BambooHR Honors Winners of Annual HR Experience Maker Award

Peer-nominated winners were recognized at BambooHR's Customer Day event

DRAPER, Utah, Oct. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- BambooHR^®, the leading cloud-based human resource platform where everything works together, today announced the winners of the prestigious HR Experience Maker Awards. The awards were presented during BambooHR's annual Customer Day event on October 17th, celebrating the exceptional efforts of HR professionals and BambooHR users in shaping the future of their organizations.

The HR Experience Makers Awards recognize individuals who have demonstrated outstanding dedication and innovation in building, growing, supporting, and leading their organizations. Winners were selected based on peer nominations that identified HR leaders who go above and beyond, creating exceptional experiences for their company and employees.

"We believe that mission, vision, and values aren't just buzzwords, but the backbone of an organization's success," said Brad Rencher, CEO of BambooHR. "Experience Makers are the true champions of the HR industry, serving as business partners, workplace caretakers, problem solvers, people nurturers, and employee advocates that fully embrace mission, vision, and values. We're excited to recognize these professionals for the skills they have, the relationships they've nurtured, and the outstanding work they have accomplished.

2024 HR Experience Maker Award winners

Business Growth: Deborah Hilscher, director of people and culture at Knickerbocker Group

Over the course of her ten years at the company, Deborah has increased their employee count from 25 to 135 employees. Tasked with attracting, recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and retaining hundreds of people as a one-woman show, she has become a self-taught HR professional tasked with attracting, recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and retaining hundreds of people to help the business grow to where it's at today.

Katherine Penley, one of Deborah's direct reports at Knickerbocker Group, nominated Deborah, saying, "The structure & process Debbie has put into place over the years has been critical to the ability to grow the company. Debbie is organized, thorough, & efficient. She has been the go-to person to tackle many issues outside of her traditional HR scope, reaching deep into operational or administrative issues. Debbie has an innate ability to recognize a need and go after it, even if it's not in her "job description." Her documentation skills & creative problem-solving skills are paramount."

Career Growth/Advocate: Kelly Heath, head of people at Gupta Media

Rather than outsource employee training to third parties, Kelly drove the development and training of Medley, Gupta's in-house training and professional development platform, to teach staff the skills they need to succeed in any professional environment. Since its launch last year, 82% of staff have participated in one or more of their cohorts and turnover has dropped more than 10% year-over-year to a new low of 15.4%.

Gogi Gupta, founder of Gupta Media, nominated Kelly, saying "Kelly has this unwavering commitment to the team's development and well-being. It's really been wonderful to watch over the last four years. She's this big strategic thinker. She helps us with the operational part of the job, but then also builds an environment that people want to be a part of. She has this sort of one-of-a-kind ability to navigate complex situations, and she does it with empathy. She built a culture that is both world-class in the work that we do and also world-class in how we treat our employees."

Employee Experience: Nicole Picton, director of people & culture at Ottawa Tourism

Nicole increased her organization's employee net promoter score from 48 to 86, while growing staff by 70% and achieving a 100% retention rate by listening to her team's needs and acting on the feedback. Through this process, she implemented three paid volunteer days, introduced a new wellness account policy, created a revised vacation and work-from-anywhere policy, and invested in employer branding and recruiting to increase diversity.

Roz Smith, vice president of operations and culture at Ottawa Tourism, nominated Nicole, saying "Nicole has been instrumental in transforming our workplace culture and enhancing the employee experience. Our ENPS rose from forty-eight to eighty-six, reflecting increased engagement and satisfaction. Nicole has rolled out many policies that she's passionate about, but most recently introduced three paid volunteer days, a two hundred and fifty dollar wellness account, and revised our vacation policy to speed up the weeks of vacation earned to a shorter window with the organization. She also created a "work from anywhere" policy, enabling employees to work globally for up to forty days per year, further supporting our work-life balance. Recognizing the importance of diversity and inclusion, our BIPOC representation has increased to thirty percent this year in 2024."

Heart & Soul: Emilie Farnir, HR manager at Kolibri Games 

Emilie is known by her colleagues as kind, caring, patient, calm, and empathetic, all of which are evident in how she shows up to work. Emilie has focused on neurodiversity as part of the company's D&I initiatives, by raising awareness and providing support for neurodivergent employees, which has ultimately helped to foster a workplace that accepts and embraces diversity in all forms.

Lauren Wade, head of player communications at Kolibri Games, nominated Emilie, saying, "Emilie is, to me, the heart & soul of our People & Culture team. She is kind, caring, patient, open, calm, honest, and empathetic, a myriad of things that I look for in a perfect HR Manager. If ever there is a crisis, of an HR nature or a personal nature, I know many employees will seek out Emilie's calm and caring approach to any emergency. She is our go-to person for various employee escalations or special/personal requests and always handles every topic and every person with all the patience and attention in the world. Proactive support is also something she offers us, for example on World Mental Health Day she made sure to remind us via a company announcement about the different resources available to help us."

Strategic Leadership: Susan Podolsky, director of people and culture at Forum Asset Management

Susan has developed a strong partnership with the business leadership team at Forum Asset Management, aligning HR initiatives to support growth goals. Her leadership has led to the development of a calibration initiative to assess team member performance, giving the leadership team a clear and accurate understanding of the workforce's strengths and areas for growth.

Lorraine Cardenas, executive assistant at Forum Asset Management, nominated Susan, saying "Susan's strategic HR leadership has not only driven significant talent development but has also cultivated a culture of continuous improvement and support. Her ability to align HR initiatives with business objectives has made a lasting impact on the organization, making her a deserving candidate for the Expert HR Leader Award."

Problem Solving: Michelle Snyder, vice president of team development at Touchstone Capital

Michelle took operational efficiency head-on, testing various systems and processes that would allow Touchstone to function more efficiently. She evaluated processes, identified areas for improvement, and developed innovative solutions that benefited the entire company.

Liz Treater, chief operations officer at Touchstone, nominated Michelle, saying, "Michelle's commitment to excellence is evident in every project she undertakes. She meticulously evaluates processes, identifies areas for improvement, and develops innovative solutions that benefit the entire company. Despite her impactful contributions, Michelle rarely seeks recognition for her efforts. She embodies the spirit of teamwork and collaboration, always prioritizing the needs of her colleagues and the organization over her own visibility. Her ability to listen and incorporate feedback from various stakeholders ensures that the systems she implements are user-friendly and effective."

BambooHR is committed to celebrating the remarkable everyday achievements of HR professionals shaping the future of work. The HR Experience Makers Award winners are champions of the industry, serving as an example to the entire HR community of the transformative power HR has to drive organizational success.

To learn more about BambooHR's HR Experience Maker Award winners visit: https://www.bamboohr.com/blog/hr-experience-maker-awards-2024

About BambooHR
BambooHR^® is the leading HR software solution that sets people free to do great work. It manages the complex work of supporting employees and succeeding as a business while giving leaders all the data they need to make informed, strategic decisions.

Intuitively designed and easy-to-use HR, payroll, and benefits administration where everything works together means less focus on process and more on growing what matters most—people.

BambooHR is the trusted partner of HR professionals at more than 33,000 companies with employees in over 190 countries and 50 industries, supporting millions of users throughout their employee experience.

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SOURCE Bamboo HR LLC