2018 Chicago FEB Employee of the Year
Category Descriptions, Eligibility Criteria, FAQs &
Nomination Form
ELIGIBILITY

Note: For 2018, since Agency geographic footprints differ within the region, Agency Directors may determine they want an individual or team from an adjacent county or state to participate in the Chicago FEOY program. We will accommodate the requested alignment.

  • Generally, a nominee’s permanent duty location must be within one of the following counties:
  • ILLINOIS: Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, Will
  • INDIANA: Lake or Porter
  • An individual may only be nominated for ONE individual category but may be included in a second category as a team member.
  • The nominee for an individual award must be a current federal employee (civilian, military, or postal). Retirees who have served in FY2018 are eligible.
  • Former award winners of a specific category are not eligible for consideration in the same category.
  • Former nominees may be nominated again, however such nominations must reflect current performance and accomplishments.
  • Nomination for any individual should be for performance and/or accomplishments within the past calendar year (January 1, 2017 – December 31, 2017)
  • There may be special accommodation for long-range projects or other extended duration work.
  • This does not apply to the Career Achievement category as the criteria should expand throughout the career of the nominee.

AWARD CATEGORIES

1) Agency of the Year

This category recognizes one agency for achieving an outstanding level of success in implementation of federal initiatives to provide public service to citizens in their community. Initiatives could include:

  • Employee engagement
  • Diversity and Inclusion

Note: The agency that won the previous year is not eligible for nomination the following year.

2) JFK Leadership

This category is to honor outstanding leadership skills. Accomplishments may include:

  • Recognizing responsibility to lead means leveraging your team’s talents
  • Engages their staff as professionals; makes them aware of “the good, the bad, and the ugly” so they can make the best possible informed decisions
  • Empowers employees to fully utilize their skills
  • Cultivates the next generation of leaders
  • Role-modeling a standard of excellence through principle based, high integrity leadership
  • Develops new and innovative ideas that result in significant organizational changes
  • Promotes creativity and risk-taking and supports results
  • Understands and develops diversity within the organization

3) Citizens Services Employee

This category recognizes significant contributions in activities related to public and community service.

Areas may include: economic development, education, health care, housing, labor, and transportation.

Accomplishments may include:

  • Skill and compassion of employees who go the extra mile to provide services to the public.
  • Perform significant volunteer services in their communities or general public.

4) Citizen Services Team

This category recognizes significant contributions of teams in activities related to public and community service. Areas may include: economic development, education, health care, housing, labor, and transportation. Accomplishments may include:

  • Exceptional dedication to public service
  • Enhancement of public service image
  • Promotes a special act or service in the public interest.
  • Sets standard for interdisciplinary teamwork

5) Homeland Security and Law Enforcement Team

This category recognizes one team with significant contributions to homeland security and/or law enforcement. These areas may include: border and transportation security, civil rights, counter-terrorism, emergency response, fraud prevention, and intelligence. Attributes may include:

  • A calm, even-handed approach to handling crises; de-escalating tensions
  • Objectivity and a respectful approach in handling difficult situations
  • Excellent application of emergency management skills
  • Effective communication skills evident in working with employees and citizens
  • Practicing “seek first to understand, then to be understood”
  • Exceptional contingency planning and proactive mitigation of issues that would otherwise have a detrimental impact on employees and/or citizens

6) Management Excellence

This category recognizes an employee that demonstrates superior leadership and management excellence through significant contributions that exemplifies efficient, effective, and results-oriented government. This category recognizes supervisors, managers, and any level of professional work. Nominees will be compared on the basis of competency, efficiency, and accomplishment that distinguish them in the professional/supervisory field. Accomplishments may include:

  • Educating the workforce or the public in their field of expertise
  • Applying their expertise to solve problems previously perceived as unfixable
  • Empowers employees to be results driven
  • Assuming leadership roles as a subject matter expert
  • Skill in directing and developing subordinates
  • Improving efficiency and making process redesign recommendations

7) Mission Support Employee

This category recognizes an individual that demonstrates superior dedication to the mission of their agency or office. Accomplishments may include:

  • Ability to execute job priorities efficiently in spite of possible chaotic environmental challenges (power outages, weather related emergencies)
  • High inner work standards and attention to detail for accuracy and completeness in what is prepared
  • Excellent listening skills and a willingness to offer insights about alternative approaches that may yield better results; promoting innovation and organizational efficiency
  • Ability to anticipate risks/vulnerabilities.
  • Ability to translate complex technical issues to user friendly language

8) Mission Support Team

This category recognizes a team that demonstrates superior performance along agency-specific guidelines for planning, design, and execution of programs supporting their agency’s or office’s mission. Team background could include: Safety standards, health care, environment, energy, or information technology.

