For UK-based companies or companies with an office in the UK.
This award recognises UK HR teams from the public, private and not for profit sectors for their work within the function and their business partnering with other departments. The entry must focus on overall team efforts, demonstrate a collaborative approach, and show an ability to attract and develop internal HR department.
Judges will look for:
This award is the only category open to non-UK based organisations with no office in the UK. Judges will be seeking evidence of the impact of the people strategy on the business/organisation, including operational and financial measures.
Judges will look for:
For UK-based companies or companies with an office in the UK.
Judges are looking for evidence of innovation and bottom-line contribution through enhanced recruitment and improved retention. Entries could range from one-off projects in key areas through to the implementation of new policies covering all resourcing activities. They should be presented in the form of a business case study supported by relevant metrics.
Judges will look for:
For UK-based companies or companies with an office in the UK.
Judges are looking for those that invest effectively in the development of their people. Entries should be organisation-wide strategies covering all L&D activity.
Entrants should include details about the business need, what the strategy entails and how it was communicated to the workforce.
Judges will look for:
For UK-based companies or companies with an office in the UK.
Judges are looking for an organisation that has used technology to move HR forward. It could be via the application of HR software and analytic systems, online recruitment or an e-learning programme and AI and chatbots. It could also explore how HR has supported a major tech investment across the organisation.
Judges will look for:
For UK-based companies or companies with an office in the UK.
Entrants should give details of how their organisation defines and spots talent, where responsibility for managing talent sits, how they deliver appropriate development opportunities and how they monitor and measure the success of implementation and outcome.
Judges will look for:
For UK-based companies or companies with an office in the UK.
The communications strategy can be part of an ongoing process or development in the organisation. The communications strategy/initiative must have been in place for at least 12 months.
Judges will look for:
For UK-based companies or companies with an office in the UK.
This award will go to the organisation that provides the most compelling evidence that their strategy for health and wellbeing in the workplace not only works, but has also created a clear and measurable return on investments made in this area.
Judges will look for:
For UK-based companies or companies with an office in the UK.
This award recognises where an organisation has closely aligned benefits, reward and/or recognition strategy to business objectives in order to incentivise and enhance productivity. Judges will be looking for tangible evidence that shows how the strategy had a direct impact on employees and subsequently, the organisation's bottom line.
Examples of initiatives that could be entered in this category include: the introduction of a new approach to benefits, a new employee and team recognition strategy, impressive work around reducing a gender pay gap, or the introduction of a new pay structure that’s achieved strong results in terms of productivity, attraction and/or retention.
Judges will look for:
For UK-based companies or companies with an office in the UK.
Judges are looking for a strategy that not only has a positive impact on an organisation’s wider community, but also delivers strongly on an organisation’s HR and commercial or strategic aims.
Entries must have wide-reaching strategies covering various touchpoints of CSR, for example how environmental considerations have influenced the wider people strategy.
They must also demonstrate the role HR has played in the strategy and execution of CSR initiatives.
Judges will look for:
For UK-based companies or companies with an office in the UK.
This category covers organisations that have completed a successful people-focused business transformation programme. Areas that will be assessed include making the business case for change, its communication, implementation and measurement. Entries can include those where external interim resources have been brought in to achieve a positive outcome and successful merger and acquisition programmes.
Judges will look for:
For UK-based companies or companies with an office in the UK.
Judges are looking for a well-thought-out strategy linking employee engagement to the heart of the business. The strategy should be holistic, explaining how all aspects of the employee experience – including for example recognition, values, employee voice, culture and communications - have been considered to improve engagement with the organisation and what it seeks to achieve.
Judges will look for:
For UK-based companies or companies with an office in the UK.
This award recognises an organisation that has diversity and inclusion at its heart. A winning entry will detail an organisation’s work across the board to provide outstanding support and opportunities to women, people from BAME backgrounds, those from the LGBT+ community, disabled people and other minority groups.
The entry should describe not just the ethical imperative behind the strategy, but the business drivers too. It should detail how the HR team has approached D&I with a data-led approach.
Judges will look for:
For UK-based companies or companies with an office in the UK.
Judges are looking for a thoroughly inclusive strategy which goes far beyond statutory guidance to offer flexibility and remote work options, matching the needs of employees and the business function.
Judges are looking for:
For UK-based companies or companies with an office in the UK.
This award will recognise an organisation which has a well-thought-out early careers development strategy. It could be focused on a specific area, such as apprenticeships, graduate training schemes or T-Levels, or detail a wider-reaching strategy which encourages different routes into employment.
Judges will look for:
For UK-based companies or companies with an office in the UK.
This award recognises the game-changing HR directors of the future. It is open to any HR professional below HR director level and celebrates the rising stars who have already made a big impact on their organisations. Entrants can only be submitted by colleagues, peers or mentors. Self-referrals will not be accepted.
Judges will look for:
For UK-based companies or companies with an office in the UK.
This award celebrates the hard work HR has done in responding to crises. A crisis is defined as anything that poses a serious threat to the health and future of a business’s operations, finances, reputation and people.
The winning entrant will demonstrate not only the reactive responses to a crisis, but preparedness and forward-thinking in protecting the organisation appropriately against future unpredictable events.
Judges will look for:
For UK-based companies or companies with an office in the UK.
The coveted HR director of the year category is open to the HR leaders at the very top of their organisations – chief people officers, chief HR officers, people and culture directors and any variations on this title.
You cannot self-nominate for this category – nominations are welcomed from the CEO, peers, and colleagues.
Submissions for this category should include:
For UK-based companies or companies with an office in the UK.
The best people-focused CEO category is open to the chief executives of UK based organisations.
You cannot self-nominate for this category – nominations are welcomed from the HR director, peers and colleagues.
Submissions for this category should include: