Cork's Donkey Sanctuary Ireland recognised for excellence in supporting employees wellbeing

CORK-BASED charity Donkey Sanctuary Ireland has received a special award at the Chartered Institute Personnel and Development (CIPD) Ireland HR Awards ceremony in Dublin’s Mansion House.

CIPD Ireland is the professional body for HR and people professionals.

Over 70 organisations made the list of finalists for this year’s awards programme, which was divided into 14 categories covering a range of topics. This year the judges awarded their special commendation prize to Donkey Sanctuary Ireland, to recognise the way it has supported its employees in difficult times.

The high level of demand for the sanctuary has been challenging for employees when they are unable to deal with all requests. In response, wellbeing was brought to the fore.

Director of CIPD Ireland, Mary Connaughton, said the judges recognised the efforts of the charity, which had applied for the awards under the category of ‘Embedding a Culture of Workplace Wellbeing’.

“The team at the Donkey Sanctuary showed real compassion as they worked to train mental health first aiders to support employees.

“The judges wanted to highlight how they recognised the care and support needs of the mental health first aiders and organised counselling to help them deal with their own stresses.

“This care is a central aspect of supporting mental health and they wanted to recognise the Donkey Sanctuary for this approach,” she said.

Ms Connaughton lauded the standard of applications submitted ahead of this year’s awards.

“Our awards are recognised across the people profession as being a true reflection of excellence across multiple sectors.”