With a record number of entries this year out of hundreds of companies, the annual Investors in People awards shortlisted us for five awards!
We were nominated for Best People Team, The Diversity and Inclusion Award, The Employee Engagement Award and two for Young Person of the Year.
Best People Team Award
This Award revolves around how we made a difference during the last twelve months. Through recognising our staff as our greatest strength, we drove a cultural change that looks out after everybody’s wellbeing.
We have implemented several cultural groups including Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), Women’s Learning and Development Network (WLDN) and Mental Health Ambassadors (MHA). to increase happiness, recognition and the understanding of roles and expectations.
You accepted that you have a way to go with cultural change as it can take some years. However, you have made great strides to significantly improve your approach around internal communications, staff engagement, measure progress and implement change in line with your people’s priorities.
Judges comments
The Diversity and Inclusion Award
Being a signatory of the CIHT D&I Charter, we have always valued diversity and inclusion. This is evident in the last year where we have seen improvements in happiness from 80% April 2019 to 91% July 2021, and retention from 48% April 2019 to 59% September 2020. Our EDI, WLDN and MHA groups have all been instrumental in creating this change.
Our culture group has introduced a flexible working policy, reviewed other key policies and packages. We also introduced a buddy support system for new starters.
The Employee Engagement Award
The Award focused on the initiatives we implemented, including a flexible working policy, staff training and mental health aiders. We held our staff awards, pilates classes, quizzes and photo competitions to encourage social interaction and reduce isolation during lockdown. All these initiatives seek to support staff and ensure they have the opportunity to voice their needs.
An excellent entry, really clear you care about your people, measuring happiness is great and to have improved that score during the pandemic is really good.
Judges comments
Young Person of the Year Award
This award is reserved for someone who’s making a big difference in their organisation and puts in 110% every day. We were immediately sure of our two candidates.
Adedapo Fasinro is self-motivated, hardworking and versatile, able to turn her learned experience to a multitude of different areas. Her natural curiosity and interest lead her to putting 100% into everything she does. She was also a pre-19 officer for the Institution of Civil Engineers, which shortlisted her for the Rising Star Award. This is in addition off being a key member of the Highways engineering team.
Adedapo is to be congratulated and thanked for her sterling work particularly in her own role modelling, networking and influencing in encouraging young women in their development and engagement with the STEM subjects.
Judges comments
Olivia Reed is a hardworking team player, whose key interests surround improving spaces sustainably for the people that use them. She collaborated to develop and carry out equalities impact assessments. By all means, she is passionate about driving changes for worthwhile causes. This includes charities and other activities that benefit the community.
Olivia has shown great determination in the development of her career to the betterment of the lives of those people that live in and near the spaces that she has worked on. In addition, she has engaged with positive work to improve equalities and supports more junior staff in their development. She is to be commended for her charitable work during a period of furlough and her running in the Hackney Half-Marathon.
Judges comments
