The Vice-President, People Strategy, Equity & Culture established the People Strategy, Equity & Culture (PSEC) Awards of Distinction in 2018 to acknowledge and celebrate exceptional contributions that support the mission and vision of the Division of People Strategy, Equity & Culture and the broader University.
The program provides faculty, librarians, and staff across the institution with an opportunity to recognize individuals or teams from both the Division of People Strategy, Equity & Culture and the Divisional HR Offices who exemplify our values and perform outstanding work throughout the year.
Four categories of achievement-based awards are available to recognize individuals and teams within our community.
Four categories of achievement-based awards are available to recognize individuals and teams within our community.
Individual Awards
Living Our Values Award
Presented to an individual who exemplifies the values of the Division of People Strategy, Equity & Culture in their daily work or interactions with internal clients, and who serves as a model and mentor for others within the Division and / or Divisional HR Offices. Recipients embody collegiality and are well–respected for their efforts to foster a sense of belonging within the University community.
Emerging Leader Award
Presented to an individual who has demonstrated remarkable leadership potential (not necessarily as part of a formal leadership role) and has sought out opportunities for learning and development while moving into progressively more responsible roles. The individual promotes equity, diversity, and inclusion through their work and / or their contributions to the University community.
Distinguished Contribution Award
Presented to an individual who demonstrates excellence and whose work has supported the mission and vision of either the Division of People Strategy, Equity & Culture or their own Division while positively influencing those around them. This individual is highly regarded by their colleagues and actively demonstrates equitable, diverse, and inclusive leadership to their co-workers and / or team members.
Group Award
Distinguished Contribution – Team of the Year Award
Presented to a group or team that has collectively achieved outstanding results delivering client services and / or launching a project / initiative or process improvement. The team embeds equity and inclusion into their practices, demonstrates exceptional collaboration with other units, and has a positive impact on HR services for the division(s) they support and / or the broader University.
Assessment Criteria
The Selection Committee will look for examples of sustained excellence and strong performance when reviewing nominations. The Committee will consider nominees who have made significant contributions and / or possess some (or all) of the special qualities and attributes outlined as follows:
- Are exceptionally service-oriented,
- Possess a collaborative work ethic (within their unit and / or with other units / divisions),
- Demonstrate initiative and inclusive practices,
- Use innovative approaches to find solutions (improving work processes, financial efficiencies, etc.),
- Display a strong work ethic (dependability, commitment), and / or
- Are outstanding mentors to junior staff.
The Selection Committee reserves the right to move nominations to a different category if they believe another more accurately reflects a nominee’s contributions.
The following award has additional criteria and considerations:
Team of the Year Award
The Selection Committee will look for examples of the following in group or team nominations:
- Actively pooled skills, talents, and knowledge, with evidence of each team member’s contributions and mutual support and respect for team members,
- Evidence to support the completion of a project or an assignment that is beyond the scope of team members’ individual job descriptions, and
- Submissions should illustrate how the team has stood out among their peers to achieve an overall outstanding positive impact on the division(s) they support or the broader University community.
Only include individuals who made a demonstrable impact on the project or assignment as team members for this award.
Teams must consist of two or more individuals.
Eligibility
Any employee or supervisor can nominate a staff member for a PSEC Award of Distinction. Self-nominations are not accepted, nor can nominators include themselves as a member of a team nomination.
Nominees can be from the University of Toronto St. George, the University of Toronto Mississauga, and the University of Toronto Scarborough campuses. They must be administrative staff (unionized or non-unionized) who work in:
- A Divisional HR Office or
- The Division of People Strategy, Equity & Culture.
Casual staff, librarians, and faculty are not eligible for consideration.
Please note that nominees are only eligible to receive each category of Individual Award once in their career; however, they can be nominated to receive the Group Award as a member of a team or different categories of the Individual Award as appropriate. The Selection Committee will select the recipients based on the information provided in the nomination package.
All nominees must be in good standing at the University. Nominees must be in active status when the nominations close.
The 2022 PSEC Awards of Distinction will consider the nominee’s(s’) efforts and accomplishments until August 31, 2022.
The Nomination Process
Nominations for the 2022 PSEC Awards of Distinction will open on September 12, 2022.
Nominations should describe in detail the specific contribution(s) that an individual or team / group has made in relation to one or more of the assessment criteria listed above.
A complete nomination package for the PSEC Awards of Distinction consists of the following:
- A letter of nomination from the lead nominator providing the rationale for the nomination and a description of the nominee(s) contribution(s). The letter should not exceed two pages in length.
- A brief description of your nominee that could be used for publishing online should the nomination be successful. The description should not exceed two paragraphs in length.
