NOAA Workforce Management Office

Serving NOAA's Most Valuable Asset - People

NOAA Supervisory Resource Guide

How Do I Reward an Employee?

Typical Scenario: You have an employee who has done a particularly good job on an assignment, who has contributed to the achievement of Commerce, NOAA, or organizational goals and/or who has performed exceptionally well throughout the year. How can you reward that employee?

Principle: NOAA�s Incentive Awards program offers a broad range of methods for recognizing employees. Employees who have made significant contributions to the Commerce or NOAA missions may be worthy of a Commerce Honor Award (Gold or Silver Medal) or a NOAA-level award, such as the Administrator�s or Bronze Medal Awards. Other accomplishments may merit a Special Act, Cash In Your Account (CIYA) or Time Off Award. In addition, many employees may be eligible for a performance award or Quality Step Increase (QSI), depending on the performance management system which covers the employee.

It is important to understand that most awards are available only to Federal employees or Federal organizations, in a large part due to Federal appropriations law. Non-Federal employees, such as contractors and consultants, or non-Federal organizations are only eligible to receive the Team Member of the Month Award (individuals only) and Certificates of Appreciation.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE (DOC) HONOR AWARDS (non-monetary)

The Gold and Silver Medals are the highest two honor awards that can be granted by the Secretary of Commerce. Recipients are recognized annually at a formal ceremony held in the fall in Washington, D.C. The medals are awarded to individuals, groups (or teams), and organizations. Individuals and members of groups each receive a framed certificate signed by the Secretary. Organizations receive one certificate to represent the entire organization.

Accomplishments appropriate for a Gold or Silver Medal must have impacted the DOC or NOAA strategic goals or missions.

Eligibility: All NOAA and Department of Commerce Federal employees as defined by 5 USC 2105. See: http://www.wfm.noaa.gov/awards/dist_career/dist_careereligible.html

Deadline for Nominations: Due to WFMO in early February; please check with your Line/Staff Office awards liaison for internal deadlines.

• Nomination Form

References:

• NOAA Information:
  • NOAA Gold and Silver Medal Information
  • All NOAA Awards and Deadline Schedule
    
    
• DOC Information:
  • Honor Awards, Performance Management Handbook

NOAA-LEVEL AWARDS (monetary and non-monetary)

• Bronze Medals (non-monetary):
  
  The Bronze Medal is the highest honor award that can be granted by the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. Recipients are recognized annually at a formal ceremony held in the Washington Metropolitan area. The medals are awarded to individuals, groups (or teams), and organizations. Individuals and members of groups each receive an engraved plaque signed by the Under Secretary. Organizations receive one plaque to represent the entire organization.
  
  Accomplishments appropriate for a Bronze Medal must have impacted the DOC, NOAA or Line/Staff Office strategic goals or missions.
  
  Eligibility: All Federal employees as defined by 5 USC 2105. See: http://www.wfm.noaa.gov/awards/dist_career/dist_careereligible.html
  
  Deadline for Nominations: Due to WFMO in early July; please check with your Line/Staff Office awards liaison for internal deadlines.
  
  
  • Nomination Form
    
    
  References:
  
  
  • NOAA Bronze Medal Information
  • All NOAA Awards and Deadline Schedule

� Administrator�s Awards (monetary):

The Administrator�s Award is a combination honorary and monetary award designed to recognize NOAA-specific contributions. The award consists of a plaque and $5,000.00. In the case of group awards, the $5,000.00 is split equally among the members. All awards are funded by the nominating LO/CO. Recipients are recognized annually at a formal ceremony held in the Silver Spring Auditorium. Administrator's Awards are granted to individuals and groups; each winner receives an engraved plaque signed by the Under Secretary.

Areas in which significant contributions to NOAA programs will be considered for the Administrator's Awards include: equal employment opportunity, diversity, scientific research, public service, engineering development, environmental conservation, policy development, administrative support, public affairs, and information systems.

Eligibility: All Federal employees as defined by 5 USC 2105.

Deadline for Nominations: Due to WFMO in early May; please check with your Line/Staff Office awards liaison for internal deadlines.


• Nomination Form
  
  
References:


• NOAA Administrator's Awards
• Policy (see Incentive Awards Program Handbook,
  Section 6. Monetary Awards)
• All NOAA Awards and Deadline Schedule


• Distinguished Career Award (non-monetary):
  
  The Distinguished Career Award is designed to recognize long-term achievement in advancing the goals and mission of NOAA. The intent of the Career Award is to honor contributions which represent sustained excellence, rather than a single, defined accomplishment. This award stands in contrast to the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals, which recognize specific contributions as opposed to cumulative career achievements over an extended period of time.
  
