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01 March 2022 | Story Lunga Luthuli | Photo Charl Devenish
UFS staff members
All smiles – pictured are inspired University of the Free State staff ready to live, serve with excellence, and care for the growth of the institution.

The Division of Organisational Development and Employee Well-being within the Department of Human Resources’ iRecognise initiative is another University of the Free State (UFS) initiative to appreciate and recognise staff dedication and excellence. 

Through the peer-to-peer iRecognise platform, UFS staff members have the opportunity to recognise colleagues from different units, divisions, faculties, and campuses. 

Natasha Nel, UFS Organisational Development specialist, said: “iRecognize is an open acknowledgment and expressed appreciation for employees’ contributions. A strong recognition culture can help individuals and organisations perform better. Employees, teams, and the university all benefit from frequent and meaningful feedback and appreciation.”

“It is a promotion of positive behaviour that supports individuals, teams, divisions, and departments in achieving the university’s vision and goals. The UFS wants to create a culture of mutual respect, reward, and recognition for employees at all levels in a non-monetary award based on significance,” she said.

The criteria for staff to recognise colleagues include timeliness, authenticity, and specificity, and the badges that staff members can use is also aligned with the university’s competency framework. The platform also includes an option to send recognition privately. 

“Employees who feel recognised and appreciated are more engaged, productive, and innovative, despite what may appear to be common sense. Employee appreciation is a potent motivator and reinforcer of positive behaviour,” Nel said.

Nel said: “Recognition reinforces acts and behaviour that improve everyone's working environment. Although recognition is free, it improves employee productivity, engagement, and quality of work.”

The recognition platform has other capabilities that the Division of Organisational Development and Employee Well-being would like to incorporate in the future, and staff can continue to nominate their colleagues for their excellence. 

News Archive

2014 Winter Graduation
2014-06-27

 
It is time for the 2014 Winter Graduation on our Bloemfontein Campus. From 2 – 4 July 2014 Masters and Doctoral degrees will be bestowed on graduates from across all seven faculties as well as the School of Open Learning. These include the conferral of Medicine degrees on the South African Cuban trainees.

Wednesday 2 July 2014 at 14:30: School of Open Learning
The School of Open Learning will confer a total of 609 degrees this year – almost double compared to the 320 of last year.

Thursday 3 July 2014 at 09:30: Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences
Prof Magdalena Blum will receive an Honorary Doctorat, DPhil honoris causa, at this event. Prof Blum is an Extension Systems Officer in Rome. She works for a specialised agency of the United Nations called the Food and Agriculture Organization. This organisation’s mandate is:
• to improve nutrition,
• increase agricultural productivity,
• raise the standard of living in rural populations and
• contribute to global economic growth.

Her position serves to modernise and strengthen rural advisory services, their systems and networks worldwide. She has filled this position for almost nine years.

Prof Blum is driven by a passion for development, humanitarian work and female upliftment, but most of all, to enable people to help themselves.

Blum’s life has taken her from a small German village to Africa, Asia and Europe – and she has made an impact wherever she went.

Thursday 3 July 2014 at 14:30: Faculties of Economic and Management Sciences, Humanities, Education, Health Sciences, Law and Theology
At this ceremony, Faculty of the Humanities will award an Honorary Doctorate, DPhil honoris causa, on Prof Laura Mulvey. She is a feminist film theorist and worked at the British Film Institute for many years. She is currently a professor at Film and Media Studies at Birkbeck, University of London.

Prof Mulvey was prominent as an avant-garde filmmaker in the 1970s and ‘80s. In collaboration with her husband, Peter Wollen, she co-wrote and co-directed:
• Penthesilea: Queen of the Amazons (1974),
• Riddles of the Sphinx (1977, perhaps their most influential film),
• AMY! (1980),
• Crystal Gazing (1982),
• Frida Kahlo and Tina Modotti (1982), and
• The Bad Sister.

In 1991, she returned to filmmaking with Disgraced Monuments, which she co-directed with Mark Lewis.

Friday 4 July 2014 at 10:30: Special Graduation Ceremony
Conferral of Medicine Degrees on the South African Cuban trainees at the UFS

Live streaming will be available on: http://www.ufs.ac.za/ufslivestreaming/

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