Human Resources Awards Blog

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

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

How HR Award Winner's "One Company" Vision Increased Employee Retention Rates

Posted by Liz Dean on Wed, Feb 15, 2012 @ 12:19 PM

Aygaz of Istanbul, Turkey, received the Stevie® Award for Human Resources Team of The Year in the HR awards categories of The 2011 International Business Awards. (Entries are now being accepted for The 2012 International Business Awards, the world's premiere business awards program. Get your entry kit here and submit entries by the April 11 early-bird deadline for discounted entry fees.) Here we look at the steps the HR Team took to pull Aygaz and its subsidiaries together under a “one company” vision.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Aygaz is the main provider of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) in Turkey, and is one of the largest LPG providers in Europe. In addition to producing and selling gas appliances, Aygaz has a subsidiary portfolio ranging from liquid petroleum gas trade to electricity generation, natural gas distribution, and maritime logistics. Led by Yagiz Eyüboglu, Aygaz's General Manager, the HR team was charged with adopting a single management policy to accommodate their numerous subsidiaries.

Integration Yagiz Eyüboglu
The human resources awards winning team at Aygaz seized the single-management policy as an opportunity to derive extra benefits through an integrated HR management within the new structure. The aim was to create synergy in HR through a shared vision and to provide benefits for all the new group’s stakeholders.

“One Company” Approach
The Aygaz Group’s HR processes were overhauled with the participation and contribution of all its subsidiaries.  The resulting “One Company” shared vision of HR processes followed five steps: 

1. Recruitment Process
The first step was improvement of the recruitment process. Interviews were integrated for similar vacant positions. This saved time for the HR team and provided candidates with information about different positions within the Aygaz Group. (The HR team also integrated their recruitment process with an internal job-posting system within the Koç Group of Companies, of which Aygaz is one.) This has allowed employees to manage their own careers, and in turn led to reduced employee turnover and increased employee motivation.

2. Training Program
Costs were significantly reduced through an integrated training program, while the average training time per employee increased. (In 2009, the average number of training hours per employee per year was 18; in 2010, this increased to 21 hours; and the current training time per employee is 25 hours.)

The HR team also designed an orientation program that provides information about all the group’s companies to more rapidly integrate new employees into the company.

3. Performance Management
The integration and “one company vision” necessitated an overhaul of the performance management system. This system now enables top management to share its objectives with all employees—and at the same time recognizing their achievements. Since 2009, all personal scorecards have been prepared in conjunction with Aygaz Group goals.

4. Compensation
Compensation management policies were also reviewed. New adjustments meant that Aygaz determined salary levels of employees by considering similar positions at other companies in the group. An “Equal Pay for Equal Work” policy was adopted.

5. Internal Mobility
Internal mobility has been actively encouraged and employees are now given the opportunity to move to other positions in the group without losing any of their rights.  A Social Activity Club was also launched to increase interactivity between Aygaz and its subsidiaries.

A Better Place to Work
By 2010 employee turnover at the Aygaz group had dropped to 2.5%, compared to the average rate of 9% in Turkey. 

The steps taken by the human resources award winning team to serve the bigger picture have resulted in Aygaz winning the Turkish Personnel Management Association’s Best Practice Award in Human Management in 2010.

About Yagiz Eyüboglu:
Yagiz Eyüboglu is the General Manager of Aygaz. Eyüboglu started his professional life as a Management Trainee at Arcelik in 1991. In 1993, he was transferred to Koç Holding Headquarters, where he worked for more than 10 years, finishing as a Financial Coordinator. Between 2004 and 2009, Eyüboglu assumed several different responsibilities within the Koç Group including CFO of Arcelik, CEO and Board Member of Beko Elektronik, and Human Resources Director of Koç Holding. Eyüboglu is a member of several boards, including the Turkish Confederation of Employer Associations and the Turkish Employers’ Association of Metal Industries. He is also the Chairman of LPG Assembly at The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey and is Vice President of the World LPG Association.

About Aygaz:
Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, Aygaz manufactures and sells LPG devices and distributes LPG as auto gas, cylinder gas, and bulk gas to customers in 81 Turkish provinces as well as exports LPG devices to 22 countries in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Listed as Turkey’s 7th largest industrial company by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, Aygaz delivers gas cylinders to over 100,000 homes, and more than one million vehicles travel with Aygaz’s auto gas product, Aygaz Euro LPG+ every day. Aygaz has more than 15,000 personnel working at its headquarters and at its facilities and dealerships around Turkey. The organization sees these employees as key to delivering its promise to consumers to provide quality products and services—and to the community to use sustainable business practices.

Tags: hr awards, human resources awards, hr award, human resources award, business awards, International business awards, stevie award, Aygaz, Yagiz Eyüboglu

10 Tips for Winning HR Awards in the 2012 Stevie Awards

Posted by Liz Dean on Wed, Nov 30, 2011 @ 05:26 PM

We've just updated our 10 Tips for Winning HR Awards in the 2012 Stevie® Awards tipsheet. Get it here.

There are several opportunities to win human resources awards for organizations including categories for individual executives, teams and departments.

Our 2012 HR tipsheet will help you to choose the categories and competitions in which you'll have the best chance of winning a 2012 Stevie® Award. The programs are:

In addition to HR categories such as Human Resources Department of the Year, Human Resources Team of the Year, and Human Resources Executive of the Year; we have expanded categories to honor HR work in competitions including best website awards, live event awards, video awards, and many others.

