Investors in People

What is the IiP Standard?

The Investors in People Standard provides a framework that helps the Council to improve performance and realise objectives through the effective management and development of its people.

Everyone agrees that people are an organisation's greatest asset and we know that for an organisation to succeed everyone has to perform well. To achieve this people need the right knowledge, skills and motivation to work efficiently.

The IiP Standard is there to help the Council improve the way it works. The Council has to meet the same criteria as other organisations but is free to meet them in its own way.

IiP recognises that organisations use different means to achieve success through their people. The Standard does not prescribe any one method but provides a framework to help find the most suitable means for achieving success through its own staff.

Why is the Council being reviewed?

The Council first achieved the Investors in People Standard in 1999 and was successfully reviewed in 2002 and 2005. To retain the IiP Standard all organisations have to be regularly reviewed. This is done at the Council’s request but must occur at least once every three years.

It is logical to maintain the standard because it shows that the Council operates at a nationally recognised level and maintains that standard consistently.

What happens during the review?

The IiP review is carried out by one person over the course of a week and the result is announced immediately at the end of the process.

The reviewer will carry out about 45 interviews which he will select against set criteria laid out by the IiP process. Mostly he will be looking to see how business plans relate to everyday life in the Council, how performance is monitored and what is learned from performance management.

He will also look to see how Staff Performance Reviews are conducted, how they relate to business plans and how they benefit individual employees.

What are the benefits of the IiP Standard?

Independent research shows that the Investors in People Standard provides real benefits to organisations of all sizes and across all sectors.

IiP is central to helping employees become customer focused, enabling organisations to meet their customers’ needs effectively.

Motivation is improved through employees’ greater involvement, personal development and recognition of achievements. This leads to higher morale, reduced absenteeism, readier acceptance of change and identification with the Council’s priorities.

IiP status brings public recognition for achievements measured against a rigorous national standard and helps to attract top quality job applicants. It can also provide customers with proof of the Council’s quality of work.

It is a nationally recognized endorsement from an entirely independent source.

Who or what is Investors in People?

Investors in People UK was formed in 1993 to take national ownership of the Standard, protect its integrity and ensure its successful promotion and development.

From business development to employee relations, Investors in People works toward helping improve working life.

Initially the Standard was administered through a section in the Department for Education and Employment. As demand for, and interest in, the Standard grew the section became Investors in People UK.

Who carries out the review?

The review will be carried out by John Dewar, one of the most experienced IiP assessors and the longest standing of all assessors. His knowledge of the IiP system is second to none.