Intercity Technology - Awards Finalist 2022 Case Study

How are you making work better?

At Intercity, we are passionate about creating an environment where our people are engaged and more likely to flourish. By listening to our colleagues, we have adopted a people-focused strategy that allows us to continuously improve the way we work based on their feedback and what matters most to them. Knowing that training and development is a key driver of engagement amongst our workforce, we are committed to giving our teams opportunities to refine their skills and enhance their knowledge through mentoring and training, as well as opportunities to advance within their careers at Intercity. Where possible, we promote from within, and we have an apprenticeship program that allows us to bring fresh talent through the Intercity doors, which we are committed to nurturing and investing in. We’re extremely proud to be able to say that 8% of our workforce is made up of apprentices and graduates.

Colleague wellbeing is also hugely important to us – and there are several ways we are leading the charge on this. Team building plays a very important part, and we regularly participate in team building challenges, which have many benefits, including improved communication, a boost in morale, and increased collaboration across the business. 

In addition to our annual pay reviews and bonus scheme, we’ve also put together a package of support for our team as they navigate the cost of living, this includes interest-free loans, a company-wide £250 cost of living support bonus and financial wellbeing workshop, all of which will help to alleviate colleague stress at a challenging time.

Throughout the year, there are opportunities for our teams to engage in charity work, which allows them to build connections with the local community and to give back to society, which we know is important to them. So far this year, our workforce has raised £6,000 for the local Birmingham charity, St Basils, and we’ve sponsored Childline for a day.

Why did you enter The Investors in People Awards 2022?

We recognise that creating the right environment for people to thrive has enabled the business to achieve growth and allowed our business performance to return to pre-pandemic levels. We entered because we thought it would be fantastic recognition for our colleagues’ achievements, who have created our company culture and support each other in achieving great things. 

Ultimately, our vision is to be the best tech partner to work for and with, and we are committed to cultivating our colleague engagement and satisfaction. Investors in People is a prestigious award that recognizes a business’s commitment to its people – and we’re putting ourselves up against the very best to understand how we’re progressing towards achieving our vision.

Are there any goals or challenges you hope an award will help you solve?

This award for us is a great way of demonstrating our commitment to our people and how we champion workplace engagement, which will not only help with recruiting top talent but also shows our customers that we value how we treat our colleagues. 

It’s also fantastic recognition for our amazing colleagues and will give them a great positivity boost.

What sets you apart from other companies in your category?

We are delighted to be shortlisted amongst other brilliant businesses, who we are sure are all worthy winners. Although we may be somewhat biased, we truly believe we have the best workforce, with unparalleled levels of team spirit, who help make Intercity a fantastic workplace. From our strong company culture to our colleague engagement, we strongly believe in our People Power and how this sets us apart. Our commitment to our colleagues is what sets us apart as a world-class company, demonstrated by our recent 3 star Best Companies result.

What does being shortlisted mean to you and what would it mean to win?

Like most companies, the pandemic had a real impact on us, and our colleagues have worked tirelessly to get our performance back to pre-pandemic levels. Our colleagues have worked incredibly hard to achieve this and to create a fantastic workplace – and this award would be a testament to their efforts. We’re delighted to be shortlisted for such a prestigious award, and to win would mean the world to us after such a challenging time and give us a real platform to make further improvements moving forwards.

How does being shortlisted benefit your customers/staff?

Being shortlisted for the Investors In People Awards gives our colleagues the recognition they deserve and will make them feel proud to work for a company that focuses on colleague engagement. Engaged teams mean better service to our customers, and our world-class transactional NPS score of +75 is evidence of this.

How would you use being the recipient of this award to influence others?

We would use this award as a platform to share our approach to workplace engagement with other businesses, such as through our work with the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce.

What can we expect to see from your organisation in the next 12 months?

We are committed to continuous improvement, and we have used the feedback from our Investors in People certification to make more improvements in our workplace. Already in the pipeline is a new cohort of apprentices and graduates, a new cohort on our Management Academy, and a new HR Information System. The hope is that by fulfilling the feedback on our silver Investors in People award, we will move up to a gold award during our recertification process which we are currently undertaking.

What advice would you give to anyone applying for the Investors in People Awards 2023?

For anyone applying for the Investors in People awards 2023, my advice would be to let your passion for people shine through and reflect on what you do well and what the positive impacts are for your team.