There are many factors that impact on attracting and retaining talent, but one that is often overlooked is trust.
Candidates want to know whether an organisation is stable and a good place to work. Is it serious about its people?
Employees want to know whether their work is noticed and whether the promises made in values statements and wellbeing policies are being taken seriously. Salary, flexibility and career progression all matter, but they are no longer enough on their own.
HR and People Directors work hard to create a positive culture, but their success can often go unnoticed. Recognition helps make the invisible work of HR, People and Culture teams visible.
A credible award win, shortlist or external accreditation tells candidates and employees that an independent party has reviewed the evidence and found something worth recognising. For people teams, that might include workplace wellbeing awards, employee engagement awards, community impact awards or employee experience awards.
Awards such as the UK Employee Experience Awards, Investors in People Awards, Great British Workplace Wellbeing Awards, The Learning Awards and Employee Benefits Awards all give HR and People leaders a way to demonstrate that their work is not just well-intentioned, but evidence-led and independently assessed.
Recognition matters more than many leaders realise
There is a strong data case for recognition. Our white paper, ‘The Real Value of Business Awards’, reports that Sapio Research found 55% of employees at award-winning businesses believed staff morale had increased since their awards wins, while 32% said staff retention had improved. The paper also notes that 91% of businesses report recruitment as one of their biggest issues.
Gallup research also found that employees who receive high-quality recognition are 45% less likely to have left their organisation after two years. For HR leaders trying to reduce attrition, strengthen culture and protect recruitment budgets, recognition is not a soft metric. It has a measurable link to people staying.
This is where awards become more than external PR. They create a public moment of appreciation. They give teams something to celebrate. They turn a people programme from an internal initiative into a recognised achievement.
Candidates look for proof, not promises
A careers page can say the organisation cares about its people. So can a recruitment advert, a set of values or a LinkedIn post from the leadership team. But this is not enough. Candidates are very likely to look beyond those claims.
They read reviews. They check social media. They look at how current employees talk about the organisation. They notice whether the business has been recognised by credible third parties.
A workplace wellbeing award, employee experience award or Investors in People accreditation gives recruiters and hiring managers something stronger to point to. It helps answer the question candidates are thinking: is this genuinely a good place to work?
For organisations competing against bigger brands, this can be particularly valuable. A smaller or less visible business may have excellent culture, but still struggle to attract good candidates. Awards recognition helps show they are a great place to work no matter what the business size.
For larger organisations, awards can help humanise the employer brand. A national company may already be known, but not necessarily known for how it treats its people. Recognition for wellbeing, inclusion, learning or employee engagement can shift that perception.
Pick the award that supports your people strategy
If you are looking for awards to help recruitment, it is important to know who you want to attract.
For instance, a business trying to attract early-career talent may benefit from awards for apprenticeships, graduate development, learning or social mobility.
The strongest awards strategies start with the objective, not the deadline. If the priority is recruitment, choose awards that strengthen the employer brand. If the priority is retention, look for categories that recognise culture, wellbeing, progression and employee voice.
Why recognition builds trust
Candidates may never see the evidence behind an award entry, but they do see the result: the shortlist announcement, the win, the judge’s comments, the badge, the employer brand campaign and the way employees talk about it afterwards.
That visibility matters. People look for signs that an employer is credible and serious about its culture. A recognised workplace gives candidates a reason to believe the claims being made on careers pages, job adverts and LinkedIn posts.
For HR and People Directors, the evidence still matters behind the scenes. Engagement results, retention data, wellbeing participation, employee feedback and training outcomes help prove to judges (and to senior leaders) that people initiatives are making a measurable difference.
The award then turns that internal proof into external trust. It gives recruiters, managers and employees a stronger story to share, and it gives candidates a clearer reason to take the organisation seriously.
The power of awards
Recognition can do something a job advert cannot. It can show that the promises made to employees have been tested and approved by external judges.
For HR and People Directors, the right awards can turn your culture work into visible proof of progress. Whether the focus is wellbeing, employee experience, learning, inclusion or retention, independent recognition gives teams a reason to feel proud and candidates a reason to look closer.
If your organisation is working hard for your people, customers or community, August Recognition can help identify which awards will strengthen your standing with your current – and future – employees.
