CIPD named ‘best in show’ in membership sector

The CIPD is celebrating a ‘best in show’ success at the 2024 Memcom Awards, having won three awards in recognition of our influential CIPD podcast, our commitment to environmental sustainability and our work to build diverse and inclusive workplaces.   

The Memcom Awards are open to all professional bodies, trade associations, membership charities, trade unions, and the wider not-for-profit membership sector. Multiple awards across different categories celebrate everything from strategy to leadership, engagement to publications, and individual and team achievements. The CIPD was shortlisted for seven categories and took home the following awards:  

• The Memcom Best Podcast Award – winner 
• The Memcom EDI Award – winner  
• The Memcom Sustainability Award – winner  
• The Memcom Best Magazine Award* – Highly commended (Work. Magazine) 
• The Grand Prix Award for the organisation that won the most points across all the highly commended and winning entries.  

*Circulation less than 20,000 

“The clearest, most interesting podcast in the space!” 

The Memcom Best Podcast Award recognises the best, most engaging and popular podcasts in the sector.  With over 8,000 listeners per month on each new episode, the CIPD Podcast explores pressing workplace issues from fresh and topical angles. By delving into the complexities of contemporary work culture, we foster dialogue that inspires critical thinking and drives progressive action.   

Each episode explores a big issue through tough questions. We’ve tackled high profile interest areas like generative AI and its applications in the realm of HR, the concept of cultural intelligence (CQ) and the pros and cons of the 4-day work week. And we’ve covered mainstream HR practice topics such as rebuilding broken trust, future-fitting the employee value proposition, and performance management. 

Creating safe and inclusive workplaces where women can thrive 

The Memcom EDI Award recognises organisations which have gone above and beyond to create safe, diverse and inclusive working environments. The CIPD’s entry focused on our work to improve workplace support for women’s health and reproductive health.    

We’ve been raising the importance of these issues with UK policy-makers and organisations since 2019, when we first launched our Menopause Manifesto in Parliament. We were the first organisation to make the call for a UK Employment Menopause Champion and we are now a strategic partner of Helen Tomlinson who was appointed into that role in March 2023. 
 
More than 30,000 organisations have made use of our practical workplace guidance covering menopause, pregnancy and baby loss, support with fertility treatments, challenges and investigations and menstruation and menstrual health. And we’ve directly reached 3,000 employers and HR professionals through a range of events. In 2019, our research showed that less than one in 10 organisations provided a menopause-friendly workplace. By 2023, that figure had increased to nearly half. 
 
Within our own workplace, we offer comprehensive support for women’s health and reproductive health, all aligned with our external guidance and recommendations. We’re proud to have created a menopause friendly workplace, with open, organisation-wide discussions and training for line managers and menopause champions. We also have supportive policies around menstrual health, pregnancy, baby loss and fertility. 

An award-winning dedication to environmental stewardship  

The Memcom Sustainability Award recognises that reducing an organisation’s environmental impact is a journey and celebrates the far-reaching sustainable impact of improvements made to policies and practices. At the CIPD, our sustainability strategy has a dual focus that reflects not just our own commitments as an employer and organisation, but also the leadership role we play within the people profession.   

We’ve introduced a number of initiatives to reduce our own waste, energy consumption and carbon footprint – including an employee suggestion to close our office on Fridays. And we’ve been championing and supporting the role of the people profession in building responsible and sustainable organisations through our practical guides, events and professional standards.  

Our dedication to environmental stewardship culminated in the coveted iiE (Investors in the Environment) Silver accreditation, which serves as a tangible testimony to our efforts to promote a greener, more sustainable future.