Download our 10 Tips for Winning HR Awards in the 2012 Stevie® Awards tipsheet and learn how you can honor your human resource executives, departments, and teams. 

After you've downloaded our tipsheet, let us know which tip you found most helpful! 

Tags: hr awards, hr award, hr department of the year, website awards

How HR Award-winner Steve Seeman Links Human Capital to Business Success

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Fri, Jan 07, 2011 @ 12:51 PM

Steve Seeman, Senior Vice President and Director of Human Resources at Makovsky + Company in New York City, was named Human Resources Executive of the Year in the human resources awards categories of The 2010 American Business Awards.

Steve Seeman2009 should have been a tough year for Makovsky + Company.  It was for many PR agencies.  Instead, 2009 was a red-letter year for Makovsky, thanks to the firm’s specialized focus, the effectiveness of its campaigns, and the stellar quality of the people who executed them. 

Steve Seeman’s job—and his passion—is to ensure the continuing quality of the human element in that equation.  In 2009, his efforts led to a number of awards, including recognition by The Holmes Report as “Best Agency to Work For” for the sixth year running.  The firm was honored again in 2010 with the Iron SABRE Award for “Best Employee Program,” in recognition of Steve’s pioneering, morale-boosting programs. In fact, the founder of the SABRE Awards sent him the following note: “Congrats. I thought you made an incredibly impressive commitment to staff in a difficult year, so the award was one of the easier picks.”
         
In addition, Steve found the time to share his expertise with the industry by serving as a member of the HR Roundtable of the Council of PR Firms and authoring PRWeek career-advice columns.  He was also seen as a go-to expert source for publications including Human Resources Executive and the New York Post.

The Power of Specialized Thinking
Thirty years ago, at a time when the rest of the PR industry was touting the benefits of generalization, Makovsky + Company was founded on the conviction that specialization was the best way to build reputation, sales, and fair valuation for clients.   Delivering on the company’s vision of the Power of Specialized Thinking™ required a certain type of professional:  analytical, entrepreneurial, and energetic, with deep knowledge of specialty areas and relevant relationships with the media.

Steve has been responsible for attracting, developing, and retaining the talent that has been the engine of Makovsky’s growth.   In 2009, he significantly expanded the firm’s use of social media for recruitment purposes and introduced eleven new professionals to its Financial Services, Technology, Health, Investor Relations, and Branding practices.  

Providing Support + Recognition
To maximize staff tenure, Steve has developed and continuously refined a comprehensive toolkit for employee success:

•  Mak University, Makovsky + Company’s own continuing-education program, with seminars, workshops, and personal coaching.  In 2009, Steve expanded the curriculum to include advanced training sessions for the firm’s “rising stars.”
•  Pathway to Growth career guide.
•   “We Achieve” program, honoring colleagues who role model the firm’s values.
•   Monthly staff meetings with guest speakers on business, financial, political, and cultural topics. 
•   The internal MAK Awards, where outside judges select the best campaigns of the year.
•   The Young Leadership Award for junior staff, based on best original thinking for clients.
•   The Hot Award, given quarterly for performance “above and beyond the call of duty.”
•   Mak News, the company’s quarterly employee newsletter.
•   A suite of work/life balance initiatives, including flexible scheduling, telecommuting, and the company’s own Lifestyle Committee.
•   An intern program, open to college students and recent graduates. 

Linking Human Capital + Business Success
There is a clear cause-and-effect relationship between loyal employees and a
loyal customer base.  Research has shown that companies that manage people
well outperform companies that don’t by as much as 40%. 

Makovsky + Company believes its superb staff retention rate of 90% has contributed directly to its industry-leading client retention rate (80%).  In 2010, more than 90% of its clients rated Makovsky “good” to “exceptional” in six important metrics:  overall performance, value for money, responsiveness to client needs, rapport, creativity, follow-through, and strategic thinking.

Recognition + Respect
Steve’s energetic and focused management of the HR function in 2009 contributed to both individual and firm-wide successes, including 12 prestigious industry awards.

At Makovsky, the greatest concern has never been how to engage audiences, but how to win their hearts and minds.  Steve not only understands the importance of building enthusiasm and trust … he embodies it. 

About Steve Seeman
Under the leadership of SVP Steve Seeman, the firm’s HR Director, Makovsky + Company has achieved one of the industry’s highest employee longevity rates—80% in 2009—and has been voted “Best Agency to Work For” year after year by The Holmes Report. A key member of Makovsky’s management team for 10 years, Steve focuses on recruitment and retention, employee relations, professional development, and performance management.  He serves on the HR Roundtable of the Council of PR Firms and frequently authors PRWeek career-advice columns.

Formerly with Alan Taylor Communications, Chandler Chicco, and Fleishman Hillard, Steve is a summa cum laude graduate of City University of New York-Brooklyn College.

About Makovsky + Company
Founded in 1979, Makovsky + Company is one of the nation’s largest independent global public relations, investor relations, and branding consultancies, specializing in integrated communications programs for the financial, professional services, health, technology, and business services sectors. Based in New York City, the firm has agency partners in more than 25 countries and in 35 U.S. cities through IPREX (IPREX.com), a worldwide public relations agency partnership of which Makovsky is a founder. For more information go to www.makovsky.com.

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Tags: hr awards, human resources awards, hr award, human resources award, steve seeman, makovsky