Construction company Beard, which has an office in Swindon, has joined the small, exclusive club of businesses to retain the Investors in People Gold Award – recognising its management excellence and exceptional commitment to developing and empowering staff.
The Gold Award is achieved by just 3% of Investors in People (IiP) organisations in the UK and requires an organisation to meet a wide range of management performance standards within IiP’s best practice framework.
Beard, which achieved Gold level status in 2011, has received the award for a further three years following a comprehensive business review by IiP assessors.
The company was assessed in 10 key performance areas which included Learning and Development, Empowerment and Involvement, Leadership and Management, and Recognition and Reward.
IiP assessors identified Beard’s ‘inspirational leadership’ and strong commitment to career development and training and mentoring its employees as particular business strengths. 
Beard HR and training manager Liz Anderson, pictured, said: “Beard has been an advocate for the Investors in People framework for business improvement for a number of years.
“We use IiP as a tool for improving our performance and it has helped us not only to grow and develop the business but to achieve our most important objective which is to provide our construction customers with a prompt and faultless delivery.”
Investors in People is the UK’s leading standard for improving business performance, productivity and competitiveness through good people management practice. Fewer than 700 oganisations achieve IiP Gold status in the country.
IiP assessor Cath Parish added: “I was very impressed by Beard’s dedication and commitment to developing staff throughout the recent recession. Beard’s success in coming through the recession having grown and prospered with a good order book is to be congratulated.
“Staff agreed Beard is a ‘Great Place to Work’. They take a pride in their work and enjoy the good reputation Beard has for its quality and friendly approach to both customers and staff.”
