Human Resources Awards Blog

Top 5 Ways Employers Can Help Women Advance, by HR Awards Winner Randstad

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Wed, Nov 27, 2013 @ 12:34 PM

Randstad, the second largest HR services and staffing company in the world, won two Stevie Awards for in The 2013 American Business Awards: a Gold Stevie for HR Executive of the Year in the Human Resources awards categories; and a Silver Stevie for Brand Experience of the Year in the Marketing awards categories. (Entries to The 2014 American Business Awards are now being accepted. Find out more here.)

Randstad recently published a survey showing how important a factor it is for a company to have women in positions of leadership when it comes to their prospective employees.  We asked Randstad for more information from their survey.  

Equal pay, more visible female leadership, and more family-friendly work policies are among the most beneficial ways in which companies can help women advance, according to male and female respondents to the latest Randstad US Employee Engagement Index study. More than three-quarters (76%) of the women surveyed felt whether a company “has women in positions of leadership” is important when considering taking a position with a new company.

When asked about the ways in which their company could best help women advance to leadership levels, following were the top 5 responses:

  1. Not surprisingly, equal pay was cited most often among women (49%) and men (37%).
  2. Having more women in leadership positions was the second most cited (named by 34% of women and 31% of men).
  3. More family-friendly work policies was the third most cited overall, selected by 31% of women and 26% of men.
  4. The fourth way was more leadership development programs for women, named almost equally by women and men (25% and 24%, respectively).
  5. Men and women differed significantly on their opinions on number five on the list, with 28% of women and just 20% of men noting that greater flexibility in terms of scheduling/telecommuting would help in the advancement of women.

Driving Innovation and Corporate Success

The study also found that 67% of total respondents strongly/somewhat agree with the statement: “By 2020, I expect there to be many more women in leadership positions in my company or organization.”  

Lisa Crawford“With nearly one billion women poised to enter the global economy in the coming decade, and representing the majority of college and advanced degree holders, employers will be increasingly reliant upon women in the workplace to drive innovation and corporate success,” said Lisa Crawford, senior vice president, Randstad US. “In order to compete in the growing war for female talent in the years ahead, companies that encourage the development and attainment of leadership positions equitably will be well-positioned in their recruitment efforts. The pursuit of leadership rank is a universal aspiration, and therefore organizations that help their workforce achieve those goals, regardless of gender, will emerge successful.” 

Women in the Workplace

Women and men surveyed by Randstad US weighed in on a variety of topics related to employee engagement and women in the workplace. Other relevant findings included:

  • Women are less likely to be considering a job change.
    In the next 6 months, according to Randstad’s Q3 2013 Engagement Study, 42% of men compared to 34% of women are likely to seek out a job in a different company; and 48% of men compared to 40% of women are likely to give a lot of consideration to a job offer.
  • Women are Optimistic about Opportunities for Growth with Their Employers. 
    Only 46%of women expect to have to switch employers to grow their careers, compared to 56% of men.

Elevating the Conversation

As one of the world’s largest staffing organizations and the third largest in the United States, Randstad US is committed to elevating the conversation around women and work. The company regularly creates and curates content on its Women Powering Business blog and convenes live conversations about women in leadership through its Women Powering Business initiative. Randstad Technologies is also partnering with CIO’s Executive Council to host events focused on women in technology careers in Boston, New York, Washington, DC, Chicago and Dallas.

Randstad US recently launched an Inspiring Women in Our Lives contest on Facebook, focused on recognizing the women who are prevailing challenges, overcoming obstacles, and breaking barriers at home, in the office and in their communities.

Survey Methodology

The Randstad Engagement Index is comprised of findings from quarterly waves of research targeting employees and annual surveys of employers. The eighth wave of findings was conducted online between September 19 and October 4, 2013 from a national sample of 2,033 adults aged 18 and older who are currently employed full time from Ipsos’ U.S. online panel.

