By Quinne Davey

Awards are not just about the shiny prize at the end.  Nomination for professional recognition has benefits for you, your organization, your peers and the team you work with. Here are the top reasons why BC HRMA’s Professional Awards are worth more than an engraved plaque.

Keeping Up Morale
Let’s face it—these past few years haven’t been great. People and companies have had to use their creativity and outside of the box thinking to keep themselves alive. If you have been able to weather the storm and are thriving, recognize it and celebrate it. Past nominators and nominees have all agreed that above everything else, the award process has allowed them to stop, reflect and collectively celebrate their achievements. It doesn’t hurt to keep up employee morale as well.

Intrinsic Inspiration
Something that keeps coming up in business literature lately is the notion that people aren’t inspired or motivated by ‘things’. They are motivated by being recognized for what they have done.  In a recent article in the HRVoice.org, It’s Kudos Not Cash: How Non-Monetary Social Recognition Delivers More for Less,  author Steven Green says that “monetary incentives don’t buy workplace happiness”.   Daniel Pink, author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, agrees and says that “Carrots do not work as a motivator. Instead, it is intrinsic motivation – such as recognition – that gets results.”  By taking the time to nominate someone you are acknowledging their work and dedication and saying ‘thanks for such a great job’.  That is much better than a gift certificate and doesn’t cost anything more than your time.

Priceless Marketing and PR
Especially for small businesses with limited or no-existent marketing budgets, making a nomination can be a fantastic way to get some free PR.  As a finalist, you are promoted not only to other BC HRMA members and affiliates, but also to the broader business community. Through print ads, email campaigns and social media forums, being selected as a finalist and/or award recipient will definitely have a positive impact when it comes to free marketing and PR.

Building your Business Credibility
Standing out from the crowd can be difficult, but finalists and award recipients of the BC HRMA Professional Awards are able to build their credibility throughout the industry with the promotion of their achievement. It looks great on a resume, and many of the finalists and winners have taken advantage of the increased spotlight to help them take the next step in their career.

Keeping up with the Jones
In the business world, this saying is probably more important than ever before. Being able to benchmark your company’s practices is a priceless way to take note and then decide if you want to keep the status quo or get ahead of the pack. It also is a great way to keep a fresh perspective on the big picture and whether you or your organization needs to change your focus.

The Party!
We couldn’t ignore the fact that coming together as a team or community and celebrating the nominees and award recipients wasn’t a heck of a lot of fun. When else can you and your team get together with some wonderful food, entertainment and well, celebrate? Bringing your clients/investors to the party is also a great way to celebrate your achievement.

Taking the Next Step
Now, it is even easier to nominate a colleague or peer or your team for one of BC HRMA’s Professional Awards.  A shortened nomination form has been designed so supplemental material is not required unless a nominee is selected as a finalist.

No more excuses! Make a nomination today. Preliminary Nomination Deadline is December 2, 2011 5:00pm PST. Award information and nomination forms can be found online at www.bchrma.org/awards.  www.bchrma.org/awards .

Quinne Davey, business development project manager for BC HRMA, coordinates the association’s Professional Awards. She can be reached at qdavey@bchrma.org.