Office of Human Capital Management
Guide for Employee Recognition
(9-29-06)
Introduction
to Employee Recognition Program
Determining
Appropriate Recognition
Publicity
Definitions
of Recognition Categories
Guidance
and Procedures for Recognition Categories
Appendix A
– USDA Secretary's Honor Awards Categories
Appendix B - Justification Outline
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The Office of Human Capital Management (OHCM)
will:
Agency Heads will:
What are Supervisors' and Managers'
responsibilities?
Supervisors and
Managers will:
What are Agency Recognition Coordinators’ responsibilities?
Agency Recognition Coordinators will:
How do I determine which type of
recognition is appropriate?
Read the
sections in this Guide on non-monetary and monetary recognition to help you
determine which type of recognition to give.
Is it appropriate to have
customer/coworker involvement in the recognition recommendation process?
Yes. This is encouraged when practical. For
example, information could be gathered from customer evaluation surveys,
telephone contacts, etc. Also, coworker
input could be valuable. Each Agency
should consider implementing its own method for obtaining the information.
Can an employee be permitted to choose
which type of recognition he or she prefers?
This determination is made at the discretion of the
Agency. When it is permitted, employees
should be given a specific option, such as a choice of available keepsake
items.
Can I give recognition to a group of
employees?
Yes. Group
recognition is encouraged because it helps to foster teamwork and equity.
Agencies should inform OHCM of
successful recognition program innovations.
OHCM will act as a clearinghouse for such ideas so that other Agencies
can benefit from them.
What are the recognition
categories? What are the different
types in each category?
Is there any special recognition for
Senior Executive Service (SES) employees?
SES career employees are eligible for performance
bonuses, Presidential Rank and Extra Effort Awards (excluding spot and time off
awards).
SES non-career employees are eligible for Extra
Effort Awards (excluding spot and time off awards).
What kinds of nonmonetary
recognition are available?
What are the Secretary's Honor
Awards? Who may receive this
recognition?
The Secretary's Honor Awards are the
most prestigious awards that USDA can present.
Employees at all grade levels and private citizens are eligible. These awards are presented annually by the
Secretary to individuals or groups for notable contributions to the
Department's mission, the Nation or public service. (See Appendix A for Honor Awards categories.)
What kinds of keepsakes can be given as recognition?
Medals, certificates, plaques,
citations, badges, pen-and-pencil sets, pins and coffee cups are types of
keepsakes that can be presented as long as the item displays the Department's
name and is suitable for display.
How much money may be spent on individual nonmonetary recognition?
Department policy limits the expenditure
to no more than $250 on any one item, with the higher amounts normally reserved
for high level honorary awards or other
major accomplishments. Examples of honorary recognition are the Secretary's
Honor Awards Program, the Agricultural Research Service’s Hall of Fame Award,
and the Forest Service’s Chief's Honor Award.
Who can approve and what steps are necessary to approve nonmonetary awards?
Keepsake awards and time off awards must
be approved using Form AD-287-2, in accordance with Agency incentive award
policy.
How much time off should an
employee receive as recognition?
The following chart should be used:
TIME OFF SCALE |
|
VALUE OF THE EMPLOYEE'S CONTRIBUTION |
HOURS TO BE AWARDED |
SMALL/MODERATE - Contributions that helped to ease a backlog or completion of a special project that benefited primarily the employee's home office. |
1 - 10 Hours |
MODERATE/SUBSTANTIAL - Contributions that helped an entire division, region, or other large geographic area. |
11 - 40 Hours |
NOTE: An employee may not be granted more than 80 hours in time off awards in
a leave year. SES employees are not
eligible for time off awards.
What are the steps involved in
recommending and approving monetary recognition?
Monetary recognition must be
approved at a management level higher than that of the recommending
individual. Recommendations are
submitted and approved on Form AD-287-2.
All monetary awards require written justification. The Secretary
approves monetary recognition for SES employees.
How do I determine the amount of
the monetary recognition to recommend?
Whenever possible, nominators
should determine if the contribution can be measured in terms of time saved,
money saved or expenditures avoided by using the following Measurable Benefits
Scale. If the contribution cannot be
measured this precisely, the nominator should determine the award amount by
weighing the Value of Benefits and the Application as shown in the following
Nonmeasurable Benefits Scale.
When a team or a group of employees
receives monetary recognition, the amount given to each group member may be
different. In such cases, the nominator
can recommend how much each group member should receive based on their
individual contribution.
Benefit |
Award |
Up to $10,000 |
10 percent of the benefits |
$10,001-$100,000 |
$1,000 for the first $10,000 in benefits, plus 3 percent of benefits over $10,000 |
$100,001 or more |
$3,700 for the first $100,000 in benefits plus .005 of benefits over $100,000.* Award amount should not exceed recipient's annual salary. |
NOTE: *All recognition for individuals or an individual as a member of a group
up to $5,500 per person requires approval from the appropriate Under or Assistant
Secretary or Staff Director. The Secretary
of Agriculture approves all awards in excess of $5,500 and not greater than $10,000, and all
SES awards. Awards in excess of $10,000
per individual must be approved by the Office of Personnel Management. Awards in excess of $25,000 require Presidential
approval.
