Spot Rewards

Purpose: Spot Rewards are intended to recognize staff for meaningful or special contributions above and beyond their standard job responsibilities. All SEAS staff members are eligible to receive a Spot Reward.

• Spot Rewards can be given at any time during the year at the discretion of the manager.
• All Spot Rewards are set at $250.
• A staff member may receive more than one Spot Reward each year.
   

Approval Process for Spot Rewards

• Awards will be funded centrally.
• When recognizing a staff member, managers should consider factors such as the contribution that merits recognition, job level, and work done by other staff members in the area or unit. HR can provide guidance on equitable recognition.
• To submit an award for processing, managers should send an email to Kim Harris, Assistant Dean for Human Resources. Please include the following information:
  • Spot Reward in the subject line
  • Name of employee
  • Reason for the award
  • The award recipient receives an award letter and the award amount (less applicable witholdings) is included in their next paycheck.
     

Examples of work that may warrant a Spot Reward

• The SEAS Active Learning Labs set up the new Bacterial Tissue Engineering Active Learning Lab. One staff member was able to set up the lab in a timely manner by setting up excellent lines of communication with the SEAS faculty, the course teaching staff, and the Active Learning staff. The employee’s efforts went above and beyond her job description. 

• Requiring extremely quick turn-around, members of the Communications team conceived, designed, and created a multi-media microsite to accompany the public announcement of a major gift. The team brainstormed, coordinated with HPAC, AA&D, UDO, collected and created original art, researched and wrote content, conducted tests on multiple browser configurations, and one team member stayed up until midnight on launch day to activate the site, which worked flawlessly.

• A faculty member in Physics made a decision to submit a training grant proposal without much prior notice. A staff member who does not usually work on grants stepped in to help the grants manager collect and assemble materials for the application. This employee volunteered to take on this extra work and his effort made a difference in getting the application submitted on time.

• A Faculty Administrator successfully managed a large and complex event which posed a number of unexpected challenges, including issues with the venue and coordinating many sponsors. 
• Several staff members moved valuable objects from one facility to another within a short time frame to assist with a lab facility move. If they hadn’t been able to help, it would have resulted in a delay in the PI commencing research after the move and the space being available for construction.