"D.Gill" [FOI #27297 email]

Dear D Gill,

Re: - Request for Information - Reward Schemes COR/82GF4X

Thank you for your request for information, which was received by Manchester City Council on 19^th January 2010 and has been considered under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

In response to your request, I have summarised the information as follows:-

A number of corporate recognition schemes are currently in operation. 

Awards for Excellence recognises individuals and teams who are star performers in delivering services to Manchester residents. Manchester City Council hosts an annual event to recognise the hard work and achievements of its employees. The Awards for Excellence has been running since 2000. Members of staff are nominated and short-listed to a final three in the following categories:

Employee of the Year

Manager of the Year

Team of the Year - in a Front Line Service

Team of the Year - in a Support Service

Unsung Hero - In a Front Line Service

Unsung Hero - In a Support Service

Healthy Safe and Green in Manchester Award

Contribution to Diversity and Inclusion Award

Engaging Children and Young People Award

Making a Difference: Improving Outcomes for Manchester Residents Award

Rising Star Award

Special Award

Working Together for Manchester Award

Delivering Excellence through Service Improvement

Chief Executive's Pride in the City Award

Each of the 3 finalists in each category plus the person that nominated them is invited to attend the awards presentation evening. In the team categories, we try to accommodate as many team members as possible. The total number of guests (including Senior Council staff and a select number of elected members) is 288.

Winners receive a trophy and gift vouchers to the value of £100, this is regardless of whether it's a team or individual winner.

The cost of the entire event, including the awards evening, trophies and gift vouchers, is covered by sponsorship from our partners.

Long Service Awards is a special event to thank employees who have 25 years service with Manchester City Council (including Manchester Schools). Employees with 25 years service with Manchester City Council are invited to a ceremonial awards event in the Great Hall at the Town Hall. It is a prestigious event attended by the Chief Executive and the Leader of the City Council, Chief Officer and Lead Member for your Department.  They are presented with a pair of engraved crystal goblets by the Lord Mayor. 

Employees can bring a guest to the ceremony and there is an opportunity for photographs afterwards with colleagues, civic dignitaries and Chief Officers. 

The ceremony cost approximately £18,000 in 2009.

100% Attendance - If employee has not had any days off sick in a year they receive a letter of thanks from a member of the Senior Management Team.

Reward and Recognition: A Managers Toolkit has been produced to give managers a variety of recognition and reward strategies designed to motivate employees including: Informal Methods; Customer Service Scheme; Employee Suggestion Schemes; Away Days ; Contests; Self- Development; Employee/Team of the Week/Month ; Points Programme.

Numbers of employees in receipt of rewards (£25 gift voucher) 2008/9 146. Of these, five were in the Council Tax Department. These vouchers were issued to the five Council Tax employees in recognition of their efforts in encouraging callers to pay their Council Tax immediately over the telephone using their debit cards.

Manchester + (Manchester plus)

Manchester City Council values the contribution its employees make to the city. MCR+ is our benefits and discounts scheme which provides a wide selection of benefits, offers and discounts for Manchester City Council Staff. The scheme is one of the ways we recognise staff contribution and make the Council a great place to work.

Prior to December 2008 Manchester City Council offered a number of benefits and discounts to their staff including childcare vouchers, discounted public transport tickets, interest free loans for bicycles and public transport tickets

and service discounts (including the City Gallery gift shop and café, library café and some leisure centres).

In December 2008 the Manchester + discount and benefits scheme was launched in conjunction with a number of partner organisations. The scheme consisted of existing offers of Manchester City Council, new offers and those of the partners. In order to ensure that the scheme was fully accessible to all employees and so that the potential in relation to offers was maximised, consideration was given to how to take the scheme forward. The Council and its Partners recently secured the services of an external organisation to manage, expand and improve the MCR+ employee benefit scheme on its behalf. The new scheme is still called MCR+ but includes Vectis, a national scheme used by other large public and private sector organisations. This will provide access to a much broader range of benefits and offers at a local and national level.

This information may be subject to copyright. Freedom of Information does not give you an automatic right to re-use this information in a way that would infringe copyright, for example, by publishing the information or making multiple copies.

Please note if you are not satisfied with this response you may ask for an internal review.  If you wish to complain you should contact me in the first instance.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision.

The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

Yours sincerely

Jon Redfern

Head of Personnel