Regional construction group Beard, which has an office in Bristol, has retained its Investors in People (IiP) Gold standard in recognition of its exceptional commitment to managing, empowering and developing its staff.
The family-owned firm is one of only 53 construction companies in the UK with the accreditation.
An IiP assessor said the group’s strong focus on the health and wellbeing of staff together with a respect for one another was rare in the building sector.
Staff turnover was also extremely low and an open culture had enabled some employees who joined as apprentices to rise to become directors.
IiP is the UK’s leading accreditation for business improvement through investing in people. This year’s assessment was the first under a new, more rigorous framework which reflects the very latest workplace trends and essential skills required to perform in any industry.
Swindon-headquartered Beard, which achieved Gold level status in 2011 and 2014 and has been re-accredited for a further three years, outperformed other construction companies in every indicator in the new framework.
The group specialises in projects in the education, healthcare, sports and leisure and commercial sectors up to £16m. It opened its Bristol office two years ago and last year secured the contract to build the ss Great Britain Trust’s £7.2m Being Brunel museum. It also has bases in Oxford and Guildford.
Beard HR and training manager Liz Anderson said: “We’ve used the Investors in People Framework for many years as a route map for continuous improvement and it was useful to see how well we performed compared to other companies in our industry.
“We’re delighted to have retained our IiP Gold status and particularly pleased to have received a 97% positive response from our staff to the statement ‘My organisation is a great place to work and has a bright future’.
“As a responsible employer, we want our people to have the best support, training and development opportunities to excel in their careers and be the best at what they do. It’s great to see from the results that staff all agree that Beard ‘looks after them’.
“By helping us improve our performance and productivity through our people, IiP has become a vital part of Beard’s business strategy which is to achieve growth through prompt and faultless construction delivery and by being better tomorrow than we are today. If our staff feel happy and content, our customers will be happy and content – it’s a simple formula for long-term success.”
Beard, which celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, was assessed in three key performance areas for Leading, Supporting and Improving.
It was identified as having many noteworthy strengths and scored highly in the areas of Leading and Inspiring People, Living the Values, Empowering and Involving People, and Creating Sustainable Success. IiP viewed these four areas as excellent foundations for Beard’s ambitious growth plans.
Investors in People assessor Cath Parish said: “Working with Beard has been a very enjoyable experience. Beard is an inspirational organisation and truly deserves its Investors in People Gold accreditation.
“The company has always recognised that its people are its best asset and has a real commitment to developing them to reach their full potential.
“Staff turnover is extremely low and there are examples of people starting as apprentices and advancing to be appointed as directors. There is a strong focus on the health and wellbeing of staff together with a respect for one another that is not often experienced in a construction company.
“The leadership team has established the Investors in People Framework at the core of the business. They have created an outstanding company culture and are role models for both the organisation and the rest of the construction industry.”
Pictured: The Beard IiP team with their Gold accreditation
