Why did you enter The Investors in People Awards 2020? 

We recognise The Investors in People Awards as one of the most important indicators of our relationship with our employees and so when we were invited to take part as a result of our great Gold Accreditation scores, we were absolutely thrilled.  

We are really proud of our values and this year we’ve been shortlisted for a number of HR awards, including Progression Programme of the Year in the UK Social Mobility Awards, Best Alignment of Benefits to Business Strategy in the Employer Benefits Awards, and Best Employee Support Strategy During a Crisis in the Engage Awards 2020.

However, to be named a finalist in The Investors in People Awards 2020 really is the pinnacle of the year for our team. 

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

We were delighted when we achieved Investors in People accreditation for the first time in 2009, and then to have achieved Gold Accreditation in 2014, but to have retained it in 2020, we feel, is an even greater accomplishment. It shows that the strategy we’ve put in place and the investment we’ve made in supporting our staff has had a long-term positive effect. 

What’s more, the new framework introduced by Investors in People has been even more rigorous than before, so being the only company in the hospitality industry with the accreditation is testament to our team’s hard work. We are determined to continually improve on our already high standards! 

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

Our focus on talent, development and succession planning was a key part of our entry, and it has had a number of tangible results for both the individuals and the business. Two standout stats are that our overall employee engagement was 82%, and our internal promotion rate was 65%. Additionally, whether through awards, acknowledgement on the job, or celebrating long service members, we’ve demonstrated that we have a fantastic culture of recognition at Roadchef. 

Roadchef’s new vision, mission and values had only just been launched to the team before the accreditation process began, so it shows that we were successful in getting buy in and seamlessly weaving the values into all of our practices.  

What would it mean to win? 

Roadchef as a business goes under the radar sometimes, so it is great that our efforts have been recognised by such a prestigious organisation with the Gold Accreditation. 

Ultimately, we want our team to be proud to work at Roadchef, making the roads a safer and happier place by de-stressing and delighting our customers. As a reward for their hard work throughout this particularly challenging year, winning this award really would mean everything.