CorpComms Magazine

The Spirit of O2 Awards, now in their sixth year, celebrate the stars of mobile phone group O2 UK.  James Allen, head of internal communications at O2 UK, gives his top 10 tips for organising staff awards.

1.  Agree a communication plan with key stakeholders

Map out the whole awards process from start to finish - to do this right involves a lot of people at various levels in the organisation. Plan a systematic process with linear dependencies, monitor and measure responses and be prepared to be flexible. Plan early to make sure the best venues and VIP guests are available.

2.  Think about your positioning and the theme of your awards event

If you have an ongoing reward and recognition scheme within your company, position your awards event at its heart. Think about how you might draft recipients of year-round recognition into the key event. A theme for the whole event can take your ceremony to a new level and provide plenty of scope for your communications leading up to the event, as well as informing the design of the night. Be careful not to be overly ambitious, however, and keep it tasteful.

3.  Involve the whole business

Design the process around peer-to-peer nominations - anyone can notice great attitude and achievement, not just the team manager. If it's an annual event, tie any nominations window into your cycle for annual performance reviews - your people will naturally be thinking about last year and what people have achieved, how they've behaved, teams they've been part of, and so on. This can help to flush out those stars.

4.  Involve people in the judging

Pick a judging team for each award category and set clear roles. The lead judge, for example, could be a senior manager in the business, but there should be a category expert who knows all about the subject. Judges should include a 'people representative', perhaps a member of the employee forum, and past winners.

5.  Align your awards to your company strategy

Your award communications should reinforce your strategic messages and create a strong link between goals and action. Make sure people doing great things in support of the company's goals get noticed and celebrated.

6.  Credit where it's due

Ensure every person who nominates receives a 'thank you', and everybody nominated a 'well done'.

7.  Make a fuss of all your finalists and winners

Learn from the Oscars. Invite your short-listed finalists in each category and hold back from announcing the winners until the night. Give the nominees a night to remember - they, not the celebrity presenter or executive directors, are your VIPs. Celebrate the winners back in the workplace and share their stories (why they were nominated and their thoughts on the night). Involve your winners in activities and business decisions related to their award through the year. If you've just given your 'great leaders and managers' award to a team leader in customer services, for example, make that individual your first choice in helping to design a new management training course. 

8.  Give clear instructions on the nomination process

Explain the whole process clearly and be upfront about how the nominations will work. Give a clear explanation for each category and stress why it is relevant to the business. Give clear guidance on the behaviours and actions nominees will need to have shown to be eligible for each category. Make it easy to nominate someone: provide a simple online form with short sections for nominators to complete that break down what you're looking for. Ask for specific examples to support each nomination.
 
9.  Design a robust judging process

If you get this wrong, the integrity of your awards could be called into question. Write a clear brief for the judging team and devise an easy process for it to follow throughout. Call a group meeting for all the lead judges to take them through the process. Ensure the judges understand that no results should be discussed outside of the judging room; the success of the awards evening depends on this. Organise a day to sift through and judge nominations for each judging team in one location. Be open and communicate the judging process to everyone. Confirm the members of the judging teams - but perhaps only after the event, to avoid any possible 'persuasion' tactics leading up to judging day!

10.  Ensure full attendance from your chief executive and board

The figureheads of the business - those who take the lead on your company values and inspire the workforce - should be leading the recognition and celebration, and on stage giving the awards. Your awards event should be a three-line-whip date in the diary. l

share me: del.icio.us | digg | reddit