Every employee’s work is impactful to the campus community. But each year, the FP&M Employee Recognition Awards highlight outstanding efforts of employees and shine a little light on how they make a difference.
Who made an effort that stood out?
With so many great staff helping UW-Madison’s physical spaces shine, this could be the easy part. In fact, you may be thinking of several individuals deserving of an award!
Here are 8 tips for nominating an FP&M employee for an award
1. Jot down your thoughts ahead of time
There is no need to write the nomination in one sitting.
Write down your thoughts as you go about your day.
And come back to it.
2. Use the buddy system
Rome wasn’t built in a day. Neither are the best nominations.
- Write down your reasons why the FP&M employee deserves a nomination. It can be bullet points, or written out. Don’t be fussy about the format.
- Get support: ask for help and ideas from others who work with the person you are considering nominating! Not sure how to get them on-board? Use this sample wording to copy and fill in the blanks when you reach out to coworkers.
3. Twice as nice
Fun fact: you can nominate multiple different individuals for FP&M Employee Recognition Awards!
The biggest tip here is to make each one count!
4. Be proactive & give time for brainstorming
Set aside a few minutes of your day to brainstorm. Who made an effort that stood out?
Look at the award categories and criteria for each award in the award nomination form using the pulldown menus under “Award.” Decide which award captures the essence of the person you are considering. Options are Creative Solutions, Customer Service, Going Above and Beyond, Teamwork, and Unsung Individual awards.
5. Represent
Since some of FP&M’s work is behind-the-scenes, not everyone on campus knows what our work is all about.
- Tell a little about what they do in their job. It will help inform those who might not know.
- Capture what they did that stood out.
- Highlight their positive impact on campus, on others, on their team, and so on.
6. Authenticity over perfection
The last time we checked this wasn’t a writing class.
Your nomination doesn’t have to be perfectly written for them to receive an award. It just has to have good examples. Share what happened and how it made a difference!
Tell us what made that person stand out from the crowd.
7. Remember “that one story”. . .
. . . and tell it! Better yet, tell two.
See if you have stories that could be examples of their work.
- Show us how big or how much, where possible.
Use numbers, quantities, and amounts if you know it.
What sort of testimonial would you be willing to give about the person you worked with? If they were an online product, would you leave a positive review?! How many stars? These types of stories can help answer the questions on the nomination form and most importantly – help your nominee get picked for the award!
“That one story” that you put in the nomination should include things like:
- Testimonials (customer, coworker, your own)
- Description of the impact on different parts of the campus community
- Showing a commitment over time
- Showing decision-making under pressure
- Showing proactive behavior.
- Tying the work to the mission of the university.
8. On the fence?
Did you know you can nominate someone anonymously?
Just sayin’. You have to include your name for the committee’s knowledge, but the nominee does not have to find out it was you.
Think about it. Give it a moment. Give some recognition, and see what happens.
After all, sharing is caring.
See award eligibility and categories.
It’s always a good time to submit nominations for the FP&M Employee Recognition Awards.
