Program Information and FAQ
At USC, we live by our motto — Palmam Qui Meruit Ferat, meaning “Let whoever earns the palm bear it.” This tradition reflects the pride we take in recognizing effort, excellence, and contribution. Every day, Trojans bring their talents, energy, and care to our community. Taking a moment to acknowledge those efforts not only celebrates our colleagues but also strengthens our shared mission, values, and culture of belonging. Recognition is more than a “thank you” — it inspires motivation, builds connection, and helps us thrive together.
Through Trojan Spotlight, we are encouraged to share appreciation, gratitude, and recognition with colleagues – celebrating the everyday moments that make USC an extraordinary place to work.
Begin to Spotlight your fellow Trojans today!
- Log in to Awardco—USC’s recognition platform.
- Send recognition using the “Recognition Feed” to share appreciation with colleagues and build a stronger Trojan community.
- Participate in the “Season of Gratitude” campaign where you will receive prompts to participate and reflect upon your achievements, celebrate your colleagues, and build connection throughout USC from November 18th – December 5th.
- Keep the momentum of gratitude going by spreading positivity and help the culture of recognition grow across USC
Remember: Recognition starts with you!
How to make recognition impactful
It doesn’t need to be complicated. Use the STAR Recognition model as your framework:
- Specific – Focus on specific actions and why it mattered.
- Timely – Share recognition soon after the moment (within 24-48 hours of the observed behavior.
- Authentic – Be genuine, sincere, and use your own words
- Regular – Make recognition a habit – aim to recognize employees at least once a month
Then, follow these 4 simple steps to put it into practice:
- Spotlight someone – Name who you’re recognizing
- Celebrate the action – Call out what they did
- Emphasize the impact – Explain how it made a difference to you and others
- Say thank you – Close with gratitude
Frequently Asked Questions
Participation in the Pilot
This preview of the Awardco platform, features, and programs are only available to this exclusive group prior to a university-wide rollout. Therefore, the features and messages that you experience are not available to everyone. Though this an exciting opportunity, we ask that you exercise discretion as we use this time-period to test the platform, troubleshoot the experience, and gain feedback on the platform usage.
You will receive a pre- and post-program survey to your USC e-mail. Your feedback will directly impact the success of Trojan Spotlight, helping us ensure it meets the needs of the USC community. We encourage you to share both what works and what doesn’t throughout your experience.
Navigating the Awardco Platform
Awardco is a recognition vendor and platform that USC has partnered with to support our Staff Recognition Program, Trojan Spotlight, and Staff Service Awards. Awardco is designed to make it easier and more meaningful to celebrate employee accomplishments. Login to Awardco to recognize and celebrate your colleagues, participate in a recognition campaign, or select a gift from Awardco’s offerings when you’ve reached a service milestone. If you want help in getting started on the platform, you can find help on the Awardco website.
Go to USC Awardco and log in using your USC NetID and password.
If you receive an unknown error followed by a number sequence, please contact our Awardco support team for assistance by clicking the chat widget in the bottom right corner of the Awardco platform.
The Recognition Feed is your go-to space in Awardco to see and share appreciation across USC. Here’s how to use it:
- Log in to Awardco using your USC NetID and password.
- From the home dashboard, you’ll see the Recognition Feed—a live stream of recognition being shared by colleagues across the university.
- Scroll through the feed to see the great work and contributions being recognized. You can add a “like” or comment to show your support.
- Select the “Recognize” button to write your own message of appreciation. Be specific, timely, and authentic in your note, and it will appear in the feed for others to see (unless the recipient prefers private recognition).
- Make it a habit to check the feed, celebrate others’ wins, and contribute your own recognition messages—it’s a great way to stay connected and strengthen our culture of appreciation.
Tip: Not everyone enjoys public recognition—if you’re unsure, you can choose to make your message private so it goes directly to the recipient.
Campaigns are themed or seasonal recognition initiatives meant to encourage recognition of our colleagues. When a campaign is active, you will receive notifications from Awardco to log in to the platform and use the recognition feed in order to express appreciation to your colleagues and build connection.
The “Season of Gratitude” campaign is now live! Over the next three weeks, you have the opportunity to recognize how your colleagues embody our Unifying Values—celebrating the support, care, and integrity they bring to work every day.
Staff Service Awards Program and Eligibility
The USC Staff Service Award program honors your years of hard work and dedication to USC. The gift program recognizes full-time, benefits-eligible staff members starting with their 10-year work anniversary and every 5 years of service thereafter (i.e. 10, 15, 20, 25 years and so on).
When you reach an eligible milestone work anniversary, you can log in to Awardco where you can select a gift from their offerings with an allotted amount of award points.
Please note that service award offerings are subject to change as we continue to implement this new platform.
The program is available to full-time, benefits-eligible staff members. Service years are calculated based on continuous, benefits-eligible employment (50%-100% FTE). Staff employees will be eligible for service awards beginning at the 10-year milestone and every 5 years thereafter.
For the pilot program, eligible service awards that have taken place between July 2024 to December 2025 will be celebrated.
When you have reached a service milestone, you will receive an email from Awardco from which you can login to the platform using your USC NetID and password. This email will inform you of your award point allotment based on your service milestone year to use towards a gift selection of your choice within the available Awardco offerings. Should you encounter any difficulties logging in, please contact Awardco at support@awardco.com or 1-800-320-0893.
Service years are calculated based on continuous, benefits-eligible employment (50%-100% FTE). Leaves of absence do not count toward service credit. You can view your years of service by checking your continuous service date in your Workday profile.
The HR Service Center is here to support you and address your questions. For more information on service award criteria and how milestones are celebrated, please contact the HR Service Center at uschr@usc.edu.
Redeeming Points on Awardco
After you log into your account, you will see a tab under the USC logo in the top left corner of the screen labeled “Spend Points,” which will take you to the redemption menu.
While points do not expire throughout your employment at USC, you are encouraged to redeem your points within the month of your service milestone. Points can roll over from service anniversary to service anniversary (e.g., you can save points from your 10-year anniversary to put towards your 15-year anniversary).
If you would like to purchase a particular item and need to make up the difference in points, you are welcome to make a personal purchase of points. You can purchase additional points when you advance to the checkout page. As a reminder, the use of a USC P-Card is prohibited for all personal purchases. For more information on eligible purchases, please review the Expenditures and Procurement policies.
If you leave USC, any unused points will automatically expire and cannot be redeemed.
You will not be taxed on any points that you receive. USC will be covering the tax on the item.
Awardco Support
For any questions related to the platform and redemption, please reach out to the Awardco support team. There are three ways to contact the Awardco support team:
- Chat – Contact Awardco support by clicking the blue “Chat” button in the bottom right corner of the Awardco platform. The Chat bot will attempt to solve the inquiry; the user will be redirected to a support representative if needed.
- Email – Create a support ticket automatically by emailing support@awardco.com. Be sure to include as much detail as you can including your full name, organization name, and a detailed outline of the issue you’re experiencing.
- Phone – You can contact the Awardco support team by phone using one of the numbers listed at https://www.awardco.com/resources/contact-support.
If you receive an unknown error followed by a number sequence, please contact the Awardco support team.