Recognition pack

At Oxford Brookes we believe that it is important to foster a culture of recognition that values unique and diverse contributions, as well as promotes a sense of belonging.

Our recognition pack supports you in celebrating achievements, occasions, and those colleagues who have really made a difference.

We are currently developing further ways to celebrate colleagues at Brookes in a meaningful way so please watch this space!

Recognition Awards

A recognition award is a great way for managers to celebrate a team member who has:

Demonstrated the Brookes guiding principles.
Helped others e.g to develop, overcome challenges or deliver objectives.
Delivered a positive student experience.
Promoted a collaborative, inclusive and positive culture.
Delivered exemplary customer service.
Demonstrated high level of proactivity and initiative, resulting in positive outcomes.

This list is by no means exhaustive and we very much encourage managers to use this award as a gesture of appreciation.

Is this a monetary award?

Yes, managers are able to provide £200, subject to budget holder approval.

Prior to submitting a request, please ensure that you have approval and that you can attach a copy of this to the form (e.g an email).

You will also need to provide the relevant cost codes so that we can allocate the award to the correct budget.

How do I request an award?

Please complete and submit the recognition award request form. This will then be processed by the People Operations Team within 5 working days of receipt.

Please note that this award is paid through Payroll and is therefore pensionable, as well as subject to standard deductions.

Payment of the award is subject to payroll deadlines, however generally, is provided within the next payslip.

How do I inform my team member?

Although monetary awards offer a means of recognising contribution, a personalised thank you clearly acknowledges the occasion and ensures that colleagues feel valued.

Managers should therefore provide a personalised thank you along with the recognition award.

You may wish to use the templates provided or purchase a card of your choice.

Thank You Templates

Thank you letter

These thank you card templates can be personalised in Powerpoint, saved as a PDF and sent to the colleagues by email.

This webpage provides a choice of animated banners that can be used to accompany a personalised thank you message.

What makes a good thank you message?

A good thank you message offers genuine and personalised recognition to show appreciation.

To help you get started with writing a message, you could consider the following points:

Say thank you, why and explain that a recognition award will be provided.
Mention a couple of specific details, e.g what did you appreciate in particular? Was there a specific attribute or action that made a difference?
Look ahead to the future e.g are you looking forward to working with the team member, are you looking forward to a new project or to seeing the results of a challenge resolved?
Finish with a further thank you and a personalised ending

Additional Annual Leave

An extra day of annual leave can be given to a team or an individual to recognise a particular effort and contribution they have offered.

This might be granted at a time when a colleague put in sustained effort to complete a project or key piece of work and the line manager feels that they would benefit from taking a day off to relax over a long weekend.

Issuing extra days of annual leave is at each line manager’s discretion and does not require a formal notification to the People Directorate.