“Investors in People provide a fantastic framework for recognising how far we've come as a business, and their accreditation system is an invaluable tool to highlight the areas we should continue to develop.”
ALIZA SWEIRY UK MANAGING DIRECTOR, AQUENT
Aquent UK kicked off 2021 by winning the Gold accreditation from Investors in People. The team first achieved the standard in 2009 and – reviewed every three years – gained Silver accreditation in 2018. They’ll, naturally, be eyeing up the Platinum award on their next review.
Investors in People (IIP) was established in 1991 and is now recognised as the UK’s leading people management standard – recognised in 66 countries around the world. They set out a framework for business improvement, designed to help organisations transform business performance. Their rigorous assessment reviews business structure, development plans, growth, and includes a selection of staff interviews and a company-wide survey.
Only 17% of organisations achieve Gold, and IIP suggests that accreditation at this level positions Aquent as an industry leader – being both forward thinking and people-centric, notably during the ongoing pandemic.
IIP highlights various elements that have developed since the previous review and that the team should all be particularly proud of. They write that “an impressive 95% of Aquent employees agree that Aquent has a positive impact on society… during interviews staff showed genuine pride in the work they do in supporting talent and their clients”, and “100% feel that their levels of empowerment are strong with increasing transparency from the leadership team”. “Team members feel that recognition and feedback are both prioritised as the organisation attempts to address the challenges presented by the pandemic. The leadership is credited with improving the sense of positivity and inclusivity that pervades around the organisation.”
On the topic of weathering the pandemic, they said Aquent had been “effective in keeping the business on track and revitalising employees with a renewed drive to deliver the ambitions of the organisation throughout the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis and the commercial uncertainty that it brought.”
