Recognising where the profession has achieved a positive impact.

This category recognises organisational activities driven by, or supported by, the people function that makes a broader positive impact. This could be within the organisation or the broader community and include community engagement, supporting charities, sustainability or any other programmes achieving 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 are an integral part of developing your organisation’s workforce*.

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
• How your apprentice scheme is used to develop your workforce
• Evidence of the benefits apprentices bring to the organisation

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

[* the apprenticeship programme to have been implemented or significantly changed during the last three years]

Recognising activity that has positively impacted on health and wellness in the organisation.

Demonstrate how you have developed strategies aimed at ensuring the health and wellness – whether mental, physical, emotional or financial, including how and where you have used input from health and wellness specialist sources and providers to inform or support a successful initiative. 

What are the judges looking for?

• The rationale for the wellness 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 wellness initiatives and business 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 and equality and/or have developed 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 initiatives that address an identified gap or inequality in the workforce, demonstrating how you assisted an under- represented population. This could be attracting and retaining talent through pre-employment programmes, apprenticeships, traineeships, internships or specific development programmes for particular minority/under-represented groups. Other initiatives include strategies relating to flexibility, eldercare, gender, race, age, sexual and disability equality.

What are the judges looking for?

• The rationale for the activity and area of focus
• Evidence of how you have engaged people in initiatives
• 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 business partnership.

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

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

What are the judges looking for?

• Evidence of leadership that is inclusive and human
• How leadership in your organisation has inspired people to navigate uncertainty and the challenges
• Evidence of the impact and value at a people and organisational level

Recognising successful development programmes that have positively impacted on organisational or people performance, or culture.

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

- How you have partnered with the organisation to clarify what they are trying to achieve and diagnose the underlying issues, challenges and opportunities.

- How you have used innovative engagement and learning approaches to develop and involve people across the organisation in the project

What are the judges looking for?

• The rationale for the project based on organisational and people needs
• Collaborative approach from OD practitioners for the overall project and engagement/enablement of the people throughout the organisation
• 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.

Recognising the positive impact of technology on people.

This award recognises the successful use of technology by the people function to improve synergies, deliver insight and increase efficiency to the wider organisation.

What are the judges looking for?

• The rationale for the project or activity with a clear link to strategy or business objectives
• The scale of the innovation: the complexity and size of the project, information, campaign, or business issue
• Demonstrate how this is a unique or innovative approach 
• Evidence of the people functions role in the design and engineering of the technology and its deployment
• 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 Rewards & Benefits Offer
• Effective use of tools and platforms to engage employees in the employment offer
• Campaigns and communication to raise awareness or uptake of benefits

What are the judges looking for?

• The objective[s] and rationale for your approach
• How key people engaged 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, change or a one-off 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?

• Understanding and diagnosis of what the business needs
• How the people practices where 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

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

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

• The rationale for the activities undertaken by your HR&D team
• Confirmation of how your HR&D team complements the wider business
• The behaviours and approach to engagement that has made your HR&D team highly effective