Keller ISD knows that an employee recognition program doesn’t have to cost a lot to mean something. What matters is that employees feel appreciated, whether they’ve finished a big project, contributed to the pleasant appearance of their campus by picking up trash, or are celebrating a birthday.
Keller Superintendent James Veitenheimer initiated the program in 2007 in response to goals included in the district’s improvement plan. The idea was to find an effective way to recognize and validate outstanding work, and to do so without spending much money. Veitenheimer tapped Director of Human Resources Gina McKenzie and Communications Director Shellie Johnson to get the ball rolling.
McKenzie and Johnson wanted to be sure that the program would be well-received, so their first priority was to gather employee ideas. They were so concerned about getting employee feedback that they distributed a survey in the three most common native languages of employees (English, Spanish, and Vietnamese) to be sure that in the end they would have a recognition program created “by the people, for the people.”
With survey results in hand, McKenzie and Johnson formed a committee to create the Heart at Work Employee Recognition Program. The two headed up a diverse team including three teachers, two paraprofessionals, two aides, a counselor, and an assistant principal to develop the program.
The survey results gave the committee some solid footing from which to start. For example, the committee agreed with a sentiment that came through loud and clear on the survey: that every district employee should have the chance to be recognized. In addition, employees favored “just in time” recognition—literally catching an employee in the act of doing something that’s above and beyond their normal duties—and letting them, their supervisors, and peers know about it right away.
The committee also wanted to recognize employee birthdays and “professional days,” days set aside to recognize the daily contributions of specific employee groups. Finally, members wanted to create an annual employee recognition event.
To encourage immediate recognition, the committee came up with the “You’ve got Heart” brag box to allow employees to recognize a peer, subordinate, boss, or even a member of the school board for doing something extra to help the district. 
The way it works is this: Each campus or worksite decorated its own brag box and displays it in a central location. Any employee who observes another employee doing something special and wants to acknowledge it completes a simple, three-part form. The form’s top sheet (white) is immediately given to the employee being recognized. The remaining sheets (yellow and pink) are dropped into the brag box.
The yellow sheet goes to the employee’s supervisor, who takes it to the weekly staff meeting and reads it. The Human Resources Department collects all the pink sheets for a given month and brings them to the district’s monthly general administrator’s meeting for a prize drawing. The sheets are put into a huge hopper built by the maintenance department and one lucky winner is drawn.
The winner receives a gift card donated by a local restaurant, a letter of thanks from the superintendent, acknowledgement in the district’s newsletter and local newspaper, a t-shirt, a certificate from the board, and, last but definitely not least, a traveling trophy that goes on display for the month in the front office of the employee’s campus or worksite.
The program seems to have struck a chord with employees. Now two years old, participation is actually increasing, with an average of about 400 forms completed each month.
It has also created a healthy competition between campuses. Employees like the districtwide visibility of the traveling trophy and are anxious to have it on their campus as often as possible. “When they get the trophy in their school they talk about it and take a lot of pride in it,” McKenzie said.
While the brag box is central to Keller’s program, the committee wanted to find a way to acknowledge employees’ special occasions. The solution they devised helps the district observe employee events in simple, inexpensive ways.
Every Keller ISD employee receives a birthday greeting. Employees with access to electronic mail receive a video greeting of children singing on their birthdays. Those without e-mail accounts get a birthday card in their native language.
The district also acknowledges the contributions of different employee groups on special recognition days. For example, custodians receive a thank-you message on Operational Support Day. The district shows its support for other employee groups by thanking them with cards or e-mail on their professional days:
Finally, the committee created an end-of-year event to honor employees who won the monthly drawing during the general administrator’s meetings. Last May, the district held its first such event, treating honorees to dinner with the superintendent and board before a board meeting. The board saluted employees at its regular meeting by reading the form detailing the action that earned them recognition from a fellow employee.
Keller ISD proves that the need to keep costs low does not preclude putting together a program that shows employees the appreciation that they deserve. At the outset, the district specified that any money spent on the program would have to comply with the rules and laws governing gifts to public employees: a threshold of $50 per gift per person not to exceed $200 during the year.
Keller’s program comes in way under those numbers. McKenzie estimates that the district has spent approximately $1,600 to recognize more than 6,300 employees in the past two years, with the largest district expenditures being the cost to produce the three-part forms and the catering for the end-of-the-year employee recognition dinner.
It’s an understatement to say the district is getting a great return on its investment. “…People feel as though they have a mechanism to show gratitude and receive recognition.” McKenzie said. “[Acknowledged employees] are very appreciative. They keep those white sheets and post them on their bulletin boards.”
