The annual event will be held in person at the London Hilton on 1 December, with this year’s theme celebrating the magic of HR.
In response to the remarkable way HR teams responded to the pandemic, HR magazine felt the HR Excellence Awards needed new categories to reflect the new challenges teams now face.
The new categories are Best Crisis Management Strategy and Best Flexible Working Strategy.
Why should you enter this year’s awards?
Last year’s winner of HR team of the year was the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
Sarah-Jane Savage, head of employee experience at FSCS, said in a year like no other, winning the HR Team of the Year was extra special.
She told HR magazine: “Having also won in 2016, it felt incredible to be recognised by our peers in the industry for the hard work and effort we put in as a team to ensure our people were supported during a really challenging time for all, both professionally and personally.
“Every member of the people team genuinely cares about our employees, and we work hard to make sure we deliver the best possible employee experience, enabling our people to do the same for our customers.”
Tips from previous winners
Winner of last year’s CEO of the year award, Rick Willmott, group chief executive at construction company Willmott Dixon, said keeping an open honest dialogue with employees is his top leadership tip, and one which probably secured him the award.
He told HR magazine that showing empathy towards staff is also an even more important leadership skill to have post-pandemic.
He said: “Winning last year’s accolade would not have been possible without the support, innovation and hard work of employees.
“I was proud to accept the award on behalf of everyone at Willmott Dixon, because it has always been our people who are at the heart of our business, culture and values,” he said.
Want to know how to win an HR Excellence Award? Find out how here!
