WorkLife Awards

Company culture has never been more important for organizations looking to attract and retain the best talent. But for employers, culture is about more than just Bagel Fridays and communal espresso machines. The strongest cultures are built on values that run deep throughout the organization.

Formerly presented by Digiday, Glossy and Modern Retail Awards, the WorkLife Awards are now a part of Digiday Media’s newest brand and recognize the top employers and the values that make them unique.  

To access everything you’ll need to join the ranks of our past winners including our entry kit, expert tips on crafting a winning entry and past coverage of this program, click here.

View the winners

Key Dates

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CATEGORIES

  • Best Use of AI in the Workplace

    Awarding the employer that demonstrates exceptional and innovative implementation of artificial intelligence technologies.

  • Best Multicultural Integration

    Awarding the employer that excels in embracing new languages and cultures, and seamlessly integrating them into their organization’s culture and/or mission.

  • Best Workspace

    Awarding the organization that exemplifies excellence in creating a workspace that optimizes collaboration and fosters effective teamwork.

  • Best Workplace Tech Provider

    Awarding the technology provider that offers exceptional solutions and services to enhance the overall work environment and employee experience.

  • Best Hybrid Work Environment

    Awarding the employer who has best maintained their company culture in a hybrid work environment.

  • Recruiter of the Year

    Awarding an outstanding recruiter, either in-house or independent, who has displayed fair and effective practices to attract top talent.

  • HR Team of the Year

    Awarding the HR team who has worked together to create a strong company culture and work environment.

    Last Winner:
    Whalar
  • Best Wellness Program

    Awarding the employer who has shown the strongest commitment to the mental and/or physical well-being of their employees.

  • Best Mentorship Program

    Awarding the best program, either organized by an employer or independent entity, that fosters strong interpersonal connections between mentors and mentees in an innovative way.

  • Best Rewards & Recognition Program

    Awarding the program that encourages a culture of recognition in an organization in the form of public/private praise and rewards/incentives.

    Last Winner:
    Critical Mass
  • Most Valued Employees

    Awarding the employer who has shown the strongest commitment and dedication to employee appreciation.

    Last Winner:
    Movers+Shakers
  • Best Virtual Work Environment

    Awarding the employer who has best maintained their company culture as a fully remote environment.

    Last Winner:
    Just Drive Media
  • Employer of the Year

    Awarding the employer that has excelled at creating a strong company culture and work environment.

  • Manager of the Year

    Awarding an outstanding people manager who has best mentored, supported and grown their team members.

  • HR Leader of the Year

    Awarding the HR executive who has excelled at leading a team towards creating a strong company culture and work environment.

  • Best Onboarding Process

    Awarding the employer with the most effective onboarding process in order to successfully and seamlessly integrate new hires into the company.

    Last Winner:
    PROPELLER
  • Most Committed to Social Good

    Awarding the employer who has shown the greatest level of support to social causes through staff empowerment, extracurricular programs, and community partnerships.

    Last Winner:
    monday.com
  • Most Committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    Awarding the employer who has shown the strongest commitment and dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion.

  • Most Dedicated to Employee Growth

    Awarding the employer who has shown the strongest commitment to the professional growth of individuals through training, education and enrichment.

    Last Winner:
    Movers+Shakers
  • Best Workplace for Young Careers

    Awarding the employer who has shown the strongest commitment to entry-level employees in terms of professional growth and career advancement.

    Last Winner:
    mSix&Partners
  • Best Employer for Parents

    Awarding the employer who has proven to be the most accommodating and flexible for working parents.

    Last Winner:
    Pinterest
  • Best Employer for Remote Employees

    Awarding the employer with a partial or full remote workforce who best keeps employees connected, engaged and supported.

  • Most Committed to Work/Life Balance

    Awarding the employer who best demonstrates a respect for a healthy work-life balance.

    Last Winner:
    BambooHR
  • Most Passionate Employees

    Awarding the employer whose employees clearly demonstrate a unified passion for the company’s mission and values.

    Last Winner:
    ezCater
  • Most Collaborative Culture

    Awarding the employer whose culture best facilitates cooperation and joint efforts among teams to achieve a common goal.