NONMEASURABLE BENEFITS SCALE |
|||
Value of Benefits |
Application |
||
|
Limited |
Broad |
General |
Impacts the public interest, or a specific small work unit including a division or region. |
Impacts the public interest, or several regional areas or an entire agency. |
Impacts the public interest, or more
than one agency, or the entire Department.
|
|
Small/Moderate |
$50-$325 |
$325-$650 |
$650-$1300 |
Moderate/Substantial |
$325-$650 |
$650-$1300 |
$1300-$3150 |
Substantial/Extended |
$1000-$2500 |
$2500-$5500 |
$5500-$10,000 |
What is a Spot Award?
Spot awards allow supervisors and other individuals to grant employees (as individuals or in groups) immediate monetary recognition for extra efforts that warrant small awards. Spot awards are considered small to moderate in Value of Benefits and limited to general in Application.
Awards may range in value from $50 to $750 (in any dollar amount) with no award amount exceeding $750. Employees may receive more than one spot award within a one-year period. When determining award amounts refer to the Nonmeasurable Benefits Scale.
There is no ceiling on the total amount of any group spot award. However, the award amount for each group member may not exceed $750.
Usually, the contributions recognized will have been completed within a period of 4 to 6 weeks or less. Recognition should be made within 3 work days, but not later than 30 days after completion of the accomplishment. Spot awards are approved or disapproved at a management level higher than that of the recommending individual.
Extra
Effort Awards recognize individuals or groups who make significant one-time
contributions (e.g., special project, task force, etc.) to the Agency's or the
Department's mission or goals. The
award amount can range from $50 to more than $10,000, depending on the Value of
Benefits and Application of the contribution to the Government.
Does USDA have an employee suggestion or
invention recognition program?
Yes. Employees may be recognized for the approval
of written suggestions or development of inventions that improve the efficiency
or effectiveness of Government operations.
Employees may be recognized for their suggestions and inventions on a
monetary or a nonmonetary basis. For
more detailed information regarding suggestion or invention programs contact
your Agency's Recognition Coordinator.
Employees may also refer to the "Employee Suggestion Program
Brochure" at http://www.usda.gov/da/employ/websuggestionbrochure.htm
What is gainsharing?
Under
this program, a portion of savings resulting from gains earned by an
organization through improved quality, more efficient use of resources and
process improvement is distributed to employees. For more detailed information regarding gainsharing contact your
Agency's Recognition Coordinator.
Employees
can demonstrate this in many ways, for example, regularly demonstrates high
work output, consistently completes work products of high quality, or provides
exceptionally prompt and courteous service to customers, clients and
coworkers.
There
are two kinds: (1) lump-sum performance bonus (formerly sustained superior
performance awards); and (2) QSI, an extra step increase.
What type of justification is required
for a performance bonus?
Supervisors
are required to provide written documentation of performance accomplishments
for summary ratings. If a performance
bonus is granted to an employee, the accomplishment write-up must be
supplemented by a written justification for the award.
How much money can be awarded in a
lump-sum performance bonus?
Use the
Measurable Benefits Scale and Nonmeasurable Benefits Scale listed in the
Monetary Extra Effort awards section, but note that a lump-sum performance
bonus cannot exceed 10 percent of an employee's annual salary.
Is everyone eligible for lump-sum
performance bonuses?
No. Noncareer SES employees are not
eligible. However, Career SES employees
are eligible.
What level of performance is required for
a lump-sum performance bonus?
Employees
must receive at least a fully successful on their summary rating.
When should I give a lump-sum performance
bonus?
Generally
these should be given within 90 days of the end of the performance cycle.
What level of performance is required for
a QSI?
Employees
must receive an outstanding summary rating.
Does a QSI require a justification?
Yes. The written documentation of performance
accomplishments for an outstanding performance rating is sufficient.
Who is not eligible for a QSI?
SES and
wage-grade employees are not eligible for QSIs.
Can I give a QSI or a lump-sum payment to
an employee who received one this year?
No. Only
employees who have not received a QSI or lump-sum payment in the last 52 weeks
are eligible.
What are the advantages of performance
bonuses?
Performance
bonuses are significant forms of recognition because they encourage employees
to continue to excel in the manner in which they carry out their duties and
responsibilities.
What should be done if there are funds
for only a few performance bonuses?
In these
circumstances, consideration should be given to smaller monetary recognition
amounts to equally deserving employees.
When is it necessary to prepare a
narrative justification in addition to an AD-287-2?
A
justification must be prepared for all monetary recognition and time off
awards. (Appendix B identifies helpful
hints on how to write a justification).
In order
to effectively monitor the Department's recognition program each Mission
Area/Agency will provide information and reports to OHCM concerning the
operation of their programs.
1.
During the period of (give time of performance), (individual/group) did
what. Beginning paragraph should start
with this sentence.
2.
This exceeded expected performance as identified in the current position
description by:
3. As a result:
4. Therefore, we propose an award of (amount/hours) which has been calculated using the (Measurable Benefits/Nonmeasurable Benefits/Time Off Scales.)