Award categories

Absence Management

This award recognizes an organization that has developed best practices in its approach to absence management. Candidates will be asked to outline their absence management process or strategy and will be judged on innovation, clarity, ease of use, impact on productivity, cost controls, impact on employees and tangible results.

You will be asked:

1. Briefly describe the interventions, tools or solutions developed to address absence management at your organization.
2. What impact has the this strategy had on the organization and its employees? Please be specific and provide examples.
3. How has the policy/strategy/intervention/tool effectively managed short- and long-term absence? Please be specific and provide data and tangible results.

Benefits Plan Communications

This award recognizes an organization that has developed innovative and effective strategies for communicating a benefits plan or initiative to employees. Candidates will be asked to outline their benefits plan communications strategy and will be judged on innovation, tangible outcomes and overall impact.

You will be asked:

1. Please outline the communications strategy, including the ways in which it is innovative.
2. How has this communications strategy made the most appropriate and optimal use of multi-media — including new media and social media tools — to target employees? Please be specific and provide examples.
3. What impact has this strategy had on the organization and its employees? Please be specific and provide data and tangible results.

DEI Program

This award recognizes an organization that has successfully taken steps to incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion principles and initiatives into its workplace. This can include programs and policies to increase diversity, as well as efforts to be more inclusion in regards to a benefits or pension plan through communications or other changes.

You will be asked:

1. Please outline the key elements of the workplace DEI program or strategy.
2. In what ways has this program or strategy been innovative and effective?
3. Please share the results and the impact on the organization and employees. Please be specific and provide data and tangible results.

Drug/Benefits Plan Innovation

This award recognizes an organization that has introduced an innovative and effective benefits or drug plan strategy or initiative that demonstrated measurable results such as reduced absenteeism, cost containment, improved health, employee engagement and a positive return on investment. Candidates will be judged on innovation, effectiveness and overall impact on the organization and employees.

You will be asked:

1. Please outline the key elements of the benefits and/or drug plan strategy or initiative.
2. In what ways was the strategy or initiative innovative and effective? Please be specific and provide data and tangible results.
3. What was the overall impact and/or ROI for the organization and employees? Please be specific and provide data and tangible results.

Financial Wellness Program

This award recognizes an organization that has excelled in creating a financial wellness and/or education program or initiative for employees. Candidates will be judged on innovative, effectiveness and overall impact on the organization and employees.

You will be asked:

1. Please outline the key elements of the financial wellness and/or education program or initiative.
2. In what ways was the program or initiative innovative and effective? Please be specific and provide data and tangible results.
3. What was the overall impact and/or ROI for the organization and employees? Please be specific and provide data and tangible results.

Future of Work Strategy

This new award recognizes an organization that has successfully taken steps to embrace the future of work in its HR and benefits policies. This will include programs related to remote or hybrid working arrangements, including how the organization’s working policies foster social connections, workplace culture and a fair workplace for all employees.

You will be asked:

1. Briefly describe how the organization is embracing the future of work in its HR and benefits policies.
2. In what ways was this strategy innovative?
3. What impact has this strategy had on the organization and its employees? Please be specific and provide data and tangible results.

Health/Wellness Program  (to be divided by ‘<1,000 employees’ and ‘>1,000 employees’)

This award recognizes an organization that has developed an innovative and effective health or wellness program, demonstrating improved health outcomes for employees. Candidates will be judged on innovation, effectiveness, impact and demonstrated ROI.

You will be asked:

1. Please outline the elements of the health/wellness program?
2. In what ways was the program innovative and effective? Please be specific and provide data and tangible results.
3. What was the overall impact of the health/wellness program? How was this impact measured? Please be specific and provide data and tangible results.

Mental Health Program (to be divided by ‘<1,000 employees’ and ‘>1,000 employees’)

This award recognizes an organization that has developed an innovative and effective mental-health program or initiative to support and encourage the psychological well-being of its employees. Candidates will be judged on innovation, effectiveness and overall impact on the organization and employees.

You will be asked:

1. Please outline the elements of the mental-health program or initiative.
2. In what ways was the program or initiative innovative and effective? Please be specific and provide data and tangible results.
3. What was the overall impact of the mental-health program or initiative? What was this impact measured? Please be specific and provide data and tangible results.