Weighting was used to balance demographics and ensure samples reflect the U.S. population of working adults. Employees and employers were surveyed to compare notable differences in perceptions and attitudes. Multiple waves of research allow for trending and to track changes in perceptions and attitudes over time.  Research into employee attitudes and perceptions will be conducted quarterly. Research into employer attitudes and perceptions will be conducted on an annual basis.

About Lisa Crawford
Lisa Crawford joined Randstad in 2010 as the Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Professionals. In this role, Lisa provides HR support with a focus on areas of high impact, such as employee relations, organizational development, policy and procedures, and workforce planning.

With fifteen years of experience in HR, Lisa is an accomplished HR leader with subject matter experience in managing rapid growth, acquisition, integration, and turnaround situations. Prior to joining Randstad, Lisa’s career as a marketing strategist for blue chip financial services and technology clients provided her with the unique insights to define and measure tangible HR business results for individuals, teams and the overall enterprise.

Lisa is a graduate of Dartmouth College.

About Ipsos Public Affairs
Ipsos Public Affairs is a non-partisan, objective, survey-based research practice which conducts strategic research initiatives for a diverse number of American and international organizations, based on public opinion research.  They are the international polling agency of record for Thomson Reuters, the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals.  To learn more, visit: www.ipsos-pa.com.

About Randstad US
Randstad is a $22.0 billion global provider of HR services and the second largest staffing organization in the world. From temporary staffing to permanent placement to in-house, professionals, search & selection, and HR Solutions, Randstad holds top positions around the world and has approximately 29,300 corporate employees and around 4,500 branches and in-house locations in 39 countries. Founded in 1960 and headquartered in Diemen, the Netherlands, Randstad Holding nv is listed on the NYSE Euronext Amsterdam. Learn more at www.randstad.com and access Randstad’s panoramic US thought leadership knowledge center through its Workforce360 site that offers valuable insight into the latest economic indicators and HR trends shaping the world of work.         

Tags: hr awards, human resources awards, hr department of the year, randstad, lisa crawford, business awards, stevie awards

4 Tips for Winning HR Awards in the 2013 Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service

Posted by Liz Dean on Fri, Dec 07, 2012 @ 03:11 PM

As the final entry deadline for the 2013 Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service, the world's top business awards for contact center, customer service, business development, and sales professionals, approaches on January 15, 2013, we wanted to provide you with several tips for submitting winning HR awards entries.(If you haven't already done so, you can request your entry kit here.)

Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer ServiceTo make the most out of your HR award entries, we suggest the following four tips:

1. Review the business awards categories.
The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service feature more than 100 categories that recognize call center, customer service, and sales professionals.  The most attractive categories for HR professionals in this competition include:

  1. Sales Education Leader of the Year
  2. Sales Training Manager of the Year
  3. Hiring and Recruiting Program of the Year
  4. Sales Training or Coaching Program of the Year
  5. Customer Service Training Team of the Year
  6. Contact Center Leader of the Year
  7. Sales Training Practice of the Year
  8. Customer Service or Call Center Training Practice of the Year

2. Review the entry submission criteria.
Entries in these categories generally require an essay or case study of up to 500 words about the nominee’s achievements since the beginning of July of two years prior (for the 2013 awards, this will be since July 1, 2011); links to any online work samples, news stories, videos, etc. that support your case; and a biography of up to 100 words of the nominee or the leader of the nominated department or team.

3. Download our 10 Tips for Winning HR Awards in the 2012-13 Stevie® Awards tipsheet.
Our tipsheet will provide helpful tips and tools for making the most out of your entries.  

4. Contact us!
We love to answer your last minute questions. Contact us at help@stevieawards.com and we'll help direct you to categories that are right for your organization.

Get  instant updates; join us on
Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Tags: customer service awards, hr awards, hr award, business awards, Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, sales awards

3 Ways to Win HR Awards in The 2013 American Business Awards

Posted by Liz Dean on Tue, Nov 06, 2012 @ 12:10 PM

The first early-bird entry deadline for 2013 American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A., is Friday, November 16. If you haven't already done so, you can request your entry kit here and you will receive it right away.

