the level of department head are
eligible to receive a Spotlight Award.
What are the criteria for receiving a Spotlight
Award?
Spotlight awards are intended to acknowledge the contributions
of individuals who go above and beyond the every day scope
of their responsibilities, or those who have particularly
excelled in the execution of a job duty. These contributions
might include, but are not limited to:
- Providing exceptional customer service to students, faculty,
or staff
- Producing high quality work under a tight deadline
- Keeping operations running smoothly during a time of
transition
- Implementing a new system or procedure that saves time
or money
- Fostering camaraderie and collaboration within a department
- Boosting morale or creating a positive, inclusive work
environment
- Accomplishing a one-time, noteworthy achievement
How is an employee nominated for a Spotlight Award?
All employees of the College are encouraged to nominate a
staff colleague by submitting a nomination form which will
be located on the Spotlight Awards page at www.smith.edu/hr/employee_spotlight.php. Supervisors
and managers may nominate a staff member for a reward as
well. Senior Administrators
will review and approve nominations, and supervisors will
distribute Spotlight Award certificates. Human Resources
will administer the program.
Can teams be nominated for a spotlight award?
No. Employees who are part of a team may be nominated for
a Spotlight Award, however, they must be submitted individually.
How many awards will each department receive?
Each Senior Administrator will receive an allotment of Spotlight
Awards proportional to the size of the division.
Can a Spotlight Award be provided for an achievement
which occurred prior to September 1, 2007?
Because the criteria and guidelines for the Spotlight Award
program were not widely available until the September 15,
2007 roll-out, only achievements made from that date forward
are eligible for Spotlight Awards.
What is the Spotlight Award cycle?
During the first year of the program, Spotlight Awards will
be distributed on a rolling basis from September 15, 2007
through March 31, 2008. Subsequently, the Spotlight Award
cycle will run from April 1-March 31.
Can an employee receive more than one Spotlight
Award each year?
No.
How are the Spotlight Awards disbursed?
Senior Administrators will receive nominations for staff
working in their areas and select Spotlight Award recipients.
Additionally, they will inform Human Resources when a selection
has been made. HR will then notify Payroll. The pre-taxed
value of $150.00 will be included in the recipient’s
pay check usually within 2 weeks of receiving recognition.
Human Resources will track all awards.
Will there be other ways for staff to acknowledge
Spotlight Award recipients?
Yes! In late April, Human Resources will host an informal
and fun Spotlight Awards Reception for the entire Smith community
to honor all recipients. Recipients will be eligible to participate
in a grand prize drawing.
How can I relay feedback about this new employee
recognition program?
Human Resources is looking forward to receiving feedback
from the Smith community on this pilot program. Your feedback
will help us evaluate its success during the summer of 2008.
Please mail your comments to Jenny Silver @ 30 Belmont Avenue,
or email Jenny at jsilver@email.smith.edu.
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