Last week we were proud to be reawarded silver accreditation by Investors in People. Beginning in 1991 as a government project, Investors in People is now an independent not-for-profit organisation that recognises excellence in people management.
We’ve been working with Investors in People since 2017, retaining our silver accreditation for two years. On receiving our silver recognition again this year, we have decided to renew our commitment to our employees, and go for gold status when it comes to our next review.
The world of work is a different place to the one I entered more than 30 years ago. Then we were motivated by how much money we could make; loyalty was afforded to the person who wrote your pay cheque, because they wrote your pay cheque. These days, workers – particularly those of a younger generation – expect more from their employers than a simple salary.
I’m not going down an ‘entitled millennials’ route here. Following the 2008 financial crash millennials were arguably the worst hit, and wages for them have still not grown to their pre-recession peak. In a talent-driven market dogged by slow wage growth, it’s no wonder that they have developed other priorities.
And, for the most part, we’re happy to oblige. When our team have asked for improved working hours, new incentives and office treats, we’ve been happy to fulfil those requests. Last year the early summer heatwave meant our traditional suited-and-booted dress code was keeping them far too warm, so we relaxed the rules and let them wear whatever they wanted (within reason).
It’s been shown time and time again that happy employees are more productive, and our staff have proven that they are no exception, so the dress code stayed in place and we set about asking the team what more we could do to improve their time in the office. It’s not just perks; a recent study from the ONS has revealed that measures such as performance reviews, training and promotions have the strongest correlation with productivity. That’s why we have an in-house trainer, for constant development of our staff.
Productivity isn’t the only benefit, however. The average employee turnover rate is 15 per cent in the UK and this is generally much higher for recruitment businesses. Recruiting new staff is a huge expense at any time and the current skills gap and political uncertainity – meaning people are wary of moving to a new job – only serve to increase that expense. Our investment in staff has lead to them staying with us for an average of four years and some have been with us for more than a decade.
More than anything, it’s nice to know that we’ve created a culture at CPS that our staff want to be a part of. I never dread going into work on a Monday morning, and I know the team are feeling the same way. At whatever point in their career they come to us, they’ll leave with more skills, experience and knowledge, ready for their next opportunity – and they’ll have done some excellent work for us in the meantime!
We’re focused on creating the best workplace in Cardiff and we’re hiring now! For a confidential chat about opportunities with us, get in touch today.