The Stevie AwardsTo help you recognize your organization's achievements, we want to highlight our HR awards categories.

The 2013 ABA HR award categories are:

Information to be submitted online for entries in these categories include:

  • An essay of up to 525 words describing the nominee's accomplishments since January 1 2012,
  • A biography of the nominee or the leader of the nominated department or team of up to 125 words, and
  • Optional (but highly recommended), a collection of supporting files and web addresses that you may upload to our server to support your entry and provide more background information to the judges.

In order to make the most out of your submissions, we recommend reviewing our 2012 Gold human resources award winning entries:

Want more ways to showcase your organization's HR professionals? We have several awards categories that may be of interest including: app awards, live event awards, video awards, and website awards.

Tags: hr awards, hr award, Human Resources Department of the Year, Human Resources Team of the Year, Human Resources Executive of the Year, business awards, app awards, website awards, American business awards

2 Tips for Winning HR Awards in the 2012 Stevie® Awards for Women in Business

Posted by Liz Dean on Mon, Sep 10, 2012 @ 03:31 PM

The entry deadline for the 2012 Stevie® Awards for Women in Business, the world's premier business awards for women executives, entrepreneurs, and the organizations they run, is September 28. (If you haven't yet done so, you can download your entry kit here.)

To help make the most of your HR awards entries, we suggest the following:  

  1. The Stevie AwardsDownload our 10 Tips for Winning HR Awards in the Stevie® Awards tipsheet.
    Our tipsheet will provide helpful tips and tools for making the most out of your entries. 
  2. Review past winners' entries.
    Quite a few HR executives have won Stevies in the Best Executive categories of the Stevie Awards for Women in Business over the years.  Past winners include Eleni Antoniou, Director of Human Resources with High Performance Technologies, Inc., and Nancy Long, Chief HR Officer and Senior VP-Human Resources with Hitachi Data Systems, among others. 

Winners of the 2012 competition will be celebrated at the ninth annual awards banquet on November 9 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York.

Need help picking the right categories? Contact us at help@stevieawards.com and we'll direct you to categories that are right for your organization.

Tags: hr awards, business awards, stevie awards for women in business, HR professionals

8 Ways HR Pros Can Win in the Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service

Posted by Liz Dean on Wed, Aug 08, 2012 @ 02:53 PM

There are eight business awards categories that should be of interest to human resource professionals looking to win HR awards in the 2013 (7th annual) Stevie® Awards for Sales & Customer Service, the world's top business awards for contact center, customer service, business development, and sales professionals. (All organizations and individuals worldwide are eligible to submit entries for sales awards and customer service awards. The early-bird entry deadline, with discounted entry fees, is October 10; request your entry kit here.)

The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service feature more than 100 categories that recognize call center, customer service, and sales professionals.  The most attractive categories for HR professionals in this competition include:

  1. Sales Education Leader of the YearStevie Awards for Sales and Customer Service
  2. Sales Training Manager of the Year
  3. Hiring and Recruiting Program of the Year
  4. Sales Training or Coaching Program of the Year
  5. Customer Service Training Team of the Year
  6. Contact Center Leader of the Year
  7. Sales Training Practice of the Year
  8. Customer Service or Call Center Training Practice of the Year

Entries in these categories generally require an essay or case study of up to 500 words about the nominee’s achievements since the beginning of July of two years prior (for the 2013 awards, this will be since July 1, 2011); links to any online work samples, news stories, videos, etc. that support your case; and a biography of up to 100 words of the nominee or the leader of the nominated department or team.

Looking for more categories that may be of interest to HR pros? There are also new product and service categories, including two categories that recognize Workforce Management Solutions. See all new product awards.

Tags: customer service awards, hr awards, business awards, new product awards, sales awards, stevie awards for sales and customer service

4 Tips for Winning HR Awards in The 2012 International Business Awards

Posted by Liz Dean on Thu, Jun 21, 2012 @ 10:43 AM

As the final entry deadline for The 2012 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition, approaches on 27 June, we wanted to provide you with several tips for submitting winning HR awards entries. (If you haven't yet done so, you can request your entry kit here.)

