Ragan announces the 2026 HR Awards winners
Ragan Communications is pleased to announce the winners of the 2026 HR Awards, honoring the organizations, teams and leaders behind some of the year’s most effective people-first initiatives.
This year’s winners reflect the expanding role of HR as both a business function and a driver of workplace experience. Across industries, honorees were recognized for tackling challenges ranging from employee engagement and retention to leadership development, workplace culture, change management and workforce wellbeing. The winning entries demonstrate how organizations are adapting their people strategies to meet evolving employee expectations while supporting broader business goals.
“The most compelling entries this year showed HR operating at the center of organizational strategy,” said Brendan Gannon, senior marketing manager at Ragan Communications. “Whether the focus was talent development, culture transformation, employee experience or technology, the winners shared a common thread: they were solving real workplace challenges with measurable results.”
The winners represent a wide range of organizations and approaches, but all demonstrated a clear connection between people-focused programs and organizational impact. Their work offers a snapshot of the ideas, innovations and practices shaping the future of HR.
Congratulations to the 2026 HR Awards winners. Read the winning profiles to learn more about the programs, strategies and teams behind this year’s top entries, and view the complete list of winners below.
HALL OF FAME
Cathy Moy: BDO USA
Kelly Jones: Cisco
TOP HR WORKPLACES
Winner:
Bank of America
Honorable Mentions:
EnterpriseDB (EDB)
ISS North America
OnPath Federal Credit Union
WellLink
PEOPLE & TEAMS
HR Professional of the Year
Winner:
Donna Verdi: Kroll University
Honorable Mentions:
Jeri Doris: Justworks
Lesley Forneris: WellLink
Gigi Garcia: Commonpoint
CAMPAIGNS AND INITIATIVES
Change Management & Culture Transformation
Winner:
Emburse: From Change to Momentum: Rebuilding Culture, Clarity and Confidence at Emburse
Honorable Mentions:
NeoGenomics Laboratories: ONE Neo Culture: Owning Outcomes, Navigating Together and Evolving Excellence
Ontario International Airport Authority: People & Culture
Protiviti: Aerospace ERP Implementation Change Management Initiative With Protiviti
Siteimprove: Change Management & Culture Transformations
Virtual: People & Culture
Community Impact
Winner:
PwC: Community Day
Honorable Mentions:
WellLink: WellLink’s Community Impact
Cloudera: Cloudera Cares
Employee Benefits
Winner:
Dollar General: DG Employee Assistance Foundation
Honorable Mentions:
Honeywell: Honeywell Benefits Enhancements Roll-Out
Ontario International Airport Authority: People & Culture
TASC: MyTASC
Employee Engagement
Winner:
PayPal: Employee Appreciation Week
Honorable Mentions:
City of Brownsville OD&HR
Cloudera: Learning in Action: Inside Cloudera’s Transformative Week of Growth and Connection
Giant Food: Grow, Care, Belong
Golin
PwC: Community Day
TIAA-Nuveen: Nuveen Communications
UNC Health: UNC Health for Me: Rewriting the Script on Teammate Engagement & Retention
Employee Experience
Winner:
Criteo
Honorable Mention:
Agiloft: People Ops Team
HR & Communications Collaboration
Winner:
Cloudera: Impact Through Connection: A Unified Strategy for Culture, Learning and Inclusion
Honorable Mentions:
Emburse: From Change to Momentum: Rebuilding Culture, Clarity and Confidence at Emburse
Giant Food: Grow Campaign
PTC Therapeutics: HR and Communications Joining Forces for Communications Skill Enhancement
UNC Health: UNC Health for Me: Rewriting the Script on Teammate Engagement & Retention
Learning & Development
Winner:
Kroll: Kroll University
Honorable Mentions:
Atos IT Solutions and Services: Mission AI Possible
Cloudera: Learning & Development at Cloudera
OnPath Federal Credit Union: OnPath High Potential (HYPO) Leadership Program
PTC Therapeutics: Global Learning Week
Talent Retention & Recruitment
Winner:
Memorial Hermann Health System: Well Together Human Capital Strategy
Honorable Mentions:
City and County of Denver — Office of Human Resources: A Day in the Life With Denver Solid Waste
City and County of Denver — Office of Human Resources: “See Yourself Here” Lifeguard Recruitment Campaign
General Dynamics Information Technology
Ontario International Airport Authority: People & Culture
Springpoint Senior Living: Springpoint Engagement, Recruitment and Retention
Use of AI
Winner:
Golin
Honorable Mentions:
Atos IT Solutions and Services: Improving Employee Experience Through the Use of Artificial Intelligence
Workplace Wellness Programs
Winner:
CVS Health: Check-ups and Check-ins: Promoting Total Wellness
Honorable Mentions:
Bank of Montreal: Enterprise Wellness Team
Cloudera: Unplugged Program
Liberty Military Housing: Live Well Liberty
Ontario International Airport Authority: People & Culture
