Wokingham

Wokingham District Council is celebrating with the news today (August 7 2006) that it is to retain its national Investors in People (IiP) status.

First awarded to Wokingham council in 2002, Investors in People is a national quality standard which sets a level of good practice for improving an organisation's performance through its people.

Having won IiP status in 2002, Wokingham council was subject to further assessment in 2003 and more recently in July 2006 in order to hold on to this prestigious standard. After six days of assessment last month involving a random sample of staff from a variety of teams across the council, the external IiP assessor concluded that the council continues to meet the national standard which has been made more exacting since the last review.
The assessor commented on the council’s “very strong public service ethos, with the overwhelming majority of staff describing the contribution they make to the organisation and, through that, to the service users as a prime motivation in their work.”

Wokingham Chief executive Doug Patterson said: "I am delighted that the continuing hard work and commitment of staff at all levels has been recognised in this way. There has been a lot of change in the council over the past three years and this change has involved a great deal of effort from people across the council. The continuation of our IiP status really is an organisation-wide achievement of which we can all be proud. Indeed, it is a firm foundation on which to base our continued pursuit of excellence, ensuring we are high performing, customer focused and provide value for money."

The council attributes its IiP success to providing solid frameworks for good communication, for sharing corporate objectives and for strengthening teamwork throughout the organisation.

The process aims to support service improvement; improve communications across the council; identify, share and celebrate existing good practice; focus attention on staff development issues and improve staff involvement, commitment and the retention of valuable skills. There is also a very positive correlation between achieving IiP and increased customer satisfaction.

An Investor in People is:

* Fully committed to developing its people in order to achieve its aims and objectives.
* Clear about its aims and its objectives and what its people need to do to achieve them.
* Develops its people effectively in order to improve its performance.
* Understands the impact of its investment in people on its performance.

In his assessment report, IIP assessor Mike White congratulated the Wokingham council on continuing to meet the Investors in People standard. He said: “This is a significant achievement given the widespread nature and fast pace of change in the authority over recent years."

Wokingham District Council