Why did you enter The Investors in People Awards 2020? 

Having worked with Investors in People for many years, we have always appreciated the sense of shared values that both our organisations have.  It’s important for us that any recognition we receive sits with integrity alongside our culture and ethos. 

We’ve always taken the same approach to external recognition – that the achievement is about doing the right thing regardless of whether any awards are given as a result.  There is no point in being SEEN to be making a difference if it is just for recognition’s sake.  We believe that Investors in People share this attitude and we trust the manner in which you select organisations for your awards and feel proud to be associated with the work that you do. 

You’ve been announced as a Finalist – what does that mean to you and your people? 

To look at the list of those who have been selected as finalists and see our name up there alongside them, is both exciting and humbling.  We believe that our people come to work to do a great job to support some of the most vulnerable people in society, so for those contributions to be recognised on this scale is something we are already really proud of. 

What would you say is the stand out point in your entry? 

Both our entries demonstrate one of the key elements of our success – we don’t seek to benchmark ourselves against what others are doing.  We seek to be the best WE can be in line with our vision and values.  What’s intrinsic in our culture whether we’re talking about the behaviours of an individual or the efforts of a project team, is the desire to make a difference and the level of trust we afford our people in how they choose to do so. 

What we do comes from the heart – Anne didn’t reach out to people this year to win an award, she did it because it was the right thing to do.  The Business Improvement team didn’t initially know they were on a journey to create a market-leading piece of software, they could see the struggles that staff were having with the existing systems and the effects this was having on customers, and they wanted to change things for the better. 

What would it mean to win? 

It would mean that we, the staff,  have another reason to celebrate the fact that we work for a great organisation, and that we can proudly demonstrate to others that Investors in People believe we’re worthy of recognition at the highest level. 

It would be amazing for the individuals involved in the nominations to see that the contributions they make are not lost in the bigger picture and that they have been honoured with a well-deserved moment in the limelight. 

Other than that, it won’t make a fundamental difference to who we are or what we do, and nor should it.  We come to work every day because it matters, not because it gets noticed.  We believe that every single one of our staff is award-worthy, and we’re proud of each and every one of them and the efforts they make to build a better world for those in need.