how ratings and awards do (and don’t) benefit companies (course packet)

Can a non-GS employee receive rating-based awards?

Statute restricts performance awards to no more than 10 percent of the employee's annual rate of basic pay, except that a rating-based award may exceed 10 percent if the agency head determines that an employee's exceptional performance justifies such an award. However, in no case may a rating-based award exceed 20 percent of the employee's ...

What are the benefits of company awards?

Companies can benefit from having a one-of-a-kind office space, unique culture, being a corporate citizen, a caring company or a great place to work. Awards are also available for employees, especially company executives. Awards and recognitions should be an important part of your business. The positive PR that accompanies an award provides ...

Is it worth it for your business to win awards?

Non-ratings-based awards include monetary and non-monetary awards (Time Off and/or Cash) which are not linked to employee PMAP ratings, such as Special Act Awards. Currently, POP does not include QSIs.

What is a non-ratings-based award?

As a business leader you know recognition is important. You want your company to win awards, but you’re not sure it’s a good investment in time or money. In some cases, the awards come with tangible benefits such as workshops, coaching, advice or membership in an association. There is a vast variety of awards to […]

Why are awards important for companies?

The Benefits of Company Awards. Award and quality marks can boost your organization's reputation, setting you "apart from the crowd.". They can also give team morale a boost by highlighting team and individual achievements. If you're a young company, winning awards can signal to the world that you've "arrived," and help to cement your credibility.

Why is it important to pick the right awards strategy?

That's why it's essential to pick the right awards strategy, to really make the most of your time, energy and resources.

Why is being an award winner important?

Being an award-winner can boost the chances of customers buying your products, especially if you're a challenger brand (in other words, your company has an expansion mindset, with business ambitions bigger than its conventional resources).

What are the risks of chasing accolades?

One of the biggest risks with chasing accolades is that you may inadvertently damage your reputation. Some awards may have very little industry recognition or credibility. As such, your credibility can easily be lost, you could be seen as just "chasing glory," and potential clients and customers could back away.

Why are business awards important?

For more established players, business marks and awards not only showcase your heritage, but also prove you're still dynamic and innovative. Awards can also be great for an organization's bottom line. Research highlights that award-winning businesses can acquire a sales boost of 37 percent, as well as a 44 percent jump in their stock price.

What is a local award?

Local Awards. This type of award can position you as a leader in your community, when your services or customers are associated with a certain area. They can be great for networking with local customers, clients and suppliers, though it's important to make sure that they're not too small-scale for your ambitions.

What is CE marking?

Warning: Some awards and quality marks are mandatory, such as the "CE" marking found on many products sold within the European Union, proving that a product has been assessed and meets E.U. safety, health and environmental protection requirements.

What is performance based cash award?

A performance-based cash award, also commonly known as a rating-based award, is a lump-sum cash payment and requires only the most recent rating of record as the sole justification for the award.

Is compensation related information public record?

For the most part, compensation-related information in the Federal Government is a matter of public record or obtainable under the Freedom of Information Act. Generally, this includes award payments except for rating-based awards.

Is a FLSA award a nondiscretionary award?

Yes. However, agencies must be aware there are Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) implications when they directly link award amounts to specific ratings. When an agency predetermines an award amount or guarantees an award payment for a specific rating, the award is considered nondiscretionary.

Can a GS-9 be awarded a higher dollar amount?

Yes, as long as employees with higher ratings of record receive higher dollar amounts than those with lower ratings of record (e.g., an award program must grant GS-9's who receive an outstanding rating a higher dollar amount than GS-9's who receive a fully successful rating).

Can a non-GS employee receive a rating based award?

View more. Yes. Regulations allow agencies to grant non-GS employees rating-based awards if the employees are covered by the awards regulations and not otherwise covered by a separate statute that authorizes rating-based awards (e.g., members of the Senior Executive Service).

Can an employee receive multiple awards?

Yes. An employee may receive both an award based on a rating of record and an award based on a specific contribution in a single year. The most important factor in deciding whether to grant multiple awards is that the total value of the awards must be commensurate with the value to the organization of the accomplishment recognized.

Why do companies win awards?

Here are four advantages to winning company awards. Elevate the status of your company. Awards can raise the credibility of your company, its brand and products. An award also increases visibility for your company.

How do awards help your team?

Awards can also build motivation within your team. Increase customer loyalty. Knowing that you are skilled and recognized for your work, team, product or service encourages customer loyalty and drives sales.

How does an award help your company?

An award also increases visibility for your company. Educate and attract. Awards can draw new customers and new employees to your business. Improve company morale. Current employees are excited to share the news of an award with others. Awards can also build motivation within your team. Increase customer loyalty.

Why do companies shy away from entering awards?

Many companies shy away from the idea of entering into award competitions because they think it’s too self-promotional and they worry the entry might be too time-consuming. The benefits of entering and winning an award largely outweigh any reasons not to. Entering and subsequently winning awards makes your company shine ...

Who is Marjorie Comer?

Marjorie Comer is an award-winning PR professional. She graduated from Rockhurst University with a Bachelor of Arts in communication and loves to cheer for her hometown Kansas City Royals. Marjorie has worked for Axia Public Relations since October 2011. Follow her on Twitter @Marjorie_Comer.

Is it too late to submit an award?

The positive PR that accompanies an award provides more credibility than advertising and is ultimately more beneficial. It’s never too late to submit your company for an award.

Why is it important to enter your company for an award?

Here are five reasons why entering your company for an award could be a good idea: Benchmarking with others in your industry – Sometimes the application process is simple and easy, other times, not so much.

Why do awards help employees?

