Investors award for Council

Minister for Employment and Learning, Danny Kennedy, outlined the bottom-line business benefits that organisations receive when they become Investors in People (IiP) accredited.

Speaking at the IiP celebration event at Hillsborough Castle where thirty seven businesses from across Northern Ireland received the prestigious award, the Minister said: “Today is not just about the right to display a plaque on the wall, although that public statement is in itself important. The real cause for celebration is the improvements in the organisations that have achieved IiP status – improvements brought about as a result of hard work and commitment in effectively managing and developing their most important asset –people.

“The importance of organisations investing in their people is essential in this difficult economic climate. After all, it is the people we employ that will get us through challenging times. It is their commitment and skills that will make the difference.”

The event recognises the achievements of 37 organisations, 35 of which have gained first time IiP recognition. Six organisations represented further achieved additional recognition (either silver or bronze) at first assessment:

The Minister added: “It is an encouraging sign for our local economy that so many organisations, particularly Small to Medium Sized Enterprises, continue to work with IiP to make significant business improvements. This group today should serve as an example to other employers on the bottom-line business benefits of IiP.”

Investors in People has long been acknowledged as the most successful framework for business improvement through people. It helps organisations of every size, sector and location to compete and succeed through improved people performance. The approach to its delivery has recently changed, becoming more tailored to individual business needs, with no longer a requirement for a paper trail. The framework has also been extended to provide stretch for all businesses, who can now work towards achieving the core standard or the recently added bronze, silver and gold levels.

Two of the 37 businesses, Banbridge District Council and Chesapeake Belfast Limited were awarded for achieving IiP’s new Health & Wellbeing Good Practice Award, which focuses on encouraging organisational improvement through employee wellbeing, rather than just minimising sickness and injury.