  A maximum of fifteen Career Awards winners will be selected annually. Two winners will be selected from each category with five additional recipients selected "at-large." The five categories under which nominations should be made are:



1. Management and Supervision
2. Scientific Achievement
3. Professional Achievement
4. Administrative or Technical Support
5. Clerical/Support Services

Eligibility: All NOAA Federal employees as defined by 5 USC 2105. See: http://www.wfm.noaa.gov/awards/dist_career/dist_careereligible.html

Deadline for Nominations: Due to WFMO in early May; please check with your Line/Staff Office awards liaison for internal deadlines.


• Nomination Form



References:


• NOAA Distinguished Career Award Information
• Policy (see Incentive Awards Program Handbook, Section 5.03)
• All NOAA Awards and Deadline Schedule



• Technology Transfer Awards (monetary):
  
  The Technology Transfer Award recognizes NOAA scientific, engineering, and technical employees for: (1) inventions or other outstanding scientific or technological contributions of value to the United States due to commercial applications and (2) exemplary activities that promote the domestic transfer of science and technology developed within NOAA and result in the use of such science and technology by American industry or business, universities, State or local Government, or other non Federal parties.
  
  NOTE: This is not technology that is transferred to another Line Office, Laboratory or program within NOAA. The intention of this award is to recognize technology that is developed within NOAA and transferred outside the bureau to American industry or business, universities, state or local governments, or other non-Federal parties. The technology must also be of value to the United States due to commercial applications.
  
  Eligibility: NOAA scientific, engineering, and technical personnel (Federal employees only), including personnel in research management positions. Former NOAA employees whose contribution(s) were made during employment with NOAA are also eligible. Employees in administrative positions are not eligible.
  
  Deadline for Nominations: Due to WFMO in early May; please check with your Line/Staff Office awards liaison for internal deadlines.
  
  
  • Nomination Form
    
    
  References:
  
  
  • NOAA Technology Transfer Award
  • Policy (see Incentive Awards Program Handbook, Section 6.09)
  • All NOAA Awards and Deadline Schedule

MONETARY AWARDS

• Special Act Awards
  
  This award may be granted to an employee, or group of employees, to recognize accomplishments in the public interest related to official duties, suggestions, inventions, or personal efforts which contribute to the efficiency, economy, or improvements in Government operations.
  
  Eligibility: All Federal employees, except NOAA Corps Officers. Employees must have current ratings of record of "Meets or Exceeds Expectations," "Eligible," or �Level 3.� Members of the Senior Executive Service should only be granted Special Act Awards in rare circumstances, and these must be approved by the Director for WFMO, the NOAA Under Secretary, and DOC's CFO and Assistant Secretary for Administration.
  
  A Note on the Commerce Alternative Personnel System (CAPS): Employees under the CAPS are eligible to be awarded with annual bonuses. These bonuses basically replace the Special Act or Service Awards given to other Federal Employees. However, CAPS employees may be eligible to receive Special Act or Service awards under special circumstances when the special act or service performed is beyond the employee's performance plan.
  
  
  • Submit a Nomination
    
    
  References:
  
  
  • More on Special Act Awards
  • Policy (see Incentive Awards Program Handbook, Section 6.07)


• Cash In Your Account (CIYA) Awards
  
  CIYAs are monetary awards that should be used in cases where higher-level awards, such as Medals, Special Act, and Administrator's Awards, are not appropriate. The following list highlights situations in which CIYAs are appropriate:
  
  (a) completing a short-term project or significant milestone in less time than expected or when unusual difficulties had to be overcome;
  
  (b) developing new or revised procedures or other contributions toward improving office productivity;
  
  (c) handling an unusually heavy workload, e.g., because co-workers are absent;
  
  (d) completing a significant special assignment that is outside normal job responsibilities; and
  
  (e) planning a special event that is particularly successful.
  
  Eligibility: All Federal employees are eligible to receive CIYA Awards with the exception of the following:
  
  
  • Presidential Appointees (advice and consent of Senate)
  • Senior Executives
  • NOAA Corps Officers
  • Contractors
  • Volunteers or Private Citizens
  
  
  
  Employees must have current ratings of record of "Meets or Exceeds Expectations," "Eligible," or �Level 3.�
  
  
  • Submit a Nomination
    
  
  References:
  
  
  • More on CIYAs
  • Policy (see Incentive Awards Program Handbook, Section 6.02)

NON-MONETARY AWARDS

• Time Off Awards
  
  The Time-Off Award is an alternative to the Cash-in-Your-Account (CIYA) and Special Act Awards. This award is an excused absence granted without charge to leave or loss of pay.
  
