We are delighted to have been awarded accreditation to Investors in People (IiP), a business development tool which recognises employers who empower and involve staff more effectively to enhance their performance.
IiP recognise the way in which every organisation achieves success through their people is different and provides a flexible framework for companies to work within to be able to achieve the required criteria. Their ‘Plan, Do, Review’ business model allows companies to develop strategies for improving the company’s performance, taking action and evaluating the impact on the performance of the organisation.
Armida employs 18 people and we have established a comprehensive staff appraisal and development procedure. Through our sophisticated Electronic Performance Management System (EPMS), the training and development needs of our people can be identified and are discussed at annual appraisals. Following the appraisals, the progress against each individual’s agreed goals and objectives can be monitored, reviewed and areas for further development can be highlighted. The focus of the IiP assessment was to find out about our approach to managing and developing our people, through a combination of talking to people at all levels of the organisation and examining Armida’s policies and procedures.
We offer our people the opportunity to study for professional qualifications in accountancy, tax and business management; to keep abreast of changes to regulation and legislation at residential courses and in-house regular technical update sessions; as well as keep track on the latest news and trends at management meetings, work groups and informal discussion sessions. An average of 150 hours per month is dedicated to staff development and can be tracked through our comprehensive EPMS system.
The company’s vision and SMART objectives are communicated and discussed at company team days where each member of the team, whether an Account Manager or an Admin Assistant understands the aspirations of the company and how they can play their part in achieving our business objectives. As a result our staff feel empowered, valued and motivated.
HR Director, Helen Toole, explains
“Armida chose the IiP Standard as we are well aware of how the success of our organisation is so closely linked with the people we employ. By investing in the training and development of our staff and by linking their individual objectives to those of the organisation, we have seen an improvement in our overall performance. There are now clearer links between our operational plans and our people development strategies and people development is focused on business needs.”
The principal findings of the report were: -
Armida goes further in terms of providing opportunities and support for personal development than other similar organisations -
Both staff and directors have an in-depth understanding of the organisations key strategies and how each individual can work towards achieving them -
Staff feel trusted and motivated -
There is a transparent path for people to follow as they develop their careers -
The definition of expectations sets a benchmark for objectives and focuses peoples performance -
Armida recognise the value of utilizing an individual’s personal interests and strengths as well as overcoming their weaknesses Bryan Stevens, Managing Director, commented
“By aligning our business objectives with those of our employees we are now seeing visible benefits in the way we operate, including improved communication and greater commitment from our staff. Our staff are now more motivated and our productivity has improved, which can only result in a better service delivery for our clients”.
Date:6 November 2007
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