Tauranga Chamber of Commerce is encouraging Bay of Plenty residents to nominate a deserving business for its inaugural People and Culture Award in the Westpac Tauranga Business Awards 2020.

Sponsored by Lysaght Consultants and The Culture Co, the award wants to recognise those businesses that have gone above and beyond to create a positive workplace culture – one that encourages employees to have their say, helps them develop and grow, and acknowledges and champions their diversity.

It will also be a chance to recognise those businesses that have come through challenging times due to COVID-19, and have supported their team's mental and physical wellbeing.

Business Awards Event Organiser Anne Pankhurst says the award ties into the event theme, ‘Love Local', and is all about identifying and supporting great actions within a company – no matter their size or sector.

'The people and culture of a company are critical elements to how well a business operates. A great workplace culture provides everyone with the opportunity to initiate change and to grow on both a professional and personal level,” says Anne.

'Given the extraordinary events that have occurred this year, there's never been a better time to thank those businesses who have worked hard to keep their team together, through good times and not-so-good times.”

Fiona MacKenzie, owner and director of The Culture Co, says both The Culture Co and Lysaght Consultants are staunch advocates of great workplace culture and are proud to be joint sponsors of this new award.

'Our motivation to sponsor this award is based on our genuine determination to improve people's experience in the workplace,” says Fiona.

'In the current COVID-19 climate, employees crave human connection, reassurance, clear communication and job security. We want to shine a light on those businesses that have strengthened their workplace culture and overcome the challenges that COVID-19 has thrown at them – regardless of if the team are working from home or are back in the office.”

The People and Culture Award entry process differs from the main categories in the annual Business Awards. It is open to anyone to confidentially nominate a deserving business and all you need to do is complete a short entry form.

Please note you cannot enter your own business. If you wish to enter your business in the Awards, you can enter one of the 10 categories available.

Nominations for the People and Culture Award are open from Friday, September 4 through to Friday, October 2. The nominated businesses will then be put up for public voting.

Full details can be found on the website, businessawards.org.nz