Pilot recognition scheme flying High

Cardiff Business School’s pilot professional services recognition scheme, High 5, and its initial cohort of successful nominees, were recently celebrated at the School’s end of year all-staff meeting.

The High 5 scheme is intended to complement the University’s Outstanding Contribution Award Scheme (OCAS) and the Celebrating Excellence Awards (CEA) by adding breadth of recognition to supplement the depth of those schemes.

Individuals or teams (from the professional services within the School) can be nominated for High 5 recognition with nomination considered in relation to the 5 areas of customer service, teamwork, collegiality, innovation and creativity, and contribution towards’ the School’s Public Value strategy.

The idea for the High 5 scheme came from the Business School’s professional services staff themselves. Developed in consultation with HR colleagues from the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and the University, it was agreed that a pilot scheme would run in the School for the 2016/17 academic session.

Successful nominees receive a congratulatory email from the School Manager, a High 5 pin badge and a small token of appreciation in the form of a gift card.

At the School’s end of year all-staff meeting, Professor Martin Kitchener, Dean of Cardiff Business School, recognised the first cohort of successful nominees as well as the High 5 panel Chair, and scheme co-ordinator, Barry Hogan. The recipients this semester were:

• Maxine Ballam, Innovative Technologies Officer: Nominated for customer service, teamwork, innovation & creativity, and flexible approach.
• Cecile Boutrou, Part-time Postgraduate Programme Coordinator: Nominated for customer service.
• Justin Graham, AV Technician: Nominated for customer service and collegiality, widely acknowledged as having a pro-active and enthusiastic approach to supporting colleagues.
• Linda Hellard, Executive Education Co-ordinator: Nominated for customer service and flexible approach.
• Jane McElroy, Careers Advisor: Nominated for customer service with particular acknowledgement of the volume of work managed whilst maintaining high quality and pro-active support to students and colleagues.
  Francesca Morgan, Undergraduate Hub Administrator: Nominated for customer service. Particularly note-worthy was her commitment to improving student experience.
• Melanie Poyser, Postgraduate Hub Administrator: Nominated for customer service. In particular, for her work dealing with Chartered Management Institute accreditations.
  Janet Richards, Undergraduate Hub Administrator: Nominated for customer service and teamwork.

Professor Kitchener said: “Our considerable success as a School is dependent on our community – of academics and professional services staff – and how we work together and with our stakeholders. The University already offers recognition schemes at an institutional level for professional services staff. However, we felt that it was important to reflect, at a School level, the esteem in which we hold our professional services colleagues, and take the time to acknowledge their efficiency, dedication and loyalty. High 5 is the vehicle we chose to achieve that and I’m pleased to see how it has developed. I would like to thank all those who are co-ordinating the scheme and all those who have shown their support, including the nominators. Congratulations to the first cohort! ”

School Manager, Dr Andrew Glanfield, who leads the 60 strong professional services staff at the Business School, added: “Professional services staff deliver, on a daily basis, a high level of expert advice, guidance and support to internal and external stakeholders. High 5 is our opportunity to say thank you for going the extra mile.”

The High 5 pilot will continue for the remainder of the academic year.