Recognising where the profession has achieved a positive impact.

This category recognises organisational or individual activities driven by, or supported by, the people function that makes a broader positive impact. This could be people-led social or environmental initiatives within the organisation or across a broader community, and could include positive community engagement, supporting charities, volunteering, mentoring programmes, sustainability initiatives, supporting employees impacted by major societal events, supporting recovery and/or resilience, or any other initiatives that achieve a positive impact.

What are the judges looking for?

• The rationale for the project or activity with a clear link to strategy or business objectives

• Demonstration of how this is a unique or innovative approach

• Evidence of the role of HR&D initiating, delivering or championing the activity

• Evidence of the impact and value at a people, business or community level

A submission can be made by an organisation or you may wish to make a joint submission to showcase a successful business partnership with a key supplier.

Recognising apprenticeship programmes that have played a significant role in of developing your organisation’s workforce over the last 3 years.

Demonstrate how your apprenticeship programme is providing career and training opportunities that support the development of individuals and the skills your workforce needs.

What are the judges looking for?

• Organisational commitment to apprenticeships, and how this has been implemented or significantly changed in the last three years

• Details of how apprenticeships address current and future workforce skills needs or have enhanced opportunity and mobility

• How your apprentice scheme is used to develop your workforce or to address other strategic objectives

• Evidence of the impact apprenticeships bring to both the organisation, which might include details such as improved productivity, retention and communities, including accessible pathways into employment, or enhanced diversity and inclusion

A submission can be made by an organisation, or you may wish to make a joint submission to showcase a successful partnership.

Recognising activity that has positively impacted on health, wellbeing, and safety, in the organisation.

Demonstrate how you have developed strategies aimed at ensuring health, wellbeing and safety – whether mental, physical, emotional or financial, and could include attracting and/or supporting employees with caring responsibilities, such as flexible working arrangements, resources and wellbeing initiatives tailored specifically for carers. Also how and where you have used input from health, wellbeing or safety specialist sources and providers to inform or support a successful initiative.

What are the judges looking for?

• The rationale for the health, wellbeing or safety activity or initiative

• Demonstrate how this is a unique or innovative approach, showing how you have used external thinking to shape your activity

• Demonstrate a clear link between the health, wellbeing or safety initiatives and organisational objectives

• Evidence of the impact and value at a people and business level

A submission can be made by an organisation or you may wish to make a joint submission to showcase a successful business partnership with a key supplier.

Recognising organisations that value equity, diversity and inclusion and have taken action to develop a diverse workforce and inclusive culture.

Demonstrate how you have developed a diverse and inclusive workforce and/or culture, and the impact this has had on your business in terms of equality and employability.

This could include an EDI strategy and/or specific initiatives that address an identified equity gap or inequality in the workforce, demonstrating how you assisted under-represented or disadvantaged people. This could be attracting and retaining diverse talent through pre-employment programmes, apprenticeships, traineeships, internships or retain minority/under-represented people through development programmes and supportive policies, practices and benefits. Engage employees with EDI topics to foster more empathy and understanding, creating a more inclusive culture for all. Initiatives could include strategies relating to flexibility, caring responsibilities, gender, race, age, sexual and disability equality.

What are the judges looking for?

• The rationale for the activities and areas of focus

• Evidence of how you have engaged people in initiatives and utilised insight and lived experience to inform approach

• Evidence of the impact and value at a people and business level and how barriers to inclusivity have been addressed

A submission can be made by an individual organisation or you may wish to make a joint submission to showcase a successful business partnership.

Recognising organisations that have identified, developed and supported high quality, inclusive leadership.

Demonstrate how high quality and inclusive leadership development has significantly impacted on the success of an organisation. This category aims to spotlight outstanding leadership development initiatives particularly against the backdrop of adversity and the challenges currently facing organisations.

What are the judges looking for?

• Evidence that leadership within the organisation is genuinely inclusive, human and places people at its core

• How the leadership development undertaken within your organisation has inspired and motivated individuals or teams to navigate uncertainty, challenges or change

• Evidence of the positive impact and value delivered by the leadership development undertaken, both at an individual (people) and organisational level

• If appropriate, specific examples, outcomes and testimonials, to illustrate the effectiveness and reach of your organisation’s leadership development approach

Recognising the positive impact of effective implementation of technology on people.

Demonstrate how the organisation has harnessed digital tools, data and/or AI to improve people experience. This category aims to celebrate the ethical and creative use of technology by the people function, and could include improving processes and outcomes, creating synergies, delivering insights, increasing efficiency, empowerment and connection within the organisation.

