• Section 1 - Purpose
• Scope
• Section 2 - Policy
• Section 3 - Procedures
• Section 4 - Guidelines
• Responsibilities
• Eligible service
• Service awards 
• Departure gifts
• Section 5 - Glossary

Section 1 - Purpose

(1) These guidelines set out Charles Sturt University's management principles and guidelines for recognising staff who have been continuously employed for an extended period of service at Charles Sturt University (the University).

(2) The guidelines: 

1. recognise the contribution of long-serving employees to the University
2. determine the appropriate service awards applicable to long-serving employees
3. determine the appropriate financial value of a departure gift for long-serving employees on retirement.

Scope

(3) These guidelines apply to all paid full-time, fractional-time, fixed-term or continuing employees of the University, who have completed a total service period of five, 10, 20 or more years of continuous service.

(4) These guidelines do not apply to:

1. casual employees of the University
2. University adjunct staff.

Section 2 - Policy

(5) Nil.

Section 3 - Procedures

(6) Nil.

Section 4 - Guidelines

Responsibilities

(7) The Division of People and Culture is responsible for identifying employees who qualify for recognition of service.

(8) A retiring employee's faculty or division is responsible for coordinating the identification of eligibility for a retirement gift and providing the commensurate level of funding in accordance with the ‘Departure gift’ provisions of these guidelines.

Eligible service

(9) For the purposes of these guidelines, all paid full-time, fractional-time, fixed-term or continuing service with the University and its predecessor institutions will be considered as eligible service.

(10) Eligible employees under clause 9 who leave the employment of the University and are re-employed by the University within 61 days of their employment termination date in a paid full-time, fractional-time, fixed-term or continuing position will not break continuity of service for the purpose of service recognition. However, the period of non-employment will not count towards service.

(11) Casual service will not be recognised as eligible service for the purposes of these guidelines.

(12) The service milestones were updated in 2019, which means those individuals who have had a break in service may have a different milestone year to what their prior records show. In this instance, transitional terms to acknowledge accumulated years of service can be applied for those individuals who have reached previous milestones and may be impacted by these changes. This will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Service awards 

(13) For five and 10 years of continuous service:

1. An anniversary milestone message will be sent to the eligible employee via RED.
2. Ten year recipients will automatically receive a voucher within RED.
3. Managers of the recipients may also choose to celebrate at a regular meeting/event within their team.
4. These achievement milestones will be recognised within RED.

(14) For 20, 30, 40, and 50 years of continuous service:

1. The milestone will be acknowledged at an appropriate event coordinated by the relevant portfolio head or their delegate.
2. The Division of People and Culture will run a report at the beginning of the year detailing names of persons who will achieve the 20, 30, 40, and 50 year milestones for that year and will advise the respective offices of the Executive Leadership Team and Executive Deans of the eligible employees in their portfolio celebrating the service milestone for that year.
3. The relevant area will coordinate an appropriate event, such as a morning or afternoon tea, to recognise the milestone. The events should be reflective of the recipient’s preferences for acknowledgement. The event may be held at a portfolio or division/school level or in conjunction with another appropriate event to take into account varying circumstances.
4. An anniversary milestone message will be sent to the eligible employee via RED.
5. The eligible staff member can access their voucher from RED.
6. These achievement milestones will be published on the RED service wall during the year of their anniversary date.

Departure gifts

(15) Employees who retire after 10 years of service may be eligible to receive a University-funded gift on departure, the cost of which will be met by the employee's faculty or division.

(16) The relevant faculty or division may request the Division of People and Culture to identify eligibility for a University-funded gift and the value of such gift. In determining eligible service for the calculation of retirement gifts, employee absences on unpaid leave affecting service will not be considered.

(17) Colleagues of the retiring employee may contribute to a retirement gift, providing the University’s contribution towards the gift is clearly documented and complies with the standard purchasing procedures of the Division of Finance.

(18) Employees who have previously received a retirement gift and have been reappointed by the University will be required to serve a period of 10 years from recommencement to qualify for a further retirement gift.

(19) Employees who receive a separation package are not eligible to receive a retirement gift.

(20) The maximum University contribution to gifts for:

1. 10-19 years of service is $150 plus $15 for each completed year of service over 10 years
2. 20-29 years of service is $300 plus $20 for each completed year of service over 20 years
3. 30 or more years of service is $500.

Section 5 - Glossary

(21) For the purpose of these guidelines:

1. Continuous service – means non-casual service with the University or its predecessors without a service break of more than 61 days. Periods of previous employment with the University shall not count towards continuous service. Any break in service of less than 62 days would not interrupt continuity of service, however the period of non-employment would not count towards the service calculation. Leave without pay and unpaid parental leave does not constitute a break in service however does not count towards service calculation where it exceeds 61 days per calendar year and/or where a continuous period greater than 61 days occurs.
2. Predecessor institutions – means:
   1. Mitchell College of Advanced Education
   2. Bathurst Teachers' College
   3. Riverina-Murray Institute of Higher Education
   4. Riverina College of Advanced Education
   5. Wagga Wagga Teachers' College
   6. Wagga Wagga Agricultural College
   7. Goulburn College of Advanced Education
   8. Goulburn Teachers' College
   9. employees transferred from the University of Sydney, Orange.
3. RED – means ‘Recognising Excellence Daily’ and is the name of the University’s Reward and Recognition program and the system which supports it.