Rewards Program for Professional Employees

• Purpose
• Outstanding Performance
• Reward Types
• Eligibility
• Reward Nomination
• Reward Decisions
• Reporting
• Reward Funding
• Procedure

Purpose

1. The purpose of the University's Rewards Program for Professional Employees is to recognise and demonstrate appreciation of professional employees at HEW 7 or below who make an outstanding contribution to the operational and/or strategic endeavours of the University through the granting of monetary or non-monetary rewards that are over and above normal remuneration for work performed.

Outstanding Performance

2. Outstanding performance is performance that is considered to be well above and beyond the normal job requirements. It is performance that can be readily and fairly differentiated from the normal appropriate level of performance expected in the position. Such outstanding performance will be identified and documented through the annual Performance Management, Development and Review (PMDR) processes.

3. Outstanding performance may involve, but is not limited to, one or more of the following elements to an extent beyond normal job requirements:

• Innovation;
• Initiative;
• Exceptional productivity and/or effort;
• Demonstrated client satisfaction; and
• Leadership.

Reward Types

4. Reward types determined by a Rewards Panel may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• A one-off bonus of up to 5% of salary;
• Allocation of funds for approved work-related staff development activity to be expended within 12 months, e.g. conference, external workshop;
• Additional financial assistance of up to $2000 for study purposes to be expended within 12 months;
• Additional annual leave of up to 5 days to be taken within 12 months; and
• A one-off payment of an extra amount to the employee's superannuation account.

Eligibility

5. Professional employees with appointments of two years or more duration are eligible to be nominated for a reward.

6. No employee will be eligible to be granted more than one reward in any calendar year.

7. Nominations are limited to one nomination per work unit in any calendar year.

Reward Nomination

8. A closing date for nominations will be advertised each year.

9. Following the completion of PMDR reviews, Supervisors may nominate employees for a reward in recognition of their outstanding performance in the preceding twelve months.

10. Nominations for a reward are to be submitted on the appropriate form to the relevant Executive Member.

11. Nominations must include:

• Written support of the Head of Work Unit (HoWU) where the Supervisor is not the HoWU;
• A copy of the completed annual PMDR report;
• The current position description;
• Detail of pertinent operational and/or strategic plan objectives;
• A written justification for the nomination detailing the nature of the performance considered to be outstanding;
• A suggested appropriate reward; and
• Any other supporting documentation.

12. Where an Executive Member supports the granting of a reward, the documentation will be noted accordingly and forwarded to the Director, Human Resources by close of business on the advertised closing date for nominations.

13. It will not be normal practice to nominate individual employees for rewards serially from year to year.

Reward Decisions

14. A Rewards Panel will meet annually, on a date to be determined by the Director, Human Resources to consider nominations put before it for rewarding outstanding performance in the pursuit of operational and strategic planning objectives.

15. The Rewards Panel will normally comprise of two Executive Members (one nominated as Chairperson), the Director, Human Resources and one other staff member at Director level. Panel members will be appointed by the Vice Chancellor. Panel members will not participate in the consideration of rewards for employees from within their own work unit. At the discretion of the Vice Chancellor the Panel may include an external member.

16. The Rewards Panel may request to meet with nominees and/or supervisors as it sees fit.

17. Recommendations of the Rewards Panel will be forwarded to the Vice Chancellor for a final decision.

18. Rewards will not be effective retrospectively.

Reporting

19. The Director, Human Resources will report annually to the Vice Chancellor on rewards granted in a calendar year.

Reward Funding

20. Rewards will be funded by the relevant work unit. The granting of rewards will not be inhibited by budget constraints.

Procedure

21. HR Services will call for nominations for the Rewards Program for Professional Employees during the first half of the calendar year for outstanding performance during the previous year. Nominations will be called for by email notice to all staff at least four weeks before the closing date.

22. Nominations for recognition of a professional employee's outstanding performance will be submitted by the HoWU using a Nomination for Rewards Program form. The nomination will include the employee's current Position Description and their PMDR Report for the year to which the call for nominations refers, identifying and demonstrating the relevant outstanding performance. Other material verifying the claims made by the nomination may be included but must be directly related to the nomination.

23. Nominations will be received by the Director, Human Resources by close of business on the advertised closing date for nominations. The Director, Human Resources, in consultation with the Vice Chancellor and the Chair of the Panel, will organise the Reward Panel meetings as expeditiously as possible. Copies of the nominations and supporting material will be forwarded to each Panel Member.

24. Following the Panel's deliberation, its recommendations will be forwarded to the Vice Chancellor for final decision.

25. All persons involved in these procedures are required to act in accordance with University policies, and will maintain the confidentiality of matters discussed by the Panel.

Updated: 01 November 2012