What are the judges looking for?

• The rationale for the project or activity with a clear link to strategy or business objectives

• Demonstrate how the technological innovation has been applied for impact, such as how a new platform or generative AI has been harnessed to solve a business problem

• Evidence of the people functions role in the design and delivery of the technology solution and its deployment, including supporting people to use the technology

• Evidence of effective partnering with IT / technology colleagues

• Clear evidence of the impact and value at a people and business level

A submission can be made by an organisation or you may wish to make a joint submission to showcase a successful business partnership with a key supplier.

Recognising how organisations have developed their approach to rewards and benefits (including pensions).

Submissions for this category can focus on any or all of the following:

• Innovation in the design and delivery of rewards and benefits packages

• Effective use of innovative methods, such as digital tools, platforms or technologies, that engage and retain employee with the employment offer

• Targeted campaigns and communication to improve awareness or uptake of specific benefits

What are the judges looking for?

• The objective(s) and rationale for your approach

• How key people, including leaders, managers and employees engage with the activity

• Evidence of the impact and value at a people and business level

A submission can be made by an individual organisation, or you may wish to make a joint submission to showcase a successful supplier partnership.

Recognising how positive people practice has delivered business results in organisations with less than 250 employees.

Demonstrate how people insight has been utilised to benefit your business or your employees. This can include how positive people practices has contributed to organisation development, managed change or support a specific project. Your organisation does not have to have a full-time HR&D presence to enter, and it can include the use of consultancy HR&D services.

What are the judges looking for?

• Clear understanding and diagnosis of what the business needs

• How the people practices where designed, shaped and delivered

• Evidence of how activity has contributed to business success

A submission can be made by an organisation, or you may wish to make a joint submission to showcase a successful business partnership with a key supplier.

Recognising organisations that engage with, and support, the armed forces community and their families, through employment opportunities, development, volunteering or fundraising.

Demonstrate initiatives that have engaged with or supported members of the Armed Forces including veterans, reservists, cadets and their families, providing evidence of engagement with, and support to, the Armed Forces communities, such as work experience placements for Service Leavers, Service charities, supporting cadets into apprenticeships, advertising vacancies with Career Transition Partnership, HR supportive policy for Reservists, Jobs fairs for spouses.

What are the judges looking for?

• Examples of how the organisations has supported a specific group or number of groups within the Armed Forces

• An innovative, well considered approach to engagement and support

• Evidence of the impact and value for both the Armed Forces group and for the organisation at a business level

A submission can be made by an organisation, or you may wish to make a joint submission to showcase a successful business partnership.

Recognising organisations that have demonstrated effective and innovative strategies in engaging and attracting talent.

Submissions for this category can detail strategic impact or specific campaigns and focus on any or all of the following:

• Attraction and resourcing

• Talent pools and pipelines

• Employer brand

• Talent identification and management

• Candidate experience

• Diversity of hire or improved candidate reach

Demonstrate how you have attracted, developed the skills and talents needed by your organisation, providing evidence confirming the impact your approach has had on the business performance and/or engagement and strategy.

What are the judges looking for?

• The objective(s) and rationale for your approach

• How you reached or engaged with your target group/s

• Evidence of the impact and value at a people and business level, such as improved candidate satisfaction, reduced time to hire, increased offer acceptance rates

A submission can be made by an individual organisation, or you may wish to make a joint submission to showcase a successful supplier partnership.

Recognising successful organisational effectiveness and people development initiatives that have positively impacted on organisational or people performance, or culture.

Initiatives might include structured talent development programmes, leadership pipelines and succession planning, addressing skills gaps and mapping, and/or continuous learning and development initiatives.

Demonstrate how your programme has used data, insight and research to help the organisation to achieve its goals. Critically you will be able to evidence three aspects:

• How did you clarify the organisation’s needs, confirming clear objectives, identifying underlying issues, challenges and opportunities?

• How did you develop a clear action plan to address these needs using an evidence-based approach?

• How are you measuring the impact of the initiative?

What are the judges looking for?

• The rationale for the project based on organisational and people needs

• Evidence of strategic alignment between the development initiative and organisational goals

• Collaborative approach from OD practitioners for the overall project and engagement/enablement of the people throughout the organisation

• Evidence of innovative engagement and learning approaches to develop and involve people across the organisation in the project

• Evidence of the impact and value at a people and organisational level

A submission can be made by an organisation or you may wish to make a joint submission to showcase a successful business partnership with a key supplier.