Our Employer of the Year Award is where we work out the Top 20 UK based organisations (in the relevant Award Level and Size Band) and enter them into the Investors in People awards.

The winner in this year’s Employer of the Year Gold level with 2-49 employees was OTD Training. We caught up with them to determine how they plan to use the award to fulfil their ambitions in 2022.

Why do you think you won the award, and how did you exceed the judges’ expectations? 

Ultimately the strength of our recent accreditation has played a significant role in achieving this award; we achieved a benchmark of 871/900 and were ‘high performing’ in every single criterion.

We also believe that judges were impressed by what we stand for as a business and the positive actions we take to put our values into practice. We nurture young talent, support local communities, communicate regularly and effectively, and encourage diversity at every level.

We also continually monitor, review and improve what we do. We are never standing still.

The winning moment. Where were you? Who was there? What was the reaction?

We were all together as a team, with the awards ceremony projected on a big screen in our office.

We had framed our working day around the event, with team meetings in the morning and a meal in the afternoon attended by our full team. Whatever the result, we wanted everyone to reflect on what an achievement it was to have secured Gold and made the shortlist for such a prestigious award.

When our company name was read out, there was the briefest moment of silence … before the room erupted in celebration! There was a lot of excitement, screams, cheering and a few tears of joy. You can see it all in the live video clip we captured.

How do you and your people feel about winning the award? 

We are overwhelmed and incredibly proud.

Being recognised in this way is such an honour and inevitably leads us to reflect on the journey that we have taken, both as individuals and as a business. We were formed in 2007, so this hasn’t been an overnight success; it’s been the result of years of hard work to put the right structure, policies and procedures in place.

Being part of the Investors in People movement is all about making work better, and that’s a continual process.

Who would you like to thank?

Our central team in Birmingham and our network of global business coaches have played such a fundamental role in being the best employer we can be. They are receptive to new ideas, they’ve embraced change, and they have proposed and taken ownership of several initiatives that are now embedded in our working practices and culture.

Of course, much of our approach comes from the very top. We’re fortunate to have two joint managing directors and a senior leadership team that passionately believes a workplace is about more than simply performing a job role. It’s about happy and engaged people who socialise and collaborate.

We genuinely could not have achieved this if we did not all work towards the same goal.

What impact will winning this award have on your organisation?

Our main objective is to continue improving our workplace for our people. We want good practice and behaviours to continue to be an intrinsic part of what OTD is all about.

We’re an ambitious bunch of people, and we don’t intend to stop at Gold! We aim to achieve Platinum in the future, and we have already begun to look at ways to help us become an even better place to work.

For instance, we’ve started quarterly IiP focus meetings, where we review existing initiatives, discuss new ones being put in place, and involve our team in the decision-making process.

What would they be if you could pass your secrets to success onto future entrants in your category? 

Our Investors in People journey has always been about continual improvement.

We’re thrilled to be recognised with an award, but our primary intention is to do the right things because we believe in them, not because we crave external recognition.

We could not have achieved what we have done without the diversity of our team. Race, gender and everything in between is no barrier to success in our business.

We also communicate regularly and effectively. That’s not limited to top-down communication; it’s about engaging people in multiple activities, from team days to surveys, briefings, videos, newsletters and online forums.

And we also have a real sense of community. We invest in local talent, are committed to using local suppliers, and have become active participants in grassroots charities through financial and volunteering support.

It embodies our values and is a great way of involving our people in activities and causes beyond the workplace that positively impact their day-to-day roles.

How can you become the best organisation you can be? 

Most of our winners are Investors in People Accredited, which means they hold one of our prestigious accreditations, which will be in wellbeing, people management or apprentices. 

Their commitment to continuous improvement ensures they’re always improving work for their people and have a better chance of winning one of our awards.