Islamic Relief Worldwide has been awarded the Human Resources Team of the Year 2015 – Third Sector category by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
At a black tie awards ceremony, held at Grosvenor House, London, on Tuesday, September 29, Islamic Relief was also highly commended in the Best Employee Relations Initiative, and its Head of HR Nabeel Al-Azami was nominated as a finalist for the Human Resources/Learning & Development Professional of the Year.
The HR/L&D Team of the Year – Third Sector category rewards teams for excellence across the organisation to achieve business success, with judges looking for innovative and unique approaches to addressing either one key business issue or multiple projects, exceptional teamwork, and strategic approach to all aspects of HR and L&D management and implementation.
The team was particularly praised for its passion, mission and impressive metrics, having demonstrated influence and impact. The judges commented that the team was the outright winner having put forward a compelling presentation with such vigour delivering on multiple fronts with such a worthy mission.
Progress that was noted included global compliance and screening to protect the organisation; improvements in performance management; reduction of employee relations cases; management and resolution of international investigations; values education and awareness; talent attraction and recruitment; stress support clinics; and contributing to HR affairs and enhancements internationally across four continents including active support of disaster responses such as Nepal.
Best Employee Relations Initiative
The category for Best Employee Relations Initiative focused on the importance of engaging employees to better deliver performance and organisational effectiveness. Judges looked across all sectors for initiatives that looked at organisational needs, analysed data such as survey results, considered engagement and grievance data, and saw who made a positive impact in employee relations.
Islamic Relief’s HR team was given a ‘high commendation’ and praised for its reduction of employee relations cases, and the initiation of the Management Development Program which drew on HR insights to inform the design, and focus the training on better employee management, which in turn reduced organisational dispute rates
Nabeel Al-Azami, head of HR at Islamic Relief Worldwide, said: “After years of hard work by the team supporting the many HR needs of the organisation and making significant strides, it is great to gain this recognition by Europe’s most prestigious HR awarding body. This is deserving not only of our committed team, but also of all our passionate staff and our beloved beneficiaries who we are here to serve.”
Aiming even higher
Shakil Butt, director of human resources and organisational development at Islamic Relief Worldwide, said: “This award is the culmination of a talented team’s HR journey across four continents, proving truly the sum of the whole is greater than its component parts. Recognition by the leading HR professional body has inspired and motivated the team such that this becomes not the end point but a springboard to aim even higher to deliver our humanitarian mission.”
Islamic Relief Worldwide works in more than 40 countries across the world, and its HR department functions across different cultures, nationalities and time zones to support all employees in their work, and ensure dignity, equality and organisational values are central to the organisation and its success.