AHRM Best Practice Award

We are excited to announce our first annual HR Best Practice Award program.

Purpose of the Award

The HR Best Practice Award is an award given to a company that displays outstanding HR practices within its organization. The purpose of the award is to recognize an organization that aligns successful HR programs and practices with the company’s business goals and objectives.

Goals

• To recognize and award excellence in those companies that are making a difference
  
  
• To showcase HR practices that HR professionals and organizations can incorporate into their companies
  
  
• To encourage HR professionals to promote best practices in their own companies
  
  
• To communicate the benefits of strategic and proactive HR
  

Nominations

Nominations for the HR Award can come from anyone for any company that has implemented an HR Best Practice. Nominators of the winning companies will receive a gift.

Who Is Eligible to Apply?

The HR Best Practice Award is for any sized company, from mom and pop to fortune 1000, in any industry in the West Michigan area counties as follows:

• Allegan
  
  
• Barry
  
  
• Kalamazoo
  
  
• Kent
  
  
• Muskegon
  
  
• Ottawa

The company must employ and support one National SHRM member on staff.

Recognition

AHRM will recognize three entrants; one in each of the following company sizes, chosen according to whom best meets the requirements of the award.

• Small – 250 employees or less
  
  
• Medium – 251 to 1,000 employees
  
  
• Large – over 1,000 employees

The CEO and HR Representative of the top three entrants in each company size category will be invited (at no charge) to the March 9 luncheon where the winners will be announced. The winner companies will receive the following:

• Prestigious AHRM HR Best Practices Award
  
  
• Interview of company for publication in the Grand Rapids Press
  
  
• Publication of the HR Best Practice in the newspaper and on AHRM website

Application Process

Applications must be submitted to the address on the application, ATTN: President, before March 15, 2005. This will be for an HR Best Practice done in 2004. The Application Form may be downloaded by clicking on the following link:

AHRM HR Best Practice Award Application

Along with the Cover Sheet, please submit a detailed description outlining the HR Best Practice and results based on the following criteria.

Criteria

A panel of judges will rate each application on the following criteria:

• Innovativeness and Use of Creativity – What is new or unique about this program and how was it originated? What are the basic components of the Best Practice?
  
  
• Recognizable, Effective and Measurable Results – How well did the Best Practice align with the company’s overall goals and objectives? What did the implementation of the Best Practice do for the company (i.e. reduce turnover)? How were results measured? What did it cost the company to implement?
  
  
• Applicability/Replicability of the Best Practice – How can this Best Practice be implemented in a company of a different size, different budget and different industry? What is the process for replicability in other organizations?
  
  
• Readability and Format – Materials should be concise, well-organized and structured, be written in a smooth and understandable manner, and have a pleasing visual presentation.

Judging

A panel of five (5) judges will select he HR Best Practices Award recipients. The panel will consist of an attorney, an AHRM past president or State Council member, a CEO, a college/university professor, and a representative from a non-profit organization.

Each judge will review and rate the applications on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being the lowest marks for the criterion and 10 being the highest on the criteria above. The winners of the HR Best Practice Award will be the applicants with the highest cumulative point total.

Sponsors

We are looking for sponsors for this annual event in each of the following areas:

• Website sponsors
  
  
• Lunch sponsors
  
  
• Program sponsors
  
  
• Newspaper ad sponsors
  
  
• Brochure sponsors

Cost for sponsoring is $500 and sponsors get the following benefits:

• Branding opportunity in the newspaper/website
  
  
• Recognition at the award event
  
  
• 1⁄2 page advertisement in the AHRM newsletter
  
  
• Booth at luncheon in April

If you are interested in sponsoring this event, please contact Randy Boss at (616) 457-1320 or rboss@ottawa-kent.com. You can also download the sponsorship application in Acrobat format as well.

Presentation

The HR Best Practice Award will be presented at the March 9, 2005 luncheon meeting that will be held at the Frederick Meijer Gardens