As wellness integrating into both work and in life becomes the norm in our lives, there is more importance placed on making sure employers are given the tools to improve their offerings to workers.

The Humankind Employee Experience Awards, now in its second year, is one of New Zealand’s best offerings for workplaces to prove they offer a great experience and have a healthy culture.

Believing a survey and submission process is simply not enough to get full insights into a company, CEO of Humankind Samantha Gadd says the award process focuses on in-person interviews with employees, giving true and reliable insights into the working of a company.

“The truly insightful responses come from our one on one interviews,” Gadd says. “This gives us real life stories and anecdotes. People tell us directly in a much deeper way than what they’d ever put on a survey. The interviews and survey results combined form an amazing opportunity to learn from.”

The robust process and results provided by Humankind gives both recognition to commendable companies and provides learning potential for businesses looking to do better for their workers, learning more and faster through hearing real life voices and opinions.

“By shinning a light on those organisations who are doing really well, we are hoping to inspire others to also focus on where they can improve… And when organisations can learn about their employee experience they’re also able to understand where it is they can make an impact or how to improve things,” Gadd says.

Wellness is an increasingly important aspect for the future of the workplace, as culture of work becomes closely mixed with our personal lives. This gives more control to potential employees, who are taking control by looking at the culture of a workplace above all other aspects. As Gadd says, the awards are a great opportunity for employers to show off their values towards creating a great working environment, and therefore attract great talent into the business.

“These companies are important to recognise because in such a tight talent market, its going to help employees choose where to work. It means these places have something to shout about, something that they can be proud of; as well as use it to attract talent into the organization,” Gadd says.

“Employee wellness is becoming such an important part of the working experience. If employers aren’t concerned about their employees’ personal wellbeing, then they’re not going to go far, quite frankly.

“Most employees want to be personally understood, not just professionally understood. Physical and mental wellbeing are a huge part of that, so making sure your employee experience enables them to be healthy and well at work in a positive working environment is critical.”

Gadd says the awards are a chance for organisations to share their stories, and in doing so, also create a deeper learning experience that will benefit both sides.

“It’s not just an employer talking about how great they are, the programme is about actually listening to their employees telling them their lived experiences, which is a totally different form of assessment. This is essentially a chance for employers to understand their organisations from their employee’s perspective.”

The Humankind team

The Humankind Employee Experience Awards provide a balanced view, and in doing so, places importance on listening and communicating with both employers and employees.

“The reason we started the programme was to enable organisations across New Zealand to really listen to their people and therefore learn about applying an employee centred design mindset to their own workplaces,” Gadd says. “It’s a great chance to move the dial on employee experience in NZ, by making sure these organisations are hearing their workers’ voices.”

To get the most out of the interview process and gain deep learning about your company, and the current experience of your people register early now. Registration closes August 30, with the awards night being held in November.

For further information, head to the Humankind Employee Experience Awards website.

Details

What? The Humankind Employee Experience Awards.
How? Register here to start the process.
When? Before August 30, with the event being held in November.
Why? To get great profile for your employer brand and gain deep understanding of the current experience, from your employees’ perspective.