UNISON, the UK’s largest union, is the first trade union to be awarded the prestigious Investors in People Silver award. The achievement is impressive because the award is only granted to less than 3% of Investors in People (IIP) accredited organisations.
UNISON General Secretary Dave Prentis said:
“I’m delighted that we’ve won this prestigious national award. Our members need and deserve the very best – now more than ever. Using the Investors in People framework has helped us to focus on how we can fully engage and motivate our staff, to best meet our members’ needs.”
An organisation can achieve Bronze, Silver or Gold status by meeting additional evidence requirements from across the Investors in People framework. To secure the Silver award, organisations must demonstrate an additional 76 or more pieces of evidence, above the Investors in People core Standard.
John Telfer, Managing Director of Inspiring Business Performance Ltd (IBP), the organisation that delivers Investors in People for London and the South, said:
“This is a fantastic achievement for UNISON, and clearly shows that continual improvement and development is a top priority.
“Over a third of the UK’s workforce uses Investors in People today, and this is because of the many benefits that being Investors in People accredited can bring. Once key decision makers implement changes for the better, the effects can often be seen across all areas of an organisation.”
Working with Investors in People has been shown to improve financial performance, productivity and profitability. Companies that have achieved the Investors in People Standard also have higher levels of trust, co-operation and commitment than their competitors.
The IIP awards provide a framework of best practice and are awarded to well-run organisations that meet set criteria such as learning and development, leadership skills and recognition and reward of staff amongst others.