OIT employee recognition effort underway

by Daniel J. Fitzgibbons, Chronicle staff

rom telephones to e-mail to an array of computing services, the Office of In-formation Technologies provides services of some kind to virtually every member of the campus community. But as long as everything's working, the efforts of the 160-member OIT staff often go unnoticed.

     Now that's about to change.

     Through a new OIT recognition program called UMatter@oit, staff members will be honored annually for their on-the-job achievements.

     The idea for the program evolved during a two-day workshop for the unit's senior staff last April, according to Gloria Chang-Wade, OIT business director.

     "We were asked to name the six most pressing issues for the next year," she said, "and recognizing and rewarding OIT employees outside of existing programs was on all of the groups' lists."

     With the backing of senior management, a planning committee was named to develop the program, award criteria and eligibility requirements. The committee members, who are not eligible for recognition, will review the nominations and select those OIT staff to be recognized. The awards will be timed to the calendar review and announced in conjunction with OIT's year-end review meeting, said Chang-Wade.

     "We want to formally recognize employees and reward them," she said, "and we want to promote a culture of appreciating staff."

     Honorees will receive certificates and gifts and letters will be placed in their personnel records. Their efforts will also be noted in the Chronicle and their profiles will be displayed in the OIT "hall of fame."

     The Reward and Recognition Committee is currently accepting nominations for the inaugural awards. Nomination forms have been sent to campus departments and are also available online (www.oit.umass.edu/umatter/form.html) or from the OIT offices in Lederle Graduate Research Center.

     The criteria for nomination include quality service; outstanding achievement; innovation; time-saving ideas; handling difficult situations; interpersonal skills; outstanding customer service; mutual respect; and consistent day-to-day contributions.
To be eligible, nominees must have completed at least one year of full-time service or two years of half-time service with OIT.

     Any OIT customer may submit a nomination. Nominations should explain what the nominee did to warrant consideration for the awards.

     Nominations are due Thursday, Nov. 8. Winners will be announced in December.
The Reward and Recognition Committee members are Gail Bedinotti, Elisa Campbell, Gloria Chang-Wade, Sandy Hay, Brian Kinner, John Lloyd, Pat Michalowski, Renee Wingertsman, and Amy Westwood.