What's a Kudos?

Kudos recognize the outstanding work of University of Montana employees and highlight simple acts with meaningful outcomes.

What are Permission to Play Values?

UM's Priority for Action 3: Mission First, People Always promotes "permission to play" values which lay the foundation for our conduct and our interactions with others.

• Respect is providing regard for the feelings, rights, traditions, and ideas of others.  Respect can be expressed through acknowledging others' contributions, seeking counsel from others, listening without response or rebuttal, using or supporting others' ideas, promoting inclusion, and offering praise and constructive feedback.
• Integrity exists when one reliably acts in consistent alignment with a framework of principles.  One acts with integrity when treating all people with the same expectations, not making exceptions, for example, for someone in power.  One acts with integrity when doing the right thing even when nobody will know.  Employees with integrity can be depended upon to be consistently honest, transparent, and trustworthy.  A particular office acts with integrity when its management, operations, and culture fit together as a whole.
• Care for others is prioritizing the wellbeing of others, which can be expressed through acknowledging others' feelings, providing empathetic support, and doing small things that signal caring and kindness.
• Accountability is about the act of communicating clear expectations, following through on one's responsibilities, and behaving in ways, and engaging in practices that foster the desired results.  Accountability is expressed when one acknowledges one's own need for improvement and the steps that will be taken.  When we hold someone else or ourselves accountable we care enough to point out the habits and behaviors that have a negative impact on performance and culture.

Who can nominate or receive a kudos?

All University of Montana, Missoula College, and Bitterroot College employees, including faculty, classified staff (including temporary), contract employees (LoA and MUS), and student employees across all sectors and units, are eligible to nominate and receive Kudos.

What do nominees receive?

Each month, all nominees will receive a Kudos by recognition through an email to their supervisor, a shout-out in UM Today, and by residing in the Kudos archive in perpetuity.

In addition, the Kudos Committee will select four "Monthly Spotlight" recipients from the pool of nominees to receive a professional headshot, and be featured on UM social media channels showcasing the amazing work these employees do day in and day out.

How are monthly spotlights selected?

The Kudos Committee is a small working group of staff, faculty, and students committed to the principle of “Mission First, People Always.” They will select several monthly spotlights who demonstrate through simple acts with meaningful outcomes alignment with the permission to play values.