Larissa Allen Employee Experience Staff Award

• Staff employees (i.e. Senior Administrator or Director, MAC, CUPE 233 or OPSEU Unit 1) with at least two years of service as of the nomination deadline, employed on a career or term basis.  Employees must have active status at the time of award presentation.
• TFA members and associate members are not eligible for this award.
• Nominees do not need to be formal leaders.
• Individuals can only be nominated for one individual award per year; however the Selection Committee may choose to reassign a nomination to a different award category, based on best fit with the criteria.
• Nominations are only valid for the year in which they are submitted and must be based on achievements within the past academic year.
• Employees who receive this award may not receive the same award for the following two academic years (e.g. 2024-2025 recipients cannot receive the same award until 2027-2028. They are ineligible for 2025-2026 and 2026-2027).
• Any employee that does not meet the eligibility criteria will not be considered for the award, even as part of a team nomination.

Faculty, staff or students can submit nominations.

• Please contact the award administrator if you have an additional nominator (two is the maximum).
• Students should contact the Dean or Senior Director’s Office for assistance in submitting a nomination.

The award recognizes extraordinary contributions in one or more of the following areas:

• Employee involvement – creates opportunities for employees to share ideas, improve on existing processes or services, and provide feedback on new ideas, priorities or goals
• Learning opportunities – provides employees with access to opportunities to develop new skills
• Positive and healthy work environment – promotes workplace well-being and the importance of work-life balance; demonstrates and supports equity, diversity and inclusion for all employees; celebrates individual and team successes
• Improved employee experience - goes “above and beyond” to improve services, operations, or projects that contribute toward a positive daily employee experience

1. Obtain the nominee's consent for the nomination.
2. Complete the required nomination package as described below. Keep a copy for your records and to provide to your nominee(s).
3. Submit the required nomination package via the Online Nomination Portal on the Recognition Website. Submitted nominations cannot be altered or updated at any time.
4. Inform your nominee, or primary nominee for teams, that they will receive a confirmation email with a link to provide online consent. This step must be completed before the nomination deadline to be considered.

A completed nomination includes:

• Citation (100 words maximum) – highlight why the nominee deserves this award and any key achievements indicating how they have gone above and beyond their regular responsibilities. This citation will be included in related university communications if the nominee or team is selected.
•  (google doc) Nomination Form (external link)  (two pages maximum) - questions detailed on the form
  • Completed by the nominator;
  • Bullet points are strongly encouraged;
  • Please save the completed form as a PDF and upload to portal.
•  (google doc) Support Form (external link)  (one-page maximum) - questions detailed on the form
  • Completed by an individual other than the nominator or members of the Executive or Selection Committee;
  • Bullet points are strongly encouraged;
  • Please save the completed form as a PDF and upload to portal.
• Supporting Materials (three pages maximum) – include description of initiatives, examples of work or results, etc.

Visit Tips for Preparing a Strong Nomination Package for more assistance.

The selection committee’s mandate is to select high-quality candidates, whose achievements meet or exceed the award criteria and help advance TMU’s values. Members (or their delegates) include:

• Vice-President, Administration and Operations (Co-Chair)
• Chief Human Resources Officer (Co-Chair)
• Provost and Vice-President, Academic
• Vice-President, Equity and Community Inclusion
• Vice-Provost, Students
• Assistant Vice-President, University Relations

All nominations are reviewed, with priority consideration given to nominees who have not received a TMU award in the past. The committee also considers a diversity of recipients in making its determinations.

An award will not be given if the committee determines there is no suitable candidate.

Nomination deadline: November 4 at noon
Recipient notified by: January 29, 2026
Award presentation: Toronto Met Awards Gala