The Mid Ocean Club, situated in picturesque Tucker’s Town in Bermuda, was established in 1951 and has hosted several major PGA golf events. Members from the four corners of the world are drawn back to its peaceful rolling greens, private beaches, and the warm embrace of the Clubhouse. The Mid Ocean Club and their employees have been shortlisted in no less than three categories at the 2022 Investors in People awards: Overseas Employer of the Year: Gold; HR Person of the Year; and Young Person of the Year
Why did you enter the Awards?
The Mid Ocean Club is the only international private member’s club to achieve Investor’s in People Gold accreditation. We chose to enter Investors in People because we are proud of our community and of our accomplishments. Our team deserves to be recognized for the work that they do to make us great. Being shortlisted was a success in itself, and we could not miss the opportunity to secure our position as one of the top employers in our category in the world!
What was the key point of your entry?
Some of the greatest parts of IIP are the lessons learned from our assessor and other advisors (Gil, Eric, Gwen: thank you!). We have learned to embrace reflection to critically evaluate ourselves, our practices, and discover new and unique ways at creating a company focused on its people. Our recent employee engagement survey showed a 233% improvement in our Net Promoter Score from 2018. We hope that by maintaining the practices that have helped us achieve this and other IIP successes, that this number will only grow higher.
We improved our IIP results in 44% of the individual frameworks, which was a huge achievement for a company within hospitality during the pandemic. Our employees are the heart and soul of our company, and they are being recognized for the efforts they put in to thrive during a difficult period for us all.
What would it mean to you to win?
If we won, it would reinforce our ongoing efforts over the past year to realign ourselves and our organisation to our strategic objectives. Like many organisations, with the pandemic, we lost traction on many of our people-centric practices. Our values of Respect, Integrity, Community, and Environment were not always the focus of our business as we tried to survive during lockdowns and covid protocols and protect our team’s employment. It has taken a lot of focus to put ourselves back on track and winning Overseas Employer of the Year: Gold would be a testament to the efforts of our entire team at Mid Ocean Club.
Vanessa Robinson
Why did you enter the Awards?
I had immense appreciation to learn about my nomination for HR Person of the Year once it was submitted to Investors in People (IIP). My kind colleagues wanted to recognize my contribution to the company and the refresh to the HR practices in the time since my tenure began at Mid Ocean Club (MOC) in April 2021.
I already have so much gratitude to know that the partnership with my colleagues has made significant improvements in the culture and employee engagement. Becoming a finalist was a huge surprise to me when I consider all the extremely talented HR professionals at IIP organizations worldwide.
On Friday September 23rd, Bermuda was being hit by Hurricane Fiona. I was without electricity; the winds were howling, and I was focused on making sure nothing happened to my house and family. My colleague, who had submitted the nomination, sent me a text message revealing that I was a finalist. I cried tears of joy and in my mind felt a sudden calm about the hurricane because I was so focused on feeling the immense appreciation that not only did my colleagues recognize me but so did IIP. The credibility of IIP as an organisation makes this finalist selection even more professionally impressive and personally humbling.
What was the key point of your entry?
During my career I have always strived to create and expect a working environment of psychological safety. My professional journey has taught me many things, including what I did not want in my future employers and teams. Being a part of MOC has allowed me to create the working environment that I believe all employees should experience. I’ve taken my challenging times and turned them into an incredibly positive outcome for myself and others because for me “leadership is not about being in charge, it is about taking care of those in your charge” (Simon Sinek, 2015).
What would it mean to you to win?
To be chosen as the HR Person of the Year would mean far more than just receiving the trophy and accolades that come along with it. It would mean that although I’ve experienced professional adversity, I have remained true to my own core values of integrity, equality and most importantly play! If we don’t have fun in the workplace, why would anyone want to come to work? It IS possible to work hard and still have fun with the people you work with! Winning this award would reinforce that my hard work and commitment to creating a better workplace has paid off!
Dimitri Frias
What was the key point of your entry?
May 10th, 2022 – that was the day Gill from Investors in People visited The Mid Ocean Club here in Bermuda. She stayed with us for a week, and we were able to pinpoint what we needed to do as a team to reach the next level. In her visit, she found an ongoing commitment from us to make work better for our people and invest in them.
On a personal level, this past year has been something I could have never imagined. I began working at the club in 2014 as a pool and beach attendant. Throughout the years, I was able to venture into different departments, truly getting the full resort club experience because this is what I have a passion for – always striving for more. I was recently promoted to Assistant General Manager In-Training and thanks to my support system and team, we have not looked back ever since. There has been a true dedication at the club in recent years to continue to find ways to get better and I am proud to be part of a team with this mentality. When the opportunity arose to enter as a nominee, once again, my support system was there to tell me “Go for it.”
I was recently sent a YouTube link to get a closer look on the Investors in People Award show and the amazing atmosphere that this spectacle provides. In that clip, a gentleman was on stage and said,
“If you are here, it is because you make the workplace a better place. ”
And that was all I ever wanted. How can I make our workplace meaningful and with a purpose? How can I encourage a team member, who has made countless sacrifices and comes to Bermuda for a better life 8,000 miles away from his or her family…how can I keep that person engaged and stay motivated to come to work each and everyday with a smile on their face? How can I make the work environment one that eases the minds of my peers and make it a place they jump out of bed to come to each and every day? These are the challenges I face and being shortlisted for the IIP Young Person of the Year Award tells me that I’m on the path I want to be on.
What would it mean to you to win?
It would be an absolute honor to win the IIP Young Person of the Year award. As someone who finds it difficult to take a moment and sit back and reflect on personal achievements, this would be one I could not ignore. To go from a pool and beach attendant to Assistant General Manager In-Training, from a 21-square mile island with a population of 65,000 people and becoming the IIP Young Person of the Year would be a testament to my fellow coworkers and support system who have helped me daily, through the ups and downs, to make the workplace a better place. I owe it all to them.
Our Awards Are Back!
We are so excited to be back hosting The Investors in People Awards 2022 in person. It’s been too long!
Find out about all the other finalists and book your tickets for the evening today!
