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EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION
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Recognition CommitteesThe Government of Nova Scotia is committed to recognizing employees for their achievements made in support of business objectives, high-quality client service and dedication to public service. As such, it encourages the establishment of employee recognition programs throughout government. We are proud to share some of these successful initiatives: Public Service CommissionChair: Michele Collins The “Recognition Action Team” at the PSC hopes to use its unique branding to promote recognition within the HR Community. Rather than position itself as a committee, the group decided to embrace the “Action Team” terminology – this not only speaks to the ambitious nature of the group, but allows for a catchy acronym as well. The PSC RAT Pack had its official launch in May of 2008 and keeping in stride with its branding, made it a memorable event by having members of the team serve cheese to participants. Our champion and Commissioner kept things especially entertaining as she donned a cheese head while speaking about the importance of recognition. One of the RAT Pack’s initiatives is entitled “The Big Cheese Award”, a nomination based recognition program for PSC employees to recognize leaders within the department who actively demonstrate and value the RAT Pack’s vision to “Build a culture of recognition”. To learn more about our program, go to Recognition Resources. Community ServicesProvincial Steering Committee Chair: Norma Williams The Department of Community Services has always had extraordinary staff working to deliver important and timely services to Nova Scotians. The department’s employee recognition program allows the department to recognize and celebrate staff on an ongoing basis. One of its initiatives is designating the first full week of October every year as Staff Appreciation Week. Action teams across the province assist offices to recognize and celebrate local accomplishments and on-going efforts. Activities taking place during Staff Appreciation Week vary from office to office and have included barbeques, coffee breaks served by management, creation of “What I Appreciate About You” cards for staff members, and presentations to recognize specific accomplishments within offices. Activities reflect the local office culture, and are planned by the local office action team membership. To learn more about our program, go to Employee Recognition Program. Communications Nova ScotiaChair- Rick Alexander There are many attributes that make up a great communicator and five basic attributes are particularly important in promoting the agency’s vision – to be the leading communications organization in the country. The BLAZER awards are designed to recognize and celebrate both individuals and teams from across the agency who have demonstrated one of the following attributes. The first BLAZE Awards ceremony was held in December 2007. This is what is stands for:
To learn more about our program, go to Recognition Committee. Labour and Workforce Development/EnvironmentChair: Joel Baltzer Minister’s Award of Excellence Guidelines for the Minister’s Award of Excellence have been established, and communicated to staff through email, posters, fact sheets, and the intranet. Every year in April, staff are invited to nominate, using a prescribed form, any employee of Nova Scotia Environment and Labour for outstanding on-the-job accomplishments in the previous fiscal year. Nominations are confidentially reviewed on the substantive impact of the activity or initiative, by a selection committee from the department’s Recognition Committee, and subsequently approved by the Deputy Minister. Selected award nominees are contacted and invited to a formal ceremony, at which time they are presented with an award plaque and certificate, for both individuals and team accomplishments. The award ceremony is attended by nominees and guests, department staff, and senior management. The Deputy Minister presides over the ceremony, and the Minister personally presents the awards. Unsuccessful nominees are later acknowledged through correspondence from the Deputy Minister, stating appreciation for the extraordinary contribution made to the department. The NSEL Minister’s Award of Excellence has evolved over time. In it’s inaugural year (2005/2006), award recipients were identified and selected by Senior Management. In following years, the nomination process has been opened up to all staff, and the evaluation and selection process has become more rigorous. The Recognition Committee continues to monitor the award program, and annually evaluates the program to identify improvements ideas. The true success of the formality of the Minister’s Award of Excellence is evidenced by the volume and quality of nominations. It is apparent that employees identify this award as an opportunity to acknowledge the hard work of others, and believe in the fairness of the selection process. In 2008, thirteen employees received the Minister’s Award of Excellence as either an individual or team member, compared with seventeen in 2007 and eight in 2006. Terms of Reference The Terms of Reference define member roles, frequency of meetings, requirements for quorum, decision making process, and accountability and reporting mechanisms to Senior Management. The Terms of Reference also include a section on Guiding Principles/Ground Rules/Shared Values which were unanimously adopted and address how members will treat, communicate and behave with one another. Through the Terms of Reference, committee members know what is expected of them, and helps guide them to be an effective and harmonious team. As a result, the committee works extremely well together, and have enjoyed great success in developing recognition programs for the department. An Effective Recognition Committee The NSEL Recognition Program is intended to be employee driven. As such, committee members were drawn from a list of interested candidates to represent a cross-section of the department in terms