The latest news and events from YHAL, IiP and YHAL Solutions

New award linking employee health with improved performance launched

Investors in People today launched a new award to recognise employers who have strengthened their organisation by investing in the health and wellbeing of employees.

Backed by the Department of Health, the Award is the result of extensive research that show the effective and proactive management of health and wellbeing can improve business performance by increasing productivity, reducing sickness and absenteeism and enhancing employee retention.

The first seven organisations to achieve the accolade were presented with their certificates on 11^th March 2010 by Dame Carol Black - the government's National Director for Health and Work - at a special awards ceremony in London. These organisations included Claridge’s, Kimberly-Clark and NHS Suffolk.

Jane Jones, acting Chief Executive of Investors and People UK, said:

“Over the past five years we have worked with some of the UK’s leading employers to analyse the role of health and wellbeing in the workplace. This isn’t just about fruit and gym membership, and nor is it about perks or ‘nice to haves’. It’s about embedding health and wellbeing into the culture of the business to ensure everyone benefits. The organisations we have worked with recognise these benefits and we believe this new award will help others reap the same rewards.”

Dame Carol Black DBE said:

“Improving the health of the UK’s workforce will have a critical impact not only on individuals, but on businesses and the UK economy as a whole. There are simple steps that all organisations can take to ensure the wellbeing of employees. Focusing on specific health issues is obviously important; however employers should not underestimate the role that better management and engagement of employees can have on the wellbeing – and ultimately productivity - of their workforce.”

If you are interested in finding out more about the Health and Wellbeing Good Practice Award from Investors in People and how it can help your organisation to improve performance, click here for more information.

Investors in People Y&H, Business Link Yorkshire and Yorkshire Forward announce joint event

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"When the recovery really does set in, will your people be on their knees or have their running shoes on?"*

Investors in People Yorkshire & Humber, Business Link Yorkshire and Yorkshire Forward are pleased to announce a joint event on 30th March 2010 exploring how engaging your employees will provide your organisation with the head start you need to thrive in the recovery.

As the country prepares for the economic upturn, employee engagement is more important than ever – particularly as some of your key talent may be looking to move on once the job market picks up.

Covering the importance of keeping your people on board to continue driving quality and innovation, key note speakers at the event will provide practical tools and tips to help you improve results in 2010.

Taking place on 30^th March in Leeds, please complete and return the pdf booking form above to reserve your place. Please note that delegate places are limited to two per organisation and will be awarded on a first come first served basis. 

*David MacLeod, co-author of a government-commissioned report that looked at enhancing performance through “employee engagement”

And the National Training Award goes to...

The National Training Awards (NTA) identifies and celebrates organisations and individuals that have achieved outstanding business and personal success through investment in training.

With previous winners and entrants reporting benefits such as enhanced public profile, winning additional business and receiving excellent developmental feedback, entering the National Training Awards could be a great opportunity for your organisation.  

National Training Award categories include:

• Larger Employer Award
• Medium Employer Award
• Small Employer Award
• Partnership and Collaboration Award
• Providing Education and Training 
• Individual Award
• Now is the Time Award

If you would like to find out more about how you can achieve the same benefits, book your place on one of the many free information sessions taking place across the region. For dates (including one at our offices on 2^nd February 2010), venues and booking instructions, click here to visit the National Training Awards website.  

January 2010 newsletter now available to download!

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Our latest newsletter is now available to download, including stories about Investors in People in the region. The January edition includes: 

·         Have a happy and healthy 2010 – an introduction to health and wellbeing for your organisation

·         Investors in People Gold, Silver and Bronze – congratulations

·         Get interactive – free online tools to explore

·         An introduction to Customer First and Lexcel

As an organisation working with Investors in People, you will want to keep up with all of the local news about the framework - and now you can!

Yorkshire-based Investor in People scoops National Training Award for "Winner of the Year"

A transport organisation based in Grimsby has scooped the “Winner of the Year 2009” award at the UK Gala for the National Training Awards. Overall winner for the small employer category, P S Transport went home with the coveted award after standing out amongst other national category finalists.

Following their win at the Yorkshire and Humber regional awards in Leeds earlier this year, P S Transport was also considered and won a UK National Training Award in their category, of which only one is awarded in every region.

As Yorkshire and Humber national award winner, P S Transport represented exceptional practice and were therefore invited to attend the National Training Awards Gala held in London. This is where they had the opportunity of being presented with the overall category award, competing with other national award winners from across the country.  

YHAL is very pleased to congratulate PS Transport on their fantastic achievement of winning the overall award and thank them for their continued support of Investors in People.

