Investors in People
INTRODUCTION
Investors in People is an integral component of the Train to Gain service. Brokers, enquiry officers and customer support officers all have targets to meet for making referrals to Investors in People.
This section of the website gives you the information you will need to advise and support your clients, so that they can make a decision to find out more about becoming an Investor in People.
It includes an overview of the Standard; IiP benefits to specific sectors; overcoming objections as well as a series ‘How to Sheets’ aimed at helping Employers to deal with a whole range of business challenges. Case Studies can be found on the Quality South West website.
WHAT IS INVESTORS IN PEOPLE?
Investors in People (IIP) provide a framework for improving business performance and competitiveness. It is a planned approach to setting and communicating business objectives and developing people to deliver them.
An organisation that has achieved the Standard has been able to demonstrate that it has been successful in adopting and maintaining the three fundamental principles:
• Plan – developing strategies to improve the performance of the organisation, from business goals to leadership strategies;
• Do – implementing those strategies, taking action to improve the performance of the organisation;
• Review – evaluating and adjusting those strategies, measuring their impact on the performance of the organisation.
HOW WILL IT BENEFIT MY CLIENTS?
Clients have identified many benefits from working with the Standard. These include:
• Increased competitiveness, productivity and profitability
• Improved reputation, motivation and morale
• Reduction in staff turnover and lost time
• Improved results such as sales figures, cost control and quality
• Better employee relations
• More effective communications and networking
• Greater customer satisfaction
• Improved skills, multi-skilling and team working
• Smoother organisational change
It is up to each organisation to define what it wishes to gain from the Standard. Clients’ priorities are identified at the start of the process, so that the improvements can be measured.
See also the ‘features and benefits’ page on this site.
WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?
Please use a proposal line in the ONA summary to refer interested clients and send to:
diane.dobney@qualitysouthwest.co.uk
Clients do not need to have made up their mind to commit to Investors in People at this stage. Please refer any clients who show a genuine interest in finding out more.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Once a referral has been made, Quality South West will contact your client by telephone to establish the level of their interest and to discuss the next stage.
A licensed Investors in People adviser will contact the organisation to make an appointment. This appointment will be a two-hour, in depth look at the Standard in the context of that organisation. Benefits to the organisation and the process will be discussed. There is no charge to the client for this visit.
This adviser will continue to work with the client to produce an action plan which will enable the client to progress towards the Investors in People Standard.
Once the plan is completed, the client will be assessed against the Standard and, if it has been met, will be recognised as an Investor in People.
ABOUT QUALITY SOUTH WEST
Quality South West (QSW) is the Investors in People centre which covers our region. Their remit, as defined by the DIUS, is to offer Investors in People assessment and recognition services to organisations and to quality assure the process. The have a key role in developing IiP practitioners in their region.
We work in partnership with QSW. Our role in Train to Gain is to provide referrals to QSW and they deliver the advisory and assessment service. As part of a growing cross referral system, QSW make referrals to us for Train to Gain.
For more information please visit the Quality South West website.
The following are links to documents about Investors in People:
Overcoming Objections to Investors in People
Features and Benefits of Investors in People
Frequently Asked Questions about Investors in People
Investors in People: Benefits for Commercial Organisations
Benefits for the Education Sector
Benefits for the Health Sector
You can also find a series of How To Sheets under the Broker Resources Tab.
