Welcome to the
North American
Inspiring Workplaces Awards.

Question we ask:
What is the purpose of your organization and how does it feed into your culture?

Why are we asking?
People are driven by a purpose and want to be fulfilled. This is more apparent post-pandemic than ever before.

To understand what the purpose, goals and strategy of your organization are and how your people demonstrate this is imperative.

What judges are looking for?
Clear communication of purpose and how it is lived and breathed within the organization to the positive impact on the business and people. Evidence of how your organizational purpose is intertwined with everything you do across every level.

Score: Will be marked out of 12
Word limit for this section: A maximum of 400 words

Question we ask:
How does your leadership inspire its people to achieve success?

Why are we asking?
Inspirational leadership is the key to high performance. Value driven, authentic and honest leadership will unlock talent and create an inspiring culture throughout the organization.

What judges are looking for?
Examples of inspiring leadership and the impact this has on both people and business success. A clear focus on continuous development of your leaders.

Score: Will be marked out of 12
Word limit for this section: A maximum of 400 words

Question we ask:
How do you protect your peoples’ wellbeing day-in-day-out?

Why we are asking?
The overall wellbeing of your people is paramount to individual and organizational performance. In our eyes, wellbeing encompasses the mental, financial and the physical aspects. It shows you care for the person that works for you. They’re not just a number

What the judges are looking for? (these are examples of and not direct requests)
Evidence that your wellbeing strategy positively impacts your people – from health to performance. Initiatives, statistics and stories of how your focus on wellbeing has delivered individual and company happiness and performance.

Communicating measurable outcomes will improve your score.

Score: Will be marked out of 12
Word limit for this section: A maximum of 400 words

Question we ask:
How do you continue to create an inclusive culture?

Why we are asking?
An inspiring workplace requires a truly inclusive culture; where people can bring their true selves to work in a psychologically safe environment and perform at their best.

What the judges are looking for? (these are examples of and not direct requests)
An understanding of your Diversity, Equality and Inclusion strategies. Evidence of the impact your efforts have made on individuals and the organization. Your goals and achievements in creating an inclusive workplace.

Communicating measurable outcomes will improve your score.

Score: Will be marked out of 12
Word limit for this section: A maximum of 400 words

Question we ask:
How do you listen and communicate effectively with your people?

Why we are asking?
Effective two-way communication is essential in every part of our lives. Getting it right in the workplace increases trust, improves morale and enhances performance at every level. It also creates brand advocates for your organization externally too.

What the judges are looking for? (these are examples of and not direct requests)
Methods of how you communicate with your people, listen to their opinions, act upon their ideas and the impact this has on individual and organizational success.

Communicating measurable outcomes will improve your score.

Score: Will be marked out of 12
Word limit for this section: A maximum of 400 words

Question we ask:
How do you create an employee experience that your people feel like they belong to?

Why we are asking?
It’s more important than ever to focus on the EX. To empower your people to do their best work, think creatively and be adaptable.

Empowering others and ensuring everyone has a voice is critical to success.

What the judges are looking for? (these are examples of and not direct requests)
Examples of agility, flexibility, decision making and resourcefulness with your people and the impact this has on them and the wider business.

Real world examples could be: remote working, tools you have given them to do their job, new work policies that provide autonomy. The development of management and leadership skills with a focus on empowerment of others.

Communicating measurable outcomes will improve your score.

Score: Will be marked out of 12
Word limit for this section: A maximum of 400 words

Question we ask:
What are the measurable outcomes from this overall people strategy?

Why we are asking?
Having completed the other questions and communicating the impact of each this is your chance to bring it all together and show demonstrably the benefit to the organisation and the people within it.

What the judges are looking for? (these are examples of and not direct requests)
It is vital for the judges to see clear proof of your hard work, whether it be changes to certain metrics such as churn, sick days, engagement scores, accolades won, the increase in phycological safety etc..

We want to see how you have measured up against your own metrics of success.

Score: Will be marked out of 20
Word limit for this section: A maximum of 400 words

Question we ask:
What’s next for the organization?

Why we are asking?
A peoplefirst strategy never stands still. It is continuously evolving every time you receive feedback, every time external forces dictate, every time you have senior personnel changes etc.

What the judges are looking for? (these are examples of and not direct requests)
So we would love to know your ambitions for the rest of 2024 and beyond. What you hope to achieve and how you plan to continue to put your people at the heart of your organisation.

Score: Will be marked out of 08
Word limit for this section: A maximum of 400 words

This category applies to all organisations from 0 – 49 employee

As budgets and challenges vary wildly based upon the type/size of organisation,  we will also announce the Top 5 per category.  So you could win multiple awards from just the one submission.

This category applies to all organisations from 50 – 499 employees

As budgets and challenges vary wildly based upon the type/size of organisation,  we will also announce the Top 5 per category.  So you could win multiple awards from just the one submission.

This category applies to all organisations from 500 – 4999 employees

As budgets and challenges vary wildly based upon the type/size of organisation,  we will also announce the Top 5 per category.  So you could win multiple awards from just the one submission.

This category applies to all organisations from 5000+ employees

As budgets and challenges vary wildly based upon the type/size of organisation,  we will also announce the Top 5 per category.  So you could win multiple awards from just the one submission.

This category applies to all businesses listed as government or public sector organisations.

As budgets and challenges vary wildly based upon the type/size of organisation,  we will also announce the Top 5 per category.  So you could win multiple awards from just the one submission.

This category applies to all businesses listed as non-profit or charity organisations.

As budgets and challenges vary wildly based upon the type/size of organisation,  we will also announce the Top 5 per category.  So you could win multiple awards from just the one submission.