Is your HR strategy creating measurable impact? This could be the time to get it recognised

HR has moved far beyond hiring, payroll and employee administration. Today, the function sits at the centre of how organisations attract and retain talent, build capabilities, shape workplace culture, improve employee experience and prepare for the future of work.

If your organisation has transformed the way people work, your HR team has delivered measurable results, or you have led a people strategy that has changed the organisation for the better, the Economic Times HR Excellence Awards 2027 offer an opportunity to put that impact in the spotlight.

The ETHR Excellence Awards 2027 recognises organisations, HR teams, HR solution providers, and individual leaders that are creating meaningful change through people practices and measurable outcomes. With 42 categories across three tracks: Organisation Excellence, Team Excellence and Leadership Honours, the awards offer multiple ways to put your HR achievements forward.


Also Read More: The Economic Times HR Excellence Awards 2027: Recognising the people strategies shaping tomorrow’s workplace

What are the ET HR Excellence Awards recognising?

The awards are built around a simple idea: HR impact should be visible, measurable and worth recognising.

That impact could come from transforming HR systems, building a stronger talent pipeline, improving employee engagement, creating a more inclusive workplace, developing future-ready skills, improving employee wellbeing, strengthening employer brand or connecting people strategy directly with business performance.

The awards therefore look beyond simply having an HR initiative in place. The focus is on what was done, how it was implemented and what changed as a result.

Whether it is an organisation-wide transformation, a high-performing HR team or an individual leader driving change, the awards provide a platform to bring that contribution forward.

Excellence awards, 42 categories and three ways to put your HR impact forward.

The awards are divided into three tracks, each designed to recognise a different level of HR contribution.

1. Organisation Excellence - 30 categories

The Organisation Excellence track is for organisations and HR ecosystems that have transformed the way people, talent and workplaces are managed. The categories cover almost every major area of the modern HR function.

HR transformation & technology

• HR Transformation of the Year: Recognises organisations that have transformed their HR function, processes or people strategy to create measurable organisational impact.
• HR Technology Provider of the Year: Recognises HR technology companies whose solutions have delivered measurable value to client organisations.
• Excellence in HR Systems Modernisation: Recognises organisations that have modernised HR systems and processes to improve efficiency and integration.
• Excellence in HR Service Delivery & Employee Support: Focuses on initiatives that improve the quality, accessibility and effectiveness of HR services for employees.
• Excellence in Payroll, Compliance & Workforce Governance: Recognises practices that strengthen payroll accuracy, compliance and workforce governance.
• Next-Gen HR Technology Deployment of the Year: Recognises organisations using emerging HR technologies to address workforce challenges and improve HR outcomes.

Talent acquisition, workforce planning & development

• Excellence in Talent Acquisition: Recognises innovative recruitment strategies that help organisations attract, select and onboard the right talent.
• Excellence in Workforce Planning & People Analytics: Focuses on data-led workforce planning, people insights and informed talent decisions.
• Excellence in Learning & Capability Building: Recognises learning programmes that develop employee skills and prepare the workforce for future requirements.
• Excellence in Internal Mobility & Talent Pipeline: Focuses on identifying, developing and moving internal talent into new roles and career opportunities.
• Excellence in Early Careers & Campus Talent: Recognises programmes designed to attract, develop and retain early-career and campus talent.

Employee experience, culture & wellbeing

• Excellence in Employee Engagement & Culture: Recognises initiatives that strengthen employee engagement, workplace culture and organisational connection.
• Excellence in Employee Wellbeing & Mental Health: Focuses on programmes that support employee wellbeing and create healthier workplaces.
• Excellence in Inclusion, Equity & Belonging: Recognises initiatives that promote inclusion, representation, equity and a sense of belonging.
• Excellence in Total Rewards & Recognition: Focuses on reward, benefits and recognition strategies that improve employee motivation and retention.
• Excellence in Workplace & Frontline Experience: Recognises initiatives that improve the workplace experience and employee journey, particularly for frontline workforces.

Business impact & employer proposition

• HR–Business Impact of the Year: Recognises HR initiatives that have contributed directly to measurable business outcomes.
• Employer of the Year: Recognises organisations that have built a strong overall employee proposition and workplace experience.
• Employer Brand of the Year: Focuses on organisations that have developed a distinctive employer brand to attract and engage talent.
• Excellence in Performance & Feedback Culture: Recognises organisations that have developed effective performance management and continuous feedback practices.
• Excellence in Leadership Development & Coaching: Focuses on programmes that strengthen leadership capabilities and prepare current and future leaders.
• Excellence in Talent Retention Strategy: Recognises strategies that have helped organisations retain critical talent and improve workforce stability.

HR ecosystem & specialised workforce practices

• Excellence in Global & Cross-Border Workforce Management: Recognises effective approaches to managing international workforces and employee practices across geographies.
• Talent & Staffing Partner of the Year: Recognises staffing and talent partners delivering effective recruitment and workforce solutions.
• Employee Benefits & Wellbeing Partner of the Year: Focuses on partners helping organisations strengthen employee benefits and wellbeing.
• Emerging HR-Tech Company of the Year: Recognises emerging HR technology companies developing innovative solutions for evolving workforce challenges.
• GCC People & Culture Excellence of the Year: Recognises Global Capability Centres that have built strong people practices, workplace cultures and workforce strategies.
• Excellence in Volume & Flexible Workforce Hiring: Focuses on innovative approaches to large-scale, flexible and contingent workforce hiring.
• Excellence in Employee Relations & Workplace Integrity: Recognises practices that strengthen employee relations, workplace trust, fairness and organisational integrity.
• Excellence in Responsible & Purpose-Driven HR: Focuses on HR strategies that connect people practices with organisational purpose and responsible business values.