Please do not submit more than the required number of documents and supporting letters. The Selection Committee will not consider supplementary documents as part of the nomination process.
Nominators must submit nominations for the awards via the True Blue Recognition Platform. The Selection Committee will review all submitted nominations and can then ask for further details. All nomination materials will remain confidential.
*Note: This award program is visible on the True Blue Recognition Platform to all faculty, librarians, and staff at the University.
Submission Deadline
Nomination Deadline: 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 4, 2022.
Please submit nomination packages electronically through the True Blue Recognition Platform. A button for the PSEC Awards of Distinction will appear when “Nominate” is selected under the “Recognize” header. Please upload the nomination letter using the online form and enter the brief description of your nominee in the appropriate text field.
Should you require assistance with your submission, please contact the Recognition & Engagement Team.
Tips for Completing the Nomination Form
- Be specific by providing examples and the details of what your nominee(s) have done to meet or exceed the selection criteria.
- Be intentional in how you frame your nomination. Not every nominee will demonstrate achievements in all award criteria. Use your nomination to intentionally identify the criteria where your nominee has made a demonstrable impact and provide evidence to support your nomination.
- Avoid general statements such as: “the nominee has a pleasant personality,” “the nominee is a seasoned professional,” or “the nominee is always helpful” in your submission.
- Include as much qualitative and quantitative information as you can about the nominee’s work and contributions.
- Avoid the use of uncommon or undefined acronyms in the description of your nominee’s work and contributions.
- If you are nominating a team or group, list all members and describe how they work collaboratively to benefit the University.
- Nomination statements for the Team of the Year Award should explain the importance of team effort to the group’s overall success.
Please see our guide, “How to Write an Impactful Award Nomination,” for additional details.
Adjudication
The Assistant Vice-President, University Human Resources will chair the Selection Committee. It will consist of a minimum of two divisional HR Managers / Directors or their designate, two Central Directors or their designate, and one client manager. Members of the Selection Committee will review the nomination packages and the award criteria before the Selection Committee meeting date. At the meeting, members will discuss each nomination package and select the deserving recipient(s) for each award.
The Chair will ensure the nominations are adjudicated within the allotted time for the meeting but will not participate in determining the recipients. The Chair will serve as the final decision maker should members of the Committee not agree.
The Selection Committee will meet in December 2022 to select the PSEC Awards of Distinction recipients and announce the winners.
Award Prizing
Each winning nominee shall receive:
- A PSEC Awards of Distinction Certificate, and
- 625 True Blue points redeemable for prizes on the True Blue Recognition Platform, and
- An invitation to a luncheon with the Vice-President, People Strategy, Equity & Culture and the Assistant Vice-President, University Human Resources
Further Information
Please contact the Employee Recognition & Engagement Team if you have questions about the program or need assistance developing or submitting your nomination.
2022 Recipients
Emerging Leader Award
- Sokit Kwan, Senior HR Consultant, University of Toronto Scarborough
Distinguished Contribution Award – HR Team of the Year
The Employment Equity Report Redesign Project Team
- Jodie Glean, Executive Director, Equity Diversity & Inclusion
- Lesa Holmes, Communications & Engagement Manager, People Strategy, Equity & Culture
- Jason Lee, Business Intelligence Developer, HR, People Strategy, Equity & Culture
- Clark Miller, Manager, Digital Workforce & Analytics, People Strategy, Equity & Culture
- Cherilyn Nobleza, Executive Director, HR Transformation & Analytics, People Strategy, Equity & Culture
- Timur Ozbilir, HR Analytics Consultant, People Strategy, Equity & Culture
- Pari Tsoukalas, HR Advisor, Projects, People Strategy, Equity & Culture
The Central Administrative HR Services (CAHRS)
- Alycia Bromley, HR Consultant, People Strategy, Equity & Culture
- Anita Chooraman, HR Advisor, People Strategy, Equity & Culture
- Blanche Douglas, Senior HR Administrator, People Strategy, Equity & Culture
- Charlene Faulkner, Senior HR Consultant, People Strategy, Equity & Culture
- Natalia Kinal, Senior HR Consultant, People Strategy, Equity & Culture
- Van Nguyen, Senior HR Consultant, People Strategy, Equity & Culture
- Erin Noble, Senior HR Consultant, People Strategy, Equity & Culture
- Ralle Rivera, HR Consultant, People Strategy, Equity & Culture
- Magdalena Rydzy, HR Consultant, People Strategy, Equity & Culture
- Tania Thompson, HR Coordinator, HRIS & Benefits, People Strategy, Equity & Culture