This year UM recognized over 800 employees celebrating 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 and 60 years of service. Award recipients are recognized with the choice of a small service award gift or option to donate the equivalent monetary amount to a UM fund.

Employees Show Generosity with Donations to UM Bursaries

Award recipients donated a total of $4,020 to campus bursaries this year. 

“A benefit of working at UM is it offers opportunities to help others achieve their goals,” says Warren Otto, Military Support Office.

“With that in mind, I donated my 30 year long service award to the Corporal Jordan Anderson On the Ramp Bursary.  The bursary was created by friends of Cpl Anderson after he and five other Canadian soldiers, and an Afghan interpreter were killed during a roadside bomb explosion in the Panjwaii district of Afghanistan on July 4, 2007.”

The fund supports one bursary a year to an undergraduate student who is a serving or retired member of the Canadian Forces (Regular and Reserve) or a cadet enrolled in the Faculty of Arts.

“Having served the members of the Canadian Armed Forces for over a decade, it is my small way to give back to a group of individuals who give so much,” adds Otto.

Professor Dietmar Straub, Faculty of Architecture, was recognized for 15 years of service and donated to UM Food Bank. He notes, “We live in a time of thrilling but challenging tumultuous change in which a return to social solidarity, tolerance and participation increasingly gains importance. There are some fantastic movements on our UM campus towards solidarity, and I appreciate their serene quietness, not looking for the limelight. The UM Food Bank is one of them.”

Going the extra mile to ensure UM colleagues are recognized

Learning and Organizational Development worked very closely with the Office of Change Management, UM Bookstore and Operations & Maintenance on the service award process.

This new Employee Recognition process uses MS Power Automations to email employees, who have reached a milestone service year, to select an award. 

This automation sends out reminders to employees, and notifies the UM bookstore of the awards selected, and then notifies Operations and Maintenance awards are ready for distribution to the recipients.

Due to COVID-19, UM was unable to host the in-person annual events to recognize the 766 employees celebrating 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50 years of service.

Award recipients were recognized with the choice of a small service award gift or option to donate the equivalent monetary amount to a UM fund.

EMPLOYEES SHOW GENEROSITY WITH DONATIONS TO UM BURSARIES

This year, award recipients donated a total of $4,170 to campus bursaries. 

“UM students are working hard to become engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs, teachers, nurses, accountants, and more,” says Jennifer Triggs, Alumni & Donor Relations.

“Gifts to scholarships and bursaries are an investment in their careers and in the future of the communities in which they will live and work. Your gift can have a very powerful impact, no matter the amount. No gift is too small to make a difference!”

EMPLOYEES GO THE EXTRA MILE TO ENSURE UM COLLEAGUES ARE RECOGNIZED

“Human Resources continues to work closely with the UM Bookstore and Operations & Maintenance, to make sure employees receive their 2021 service award to either their UM office space or their home doorstep for those employees working remotely,” says Lynn Bohonos, Learning & Organizational Development.

Human Resources would like to thank our partners, colleagues and community for the continued support we give to each other.

This year due to COVID-19, UM was unable to host the in-person annual events to recognize the 886 employees celebrating 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 years. 

Award recipients were recognized with a letter of recognition and given the choice of a small anniversary gift or option to donate the equivalent monetary amount to a UM fund.

Employees show generosity with donations to UM bursaries

This year, award recipients donated a total of $6,650 to campus bursaries. 

Annette Elvers, Communications Officer, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, celebrated her five year milestone and was one of the individuals who donated to a bursary in lieu of a gift. The donation was particularly special since she chose to give to the COVID-19 UM Student Technology Fund — a fund set up to provide financial support to undergraduate and graduate students directly impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. 

“I’m grateful that the university chooses to recognize the service of their employees with a gift at milestone anniversaries, but truly, it means more to me to know that a student might get a little boost towards achieving their goals,” says Elvers.

 “I know that the students and residents are going to go out into the world and help make people’s lives better.”

Employees go the extra mile to ensure UM colleagues are recognized

The 2020 Anniversary Awards was not without some challenges this year due to university operations looking a little different, notes Lynn Bohonos, Learning & Organizational Development.

Employees working remotely received their selected gifts on their doorstep, instead of to their UM desks.

 “It took considerable logistic support from Denise Gill and Sandy Nemeth from the UM Bookstore; Lyle Morin, Chris Ens and Greg Luczak from Physical Plant to make sure employees working on campus or remotely were able to receive their 2020 service award,” says Bohonos.

“Thank you for partnering with Human Resources – we couldn’t have done this without your help!”

A list of the 2020 Anniversary Award celebrants can be found on the Human Resources website.