Training and development earn Investors in People for Housing 21: Organization supports its people through a period of change

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to describe the policies – particularly in the areas of training and employee development – which have helped Housing 21 to achieve Investors in People.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper details the background to the policies at the UK provider of care, health and housing services for older people, the form these policies take and the results they have achieved.

Findings

The paper explains how the training – delivered through Housing 21's in‐house team – covers inductions, sponsorship through professional‐qualification routes and ongoing development. Apprenticeships play a particularly important role.

Practical implications

The paper advances the view that organizations which adopt a comprehensive approach to people development perform better than those that do not, indicated by higher gross profits per employee, higher profit margins and higher productivity. Companies that have achieved the Investors in People standard also have higher levels of trust, co‐operation and commitment than their competitors.

Social implications

The paper reveals that Housing 21's seven values of caring, individuality, empowering, integrity, improving, investing and ambition are well known by staff, who are able to describe how they use them to underpin the way they deliver services to customers.

Originality/value

The paper gives the inside story of how a 7,500‐employee organization achieved Investors in People.

Citation

(2013), "Training and development earn Investors in People for Housing 21: Organization supports its people through a period of change", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 21 No. 2, pp. 10-12. https://doi.org/10.1108/09670731311306742