My work Service Award was overlooked.

[Robert M]

AAA,

I think I'm missing something here. Is it normal practice for your company to give employees work service awards after 15 years of employment? If not, what made you think you were going to get one? To me, fifteen years at a job doesn't equate a work service award. It means you've been fortunate enough to remain gainfully employed at a company for fifteen years. For many, that in itself is an award especially these days.

Robert

[testcase]

I started my 31st year last moth. The young guys want to know when I'm going to retire so they can move up. With this economy, I doubt it will be anytime soon.

[AlphaDog]

Robert M wrote:
AAA,

I think I'm missing something here. Is it normal practice for your company to give employees work service awards after 15 years of employment? If not, what made you think you were going to get one? To me, fifteen years at a job doesn't equate a work service award. It means you've been fortunate enough to remain gainfully employed at a company for fifteen years. For many, that in itself is an award especially these days.

Robert

Judging from the way his post was worded, I assumed it was something that's done for employees when they reach certain milestones. In one place I worked, the awards started at five years and were handed out after each successive five, e.g., 10,15, 20 years, etc. That's great if it actually gets done, but it's not great if people are overlooked. Frankly I think something is "lost" in terms of significance if awards are given out too freely, but if there are policies and/or procedures in place to give out awards at certain points in time, then do it, and do it in a way that's predictable and consistent. Nothing makes a person feel more unappreciated than to know they're entitled to some kind of acknowledgment and then have it completely overlooked. Been there, done that, which is why I said earlier to either do it well or don't bother.

[Robert M]

Alpha,

AAA didn't mention anything about the policies of the company. AAA will need to confirm it's company policy. Otherwise, what someone feels he or she is entitled to is irrelevant. Then again, I'm someone who doesn't believe in giving people awards for the amount of time they have worked for a company unless we're talking a significant length of time, i.e. 25 years. A reward is something earned by actions and/or accomplishments, i.e. negotiating a extraordinarily successful contract, saving the company a tremendous amount of money, etc.

Robert

[richorlin]

I was due a 15 year plaque and pin last year but the annual award ceremony was a month before I reached 15. So, I was going to get it a this year's ceremony but I couldn't make it in person. I asked them to ship it to me via inter-office mail. That was three months ago. They say they are still waiting for funding for the packing materials to send out many awards. Leave it to the Federal Govt to f' things up.

BTW, what annoys me even more is that I won't get my 20-year award because I reach mandatory retirement four months before the 20th anniversary.

Hey, but what the heck. I'm just happy to have a secure job with a pension.

[AAA]

Sorry. Not meaning to be vague.
Service awards are given at 2 or 3 (that was added after my 2 o3), 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and so on.
I will get my award. It's given from HR, and they do not forget. It will be a $250 tiffanys gift certificate. I'm not complaining about anything above.

At my department meeting, my VP called on the direct-reports (Directors, managers, etc.) to verbally recognize those receiving/attaining 5/10/15/20.... years of service. My boss's boss overlooked verbally mentioning my 15 years of service.

It just bugs me that s/he (I'll spare the gender) did not recognize me. A coworker said that I should interrupt the meeting myself to point that out. I'm not that type of person. My immediate boss was out on vacation today. That is likely the largest factor in this.

Either way, I took it as a personal slight.

[JoeH]

AlphaDog wrote:
I've worked for places that did nothing to honor service anniversaries, and I've worked for places that did. Trust me, I'd much rather work someplace where they did nothing than at the ones where it was poorly managed and some people got the recognition and others were overlooked. Get it right so everyone is treated equally or don't bother. I feel for ya, AAA.

:agree:

Here we are supposed to get recognition awards after 10 years and then every 5 years after that. But it is up to each major departmental unit to put in the names to get certificates, and in the later years gift certificates, generated and sent out. Four years ago I got my first, for 20 years service. I suspect if I had not made a fuss when I got my layoff notice one month before I would have completed the 20 years, I would not have seen that either. The $25 gift certificate at least bought a decent Kensington mouse at the campus store. Still working on making up the $150 a week loss in pay.

[Racer X]

contractors don't get squat. But I don't have to go to meetings unless I feel like it, so I may be ahead of the game.

I also got screwed out of a Crafstman of the Year award when I was on staff here, because it wasn't a good political move to give it to "support staff", when they could have given it to an engineer or manager.

[Jimmypoo]

I once worked somewhere that you deserved a plaque for showing up at the hellhole each day.

And a tie-tack for not beating the hell out of a handful of robotic brainless geeks and one idiot geezer.

[JoeH]

Jimmypoo wrote:
I once worked somewhere that you deserved a plaque for showing up at the hellhole each day.

And a tie-tack for not beating the hell out of a handful of robotic brainless geeks and one idiot geezer.

Hey, I worked at a place like that once. You sure we haven't met? :devil: