If you’re a new Home Depot employee, then you’ve probably heard mention of something called a Homer Award. But what exactly is a Homer Award and how do you get one? Is there a cash prize associated with receiving a Homer Award?
The Home Depot Homer Award system is a way for Home Depot to reward its employees for exceptional behavior and workmanship. The system also forms the foundation of Home Depot’s employee bonus system, which we will discuss in more detail below.
Homer Awards are awarded for things like:
- receiving individual praise from satisfied customers
- going above and beyond to assist a customer
- receiving praise from a coworker
There are plenty of different ways to receive a Homer Award, but the best way to increase your chances is to put your best effort into your work and take advantage of opportunities to exceed workplace expectations.
Homer Awards can only be awarded by managers, supervisors, and executives. While an individual Homer Award does not come with a cash prize, the employee does receive a badge of recognition and can receive a cash bonus once a certain number of awards are accrued.
To find out how Homer Awards can be translated into cash bonuses, keep reading!
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How Does The Award System Work?
Homer Awards are awarded by managers, supervisors, and executives to Home Depot employees when the employee displays exemplary behavior or work performance. For every three Homer Awards you receive, you will be awarded with a cash bonus on your paycheck.
When an employee receives a Homer Award, they also receive a Homer Badge which they can wear on their apron to signify their achievement. Once an employee receives multiple Homer Awards, they qualify for cash bonuses that are added to their biweekly paychecks.
How Many Homer Badges Are Needed?
An employee must receive at least three Homer Awards before they can reach their first milestone and begin qualifying for cash rewards.
Here are the reward tiers associated with Homer Awards:
- Bronze tier (3 Homer Awards received) – $50
- Silver tier (6 Homer Awards received) – $60
- Gold tier (9 Homer Awards received) – $75
- Platinum tier (12 Homer Awards received) – $100 + gift
Once you’ve reached the platinum tier, the system starts over. So, if you receive 15 Homer Awards, you will return to the Bronze tier and receive $50.
The only exception to this rule is that once an employee reaches 60 Homer Awards (the Diamond tier), they will receive $200 and a chosen gift.
How To Get A Home Depot Homer Award?
There are three main ways to receive a Homer Award at Home Depot:
- Give or receive a Bravo Card that’s drawn during a monthly or randomized Bravo Card drawing
- Be awarded a Homer Award by a supervisor or manager
- Be awarded an Executive Homer Award by a Home Depot executive
Here, we will go over each of these options in more detail…
The most common way to receive a Homer Award is through the monthly Bravo Card draw. At most Home Depot locations, employees can participate in these monthly Bravo Card drawings which are designed for employees to give and receive praise to one another for going above and beyond. While it’s typical for Bravo Card draws to happen monthly, some stores might instate these draws on a more randomized basis. Any time an employee writes or receives a Bravo Card, they will receive one Homer Award.
Another way to receive Homer Awards is directly from supervisors, managers, and assistant managers. All supervisors and managers have the ability to award Homer Awards to associates whenever an associate exceeds expectations. These awards might be given for things like selling a lot of merchandise or receiving an employee of the month recognition.
Another way to receive a Home Depot Homer Award is to be granted one on the spot by a Home Depot executive, executive VP, or division president. These executives can visit any Home Depot location and award an Executive Homer Award to any Home Depot associate they choose. Executive Homer Awards are equivalent to three standard Homer Awards and grant an instant $50 bonus to the recipient.
How To Check Home Depot Homer Awards
To check on your Homer Award history, visit LiveTheOrangeLife.com. You can also visit this help page to find some more information about looking up your awards.
What Is The Home Depot Homer Fund?
According to Home Depot’s website, “The Homer Fund® provides financial assistance to associates facing unexpected hardships. A majority of Homer Fund contributions come from our associates; every dollar they donate helps a co-worker in need. Since 1999, Homer Fund grants totaling nearly $215 million have assisted over 157,000 associates.”
The Homer Fund also sponsors a program called Orange Scholars:
The Homer Fund’s Orange Scholars program offers scholarships to qualified children or dependents of hourly associates based on financial need, academic performance, community involvement and leadership…Since the Orange Scholars launch in 2006, the program has awarded scholarships to more than 13,000 recipients, totaling $32 million.
Read more about Home Depot’s Homer Fund here.
How Does Fund Work?
Home Depot’s Homer Fund works by raising money through donations that are used to offer support to associates and children of associates in need.
Associates in need can apply for assistance through the program, and anyone interested in supporting the program can donate to help those in need.
If you are a Home Depot associate in need, head over to THDHomerFund.org and click the green button that says “Associates In Need Start Here.”
You can also become a supporting sponsor via the same website by clicking the orange button that reads “Supporting Sponsors Start Here.”
What Are Homer Bucks At Home Depot?
Homer Bucks are a form of internal currency awarded to Home Depot employees by management. Each Homer Buck is worth between $2 and $5 depending on the store, and they can only be used for things like purchasing snacks or requesting a schedule change.
As far as we can tell, most Home Depot locations do not use Homer Bucks as of 2022.
FAQs
Can you get gifts for Home Depot Homer Awards?
Yes. Depending on how many Homer Awards you have received, you can sometimes receive gifts such as watches and other high price tag items along with your Homer Award.
How much money can you get from Home Depot Homer Awards?
Home Depot Homer Awards are awarded in different stages and tiers. When you have accrued enough Homer Awards to receive cash rewards, these rewards come in $50, $60, $75, $100, and $200 amounts.
How often can a Home Depot employee get a Homer award?
There is no official limit for how often an employee can receive a Homer Award. However, most stores limit these awards to one per employee per month.
Is there a monthly limit for the Homer badges that will be given out to employees?
Yes. Although this might vary by location, it’s common for Home Depot managers and supervisors to limit Homer Award badges to one per employee per month.
Conclusion
The Homer Award system is the primary way that Home Depot offers recognition and bonuses to their employees. When a Home Depot employee finds a way to go above and beyond, they might be recognized by a manager or supervisor and awarded a Homer Award.
Once the employee receives three Homer Awards, they will begin receiving cash bonuses. When you’ve received 12 Homer Awards or more, you begin qualifying for select gifts in addition to cash.
