Chris Hayward
NMBS has been awarded the Platinum standard of the Investors in People accreditation, in recognition of its culture of support and leadership.
The Buying Society's previously held Investors in People Gold award has been increased to the Platinum level following an in depth assessment.
Platinum is the highest possible level of accreditation available through Investors in People, and one that very few companies across the UK are able to reach. To achieve the standard, firms must be able to demonstrate high performance in at least seven of the nine assessment indicators, which are:
These indicators are determined based on research into what makes a company succeed in the long term, and trends in how those successful companies lead and support their people.
NMBS has held Investors in People accreditation since 2005, before achieving the gold level in 2017 when the silver, gold and platinum levels were first introduced. With the three-year accreditation due for renewal again in 2020, NMBS was determined to achieve the Platinum standard – a task that was made even more difficult considering the wider challenges that this year has posed.
Vicky Spofford, HR & Facilities Manager at NMBS, was responsible for overseeing NMBS’ application. She explains: “This year has been a real challenge for everyone in the industry, but I think we’ve become a stronger, more inclusive team as a result. Communication between the NMBS team is better than ever, and we’ve introduced massive improvements in IT that have given us the flexibility to continue working remotely. In many areas, our productivity has actually increased.”
Several aspects of the Investors in People accreditation involve reward and recognition, as well as continuing training and development for staff members. This has proved more difficult than usual during 2020, with everyone working from home, but NMBS was determined to find innovative new ways to ensure its staff could continue to develop and stay motivated.
Spofford continues: “NMBS always has a significant training budget every year to make sure people have the skills they need to do their job. This year, that training has been more about learning new technology, reviewing our existing business processes and finding new and better ways to do things. A lot of my role has also been to make sure we understand everyone’s personal situations, and to help wherever we can to make sure they are comfortable working from home.”
Another way in which NMBS has continued to reward its staff is to create the ‘Extra Mile Award’, which allows team members to nominate a colleague who they believe has gone over and above their day-to-day tasks.
Chris Hayward, Managing Director of NMBS, adds: “We are thrilled to have achieved Investors in People Platinum accreditation for 2020. NMBS works tirelessly to support its team members and to help them grow, both personally and professionally, as they continue through their careers. To have achieved that standard during 2020, which has been one of the most challenging times anyone in business has seen in many years, is testament to how hard everyone at NMBS has worked, and how we continue to support each other.”
