Top GNWT Menu

1413d - Employee Service Recognition

Search Human Resource Manual

Contents

Introduction

  1. To recognize the long-term commitment of its employees, the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) honors those who have served long periods of uninterrupted service with the Government.  This recognition serves as an acknowledgement of employee dedication.

top

Application

  1. In conjunction with the Employee Recognition Policy, these guidelines and procedures apply to all employees, except those employed by the Northwest Territories (NWT) Power Corporation.

top

Definitions

 

Territorial Public Service (TPS) means the date an employee was hired or re-hired by the Government.  This date includes casual employment if it preceded regular employment with no more than a thirty-day break.  It also includes all periods of employment with breaks of less than three months, in cases where an employee was terminated for reasons other than dismissal, abandonment of position, or rejection on probation, and periods of less than one year where an employee was on lay-off status.

Non-cash awards mean awards excluding cash or items that are equivalent to cash such as stocks, bonds, raw precious metals, and gift certificates.
 

 

top

Guidelines

  1. On an annual basis Departments, Boards and Agencies are responsible for recognizing the long service of all employees with five or more years of service with the GNWT.
  2. Length of service for the purpose of long service awards is continuous service with the TPS.  This service is established by the employee's TPS date and is considered to be uninterrupted if the employee has been on approved leave.  Previous service with other governments does not count towards TPS long service recognition (i.e., employee worked 15 years with the Federal government before coming to work at GNWT for the last 5 years.  Employee is entitled to a five-year award not 20-year award).
  3. The Territorial Public Service date is used to identify all long service award recipients including:
    1. full-time employees;
    2. term employees;
    3. part-time employees;
    4. seasonal employees; and
    5. relief employees.
  4. Employees with 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 years of service are honored at a Department, Board or Agency event such as a reception, lunch, dinner or in combination with other events.
  5. Employees are entitled to the following:
Years of Service Framed
Certificate
Signed by
   Non-Cash Award
5 years Deputy Head $0
10 years Minister Maximum of $100
15 years Minister Maximum of $175
20 years Minister Maximum of $225
25 years Minister Maximum of $300
30 years Premier Maximum of $400
35 years Premier Maximum of $499
  1. The service recognition will be based on the calendar year in which the service recognition event is held.  This means that some individuals may be recognized before their service milestone has been reached (i.e. if the long service recognition event is held in June and the 10-year milestone is reached in September, the employee receives his/her 10 year long service award in June).
  2. Departments, Boards and Agencies determine the nature of the long service function.  Events should take into consideration regional recipients and may be coordinated among Departments, Boards and Agencies.
  3. Departments, Boards, and Agencies are responsible for all costs relating to long service recognition events including certificates, frames, non-cash awards and social events.
  4. The long service awards do not include travel costs for employees to attend a function.
  5. The purchase of alcoholic beverages and/or cannabis is not an eligible expenditure.
  6. All forms of public recognition shall be administered with the prior consent of the award recipient.
  7. Award recipients may be contacted in advance before the award event to determine suitability and appropriateness of the award.
  8. At an employee’s request and in lieu of a non-cash award, Departments, Boards and Agencies may make a charitable donation on behalf of the employee to a charity of the employee’s choice registered with the Canada Revenue Agency. Such donations are made at the discretion of the Deputy Head.

top

Procedures

  1. In December each year, the Department of Finance runs the "Years of Service (TPS)" Report in PeopleSoft to verify long service award recipients for the coming calendar year and provides the information to the respective Department, Board or Agency.
  2. The Department of Finance obtains the required long service certificates. The Department of Finance provides them to Departments, Boards and Agencies as necessary through a chargeback arrangement.  When required, three weeks advance notice should be provided to the Department of Finance.
  3. The Department of Finance works with the Departments, Boards and Agencies to obtain non-cash awards.
  4. The Department of Finance prepares the certificates and obtains the appropriate signatures.

top

Authorities and References

Financial Administration Manual

IB 765.01-765.02; Extending and Accepting Hospitality and Gifts
770;  Promotional Material 

top