Context:
Investors in People is an internationally recognised accreditation for people management and employee wellbeing. We call for a movement that puts people first, for the benefit of every person in every workplace, increased productivity in organisations and a stronger, happier and healthier society.
Investors in People is a Community Interest Company, which means that any profits generated are re-invested back into the organisation to fuel our purpose of ‘make work better’. We do this primarily by working with organisations to accredit them for their people practices (via three products, We invest in People, We invest in Wellbeing and We invest in Apprentices) and through nurturing and energising our accredited community, fostering learning collaboration and support between them.
We are a very well recognised brand in the UK, having been formed initially in 1991 by the UK government as a national standard of good practice for training and development. In 2017 we came out of Government and formed as an independent community interest, not for profit entity. We are part owned by the DfE (49%) but they have no control over the business, the majority stake (51%) sits with IIP CIC which is a company limited by guarantee. No individual or organisation has any commercial equity in the business, all profits/surpluses are reinvested in the mission and objectives of IIP.
Since 2020 we have restructured the business to bring delivery partners (essentially franchise operations) in different regions of the UK ‘in house’. We are now a team of 35 people, all working remotely, with our services delivered by a network of approx. 100 self-employed contractors.
Investors in People accredited organisations can proudly display our laurel branding, which is a very well recognised mark of a good employer. Businesses therefore work with us to seek accreditation to attract candidates, have their work recognised (i.e. to stand out as a brand) and/or for help in progressing their People strategies. When a business engages with us to be accredited, they sign up to a three year cycle which includes assessment in year 1 and a check in at 12 and 24 months. This assessment process has three key benefits for clients: we give all of their people a voice, we measure and recognise their progress and we help them understand areas for improvement.
We work with organisations from a few people to tens of thousands, and across every industry. We also host an annual conference and other regional events.
Since being established as a CIC in 2017, Investors in People has improved significantly in the key metrics of client retention and profitability. Our ambition is now to push for growth in the number of people working for accredited organisations, and to deepen our impact so that we continue to fulfil our purpose.
The CEO position manages the senior leadership team, comprising People Director, Finance, Technology & Innovation Director and Chief Operating Officer. The CEO role is overseen by the Chairman of the Non-Executive Board.