A winner among winners, Williams won the accolade at HR magazine’s different look award ceremony. Held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony celebrated all the excellent work carried out by HR teams over the turbulent year.
Speaking to HR magazine about her win, Williams said: “I’ve been working in HR now for over 20 years and it’s really great to see the industry get recognition for the value that it adds to organisations.”
In her numerous nominations for the awards, colleagues struggled to put into words the impact she has had at Talis.
They described her as caring, professional, and the kind of person who tries to find solutions that benefit both sides of the employee/organisation relationship.
Talis’ group marketing director said no matter how busy, Williams is always available for a phone call and will take the time to really listen. They said that she has also always cared, advised and acted with courage and empathy.
Williams added: “I was very touched reading the nominations that employees had taken the time to write about me and I would also like to extend my thanks to the HR team, because without them all the HR work in Talis couldn’t have been achieved.”
Williams has been at Talis for a decade now, and has developed the company’s HR ethos beyond recognition, instilling genuine values into the broader organisation.
This has included a widespread effort to make mental wellbeing a core part of company strategy. Having signed the Time to Change Mental Health Pledge, Williams worked to break down long-standing barriers between teams and created an open feedback culture within the business.
Further investing in people at the organisation, Williams has also endeavoured to support personal learning and development objectives, providing individuals with bespoke programmes where possible to continue their professional development.
Employees at Talis also praised Williams’ work during the pandemic. They said that she remained a strong advocate for a safe and healthy work environment which ensured staff could continue to work productively during the tumultuous time.
Williams said that winning the award was very welcome during such a challenging time.
She said: “Many businesses are struggling to adjust to the new ways of working at the moment and we’re all working so hard, so this award came at a great time.
“I wasn’t even aware the team had nominated me, so I was so surprised, but it really does mean a lot to me.”
The HR director of the year shortlist is produced following nominations and input from the HR magazine editorial team, readers and industry experts and is based on achievements during the last year.
Click here to register your interest in the 2021 HR Excellence awards.
