Alberta Public Service recognition directive

Overview

​​This directive describes the purpose and approaches to employee recognition programs and aligns with this Human Resource Policy statement on recognition:

"The Government of Alberta compensates, rewards, and recognizes employees based on their contributions to business objectives; the government’s need to attract, motivate and retain a capable workforce; and the fiscal environment of the province."

The Government of Alberta supports the need for each department and the organization as a whole to recognize employee contributions. The directive outlines:

• the requirements that departments and the Public Service Commission (PSC) have to provide Alberta Public Service (APS) employees with recognition programs; and
• the details of the government-wide recognition programs: Career Milestones, Words of Appreciation, the Premier’s Public Service Awards, the Deputy Minister of Executive Council's Award of Excellence and Alberta Public Service Week.

Guiding principles and overview of programs

The Government of Alberta’s approach to recognition seeks to:

• create and support pride in the APS;
• recognize the important contributions that APS employees make to delivering on government priorities;
• support the one-employer concept by creating a similar experience for all employees; and
• develop and champion an APS-wide culture of timely and meaningful recognition.

Eligibility – General

Government of Alberta employees will be eligible for career milestone recognition, if their position reports up to a Deputy Minister and their employment status falls within one of the following:

• Permanent, Temporary Salaried, Employment Contract or Wage 2850

Information about employees will be based on available service data, with the benefits service date determining years of service.

Words of Appreciation

Using e-cards accessible to everyone working in the APS, APS employees can send recognition notes to one another, irrespective of department or level.

Words of Appreciation acknowledge daily performance, with a focus on the effort, the enthusiasm, and the energy an employee or team uses completing their work.

The e-cards are administered centrally by the PSC and are located in the Words of Appreciation area on MyAPS.

Career Miles​​tones

Career Milestones recognize employees for their years of service with the APS. These include:

• milestones occurring at Year One, Year Five and every 5 years thereafter until retirement; and
• retirement, occurring once on an employee’s retirement.

Career milestone recognition

The Career Milestones program includes the following components.

Recognition letters

At one year of service, milestone recognition letters are provided to employees by the Deputy Minister of each department. These letters are coordinated by the department.

At 30 years of service, milestone recognition letters are provided to employees by the Deputy Minister of Executive Council (DMEC). These letters are coordinated by the PSC.

Departments may also choose to provide additional letters of recognition to employees who reach other career milestones.

Milestone ceremonies

At 25 years of service, departments host and fund annual ceremonies for employees who have reached that milestone.

At 40 years of service, the DMEC recognizes employees and continues to do so every 5 years thereafter at an annual long service ceremony hosted by the PSC.

Departments may also choose to hold additional celebrations marking other employee career milestones.

Whenever possible, the Milestone ceremonies will coincide with APS Week celebrations. Ceremonies, whether organized by the department or by the PSC, should balance meaningful recognition of long service employees with prudent use of public funds.

Milestone pins

At 5 years of service, employees are eligible to receive a milestone pin, and every five years thereafter.

Milestone recognition gifts

At 5 years of service, milestone recognition gifts are available to employees, and every five years thereafter.

As of January 1, 2021, APS employees have one year from the date of their anniversary to select a gift. Employees on leave will have one year from the date of their return to select their gift.

Retirement

Retirement recognition is intended to acknowledge an employee’s contributions through their career with the APS. Retirement is defined as the point when an employee identifies retirement as the reason for leaving the public service. Applying for or receiving a pension is not a requirement for receiving retirement recognition.

Departments will provide recognition to employees with a minimum of 20 years of service to those who identify retirement as the reason for leaving the public service.

A retiring employee may select one of the following retirement options:

• a retirement gift provided from the PSC’s approved service provider, through the APS’s centrally managed program; or
• $300 toward a retirement celebration involving the retiring employee and their colleagues.

Retiring employees with 20+ years of service are also eligible for a Premier’s letter. Departments will coordinate the Premier’s letter for retirement through the Premier’s Correspondence Unit in Communications and Public Engagement. Branch head approval is required, and the final request must be submitted through Request a scroll.

Premier's Public Service Awards

The Premier’s Public Service Awards (PPSAs) are the pinnacle of recognition in the APS, honouring teams and individuals who have done extraordinary work and demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities in the APS.

The PPSAs celebrate teams or individuals that have done exceptional work in the areas of workplace culture, service delivery innovation for Albertans, service delivery innovation for the APS and public policy innovation.

Employees may be nominated for or apply for more than one type of award in a given year. 

To learn more about the PPSAs, visit the Premier’s Public Service Awards section on myAPS.

Deputy Minister of Executive Council Award of Excellence

The Deputy Minister of Executive Council (DMEC) Award of Excellence recognizes and celebrates exceptional contributions and accomplishments by APS members across the organization.

Nominations for this aware are accepted throughout the year on an ongoing basis and honour outstanding contributions in 3 award categories:

• APS Excellence Award: Honours individuals or teams that consistently demonstrate outstanding performance and a strong commitment to excellence, resulting in tangible outcomes.
• Stronger Together Award: Honours individuals or teams who exemplify the APS values and actively contribute to the APS vision: ‘Proudly working together to build a stronger province for current and future generations’ in a way that positively impacts the workplace.
• Emergency Commendation Award: Honours exemplary teams, who demonstrate extraordinary contributions, dedication and commitment in challenging and high-impact times that affect Albertans.

For more information on the DMEC Award of Excellence, visit the Deputy Minister of Executive Council Award of Excellence section on myAPS.

Alberta Public Service Week

Each year a week is dedicated to recognizing the APS employees for the contributions they make in providing services to that benefit all Albertans. A combination of departmental events and government-wide events, this week allows for the APS to reflect, celebrate its successes and honour the exemplary work they do every day.

APS week aligns with National Public Service week, which is held on the week ending on the third Saturday of June and beginning the previous Sunday.

There is no prescribed form that APS week events must take. Each department may create its own events or work in partnership with other departments and the PSC.

About this directive