To make the most out of your HR award entries, we suggest the following four tips:

1. Review the business awards categories. The Stevie Awards
There are three award categories that are specifically labeled as human resource awards:

2. Review the entry submission criteria.
Information to be submitted online for these categories include:

  • An essay of up to 500 words describing the nominee's accomplishments since January 1 2011
  • A biography of the nominee or the leader of the nominated department or team of up to 100 words
  • Optional (but highly recommended), a collection of supporting files and web addresses that you may upload to our server to support your entry and provide more background information to the judges

3. Download our 10 Tips for Winning HR Awards in the 2012 Stevie® Awards tipsheet.
Our tipsheet will provide helpful tips and tools for making the most out of your entries.  

4. Contact us!
We love to answer your last minute questions. Contact us at help@stevieawards.com and we'll help direct you to categories that are right for your organization.

Get  instant IBA updates; join us on
Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Tags: hr awards, hr award, hr department of the year, business awards, International business awards

3 HR Awards Categories in The International Business Awards

Posted by Liz Dean on Wed, Apr 25, 2012 @ 01:26 PM

There are 3 HR awards categories The 2012 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards competition, to help you showcase your organization's successes. (All organizations and individuals worldwide may submit nominations. The entry deadline for the 2012 IBAs is 16 May, request your entry kit here.)The Stevie Awards

Our human resource awards categories include: 

Information to be submitted online for entries in these categories include:

  • An essay of up to 500 words describing the nominee's accomplishments since January 1 2011,
  • A biography of the nominee or the leader of the nominated department or team of up to 100 words, and
  • Optional (but highly recommended), a collection of supporting files and web addresses that you may upload to our server to support your entry and provide more background information to the judges.

The 8th Annual International Business Awards were presented in October 2011 in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. 2011 HR award honorees included:  

2012 honorees will be celebrated at the 9th annual awards banquet on Monday, 15 October in Seoul, South Korea.

Need tips for submitting
human resource award entries? Download our 10 Tips for Winning HR Awards in the 2012 Stevie® Awards tipsheet. Our tipsheet will provide helpful tips and tools for making the most out of your entries.  

Tags: hr awards, hr award, human resource awards, human resource award, Human Resources Department of the Year, Human Resources Team of the Year, Human Resources Executive of the Year, business awards, International business awards

3 HR Awards Categories in The 10th Annual American Business Awards

Posted by Liz Dean on Thu, Apr 12, 2012 @ 03:44 PM

The entry deadline for 2012 (10th Annual) American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A., is Wednesday, April 25. If you haven't already done so, you can request your entry kit here and you will receive it right away.

To help you recognize your organization's achievements, we want to highlight our HR awards categories.

The 2012 ABA HR award categories are:The American Business Awards

In order to make the most out of your submissions, we recommend reviewing our 2011 human resources award winning entries:

Information to be submitted online for entries in these categories include:

  • An essay of up to 500 words describing the nominee's accomplishments since January 1 2011,
  • A biography of the nominee or the leader of the nominated department or team of up to 100 words, and
  • Optional (but highly recommended), a collection of supporting files and web addresses that you may upload to our server to support your entry and provide more background information to the judges.

Want more ways to showcase your organization's HR professionals? We have several awards categories that may be of interest including: app awards, live event awards, video awards, and website awards.

Tags: hr awards, hr award, Human Resources Department of the Year, Human Resources Team of the Year, Human Resources Executive of the Year, business awards, app awards, live event awards, video awards, website awards, American business awards

Five Tips for Winning HR Awards in The 2012 American Business Awards

Posted by Liz Dean on Mon, Mar 26, 2012 @ 09:28 AM

The entry deadline for 2012 (10th Annual) American Business Awards, the premier business awards program in the U.S.A., is this Wednesday, March 28. If you haven't already done so, you can request your entry kit here and you will receive it right away.

