Greg Pirog, Human Resources Information Systems analyst for George Mason University’s Human Resources and Payroll, has been named the February 2016 Employee of the Month. Pirog was nominated by Patricia Coray, senior manager for HR Information Systems, for his dedication to colleagues, ability to excel under tight deadlines, and for his professionalism and attention to detail as he strives for data accuracy and integrity.
Pirog’s can-do attitude often exceeds the expectations of clients and team members, Coray said.
“Greg brings value to the department with his technical expertise and willingness to learn,” she said.
For example, Pirog incorporated all the manual calculations associated with this year’s salary increase, including data from the state on years of service, to ensure minimal errors in data processing, Coray said.
Pirog also alerted George Mason’s Information Technology Services to a possible security breach, which was remedied with his assistance.
“He was involved in the testing to ensure the solution provided was complete,” Coray said. “His thoroughness helped prevent potential security issues for both employees and students.”
Sharon Thomas, workforce planning manager for Human Resources and Payroll, said Pirog’s ability to think outside the box came in handy when the team was searching for unique ways to implement a new pay classification called “police event pay,” which required several system changes.
Pirog also consistently makes time for urgent and laborious requests, which means he doesn’t always make it home by dinner time, said Laurie Jones, Payroll Special Projects for Human Resources and Payroll, who often works side by side with Pirog on late-breaking projects.
“On several occasions, when emergencies dictated that late-night work was needed, Greg proved to be a diligent partner working with me long into the night to resolve the problems.”
And during implementation of the “police event pay,” human resource specialist for Police and Public Safety, Jennifer Westfall, said Pirog took time to sit down with her and explain how everything would look. Westfall suggested additional ideas to make the process smoother for officers.
“Greg was able to make it happen,” she said. “He did a great job with the project and the end result was exactly how we had imagined it!”
Pirog will be formally presented with this award by George Mason University President Ángel Cabrera in his office on the fifth floor of Merten Hall at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 2. Pirog’s family, co-workers and friends are all encouraged to attend the ceremony.