It’s time to enter for the UHR 2020 Awards for Excellence in HR in higher education.
Why should you enter?
A key UHR aim is to enable HR innovation and learning from each other, and to build our professional skills base: these awards give a great opportunity to do this, and highlight creativity and success. We want to show the sector and HR and OD professionals beyond HE that our members introduce cutting edge and impactful practices that enhance organisational culture and performance within UK universities.
It’s a great opportunity to encourage and motivate the HR team, even in preparing an entry – and even more so if you win. The publicity that follows from winning these awards is also incredibly valuable, and entries often feature in national events and publications about effectiveness and good practice in the sector.
What are the categories?
Business effectiveness and organisational performance: for an initiative that has driven and demonstrably enhanced organisational performance and competitive advantage.
Organisational development and culture change: for an initiative that achieved transformational culture change, greater staff engagement or enhanced employee experience, or involved collaborative work with another organisation, enabling the university effectively to meet future challenges and uncertainty.
Equality, diversity and inclusion: for an initiative that improved equality, diversity and inclusion in the organisation, and brought demonstrable improvements to performance or engagement.
Exceptional HR: for HR team of the year.
The awards will be presented at our UHR annual conference at Wyboston Lakes, Bedfordshire, on the evening of 20 May, during the conference gala dinner. Our theme for the conference will be Thriving. A 2020 vision, focusing on the opportunities offered by the many challenges facing us; we want to identify ways that HEIs, HR departments and individuals can thrive against a background of uncertainty and pressure and increase organisational effectiveness, while enhancing the employee experience in an inclusive environment.
So, entries in the first category might include reward and resourcing, internationalisation, outsourcing, local partnerships, collaboration with private providers, apprenticeships, and performance management, while the second category covers topics such as change management,culture change, employee engagement and experience, and organisational and staff development. Diversity, equality and inclusion, cast as widely as possible, comprise the third category, while the last category seeks entries that showcase exceptional HR achievement, giving every UHR member organisation the opportunity to enter.
What information should you include in your entry?
Evidence of measurable achievement and impact should be clearly demonstrated, as the purpose of the awards is to be able to spread good practice that actually produces results. It’s important that your entry is a project, initiative or combination of activities that has already been implemented and had a real effect, rather than a good idea with potential that hasn’t yet made a demonstrable difference. Any UHR member HEI, regardless of size or type can enter, but it’s vital to provide evidence of your activity being cutting edge or innovative the way it’s been implemented, and of its impact.
Who will judge the entries?
A range of people with experience and knowledge of good people management practice within and beyond higher education.
How do you enter?
Entries are welcome from all UHR member organisations, and there is no limit on the number of entries from one organisation, so you may wish to enter in more than one category, and/or more than one project. There is no charge for entering.
To enter, first download the nomination form. It is a simple Word document that you will be able to save and return to as you complete the nomination information. Return the nomination form to us by 11.59pm on Friday 6 March 2020.
If you have any questions, contact UHR's Membership Officers at membership@phes.ac.uk