To make the most out of your HR awards entries, we suggest the following five tips:

The Stevie Awards1. Review the business awards categories.
There are three award categories that are specifically labeled as human resource awards:

We have several other human resources award categories including:

  • App Awards categories include Professional Education and Training
  • Live Event Awards categories include Best Internal Recognition/Motivational Event and Best Sales Meeting
  • Video Awards categories include Internal/Employee Communications, Motivational, Orientation, and Training, among others
  • Website Awards categories include Best Training Site and Best Video Site

2. Review the entry submission criteria.
Make sure your HR award entries include all required submission information.

3. Download our 10 Tips for Winning HR Awards in the 2012 Stevie® Awards tipsheet.
Our tipsheet will provide helpful tips and tools for making the most out of your entries.  

4.  Watch our video, How to Enter The 2012 American Business Awards.
Get step-by-step instruction on how to submit your 2012 entries.

5. Contact us!
We love to answer your last minute questions. Contact us at help@stevieawards.com and we'll help direct you to categories that are right for your organization.

Looking for more ways to connect with the Stevies?
Join us on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn for the latest ABA updates.

Tags: hr awards, hr award, hr department of the year, human resource awards, human resource award, business awards, app awards, live event awards, video awards, website awards, American business awards

6 Strategies for Strengthening Workforce, From HR Awards Winner

Posted by Liz Dean on Fri, Mar 23, 2012 @ 06:22 PM

Accenture Services Ltd of India won a Stevie® Award for Human Resources Department of the Year in the HR awards categories of The 2011 International Business Awards, the world's premier business awards  program. (The 2012 IBAs are now open for entries. We invite all organizations and individuals worldwide to submit entries by the April 11 early-bird deadline for discounted entry fees; you can request your entry kit here.)

Accenture LogoAccenture Services is a global management, technology services, and outsourcing company. In 2010, Accenture's human resource department implemented a new initiative- The Human Capital Strategy - to support workforce engagement and strengthen business.  The human resource award winning department focused on six strategies:

1. Recruit Talent
One major focus of the HR department was hiring talented employees. The new initiative allowed the HR department to:

  • Source 6 resumes every minute,
  • Conduct 170 interviews per hour, and
  • Offer 2 new employee orientation sessions each day.

2. Develop Leadership
As part of The Human Capital Strategy, Accenture's human resource awards winning department placed a large focus on developing the talent of its leaders. Accenture now offers tailored development programs, certification programs for new managers, and hosts business information seminars to strengthen leadership.

3. Give Back to Employees
In addition to offering educational opportunities, the team introduced personal development programs including employee recognition programs, free career counseling, and vacation balance sharing to keep employees engaged.

4. Focus on Client Needs
The Human Capital Strategy also places a strong emphasis on client needs through employee development. The HR award winner was able to:

  • Increase  market facing capacity by staffing 40% additional senior executives,
  • Provide a  sales academy to employees to increase customer satisfaction and sales,
  • Deliver technology boot-camp for targeted employees, and
  • Collaborate with leading universities/institutes to deliver higher education programs.

5. Integrate Global Offices
The Human Capital Strategy was not only adopted in the India office but globally as well. The HR strategy provides cross-business career opportunities, promotes integration across geographies, and encourages employees to take advantage of internal social media platforms as means to connect with other employees.

6. Update Processes
The HR department of the year also restructured several processes including performance excellence methodologies and the HR organization structure. In addition to these changes, Accenture was able to hire more than 200 new employees and advance more than 125 current employees.

About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services, and outsourcing company, with nearly 245,000 employees serving customers in more than 120 countries. Accenture collaborates with organizations and governments across the globe to help them become high-performance businesses through their unparalleled services, business capabilities and research methods. During the 2010-2011 fiscal year, Accenture generated net revenues of US$25.5 billion.

Tags: hr awards, hr award, hr department of the year, human resource awards, human resource award, business awards, International business awards, Accenture, Human Resource Department of the Year