  Eligibility: All NOAA and DOC Federal employees are eligible for this award except:
  
  
  1. Officers appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, or by the President alone, to positions for which rates of basic compensation may exceed the maximum rate provided in the General Schedule
     
     
  2. Employees who do not have a regular, established tour of duty prescribed in advance (i.e., employees who are intermittent)
     
     
  3. Employees paid on a fee basis
     
     
  4. NOAA Corps Officers
     
     
  5. Senior Executives
     
     Submit a Nomination: Use form CD-326LF and submit to your servicing Human Resources Advisor.
     
     
References:


• More on Time Off Awards
• Policy (see Incentive Awards Program Handbook, Section 7.03)
  
  
• Employees/Team Members of the Month
  
  The NOAA Employee of the Month Award honors an outstanding employee chosen from among all occupations and grade levels except members of the Senior Executive Service and Office Directors. Employees in these two categories are not eligible.
  
  The NOAA Team Member of the Month Award pays tribute to a non-NOAA employee. From the Coastal Services Center in Charleston to our Joint Institutes in Boulder, the idea here is to give credit to the outstanding people who make our NOAA programs a success but are not actually Federal employees.
  
  For more information, please visit: http://www.wfm.noaa.gov/awards/employee_month/emp_month.html
  
  
• Certificates of Appreciation
  
  These can be presented to any employees, Federal or non-Federal, who have made outstanding contributions or who have performed significant services to NOAA or the Department. They can be signed by the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere or by an Assistant Administrator/Staff Office Director. To obtain Certificates of Appreciation, complete an SF-1 Form, Printing and Binding Requisition. Request a CD-521 (8.5� x11�) or a CD-522 (11� x 14�), both of which come in packs of 50. For more information, please refer to the Incentive Awards Program Handbook, Section 7.01.

PERFORMANCE-BASED RECOGNITION

• Performance Awards/Bonuses
  
  Performance Awards or Bonuses are only available to employees covered by the Five-Level or CAPS performance management systems. Under the Two-Level (pass/fail) system, awards are de-linked from ratings so supervisors should seek to reward employees as accomplishments occur, rather than waiting until the end of the appraisal cycle.
  
  
  • Performance Awards Under the Five-Level System
    
    Performance award amounts are generally limited to 10 percent of basic pay (including locality payments). However, an employee may receive a performance award amount up to the statutory limit of 20 percent (base pay including locality payments). Performance awards between 10 percent and 20 percent must be approved by the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere. Please note that Special Act Awards, Cash-in-Your-Account Awards, and Administrator�s or Technology Transfer Awards do not count toward the 10 percent maximum for performance awards.
    
    Performance Awards must be submitted to Workforce Management on the Performance Management Tracking System spreadsheet by mid-November each year.
    
    Please refer to the DOC Performance Management Handbook for more information.
    
    
  • Performance Bonuses Under the CAPS
    
    A performance bonus is a one-time award that does not affect base pay. The decision to grant a bonus is made concurrently with the performance rating decision. Please refer to the DOC Demonstration Project Operating Procedures Manual, Section II. E.8. Performance Bonuses.
    
    
  • Quality Step Increases (QSIs)
    
    A Quality Step Increase is a faster than normal within-grade increase (WGI) used to reward employees at all grade levels who display high-quality performance throughout the appraisal cycle. QSIs are only available to employees covered by the Two-Level and Five-Level performance management systems. For more information on QSIs, including eligibility and submission instructions, please visit: http://www.wfm.noaa.gov/awards/qsi_s/qsi.html.

DELEGATIONS OF AUTHORITY

• Assistant Administrators (AAs) and NOAA Staff Office Directors may approve cash awards of $5,000 or less for general workforce employees. This authority may be further delegated as determined by the individual Line/Staff Offices.
  
  
• Non-SES Special Act Awards and 5-Level performance awards in excess of $5,000 must be reviewed by bureau Performance Review Boards (PRBs) in the same manner as proposed SES performance bonuses and pay level adjustments. This will ensure that the narrative justifications for both SES bonuses and non-SES award proposals in excess of $5,000 are reviewed in the context of relative contribution to the organization's mission accomplishment and strategic objectives.
  
  
• Non-SES monetary awards in excess of $10,000 require DOC and OPM approval.
  
  
• Employees covered by the CAPS are eligible to receive performance bonuses up to $10,000 without going through the PRB review process. In this case, Pay Pool managers have been delegated the authority to approve CAPS performance bonuses which do not exceed $10,000.

Page last edited: August 05, 2011

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