The National Training Awards (NTA) identifies and celebrates organisations and individuals that have achieved outstanding business and personal success through investment in training.

If you are interested in the National Training Awards, you can find out more by visiting www.nationaltrainingawards.com. We will also be holding information sessions as ambassadors of the awards in early 2010 so keep a look out on our website for more information in the next few weeks.

Free employment law tool launch from BIS

The Department for Business (BIS) has launched a new free tool to help organisations understand and manage employment law obligations. 

The free Employment Law Organiser tool explains the key obligations that bosses need to meet and includes links through to the relevant government guidance on the Business Link website.

Sitting as an icon on your desktop, when opened the tool appears as a personal organiser split into three areas - starting, staying and leaving - to cover the complete lifecycle of your employees.

Developed following requests from small business bosses for a summary of their obligations when it comes to managing their business, the tool’s final design is based on real feedback from over 250 small businesses.

The Employment Law Organiser tool also receives updates as and when new legislation is introduced and includes a calendar function to enable users to save important dates and reminders to review obligations.

Free and simple to use, click here to download the tool

New schools newsletter now available to download

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We are committed to working with schools and colleges from across the region to raise standards and improve performance through people and have developed a special newsletter to keep you updated on all of the latest news.

Now available to download from our website, our first edition newsletter includes:

• Investors in People - The new approach and schools
• Investors in People Week 2009

As a school or college working with Investors in People and YHAL, you will want to keep up with all of the local developments about the framework - and now you can!

Employers warned of boredom time bomb

New research claims that employers are facing a time bomb, suggesting that more than a fifth of the UK working population feels unfulfilled.

The study by talent assessment company SHL found that 22% of all adults rarely or never feel fulfilled at work – equating to six million workers. The percentage is even higher among 16-35 year-olds, where a quarter feel unsatisfied and a further 23% of this age group also believe they are in the wrong job.

With nearly a quarter of respondents considering a career change when the economy improves, employers are being warned they must address the issue of job satisfaction among workers.

“Lack of job fulfilment and job fit will have an impact on employee engagement, motivation and therefore productivity and this is not something that employers can afford in the current economic climate,” said David Leigh, Chief Executive of SHL.

“To help ensure they have the right people in the right roles, employers need to have an understanding of the competencies required and assess and develop employees against these, both at the recruitment stage and throughout their time with the company. Doing this increases the chances that employees will perform well, benefiting both themselves and the business”.

Leigh suggested regular engagement and motivation surveys as methods of highlighting problem areas. © Crimson Business Ltd. 2009

Employee engagement is a fundamental element of the Investors in People framework with a recent study by Cranfield University concluding that recognised organisations have higher levels of trust, co-operation and commitment amongst their employees.

Investors in People Yorkshire and Humber is committed to working with organisations in the region to raise standards and improve performance through people. If you are interested in working with the framework to increase employee engagement and motivation, contact us more information. 

Oct 09 Newsletter now available to download!

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Our latest newsletter is now available to download, including stories about Investors in People in the region. The October edition includes:

·           Employee engagement = Improved Performance

·           Investors in People Gold, Silver and Bronze - congratulations

·           Getting ready for Investors in People Week 2009

As an organisation working with Investors in People, you will want to keep up with all of the local news about the framework - and now you can!

Are your employees suffering from a summer holiday hangover?

An Investors in People survey of return to work employees suggests that, far from feeling refreshed when they get back to work, almost sixty percent of British workers don’t settle back into a regular working pattern immediately after a holiday. A third of employees dread going back to work.

The survey, conducted on behalf of Investors in People UK by YouGov, shows that 39 per cent of employees take at least a day to get back into their regular working pattern after a holiday, with one in six taking two or three days to get back up to speed. Almost a third (32 per cent) said the biggest barrier to getting back into their routine was that they felt less motivated than when they left before their holiday and a similar number (34 per cent) blamed having too many emails and correspondence to deal with.

Simon Jones, Chief Executive of Investors in People (UK) says “Employers have to recognise there is an issue and it is essential that they respond to it, particularly in the current climate. They can ill-afford a post-holiday productivity gap and should do everything they can to ensure people slot back in and quickly banish any ‘holiday hangover’.”

“Simply saying ‘welcome back’ is an important first step. Managers should also provide post-holiday briefings as quickly as possible. Think of it as a mini ‘re-induction’: it can help bring returning colleagues rapidly up-to-speed and galvanise them to deliver what the business needs from them. For large organisations in particular, the impact of staff taking up to a week to get back up to speed – as our research has found – could be significant and cannot therefore be ignored.”

