CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, has announced that entries are now open for its prestigious Wales HR awards, as the event returns for 2021.

After an unprecedented year, the awards will provide an opportunity to reflect on the successes and resilience; how HR teams and individuals adapted and innovated at speed to support employees and workforces across Wales to respond to and keep working during the pandemic.

The virtual awards will take place on Thursday 25^th November, enabling more people than ever to attend and celebrate the very best in human resources and people development practice across Wales.

Head of CIPD Wales, Lesley Richards said:

“Out of an incredibly challenging year have come some huge successes for the people profession. We’ve rapidly evolved to respond to changing legislation and regulations, adapted to and embedded new ways of working, and gone above and beyond in order to protect staff both at home and in the workplace.

“Now more than ever it is crucial to recognise the individuals and teams that supported our organisations throughout these tough times, ensuring we are in the best place to ultimately ‘build back better’.

“After last year’s awards were unable to go ahead, this year will be a bigger, brighter celebration than ever. Our Awards will give us the opportunity to recognise the outstanding achievements of the industry over the last year, something we should all be proud of.”

The entrants will be judged and moderated by a panel of highly experienced senior professionals and practitioners across HR and learning and development.

Organisations can enter any number of the 10 categories, two of which specifically recognise individuals within the People profession.

This year’s CIPD Wales Awards categories include:

Best Apprenticeship Scheme – recognises high-quality apprenticeship programmes that demonstrate clear alignment with the organisation’s business and people strategies, are well integrated into the organisation’s wider workforce planning, provide opportunities for learners to progress, and support efforts to increase diversity and inclusion.
Best Flexible/Remote Working Initiative – enables organisations to demonstrate how they excelled in their response to Covid-19, going through a significant journey and supporting managers and employees through the transition. Entrants should demonstrate agility, how they adopted an employee-centric approach and an appropriate leadership style.
Best Diversity and Inclusion Initiative – recognising employers that are moving the D&I agenda forward, challenging inequalities, overcoming resistance, breaking down barriers and bias and making change happen.
Best Health and Wellbeing Initiative – recognising employers that place employee well-being centre stage within the organisation and have embedded a strong culture of workplace well-being.
Best Use of External Support (Consultancies/Suppliers) – this category has been broadened to recognise the range of partnerships between consultants/consultancies and a client organisation. Consultants/consultancies are invited to nominate projects that they have worked on and delivered with specific clients. Additionally, organisations can nominate consultants/consultancies/suppliers who have positively impacted the business.
Best Learning and Development/Organisation Development Initiative – recognising entries that demonstrate strong links between achieving business goals and organisation development activity, and/or learning and development strategies to boost skills and improve performance.
Best In-House Team – recognising people teams that have worked together to demonstrate excellence in HR leadership and have partnered across the organisation to deliver value through people interventions, particularly throughout challenging and changeable times.
Best Resourcing and Talent Management Initiative – recognising creative and effective talent attraction, retention, talent management, workforce planning and restructuring strategies that take into account current and future needs. Showing how activity has benefitted the organisation, met business objectives, supported organisational agility and provided an organisation-wide pipeline.
Rising Star of the People Profession – recognising early career individuals who have set themselves apart in their HR journey by having a meaningful impact in their workplace.
Outstanding Contribution in the Field of People Development in Wales – this prestigious award is presented to an individual in recognition of their outstanding and exceptional contribution to the profession within Wales.

More information on the application process, judges and the Awards are available at www.cipdwalesawards.co.uk. Entries for this year’s awards will close on Sunday 19^thSeptember.