Reflections of an Investors in People Practitioner… common characteristics found in our Platinum accredited organisations

I have had the pleasure and privilege of working with and assessing several organisations that have gone on to become Platinum accredited. While all are very different in respect of size and sector I’ve concluded that they share some common characteristics. For those of you that are on your own Platinum journey you might find the following reflections useful;

• There is a unique story of improvement, learning and achievement behind each Platinum Award. The journey helps us to see the character of the organisation. Typically there will be bumps in the road; it’s not always a stellar trajectory.

• Senior leaders actively and openly seek to create a people centric culture. They spend as much time on this as they do the business strategy. People and performance priorities go hand in hand. Leaders genuinely care about the wellbeing of their people.

• Leaders at all levels continuously improve their own capabilities. They put time aside for improving their leadership and management skills, knowledge and behaviours. People confirm they have confidence and trust in their leaders’ abilities. These leaders tend to be comfortable with their own vulnerability.

• Strong values underpin a culture that everyone can describe in clear terms. The right behaviours are valued as much as task achievement; the ‘how’ is seen to be as important as the ‘what’, and rewarded as such.

• Performance management is carried out in a fluid, engaging and dynamic way that helps to drive up individual performance. People don’t dread their reviews!

• There is a good understanding of what high level people engagement looks like and this is measured regularly. Everyone commits to improvement actions.

• Other relevant people metrics are used to help drive through desired improvements in the areas that matter most. Measurement helps to show the return on the investment being made in creating a great place to work.

• A tangible learning culture exists; where learning is prioritised and is seen as an everyday occurrence; learning activities are innovative and responsive to individual learning styles and there is solid evidence that learning is maximising talent.

• There is strong evidence of continuous improvement, agility, resilience and innovation. People are actively encouraged to come up with great ideas.

• These organisations ‘give back’; they have a genuine commitment to their corporate social responsibility. They are also strong on diversity and inclusion.

• IIP survey scores are strongly positive and exceed the benchmark.

• People give us compelling and personal examples of why this is an exceptional place to work.