DO you have a co-worker or employee who has made an exceptional contribution to the success of your business?

The 20th annual Dorset Business Awards, in association with the Daily Echo and Dorset Echo, is inviting companies to put forward exemplary employees for the Employee of the Year Award, sponsored by Hays, the leading recruiting expert. The company should nominate and enter the award on behalf of the employee, and the employee should have at least two years’ experience within the nominating company.

Now in its second year, the Hays Employee of the Year Award has been established to recognise the hard work and professionalism of a member of staff who has exceeded expectations and transformed a business for the better. The current titleholder is Maria Tidy, fundraising manager at the Lewis-Manning Hospice in Poole.

She said: “I was absolutely delighted to win this award, although I very much believe that it would not have been possible without my amazing team.

“Fundraising is not the easiest of jobs and at Lewis-Manning Hospice it is all about working together as a team.

“Winning the Dorset Business Award has also been fantastic for the charity as a whole. Lewis-Manning Hospice is a small local charity and the PR received as a result or being involved in the awards has been immense right from the nomination stages.

“I still bump into people now, six months later, who congratulate me on winning the award and the charities profile within the local community has definitely been raised as a result with local businesses wanting to work with us to raise funds and awareness.”

Employers will be required to: n Describe the employee’s relationship with management and colleagues n Highlight what value the employee adds to the company and how they have they exceeded expectations n Detail what has been the employee’s greatest work achievement to date and how has this impacted on the company.

Judges would like to make an informal visit to shortlisted companies during late September or early October for a short interview.

Samantha Paterson-Crofts at Hays in Dorset says: “An organisation is only as successful as its people, so employees really are any organisation’s greatest asset. “At Hays, we believe the right person can transform a business and we are proud to be sponsoring the Employee of the Year Award at the 2014 Dorset Business Awards. “ Entries can be submitted for free via dorsetbusinessawards.co.

uk or by printing an entry form and submitting it on paper.

The closing date is Friday, September 12. Entrants do not need to be a member of Dorset Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

For further information about the awards, sponsorship opportunities or to reserve tickets for the gala dinner, contact Shirley Ewart on 01202 714812.