Together, these categories cover the complete HR journey from technology and talent acquisition to learning, culture, employee experience, wellbeing, employer branding, workforce management, and business impact.

Also read more: The Talent Acquisition Challenge: Why hiring the right people is a business priority

2. Team Excellence - 6 categories

Not every HR achievement belongs to the organisation as a whole. Sometimes, the real story is the team behind the transformation.

The Team Excellence track recognises the people executing HR strategy and delivering results on the ground.

• Talent Acquisition Team of the Year: Recognises recruitment teams that have built effective talent acquisition strategies and delivered strong hiring outcomes.
• Learning & Capability Team of the Year: Focuses on teams that have created impactful learning, upskilling and capability-building programmes.
• HR Operations & Analytics Team of the Year: Recognises teams that use efficient HR operations, systems and people analytics to improve decision-making and employee support.
• Employee Experience Team of the Year: Recognises teams that have transformed the employee journey and created better workplace experiences.
• HR Business Partner Team of the Year: Focuses on HRBP teams that have aligned people strategy with business priorities and helped solve organisational challenges.
• HR Team of the Year: Recognises overall HR team performance, collaboration, execution and measurable organisational impact.

Nominate now!

3. Leadership Honours - 6 categories

HR transformation also needs leaders who can turn people's priorities into organisational progress.

The Leadership Honours track recognises individuals who have shaped people strategy, developed talent and influenced the future of work.

• People Leader of the Year: Recognises a leader who has shaped HR strategy and delivered meaningful workforce and organisational impact.
• People-First CEO of the Year: Recognises CEOs who have made people, culture and employee experience an important part of their business leadership.
• Woman HR Leader of the Year: Recognises a woman HR leader who has demonstrated significant leadership, innovation and impact within the people function.
• Learning & Development Officer of the Year: Recognises leaders driving impactful learning and development initiatives.
• Talent Acquisition Leader of the Year: Focuses on leaders who have transformed recruitment and delivered strategic hiring outcomes.
• Learning & Capability Leader of the Year: Recognises leaders who have built workforce capabilities and prepared employees and organisations for future needs.

Who is eligible to participate?

The awards extend across different organisation sizes, business formats and roles within the HR ecosystem. The opportunity is not limited to large corporations or senior HR leaders.

Potential participants include:

• Startups and emerging businesses: Organisations that have introduced impactful people practices and built strong workplace foundations.
• Large enterprises and corporates: Businesses that have implemented HR transformation, workforce strategies and employee-focused initiatives.
• Global Capability Centres (GCCs): Centres that have developed strong people practices, talent strategies and workplace cultures.
• Public-sector organisations: Organisations implementing effective workforce and employee management initiatives.
• HR technology companies: Providers offering technology-led solutions that address HR and workforce challenges.
• HR solution and staffing providers: Partners delivering measurable value through talent, benefits and workforce solutions.
• In-house HR teams: Teams driving results across recruitment, learning, HR operations, employee experience and business partnering.
• Individual HR and business leaders: Professionals who have influenced people strategy, organisational culture and workforce transformation.

The most relevant category will depend on the nature of the achievement and the specific eligibility requirements published for that category.

What can recognition mean for your organisation?

For an HR function, recognition is an opportunity to bring visibility to work that often happens behind the scenes. The benefits can extend across organisations, teams and individual leaders.

• Build industry credibility: Put your organisation's people practices and HR achievements alongside initiatives setting benchmarks in the industry.
• Strengthen your employer brand: Showcase your commitment to building a stronger workplace through talent practices, employee experience, culture and inclusion.
• Highlight measurable business impact: Demonstrate how HR initiatives have contributed to organisational performance and workforce outcomes.
• Recognise your HR team: Give visibility to the people driving recruitment, learning, employee experience, HR operations and business partnering.
• Elevate individual leadership: Put forward the vision, contribution and measurable impact of leaders shaping people strategy.
• Gain wider industry visibility: Create an opportunity to bring your HR achievements to the attention of a wider business and HR audience through The Economic Times platform.

For HR solution providers, the awards also offer an opportunity to demonstrate how their technology, services and solutions have helped organisations address real workforce challenges.

Most importantly, the awards create a way to put HR impact into a larger business conversation, showing that people's strategy is not separate from business performance, but increasingly connected to it.

Is your HR work ready to be recognised?

The ET HR Excellence Awards 2027 is designed to recognise the people, teams and organisations behind the workplace changes shaping businesses today.

Your organisation may have:

• Transformed its HR technology or systems.
• Improved talent acquisition, workforce planning or employee retention.
• Built impactful learning and capability programmes.
• Created a measurable employee experience transformation.
• Strengthened workplace culture, engagement or inclusion.
• Introduced meaningful employee wellbeing initiatives.
• Developed a stronger employer brand.
• Improved HR operations through technology and analytics.
• Build future-ready workforce capabilities.
• Connected people strategy with measurable business outcomes.

Your HR team may have delivered exceptional results through recruitment, learning, employee experience, HR operations or business partnering. Your leadership may have driven a people strategy that changed the way the organisation works.

These achievements deserve to be brought into the spotlight.

With 42 categories across Organisation Excellence, Team Excellence and Leadership Honours, the ET HR Excellence Awards 2027 offers an opportunity to recognise HR impact at every level the organisation that transformed, the team that delivered it and the leader who drove it.

Nominate now!