Staff News - February 2024

Staff Recognition Awards 2024 - nominations now open!

We are delighted to announce the launch of our 2024 Staff Recognition Awards as it gives us the opportunity to celebrate excellence and recognise the talent, commitment, and resourcefulness of teams of staff and individuals across all of our services.

  • Service innovation and improvement
  • Achieving better outcomes in partnership
  • Tackling inequalities and improving health and well being
  • Strengthening communities, local democracy and resilience
  • Just transition to a net zero economy
  • Team Award
  • Delivering Excellence Award
  • Excellent Outcomes, Excellent People Award
  • Apprentice / Trainee of the Year
  • Convener's Award
  • Long Service Awards
  • High Life Highland Partner Award

The online application form is available here: https://forms.office.com/e/T6nT8DhKFX

The deadline for entries is Friday 29 March 2024.

An award nomination form is available for staff that DO NOT have access to a Highland Council IT device here.

Sponsors of the Awards so far are E J Parker Technical Services, Wipro and Sustrans.

Award Category explainer

  1. Service innovation and improvement - Demonstrate the original ways in which you have modernised and advanced your service provision? Describe and share with us how you achieved these novel approaches to your service developments.
  2. Achieving better outcomes in partnership - Although not exclusively - partners can be external organisations or groups or internal (cross-service or team or location) – tell us how you have delivered better outcomes with your partners and shine a spotlight on the outcomes.
  3. Tackling inequalities and improving health and wellbeing - How have you made a difference to individuals or groups of people to address inequality and improve their health and wellbeing? Did this benefit individuals or groups within The Highland Council or have you helped those within a Highland community. Did you do this alone, within a team or with partners?
  4. Stregthening communities, local democracy and resilience - How have you supported local people and communities to take control and be at the centre of local decision-making. What actions have enabled individuals, communities, and businesses to be sustainable and resilient, prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies.
  5. Just transition to a net zero economy - What actions have you achieved towards transitioning to a net zero emissions Scotland for the benefit of our local environment, our people, and our prosperity? How have you adapted and built resilience to the impacts of climate change? What steps have you taken to reduce emissions?
  6. Team Award - In recognition of teams that demonstrate outstanding all round team performance, groundbreaking partnership working or response to a crisis.
  7. Delivering Excellence Award - Awarded in recognition of excellence for projects that have demonstrated particular achievements, often outwith the specific criteria of the main award categories.
  8. Excellent Outcomes, Excellent People Award - Effective people are at the heart of local government excellence, and this award seeks out innovative projects that have made an outstanding impact by transforming workforces and equipping staff to rise to new challenges.
  9. Apprentice / Trainee of the Year - This category recognises an apprentice or trainee, recognising their achievements during the past year.
  10. Conveners Award - The Convener will select an outstanding entry from all the nominations.
  11. Long Service Awards - We will recognise the outstanding service for staff that have over 40 years' service with The Highland Council.
  12. High Life Highland Partner Award - In recognition of our partnership with High Life Highland, nominate a project, team or individual from High Life Highland that has demonstrated particular achievement