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Brother UK has become the first firm in the UK to retain the Investors in People (IIP) Platinum status three times in a row, recognising the business’s longstanding focus on effectively leading, growing and supporting its employees.
The platinum award is widely viewed as the highest recognition a firm can be given in people management in the UK, with just two per cent of businesses meeting the rigorous standard.
Companies are evaluated every three years and more than 50,000 organisations have been accredited, including McDonalds, Sainsbury’s and NHS trusts.
Brother UK employs 150 people at its headquarters in Tameside, Greater Manchester, where employees stay for an average of 14 years – an industry leading figure.
Sam Johnson, Learning & Organisational Development Manager at Brother UK, said: “Our ethos has always been “at your side”, which is as true for our employees as it is for our customers. It’s their expertise and experience that drives our business forward, so it’s integral to our success to always review and improve how we can support them.
“Achieving the Platinum accolade three times in a row is a huge achievement for us but this one is particularly special. Like every other business, we had to adapt how we support our people quickly through the pandemic and this award is meaningful as it comes at a time when we faced some of our greatest challenges as people and as an organisation.
“Emerging from the pandemic, we recognise that people have different expectations around work and what they want from their careers and employers. We led an overhaul of our whole organisational value proposition in 2021 and made sure that we were well prepared for that moment.”
Brother UK moved to a hybrid working model, where around 90 employees work from the office three days a week instead of five. The new policy came alongside a significant investment to redesign its Greater Manchester HQ to support collaborative working and social interaction, with new break-out spaces and meeting rooms created.
Paul Devoy, CEO of Investors in People, said: “We’d like to congratulate Brother UK. Platinum accreditation is a remarkable effort for any organisation, and places it in fine company with a host of organisations that understand the value of people.”
Brother UK Managing Director, Phil Jones MBE, added “Expectations for employers have totally changed. With such an active jobs market, you have to really offer something that attracts people to your company and our proposition to invest in personal and career growth helps us to do this. Retaining our Platinum status for the third time is something we feel really proud about.”
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