IT'S glasses raised at Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce, which has become the only one in Central England to achieve the Investors In People gold award.

It is also one of only nine businesses in the two counties to achieve the accreditation. The Chamber achieved Silver Status in September 2015 and made the decision to “top up” this year to attempt to reach gold status. The threshold for gold accreditation is 165 evidence requirements; the Chamber not only reached this but far surpassed it, achieving 173 ERs.

IIP is the global standard for people management, delivered through a rigorous assessment framework.Successful accreditation is the sign of a great employer, an outperforming place to work and a clear commitment to sustainability. Organisations working within the standard report increased efficiency, productivity and employee engagement, as well as increased profitability, sustainability and optimism about the future.

Mike Bramall, IIP assessor, said: “I am delighted to confirm that Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce has now achieved Investors in People gold status. I have worked with the Chamber since 2009 and this success is just reward for the importance it places on its people and for the continuous improvement it has made in its people-management practices over this period. Chief executiveMike Ashton and all his colleagues are to be congratulated on this excellent achievement of which everyone should be very proud.”

Fourteen staff from a cross section of all departments were interviewed during the process. Key areas assessed included the organisation’s learning and development strategy, people management strategy, leadership and management strategy, reward and recognition and performance measurement.