Got a Story to Tell? Nominate Your Company for an Apollo Award

Yesterday I attended Helios HR’s 2010 Apollo Awards nominations workshop, along with nearly 100 local area business leaders, to get some inside tips from previous winners about drafting a winning award submission. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Helios HR is an HR services provider that developed the Apollo Awards in 2007 to recognize Washington-area employers that promote employee development initiatives. SpeakerBox is proud to say that it was a finalist last year, having been recognized for its learning opportunities and cross-training offerings for employees. Having experienced much success from being named a finalist, this year SpeakerBox is teaming up with Helios HR to spread the word about the awards and encourage companies to share their best practices with the greater metropolitan area.

If you weren’t able to attend the workshop, then I must say, you missed out on some great insight. Attendees heard from a handful of 2009 winners about the ways in which they went about compiling their award submission and what, in their opinions, set them apart from their competition. Here are a few suggestions that were shared:

• Get various people within your company involved in the nomination process. Ask those who are excited and passionate about the corporate initiatives to take a stab at drafting or editing the submission – this could potentially highlight new ideas never before considered.
• Exemplify how your business is all about your people. In other words, illustrate the ways in which your company makes its employees feel like they’re a part of something meaningful, rather than just another job. Explain how your environment encourages personal well-being and overall happiness.
• Go heavy on the results language. Don’t just explain the initiatives in place, but prove in words the kind of impact they have had or are having on employees and the business itself.

While the call for nominations doesn’t open until Tuesday, January 19, I encourage interested applicants to visit Helios HR’s website today to learn more about the Apollo Awards and begin thinking about their company’s learning, training and employee development initiatives. Be sure to stay connected to Helios HR on Facebook and Twitter for updates and don’t forget to mark your calendar for Tuesday!

-Mary Evans