I took a moment out of last week’s Personnel Today Awards ceremony to soak up the atmosphere after all the winners had been announced. Fireworks had just gone off, champagne corks were popping, and the congratulatory laughs and handshakes all contributed to a great ‘buzz’ in the room.
The Personnel Today Awards are recognised as being the most prestigious in the sector, as the 1,250 guests, sponsors and shortlisted teams who packed into the Grosvenor House in London last Thursday would no doubt agree.
The teams who walked out with a trophy under their arms represent the very best in HR practice. And it really means something to win a Personnel Today Award, as PPMA president and former HR Director of the Year Angela O’Connor explains.
I met many of the finalists at a special awards reception in September, and they told me that just being on the shortlist was enough to get the board to sit up and take notice of the contribution they’re making. A woman who was head of HR even got a promotion to HR director as a result of making it to the shortlist. Suddenly, her chief executive rated the HR department in a way he’d never done before.
HR departments may be under pressure from bosses and go unappreciated by line managers HR practitioners may be accused of being risk-averse and HR may wrestle with the debate about its status in the business. But winning a Personnel Today Award can change all that by giving the extra bit of recognition – and confidence – that the best HR teams so deserve.
Many of the guests partied long and hard into the wee small hours last Thursday. But the value of these accolades will last much longer than the fizz and glitz of the awards ceremony.
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Congratulations to all the winners.