Employees feel better too – Staff morale and motivation often improve when a company wins a business award. Celebrate the victory with your employees. You all deserve it. Awards help with recruiting – Business awards can help a business attract the best talent. Everyone wants to work for a winner.

Why are awards important?

Awards are important: Why your business should want to win. As a business leader you know recognition is important. You want your company to win awards, but you’re not sure it’s a good investment in time or money. In some cases, the awards come with tangible benefits such as workshops, coaching, advice or membership in an association.

Why is nominating a business important?

The entire exercise of nominating your business could hold more value for your company than actually winning the award. Awards increase credibility for your company – Winning a business award provides a credible third party endorsement for your company. Depending upon how prestigious the award is, it could give a stamp of approval on your business.

Why is it important to share an award?

A company award it can spark pride and motivation throughout the entire organization. For this reason, it’s important to share that recognition with a company award display. Although it isn’t individual recognition, showing off a company award allows your employees to also feel rewarded, knowing that they played a part in that achievement. It bolsters their pride in the company and its achievements. Just like individual and team recognition, company recognition can encourage increased productivity and improved quality of work, resulting in company growth and possibly a few more awards.

How does employee recognition help?

Employee recognition programs can boost productivity. Recognizing an employee’s dedication and hard work is a great way to make them feel valued and appreciated. When employees know that their hard work will not only be recognized but rewarded, they typically will ramp up their efforts. When employees receive little or no recognition for their efforts, an employer will consistently receive the same level of productivity from their employees. While that may meet the status quo, there is no motivation to improve. An increase in productivity is necessary for a company to grow and become more profitable.

Why is employee recognition important?

An employee recognition program encourages teamwork Building strong teams gives the employees a sense of unity and the understanding that they are working toward the same goal. Team recognition will also encourage employees to work together and help out a co-worker when they need assistance. As the saying goes – teamwork makes the dream work. Employees will not only be more productive when working as a team, but they will also become more invested in the company and each other.

What is the best way to conclude a performance review?

An action plan is the perfect element to conclude an effective performance review discussion. Keep it simple. Three or four next steps are just fine. Remember, this is the beginning of the next cycle in the coaching process. Keep it positive and practical.

Why is pay for performance ineffective?

Mistake: Any attempt at pay-for-performance is ineffective because the difference in pay for a top performer and a mediocre performer is so small as to be meaningless.

What is the primary goal of evaluating performance?

Solution: The primary goal in evaluating performance is to improve it . Therefore, you want to design a meaningful system of coaching conversations that people welcome, find useful, and deem valuable. Employees need regular feedback on how they’re doing—what they’re doing well and what needs improvement.

Why do top performers rate themselves lower than you?

You’ll find that your top performers will usually rate themselves lower than you do. That’s because they have high expectations for themselves —often higher than you have for them. You’ll find that the opposite is also true: Your poorest performers will often rate themselves higher than you rate them.

Should performance reviews be done for development?

Solution: Your performance reviews should be done for either development OR for compensation—not both. If you’re interested in coaching and development for improved results in the future, then unhook compensation from the process and focus only on the work itself.

Do you get coaching benefits from a coaching conversation?

You will get no coaching benefits from such a conversation. Employees will appear to be paying attention to what you’re saying about their performance, but they’re really just waiting to hear the magic number. Money talks—all else is lost.

Who is BJ Gallagher?

BJ Gallagher is a Los Angeles workplace consultant, speaker, and author of YES Lives in the Land of NO: A Tale of Triumph Over Negativity (Berrett-Koehler; 2006). You can contact her at [email protected] or her web site, www.yeslivesinthelandofno.com.

Has the MPAA gotten more vigilant about sexual content in film compared to violence over the past 20 years? Have you noticed that change during your time there?

HF: I think it depends on each film individually. It’s all based on context.

At what stage of the process do you prefer to begin working with filmmakers?

Barry Freeman: The closest to the beginning of the process the better it is. If a filmmaker is the scriptwriting stage, even though we can’t necessarily translate the script into a rating when it’s on film, we can still sense the tone and some of the ingredients in the scriptwriting to put the filmmaker in the right direction.

Are your services financially viable for indie filmmakers? Do you have special rates?

BF: When you look at our rates compared to what [filmmakers may] have to pay for overshooting or doing more work than you have to, you’re better off checking us out at the beginning and we can explain to you how we can save you money.

Do filmmakers generally have the most issues trying to get down to a PG-13 from an R or from an NC-17 to an R?

BF: If you look at the numbers in the past few years, PG-13 is the predominant category. The majority of films are PG-13, and that’s of course because that’s the widest variety of audience that will see the film and it normally translates to the biggest box office.

NC-17 seems to have generally disappeared. Do you see that changing?

BF: There’s an interesting dilemma with the NC-17. There’s the conception by the public that NC-17 is a bad movie, whereas, the reality is that right now in today’s movie market, it’s an unmarketable movie, but it has nothing to do with the quality of the movie. It’s rated because it’s adult and that’s why it’s NC-17.

Am I eligible to use this tool?

You can view your disability ratings online if you got a decision notice from us in the mail confirming your disability rating.

What can I see once I sign in?

You’ll see your VA combined disability rating and a list of your individual disability ratings. You’ll also be able to see which of your individual disability ratings are service-connected. Service-connected disabilities are injuries or illnesses that were caused—or made worse—by your active-duty military service.

Why do I need to know my disability rating?

It’s important to know your rating, and confirm that we have the right information, because we use it to decide what disability benefits you’ll get.

What if I have more questions?

If you have questions about your benefits or how to access the tool, you can call us at 800-827-1000. We’re here Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET.

The Benefits of Company Awards

See more on mindtools.com

Understanding Different Categories of Awards

How to Win An Award Or Gain A Quality Mark