Recognition Toolkit
VCU’s people are the university’s greatest resource, and deserve to feel appreciated for all that they contribute to our university's success. Whether it's thanking a colleague, formal recognition and awards, or personal growth opportunities and perks, everyone has their preferred ways to give and receive recognition.
Recognize a colleague for a job well done. Your recognition results in a notification to your colleague and your colleague’s manager. See who has been recognized recently.
Managers and supervisors: Recognize a member of your team Manager tools include recognition awards and informal recognition options.
Recognition awards encourage excellence in university service, recognize and reward individual achievements and contributions, and recognize and reward team achievements or contributions. When you recognize employees effectively, you reinforce the actions and behaviors you most want to see those employees repeat. Recognizing employee accomplishments and efforts is just one tool available to managers in engaging, developing, and retaining good employees. These guidelines provide details on formal award options and informal ways to provide recognition.
Rather than recognizing overall performance, recognition awards acknowledge one or more specific instances of exemplary performance. They reward employees who demonstrate behaviors and values of the organization (customer service, teamwork, problem-solving, safety, productivity, etc.) and contribute to the goals and objectives of the organization or department. Receipt of a recognition award in this program does not preclude the same employee from receiving honorary recognition or an increase based on performance (when authorized by the Governor and General Assembly) when criteria for such recognition are otherwise met.
Recognition awards should not be used in place of paying overtime or compensatory time, and they are not meant to replace other traditional methods of recognition, but rather to increase supervisors' options in rewarding and reinforcing employee excellence. The formal awards also are not intended to recognize the length of an employee’s service or to be used as a “holiday or birthday bonus.” There are cost-free methods for recognizing those kinds of events (see section entitled “Additional No/Low-Cost Recognition Ideas”).
Service Recognition: VCU formally recognizes service in five year increments, including an annual celebration in October to April, service recognition pins for employees with 5-15 years of service, and gift options for employees with 20 years or more. To watch the 2022 video featuring VCU’s 45 & 55 year service recognition recipients, and find out more about annual service recognition, visit the annual service recognition page.
Nominate a colleague for a formal award: VCU recognizes distinguished achievement through various university award programs. Find out more at recognition and awards.
Recognize our military veterans: If you are a veteran, complete the self-identification form to receive a special VCU lapel pin including an emblem for the military branch in which you served. If you know of a colleague or team member who is a veteran, encourage them to self-identify and display the lapel pin. The VCU community is enthusiastic about thanking our veterans, so make yourself known! Our student veterans appreciate connecting with those who share similar experiences, so you are supporting student success at the same time!
Treat yourself (or someone else) to special deals and perks: VCU faculty and staff are eligible for many special deals and discounts not available to the public. Feel like sending flowers or a gift to a colleague who helped you out? You can use VCU’s employee discounts - but remember that gifts cannot be purchased with university funds.