9) Career Achievement

This category recognizes a federal employee for significant accomplishments throughout a lifetime of achievement in public service. Nomination must showcase accomplishments throughout their career, not just in the past year. The candidate must have 20+ years of career federal civil service. Accomplishments can include:

  • Impacts of employees work throughout their career
  • Financial savings of long term process changes
  • Shifts in workplace or community culture from employee’s efforts

10) Call to Service

This category recognizes professional achievements that reflect important contributions that a new employee brings to public service. The candidate must have 5 or fewer years of federal civil service.

Accomplishments may include:

  • Innovation that challenges conventional thinking
  • Implementation of new technologies
  • Management reform
  • Private sector integration into the public

Nomination Form: Nomination deadline is Thursday, February 1, 2018.

Complete this form and submit to no later than Thursday, February 1, 2018.

1) Award Category

  • Agency of the Year
  • JFK Leadership
  • Call to Service
  • Career Achievement
  • Citizen Services Team
  • Citizen Services Employee
  • Homeland Security and Law Enforcement Team
  • Management Excellence
  • Mission Support Team
  • Mission Support Employee

2) Team Name (for Team Categories)

3) Nominee Name (or Team Leader)

4) May the Chicago FEB post or publish your nominee’s name(s) on its website and/or use in a press release? YES NO

5) Title (Team Leader’s Title)

6) Agency

7) Office

8) Address

9) City, State, Zip Code

10 ) Nominee’s Email (or Team Leader)

11) Number of Years of Service

12) If the nominee’s agency has its own formal awards ceremony, please provide the date, time, and location to the best of your ability.

13) Would you like your nominee(s) to receive a “Nominee” certificate?YESNO

______

1) Nominator’s Name

2) Title

3) Email

4) Phone Number

______

1) Agency Director’s Name

(note: Agency Director will receive notification of all nomination submissions)

2) Agency

3) Email

4) Phone Number

5) By initialing below, I confirm I have followed my agency's protocol and acquired the proper clearance for submitting this nomination.

Initial:

______

1) Accomplishments Summary: In one or two sentences, please identify the specific accomplishment(s) for which you are nominating this individual or team.

2) Accomplishments Description: In 500 words or less:

  1. Indicate when the accomplishment occurred.
  2. Explain who the accomplishment benefits and how it benefits them.
  3. Explain what the nominee did that was innovative (unique approach to problem solving, new model for others to follow)
  4. Describe why this accomplishment is important.

______

If you have questions or need assistance with submitting a nomination, please contact the Chicago Federal Executive Board at , 312-353-6790 or refer to the Frequently Asked Questions below.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is there a host agency this year?
No, the FEB leadership streamlined the process and the FEB staff performs the duties previously shared with the host agency team.

Are nominees required to have a Chicago area duty station to be eligible for nomination?
No, since Agency geographic footprints differ, the Agency Director may determine they want an individual or team from an adjacent county or state to participate in the Chicago FEOY program and we will accommodate the requested alignment.

Are nominees required to submit a photo?
Not with the initial nomination submission. If an individual or team is selected as a category winner, the FEB staff may request a photo for inclusion in the press release or on the FEB website. (It will be up to the discretion of the employee or team and management if a photo will be submitted.)

Will there be a centralized award ceremony or event?
No, given many agency budgetary constraints, we have transitioned to place-based award ceremonies which allow agencies the opportunity to incorporate the FEB Award recognition into their various on-site agency recognition programs.

How will the awards be presented, given there is no centralized award ceremony or event?
The FEB Chairman and/ or Executive Director will visit the agencies to present the awards to the winners, or may participate in scheduled agency recognition sessions.

Can an individual or team be nominated twice in the same category or for more than one category?
Yes, however an individual and/or team can only win in one category in a given year.
Where can I find information regarding the Federal Employee of the Year Awards?
A description of the award categories, criteria, and a link to the nomination form is located on the Chicago Federal Executive Board’s website - Federal Employee of the Year Awards.

What happens if my nomination is not submitted via the online nomination form?
Agencies can recognize employees within their agency, at any time, in accordance with their agency recognition guidelines. However, to be considered for a 2017 Employee of the Year Award, nominations must be submitted via the online form no later than Thursday, February 1, 2018.

Who do I contact if I have additional questions or need assistance with submitting a nomination?
Questions should be directed to or 312-353-6790.
Can FEB staff, reviewer, or judge review a nomination for someone in their agency?
No, the FEB staff member, detailee or volunteer reviewer or judge will recuse him or herself from any discussion, review, or evaluation of the nomination.