of age, gender, division, level, union/non-union, and location. Furthermore, the committee is divided into a Central Region Work Team, responsible to develop recognition initiatives, and an Advisory Team composed of regional representatives to represent views of staff located outside the Halifax area. The composition of the Recognition Committee fosters creative input, productive procedures, and effective outcomes. Furthermore, the committee’s Terms of Reference includes a section on Guiding Principles/Ground Rules/Shared Values, which were unanimously adopted and addresses the committee’s commitment, specifies how members will treat one another, and identifies how members will communicate and behave. The committee’s composition, coupled with it’s guiding principles, have resulted in strong team harmony in which each and every one’s contribution is valued, respected, and appreciated. * Note: on April 1, 2008, Nova Scotia Environment and Labour (NSEL) split as two departments: Nova Scotia Environment (NSE), and Nova Scotia Labour and Workforce Development (LWD). To learn more about our program, go to Recognition. Service Nova Scotia and Municipal RelationsCo-Chairs: Debera Fougere, Rae Owen In the 2007/08 program, Paul Boutilier, the lead for the Service Star Program was nominated for the Service Star Award for his work. Paul went above and beyond the call of duty when it came to participating in the ER Program. He re-worked the Service Star Criteria as per request from the Deputy and suggested the development of an Employee Recognition Newsletter and worked on the mock up for the committee's review. Furthermore, he assisted the Chairs with the presentation packages for "New Incentives". According to the Chairs, Paul was a true pleasure to work with and his ideas and dedication to the program enhanced the Service Star program. He is no longer with the Employee Recognition Program for this year but his training manual for the Service Star has been a bonus for the new lead. The Chairs are also proud to report that:
Again this year my mission is recognize "every employee". On Aug. 22/08 my committee issued a key chain/flashlight with the SNSMR Logo and our call letters of the program. I am also trying to engage the employee’s in participating in their ER Newsletter with success stories and achievements. To learn more about our program, go to Employee Recognition Program . GoverNEXTCo-Chairs: Lisa Marie MacDonald, Lindsay Richards Every year since its formation, GoverNEXT has gained more momentum and more recognition; both from Nova Scotia public servants and their counterparts across the country. In order to align itself more with Government practice and policy, the 2008-09 Executive team decided to adopt a recognition program. The recognition committee decided to launch the program in the Summer of 2008 by kicking off the informal component with a surprise for its steering committee members. These members, in addition to their managers and other supporters of GoverNEXT received a package via interoffice mail that introduced them to the program and gave them quick tips on how to recognize each other. The response was overwhelming with members and supporters singing their praises and extremely pleased at the recognition they received. Planning is now underway to incorporate the more formal recognition components into the program. Department of HealthChair: Barbara Goad A Steering Committee was established in March 2006 by the Deputy Minister to propose a design for an employee recognition program for the Department of Health. Employee input was gathered through twelve focus groups held around the province as well as individual written submissions. Over ninety staff provided their opinions and suggestions concerning meaningful recognition. From this input, a Phase I Report and Manager's Toolkit were developed. This included the creation of a Suggestion Box and the use a Recognition Committee email account to communicate events to departmental staff. Informal events are sponsored through a departmental budget that allocates between $6-$10 per employee. One formal recognition event that is in it's third year is our Service Awards. The Deputy tours the province to give the awards to employees in the Districts and a ceremony is held in Halifax for Head Office employees. To learn more about our program, go to Employee Recognition. Department of Natural ResourcesChair: Emily Gratton The DNR Rewards & Recognition Initiative was launched on Feb 26, 2008. The project team is comprised of Patricia MacNeil (Project Sponsor), Emily Gratton (Project Leader), Jason Sherry, Kevin Pentz, Kimberly George and Krista McLarty. Developing and implementing their own Rewards and Recognition Policy at DNR will help bring them in line with several other provincial departments who have already launched programs to meet the terms of the Nova Scotia Government’s Employee Recognition Policy (15.1 Human Resources Management Manual April 3, 2007). But even more important, it is something they believe in and want to do because they value their staff. A key part in setting up a significant and meaningful rewards and recognition program is gathering input from the very people it will seek to acknowledge and honour. A brief questionnaire to collect employee input was available for completion online via the intranet. While opinions and preferences regarding recognition vary from person to person, the survey collected information regarding "What form of recognition leaves a lasting impression with you? What type of reward best says "Thank you for a job well done!"? On July 3, 2008 DNR participated in an appreciation event at Cole Harbour Place in Dartmouth to recognize Department of Natural Resources firefighters. Hundreds of Nova Scotians joined Premier Rodney MacDonald and Mayor Peter Kelly at the event to thank emergency personnel, community organizations and government staff whose courageous efforts saved lives and property during the June 13 wildfires along the Eastern Shore and in Tantallon. To learn more about our program, go to Rewards & Recognition Program. |
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