The Excellence in Action Award recognizes organizations of all sizes and industries that prioritize employee feedback to foster inclusive, thriving workplaces. This award celebrates companies committed to enhancing employee engagement and productivity through employee feedback.

Submitting your applications for the Excellence in Action Awards by October 17th is crucial to ensure recognition for your organization’s achievements in amplifying employee voices. The award spotlights companies that prioritize employee feedback, fostering engagement and productivity. Timely submission allows your organization to be considered for 2025 announcements, with winners celebrated at the prestigious HCM Excellence Conference Gala in 2026, amongst other benefits listed below. This deadline ensures your application is part of the year’s recognition cycle, offering a chance to benchmark your efforts against other top organizations.

This awards program is essential for organizations looking to foster a people-centric culture. By participating, you’ll gain recognition and insights that can drive long-term success. It’s a must-do for companies aspiring to lead in employee engagement, talent management, and organizational performance.

Taking action by the October 17th deadline ensures you take advantage of these invaluable opportunities for growth, recognition, and continuous improvement opportunities.

Why should I participate?

The Excellence in Action Awards Program honors organizations that prioritize the voices of their employees.  This award recognizes organizations of all sizes and industries that are committed to enhancing employee engagement, fostering a people-centric culture and enhancing productivity through employee feedback.

Winners receive:

• Digital Badge and Certificate
• PR Guide
• Judges’ Feedback
• Possible Invitation to participate in an Excellence at Work Podcast
• Recognition at the HCM Excellence Conference

Submitting your application for Brandon Hall Group’s Excellence in Action Awards by the December 6th deadline offers tangible benefits for you and your organization. Here’s an expanded look at these key advantages:

• Feedback on Areas of Opportunity: One of the most valuable aspects of participating in the Excellence in Action Awards is the feedback provided. This feedback highlights areas where your organization excels and areas that offer room for improvement. This feedback can be transformative for learning, talent, and HR leaders. It provides insights into where your organization is doing well and performing at an outstanding level. The feedback also pinpoints areas where changes can lead to greater engagement, improved retention, and enhanced company performance.

• Recognition of Achievement: The awards provide a platform to highlight your organization’s efforts to foster employee engagement through employee voice initiatives that raise the company’s profile.

• Benchmarking Against Industry Leaders: Participating in the awards allows your organization to be evaluated alongside top-performing companies, offering a clear benchmark for success.

• Networking and Exposure: Winners are celebrated at the prestigious HCM Excellence Conference Gala, enhancing exposure within your industry.

• Boosting Employee Morale: Recognition at this level validates the work your teams have put into creating a strong employee engagement culture, motivating continued excellence.

• Valuable Feedback: Even if you don’t win, applying allows you to receive useful insights on your initiatives from top industry experts, helping you refine your strategies.

• Badge: Recognition through an Excellence in Action Award grants your organization a digital badge. This emblem symbolizes excellence that can be proudly displayed on your website, social media, and marketing materials. It shows the world that your organization is at the forefront of fostering employee engagement by actively including employee voices. This boosts your company’s reputation and sets you apart from your competitors as a thought leader in human capital management.

• PR Guide: Winning organizations will receive a PR guide. This resource is designed to help you maximize the publicity of your win. From press releases to social media strategies, the guide will assist your organization in leveraging your award for media coverage, marketing initiatives, and public recognition. This type of exposure helps build brand awareness, attracting potential clients, top talent, and even future partnerships.

• Certificate: The award comes with a physical certificate that can be prominently displayed at your workplace. This provides internal recognition for your team and creates a positive atmosphere that acknowledges your employees’ collective efforts. A certificate is a constant reminder of your organization’s commitment to listening to and acting on employee feedback, motivating your workforce to continue striving for excellence.

• Podcast Opportunity: A Brandon Hall Group podcast often features Winning companies. This is an excellent opportunity to share your organization’s story, best practices, and strategies for success in employee engagement. It serves as a platform for thought leadership, allowing you to reach a wider audience and cement your organization’s reputation as an innovator in human capital management.

• Recognition at Conference: Winners are celebrated at the prestigious HCM Excellence Conference Gala. This global event is attended by industry leaders and professionals, allowing your organization to be recognized in front of a network of peers. This recognition elevates your brand within the HR and learning and development sectors while also creating networking opportunities that could lead to collaborations and growth.
  These benefits position your organization to gain industry-wide recognition, support internal motivation, and improve your employee engagement practices for the future.

How does it work?

1. Payment:  To initiate the award journey, organizations pay a nominal fee of $575.  Payment can be made via credit card in the Awards Submission Portal.
2. Let’s Get Started:

2. 1. To get started, register and log in to our Awards Submissions Portal for the Excellence Awards Program at [link to be provided].
   2. Download the Submission Form for the category or categories in which you will be participating and complete the same
   3. Complete the Online Application in the Awards Submission portal and upload your completed Submission Form
   4. Upload your testimonial video in the Video / URL section of the online application
   5. Make payment

3. Employee Participation and Testimonial Video.  Encourage your employees to participate in the application process.  Make them a “star” of your testimonial video gathering their feedback and impact statements on how your organization’s innovation and ideas have enriched their employee experience, aligned with business objectives and fostered a people-centric culture!  Videos should be 3-5 minutes in length, include diverse perspectives, and highlight specific examples of successful programs, processes and/or projects.

• Employee Engagement
• Promotion and Succession
• Career Development
• Employer Brand
• Company Culture
• Technology Environment
• Leadership
• DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion)
• CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility)
• Talent Mobility
• Attracting Top Talent
• Change Ready
• Hybrid Work
• Wellness
• Feedback and Recognition
• Organizational Teamwork & Collaboration
• Innovation and Creativity
• Learning and Development