Queensland Airports Limited has been named a finalist in this year’s Australian HR Awards, confirming the organisation’s focus on creating relevant and meaningful initiatives for its workforce.

Joining an elite list of some of the nation’s biggest and most well-known companies, QAL is the only airport and one of only a handful of Gold Coast-based companies to be included on the HR Awards finalist list this year.

QAL Chief Financial Officer Amelia Evans said she was delighted about the company being named as a finalist, particularly at such an exciting and important time for the group.

“We are absolutely delighted to have been selected as a finalist in the Hays Australian HR Team of the Year in the under 1000 employees category,” she said.

“Everything we do is about ensuring we do our best to meet our team’s needs through relevant and meaningful initiatives.  This will, in turn, benefit the whole business.

“We focus on talent and development programs that enable our employees to step up in line with our strategic priorities, something that is exciting at this point in time when we are embarking on major capital development programs at Gold Coast and Townsville airports.

“Now, more than ever, we need to ensure we have the right team with the right capabilities in place and are meeting their needs through innovative and meaningful initiatives and policies.”

Congratulating the company’s People and Culture team, Ms Evans said the team had met the criteria for the HR Team of the Year (? 1000 Employees) category through the strategic creation and implementation of a wide range of initiatives – constantly creating a better workplace at QAL.

“With a highly engaged workforce comprising a multitude of diversity including four generations, the P&C team are focussed on enhancing the capability of our teams who want and need different things,” she said.

“There is a direct link to factors like employee retention and attraction rates by being an employer of choice.”

Ms Evans said she was particularly pleased considering it was the first time the company had entered the awards.

Some of the key initiatives rolled out and delivered by the P&C team this year include:

• Workplace Diversity and Inclusion
• Skyward (Leadership development)
• QAL Talent and Succession Planning
• Mentoring at QAL
• Single Touch Payroll
• LinkedIn Learning
• Elevate and Flare Benefits
• Going for Gold (2018 Commonwealth Games employee reward and recognition program)
• Renegotiation of a group-wide Enterprise Bargaining Agreement

The winners of each category in the Australian HR Awards 2019 will be announced at a gala ceremony at The Star Event Centre in Sydney on September 6.