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Years of Service Award Presentation Tips

The Texas A&M University Years of Service program recognizes employees who reach 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 and 50 years of service with a gold lapel pin. The following tips are provided to assist departments with their recognition award presentations.

Before the Award Presentation

  • Verify that the employee has 20 or more years of service with Texas A&M University by completing the Years of Service Verification Form. This is typically done during the annual Years of Service verification process coordinated by Human Resources. This form is completed by the department and submitted to Human Resources to confirm that the employee is eligible to receive a service pin, if the employee has 20 or more years of service with Texas A&M University.
  • Obtain the service pin for the eligible employee from Human Resources. If the employee was verified during the annual process, the pin will be provided to the department of the employee around July. Other awards or gifts may be purchased in accordance with applicable university rules and standard administrative procedures:
  • Complete and return the appropriate payroll forms for noncash or cash awards. Service pins do not require special forms. However, cash awards are considered taxable income. A department may choose to gross up the cash award amount to pay for the taxes on the cash award. If this method is chosen, complete the Request for Compensation for Awards to Faculty or Staff form in advance of the award presentation, so that Payroll Services may process the check and have ready for the event. A department may choose to not gross up cash award, in which the recipient will be responsible for paying the taxes on the cash award. If the department is not paying the taxes on the cash award, a Request for Tax Withholding on Non-Salary Compensation Items form will need to be completed for the recipient, so that taxes are paid on the cash award.
  • Prepare award certificate or card using the templates provided on the Years of Service page.
  • Determine if the recipient is comfortable with being recognized publicly or if they prefer a private setting. If the recipient prefers a private setting, only invite co-workers and/or family the recipient selects to attend the event. If a group setting is not preferred, personally provide the award, certificate and/or card to the recipient. Allow co-workers in the department to provide personalized messages in the card, to congratulate the recipient on their achievement.
  • Determine the date, time and location for the award presentation.
  • Determine who will present the award to the recipient. This can be the department head, supervisor or manager of the employee, co-workers, or all of them.
  • Invite co-workers to attend the event. Send out reminder emails to notify the employees of the approaching event.
  • Complete and return the appropriate payroll forms for non-cash or cash awards. Cash awards are considered taxable income. A department may choose to gross up the cash award amount to pay for the taxes on the cash award. If this method is chosen, complete the Award to Faculty or Staff Form in advance of the award presentation, so that Payroll Services may process the check and have ready for the event. A department may choose to not gross up cash award, in which the recipient will be responsible for paying the taxes on the cash award. If the department is not paying the taxes on the cash award, a Tax Withholding on Non-Salary Compensation Items Form will need to be completed for the recipient, so that taxes are paid on the cash award.
  • Prepare the award presentation speech and include the following information:
    • Recipient Information such as name, job title, department or unit name, years of service, and specific contributions to department or university
    • A list of short narratives of why employee is receiving the award or achievements relevant to the award
    • Historical events of the university, other events, or fads that took place during the recipient's employment
  • Purchase refreshments for the presentation, if appropriate.

During the Award Presentation

  • Set up the location and refreshments.
  • Follow the prepared speech presentation.
  • Introduce speaker prior to their short narratives of the recipient.
  • Present the award to the recipient.
  • Take pictures of the event and recipient, if appropriate. Ask the employee if they are okay with having their picture taken.
  • Conclude award presentation.

After the Award Presentation

  • Visit with the recipient after the presentation to find out how they felt about the presentation.
  • Send a thank-you email or letter to those employees who participated in award presentation.
  • Send an email to the department employees after the award presentation, recounting the event and congratulating the recipient on their achievement.
  • Post the award presentation and recipient information on an intranet site, bulletin board or department newsletter.

What NOT to do in an Award Presentation

  • Present inappropriate remarks or jokes at the award presentation.
  • Misspell recipient name on award certificate or card.
  • Mispronounce recipient name at the award presentation.

If you have any questions, contact HR Recognition at emplrecognition@tamu.edu.

Resources used to develop this document