The research comes at a crucial time for employers as they approach the final months of the year and hope to capitalise on any easing of the recession. The findings show the challenge that managers face to get their people rapidly re-engaged and making the contribution expected of them.

To ease any summer holiday hangovers, organisations may want to consider:

• agreeing targets or goals that can be achieved in the first week back before people go on holiday
• ensuring managers are visible around their teams and connect with people on an individual basis on their return
• using team meetings to confirm overall business aims and targets for the coming months, before and immediately after the holiday season
• a team ‘kick off’ event for the final months of the year to inspire people as soon as they return after the summer
• giving colleagues Q&A/’surgery’ opportunities to help them raise any issues or concerns on their return

Investors in People Yorkshire and Humber is committed to working with organisations in the region to raise standards and improve performance through people. If you are interested in working with the framework to increase employee engagement and motivation, contact us for more information.

Employee engagement plays a vital role in organisational performance

A recent MacLeod Review of employee engagement issued its first report in July endorsing the vital role that employee engagement plays in business success and confirming it as a core component of effective leadership and management.

Employee engagement is a fundamental element of Investors in People and independent research from Cranfield University also identified how working with Investors in People framework can increase employee engagement within an organisation, offering a positive impact on performance.  

Simon Jones, Chief Executive of Investors in People UK said:

“We are helping organisations of all types and sizes to improve their businesses. For example it was Investors in People that Sainsbury’s turned to help increase the levels of motivation amongst its people. We are delighted that the support Investors in People offers to organisations throughout the UK is acknowledged within the report, and will offer the Macleod Review team any further support we can as it continues with its work.”

Investors in People Yorkshire and Humber is committed to working with organisations in the region to raise standards and improve performance through people. If you are interested in working with the framework to increase employee engagement, contact us for more information.

July 09 Newsletter now available to download!

Champion school opens its doors

Schools from across the region recently attended an ‘Inside Investors in People’ event at Morley High School to find out more about how the school works with the framework to improve performance.

An  Investors in People Gold and Champion organisation, Morley High School opened their doors to share their journey, which has led to them to become an Outstanding school at their last Ofsted inspection. 

“When I was appointed in 2003, staff morale was very low and a significant number of people were beginning to underperform. Against this backdrop it was difficult to show that we were adding true value and we knew we had to change our approach to win back the confidence of our staff, our pupils and their parents. It was clear we needed to transform our approach and Investors in People provided us with an opportunity to implement some radical and long lasting changes.”

John Townsley, Headteacher at Morley High School

During the event, delegates learnt how working with Investors in People has provided Morley High School with a framework to support progress in a number of crucial areas including Continuous Professional Development, curriculum change and developing middle leaders.

YHAL would like to thank Morley High School for their time and hospitality in hosting the event, which offered delegates a great insight into how Investors in People can be used by schools to transform their performance.

If you are a school looking to raise standards and improve performance through people, contact us for more information about how Investors in People can help. 

New approach from Investors in People unveiled

Special edition newsletter now ready to download!

As your Investors in People Centre, we are pleased to launch an exciting new approach from Investors in People, the single biggest change to the Standard in 17 years.

To find out more about the new approach and what it means for you, our special edition newsletter is now available to download.

The special edition includes:

• What’s your priority? An introduction to the new approach
• Make a note – new introductory workshops about the approach are now available
• new choices, new logo – news about the new Investors in People branding

Download the newsletter here

April 2009 YHAL newsletter now available

Our latest newsletter is now available to download.  With stories about Investors in People in Yorkshire and the Humber, the April edition includes:

• Develop your people for performance - developing existing talent is one way that you can ensure your people feel valued, adapt to change and push forward.   
• New choices, new opportunities – a taster of things to come from the new approach to Investors in People
• Investors in People and Business Superbrands

As an Investor in People organisation, you will want to keep up with all of the local news about the Standard - and now you can!

 Click here to download

People vs. The Credit Crunch

People vs. The Credit Crunch – How Investors in People can help you during challenging times.

In challenging times, it may be easy to see working with Investors in People as a luxury. But with recent research proving that Investors in People makes an impact on an organisation’s bottom line, can you afford not to work with the Standard?

At YHAL we are committed to helping organisations in Yorkshire and the Humber to raise standards and improve performance through people. In these difficult times, it may never be as important to look inward to explore where improved performance can be achieved for your organisation and where your people can help you do it.

The following frequently asked questions have been developed for organisations thinking about whether Investors in People is relevant in difficult times and how the Standard and YHAL can help.