    Last Winner:
    Rokt
  • Most Innovative Culture

    Awarding the employers whose culture best fosters unique, original and successful thinking demonstrated by tangible results.

Judges

  • Nicole Simpson
    DIRECTOR, DE&I
    RAPP
  • Jennifer DaSilva
    PRESIDENT
    BERLIN CAMERON
  • Sara Anhorn
    CHIEF TALENT OFFICER
    CRITICAL MASS
  • Joy McCammon
    SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, TALENT MANAGEMENT
    RAIN THE GROWTH AGENCY
  • Maria Martinez
    MANAGING PARTNER
    SITUATION GROUP
  • Rachell Morris
    HEAD OF HUMAN RESOURCES
    TED CONFERENCES
  • Rachael Greer
    MANAGING DIRECTOR, GLOBAL OPERATIONS
    WORK & CO
  • Heidi Grothaus
    DIRECTOR, HRBP, NEWSROOM
    THE NEW YORK TIMES
  • Arielle Carter
    GROUP VICE PRESIDENT, CONTENT & CONSUMER EXPERIENCE
    RAZORFISH
  • Samantha Citro Alexander
    CEO & CO-FOUNDER
    BITEWELL
  • Laura Small
    SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, PEOPLE DIRECTOR
    RPA
  • Elkanah Carnell Reed
    CEO + CTO
    WORKOPTI BY CONTENT ECONOMY CO.
  • Haley Hunter
    CO-FOUNDER & COO
    PARTY LAND
  • Jay Kantar
    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF TALENT DEVELOPMENT & DEI
    TBWA\MEDIA ARTS LAB
  • Trisha Dearborn
    CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER
    BUSTLE DIGITAL GROUP
  • Clare-Louise Smith
    GENERAL MANAGER
    FUTUREBRAND
  • Ayeshia Toy
    HEAD OF PEOPLE & CULTURE
    MCGARRAH JESSEE
  • Sheri Thorburn
    CHIEF TALENT OFFICER
    TBWA\CHIAT\DAY
  • Sarbjit Sahota
    DIRECTOR OF PEOPLE & CULTURE
    MSIX&PARTNERS
  • Eddie Renard
    PRESIDENT OF PEOPLE AND OPERATIONS
    WHALAR
  • Anita Punjabi
    HEAD OF PEOPLE AND CULTURE
    RARE BEAUTY
  • Laurie Fry
    CHIEF TALENT OFFICER
    EPSILON
  • Lorraine Dorrow
    VP OF PEOPLE
    MOVERS+SHAKERS
  • Kandi Gongora
    CHIEF TRANSFORMATION & PEOPLE OFFICER
    GOODWAY GROUP

Past Winners

  • Vox Media
  • Direct Agents
  • Goodway Group
  • Sephora
  • Iterable
  • Buzzer
  • La Force
  • Tapad
  • Audible
  • Next PR
  • Canopy Management
  • Delta Dental
  • Compas
  • CMI Media Group
  • Havas Media Group

Judging Criteria

Judges will be looking for companies or campaigns that can clearly demonstrate success over the past 12 months. Judges are seeking companies or campaigns that have seized challenges and created opportunities and will evaluate entries based on the following criteria: Innovation, Creativity, Consumer Value, Results and Overall.

Judges will require evidence to substantiate all entries. This can include details of financial performance, specific KPIs, creative evidence in the form of a sizzle reel, campaign images, or links to the final project or related sites. The judges will also consider the structure, presentation and clarity of each entry.

Judging Process

Judges will score each entry prompt and consider any supporting materials submitted. After each judge submits their score for the above criteria, the scores of each criteria will then be averaged and then combined to determine overall score for each entry. The highest scoring entries will appear on the shortlist and winner lists.

Confidentiality

All material will remain confidential to the judges. Only the ‘Credits’ section of an entry will be made public via the shortlist/winners announcement. If you win a particular category, our team may summarize the entry for shortlist/winner announcements and winners guides.

Contact

For more information, contact our awards team at awards@worklife.news.
For sponsorship opportunities, contact our sales team.
Interested in being a judge? Fill out the form here.