Employer of the Year

This award recognises organisations that demonstrate excellence in employee experience, workplace culture, and HR leadership over the past 12 months. It celebrates organisations that have successfully attracted, developed, and retained talent while creating a positive, supportive, and high-performing work environment. The winning organisation will demonstrate how its people strategy has contributed to employee satisfaction, organisational performance, and overall business success. Entry is by a 5-page A4 PDF submission; the judges will be looking for clear information backed up by facts, supporting materials, and statistics, that pays particular attention to the criteria listed below.

• Organisation Background: Please provide a brief description of the organisation including when it was established, number of employees, organisational structure, key teams or business units, and any relevant industry achievements or accreditations. Outline the role of HR within the organisation.
• Personnel Strategy: Outline how your organisation recruits, develops, and retains staff. Demonstrate how your people strategy supports organisational goals and workforce capability, including recruitment approaches, talent development, succession planning, and retention strategies, and how these have benefited the organisation.
• Employee Engagement: Outline how the organisation communicates and engages with employees. This may include internal communications, employee surveys, feedback mechanisms, recognition programmes, or employee involvement initiatives. Demonstrate how these have positively impacted organisational performance and culture.
• Benefits & Rewards: Outline the employee benefits package and rewards offering. Include details of compensation structures, wellbeing benefits, recognition programmes, and any unique or innovative initiatives that support employee satisfaction and retention.
• Employee Support & Wellbeing: Provide details of the supports in place to manage employee health and wellbeing, including mental health supports, wellbeing programmes, flexible working arrangements, and supports provided to managers. Explain how these initiatives contribute to employee experience and performance.
• Key Challenges: Outline any challenges faced in implementing HR or people initiatives over the past 12 months and explain how these were addressed.
• Employee Satisfaction & Measurable Impact: Provide clear facts and figures outlining employee satisfaction and organisational impact. This may include engagement survey results, retention rates, absenteeism, productivity, or internal mobility. Include year-on-year comparisons where possible and highlight any trends or improvements.
• Supporting Statements & Facts: Include any additional facts, testimonials, or supporting statements that strengthen your entry, such as employee feedback, leadership endorsements, or external recognition.