Nominate colleagues for promoting a positive work environment and community

Help celebrate your colleagues who give timely and meaningful recognition, offer themselves as mentors and promote good health and well-being — nominate them for a U Make a Difference award in the Positive Work Environment and Community category.

This will be the first U Make a Difference awards for Mike Van Hee, associate vice-president, Human Resources, who joined UCalgary in January.

“I am definitely looking forward to the U Make a Difference awards,” says Van Hee. “What a great way for me — for all of us — to get to know the people on campus who are making a positive impact on the student and employee experience.”

The U Make a Difference awards celebrate community members and their contributions across three categories:

• Positive Work Environment and Community
• Collaboration and Communication
• Innovation and Curiosity

Previous recipients in Positive Work Environment and Community category

This week’s highlight is the Positive Work Environment and Community category. To inspire your 2020 nominations, we are celebrating past recipients in the category.

Carllie Necker – 2019 Recipient
Manager, student engagement, Student and Enrolment Services

With a commitment to supporting health and well-being, Necker is the model of positive work life balance. Regularly encouraging staff to take small breaks and forwarding important wellness workshops to her staff contributes to a positive work environment for all who work with her.

Additionally, Necker constantly contributes to the growth and development of her colleagues in her office through her desire to learn.

Angela Harder – 2018 Recipient
Co-ordinator, paddling and wilderness, Faculty of Kinesiology

Harder has a reputation at the university, and across Canada in her industry, for working hard and providing exceptional leadership and service to colleagues and participants in her programs. She continues to develop innovative programming within Active Living, all the while positively engaging her team. She routinely goes above and beyond to support others in their endeavours to gain more training, higher certification or just to try something new.

Rasha Tawfik – 2018 Recipient
Team lead, undergrad programs, Haskayne School of Business.

Every day Tawfik makes a difference to the students, faculty and staff who surround her by sharing her warm, positive energy with all she does in the Haskayne School of Business. She is a shining example of what a UCalgary ambassador can be. She proves that in her recent appointment to co-chair the Alberta Advising Symposium and NACADA Region 8, 2019 Conference. She embraces her leadership role with a fun, welcoming and professional zeal. Always championing and standing up for others, Tawfik is a wonderful example of effective leadership.

Check these top tips for a successful nomination package

Deciding who to nominate for a U Make a Difference award is easy — putting together a winning nomination takes time and planning.

Use the submission criteria

Don’t start from scratch — build your submission from the specific criteria developed around the area of excellence that best fits your nominee: Innovation and Curiosity, Collaboration and Communication, and Positive Work Environment and Community.

Read the examples provided for each category and plan how you’ll illustrate the person’s strengths through the given criteria.

Ask around for multiple points of view

You don’t need to nominate alone — work with a partner or group to make an outstanding submission. A nomination package should include testimonials from multiple people who have collaborated with a nominee in the past.

Ask for input from a nominee’s leaders, peers and direct reports (if applicable) to help illustrate a complete picture of their successes.

Start early — nominations close March 21

Winning nomination packages take time and require co-ordination from multiple people, including leaders who may have limited availability. Start on your package early to ensure all contributors have time to offer thoughtful input.

Do not miss this chance to celebrate your team’s heroes.