As HR takes on a larger business role, are organisations recognising the teams driving that change?

HR's role has undergone a significant shift. No longer confined to recruitment, employee administration and workplace policies, HR functions are increasingly central to business strategy, organisational capability and workforce transformation. From building future-ready talent to strengthening employee experience, the impact of HR teams is now closely linked to how organisations perform and evolve.

The Economic Times HR Excellence Awards 2027 aim to bring these contributions into focus, providing a platform to recognise the teams shaping the future of work. Through its Team Excellence track, the awards spotlight in-house HR teams across six categories, acknowledging the work being done to strengthen talent strategies, improve workplace experiences and drive organisational performance.

Also Read More: ET HR Excellence Awards 2027: Exploring 40+ categories across Organisation and Team Excellence, and Leadership Honours


Six Areas Where HR Teams Are Shaping Organisational Performance

The categories reflect the expanding scope of HR and the different functions contributing to organisational effectiveness.

The Talent Acquisition Team of the Year category recognises teams that have strengthened recruitment strategies, improved hiring outcomes and built effective talent pipelines. As competition for skilled professionals intensifies, the ability to attract and secure the right talent remains a critical business priority.

The Learning & Capability Team of the Year recognises teams investing in employee development, capability building and future-ready skills. Meanwhile, the HR Operations & Analytics Team of the Year acknowledges the importance of efficient HR processes, shared services and data-led workforce decisions.

Employee experience has also emerged as a key organisational priority. The Employee Experience Team of the Year recognises initiatives that build engaging workplace cultures and improve employee journeys. Similarly, the HR Business Partner Team of the Year highlights teams translating people strategies into measurable business outcomes.

The HR Team of the Year category takes a broader view, recognising in-house HR teams demonstrating excellence across the employee lifecycle and contributing to both people and business performance.

An Opportunity to Put HR Impact on the Record

For organisations, these categories offer an opportunity to bring their HR initiatives, achievements and measurable outcomes into a larger industry conversation.

Whether a team has transformed talent acquisition, introduced impactful learning programmes, improved operational efficiency or strengthened employee engagement, its work can be considered for the relevant category.

Organisations with initiatives and results to showcase should identify the category that best reflects their team's contribution and take the nomination process forward.

Nominations for the Economic Times HR Excellence Awards 2027 are open. Explore the six Team Excellence categories and submit your nomination to put your team's work in the spotlight.

Explore Categories & Nominate Now