We chose to enter this year’s Investors in People Awards to recognise the incredible hard work the entire AFS team has poured into transforming the business into the people-conscious, wellbeing-driven organisation that it has become today.
Beyond the tangible benefits achieved via our 4-day working week scheme, we felt it was important that the team was recognised internally and externally for their achievements. The business has undergone substantial change in the last few years, and this would not have been possible without the unwavering dedication, persistence and open-mindedness of our team.
By going through the application process, we had the opportunity to pause and reflect on what we have achieved since gaining our first IIP accreditation and ask ourselves thoughtful questions about what the future looks like for continuing our wellbeing journey. This has helped us refocus our efforts and come up with exciting new plans and initiatives for the coming years to continue growing through our investment in our team.
IIP and its frameworks are the UK’s gold standard for employee wellbeing practises, and by entering the awards we also hoped to verify whether we are on track in our mission to become a leader in wellbeing in the Facilities industry. By sharing our story across the facilities services sector and with other forward-thinking organisations, via the Investors in People awards 2025, we hope to inspire other organisations to prioritise wellbeing and flexible working as core pillars of success.
To be shortlisted for two awards at the Investors in People Awards is a fantastic achievement for team AFS, and we are honoured to be listed among some of the UK’s leading people-first employers. The news has been a big lift for our team and there’s a real buzz around the office, with the finalist’s badge now proudly displayed in everyone’s email signatures! We have also seen a significant positive shift in team empowerment and ownership. It’s empowered our team to take ownership of our culture, in the knowledge that their contributions are not only valued internally but also celebrated externally, by leading bodies such as Investors in People.
To receive recognition from the IIP panel also carries deeper meaning for AFS as a business. It was via our initial engagement and accreditation with IIP that we really took our first steps towards becoming a people-first business that succeeds by investing in our team. Through countless sessions with the organisation’s specialists (a big thank you to Anne Gordon in particular and more recently Lindsey Ferries), we were able to build a really strong cultural foundation that would form the basis for all future wellbeing and engagement initiatives.
Throughout our journey in partnership with IIP we have always aspired to be a people-centric organisation and employer of choice. Being shortlisted has reinforced our identity as a people first organisation and validated the broader cultural transformation we have worked so hard to create.
The journey from initial IIP accreditation through to today where the team now enjoy the financial and wellbeing benefits a 4-day work week (while retaining 5 day’s pay) has involved years of hard work, process upheaval, and difficult decisions from everyone in the team. To now be shortlisted for two national awards is a celebration of our team’s efforts and perseverance to reach the goals that we had set out many years ago.
To go one step further and win an Investors in People Award would be an incredible achievement for everyone on Team AFS. As a smaller family-owned business operating in the Facilities sector (an industry known to suffer from wellbeing issues, employee burnout, and high staff turnover), to win a prestigious award on the national stage would show that delivering real transformational change to the benefit of both employees and the business is possible for companies of any size and industry.
To win an award would serve as a great benchmark and provide assurance that the hard work we are putting into delivering change for our employees is paying off for the team and meeting our goal of becoming an industry leader. It’s one thing to feel internally that we are on the right track with our wellbeing targets, but to be recognised externally on a national level would be a fantastic signal that we are well on our way to reaching our goal of becoming the employer of choice in Facilities Services. Winning an award on a highly respected stage would help generate momentum for future innovation as it would energise Alba to keep pushing boundaries to innovate, evolve and continue investing in our people with even greater ambition.
Winning an award would also provide a great boost in our ability to promote the uptake of people-first initiatives amongst our peers in the sector. We want to take our mission of promoting a wellbeing-led culture beyond the internal AFS team, and being recognised as an IIP award winner would put us in a strong position to influence clients, competitors, and partners to start their own journey of transformation, with the goal of improving workplace wellbeing for as many people as possible.
Participating in the IIP community is highly beneficial for us as an organisation, giving us access to a great wealth of knowledge on the latest gold standards for wellbeing and employee engagement practices. Getting involved in IIP allows us to ensure we are keeping up to date with best practice, assisting us in our continuous improvement. It also provides the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from other like-minded business that put their people first, helping us find new ways to innovate and share ideas.
Continued involvement with IIP gives us an ongoing external benchmark, both via the accreditation frameworks and via award events such as this one. By opting to participate we have a reference point that we can use to verify that we are progressing towards our goals, keeping us on track. It also gives us the opportunity to reflect on what we have achieved so far and develop plans for new initiatives for the future that will benefit our team and the business.
Participating in the IIP awards gives us the chance to achieve recognition for our team and all of their hard work and efforts to make projects like our 4-day work week a massive success. To have achieved such a massive undertaking wouldn’t have been possible without full buy-in from the team and it’s important for us to ensure that they are recognised fully for their efforts, improving morale and creating a hunger for further success.
By getting involved with IIP and participating in the awards, we have equipped ourselves with the tools to have a positive influence in our sector, promoting people-led cultural change to our clients and partners. It also improves trust and provides reassurance to our clients that they will receive high quality service from a well-motivated workforce. Involvement with IIP has helped us achieve mutual benefit for both the business and our employees, recognising that investing in our people pays off heavily in improved business outcomes and productivity.
Share to:
Ready to make work better? Complete the form below and one of our team will be in touch to discuss your accreditation enquiry.
Ready to make work better? Complete the form below and one of our team will be in touch to discuss your accreditation enquiry.
