When San Diego-based Qualcomm set about revamping its employee recognition program, the wireless technology company tried, wherever possible, to remove the HR and Finance departments from the process.

Phil Pins, senior manager of Qualcomm's HR systems, explained that, like many employee recognition programs, Qualcomm's had been overburdened with multiple departments and layers of approval and, above all, paperwork. Speaking at an educational session at the International Association for Human Resource Information Management's (IHRIM) annual conference and exposition in Houston, Pins said that the end result was recognition rewards that were either delayed or, in some cases, lost in the shuffle.

In its stead, Qualcomm wanted a program that would:

• Deliver a flexible set of tools
• Provide simple automation processes focused on employee and manager self-service
• Include both low-cost and high-end rewards
• Have a fast response time, recognizing employees quickly
• Focus on automation and speed, and where possible, remove HR and Finance from the process
• Have a quick roll-out without the need for formal training.

The most basic level is the QCard, which is essentially an electronic thank you card. Any employee or manager can send a QCard without the need for any workflow approvals. The sender selects from various card templates, personalizes it with a message, and then indicates whether the card will be shared with the recipient's boss and/or vice president. All cards are archived and kept as part of the employee's file.

The next tier of recognition is called QualStar. Funded by the HR department, the program requires supervisor approval, but is flexible enough to allow for peer-to-peer recognition, management recognition, and project management recognition. The program consists of three reward levels - ruby (for noteworthy contributions), emerald (for substantial contributions), and diamond (for instrumental contributions). The award includes a certificate, and recipients can select from non-cash gifts valued, respectively, at $50, $75, and $100.

After supervisor approval, the QualStar award is presented by the person who initiated it, and World Incentives, a third-party vendor that supplies the gifts, is notified. World Incentives then sends a congratulatory e-mail inviting the recipient to select from the appropriate category of gifts.

Qualcomm employs about 11,500 people in 28 countries. Last year, 74 percent of the company's U.S. employees received a QualStar award, as did 62 percent of it non-U.S. workforce.

The highest level of recognition is called Super QualStar and is designed to recognize and reward employees working on high-profile projects. The awards consist of elaborate gifts valued at $1,000, $2,500, $4,000, and $5,000, and are funded by the company's business units, which typically budget from $150,000 to $600,000 for them, Pins said. The selection of prizes includes trips to exotic locales and large-screen televisions, he said.

With its three tiers, the new employee recognition program has succeeded in providing the flexibility the company wanted, and it has reduced the time between an employee's good work and an award, and eliminated lost or delayed paperwork, Pins said. The upshot has been program acceptance by both management and employees.

The QualStar program is administered by one HR generalist, and managers can run reports to view pending awards. Quarterly audits are conducted to make sure the program stays within budget, ensure the accuracy of third-party vendor's billing, and to determine whether the program is being abused. If anyone seems to be initiating a disproportionate number of awards, that person is sent an e-mail reminding them of the award criteria that are spelled out on the company's intranet.

"Someone is looking at this program," Pins said. "Anyone can use, but someone is looking at it. That's the message that goes out."