Category Description
This award is open to organisations (commercial or non-profit) which demonstrate an all-round commitment to employee engagement and wellbeing as part of an overall commitment to sustainability.
It focuses on activities and practices developed to enhance employee engagement and wellbeing within and outside the workplace. These can cover: promoting environmental sustainability, including employee benefits such as sustainable travel, enabling skilled volunteering, encouraging a healthy work life balance, and providing and managing a workplace which boosts wellbeing across the board.
Judges will be rewarding businesses that have implemented innovative workplace activities that care for and protect employees, enhance the work environment for staff at all levels and recognise employees as valued contributors to the organisation.
In judging this award, the panel will specifically be looking for evidence of: the degree of innovation shown by the entrant in engaging employees in the activities; how the organisation raised awareness to promote the offerings; and the extent to which the activities integrate and complement the core business / operations of the organisation.
Time Frame: Entries should focus primarily on activity from the past three years and must be ongoing, demonstrating clear progression. Earlier activities may be included to provide historical context or demonstrate the company’s longer standing commitment to their employees.
We request a total word count of 1500 words +/-10% (excl. supporting docs). Any confidential data will be treated as such and only shared with the judging panel.
Criteria
Judges will be looking for evidence of the following points within the supplied application form (weighting percentages in brackets):
- How the employer sets new standards for innovation and creativity in boosting wellbeing and engagement (15%)
- Measurable improvements in wellbeing and engagement (including for example staff health, impact on absence / sickness and job satisfaction / productivity); environmental improvements to the workplace or any other benefits (30%)
- Diversity and inclusion: the extent to which the activities reached all levels of the organisation, from the most junior staff to senior executives, and how they fostered interaction between employees of different backgrounds and levels of seniority, and promoted empowerment on a long-term basis (20%)
- Success in promoting awareness among staff and relevant outside stakeholders, such as families, suppliers, customers and the wider community (20%)
- How the scheme was integrated with, and complemented, the core business / mission of the organisation (15%)
PLEASE NOTE: The criteria listed above are used by judges to evaluate entries. However, you will complete a separate application form with specific questions.
When writing your entry, follow the application form questions while ensuring you address all the criteria listed above. This allows judges to assess all entries consistently.
Accessing the questions: Register or log in to AwardStage (opens 2 February), select your category, and download the PDF of questions. Application questions vary by category and will be available four weeks before entries open. To receive them in advance, please email us.
Are we eligible to enter?
Our awards programme is open to all organisations of any kind… companies large and small, charities, not-for-profits, social enterprises, NGOs, membership and accreditation organisations and government departments including local and county councils. We are all about rewarding sustainability practice – in all its forms. So if your organisation is making a difference, directly or indirectly to people and planet, you’re eligible.
We don’t just recognise businesses that are operating responsibly, or supporting / partnering with worthwhile causes. We also actively encourage entries from organisations that have been specifically set up or adapted to offer a product or service that tackles a social or environmental problem.
Our category descriptions and criteria have been written to guide entrants on what content should be detailed in their entries. However, we do not expect square pegs to fit in round holes… Some of your business activities or dedicated programmes might not fit entirely with any one specific category. In these cases, the descriptions and criteria are open to an element of interpretation and rest assured that our judges will still take into account entries that are strongly aligned with the overall context of the category.
If you have any concerns about the suitability of your entry, or would like to discuss your activities in more detail, we are here to help. Give Karen a call on 07813 718541 or email us.