SSDC strikes Investor in People Gold

Investor In PeopleSouth Somerset District Council (SSDC) has been assessed to be a Gold Standard Investor in People (IIP) organisation, providing recognition that it is in the top 3% of all the 45,000 organisations that hold IIP accreditation.

The IIP award recognises how an organisation develops and supports their staff to improve performance and realise their objectives.

The award was achieved following a week-long assessment by independent IIP Assessors that looked in depth at the people management strategies and culture and how they support organisational performance. Staff from all levels within the organisation were interviewed as part of the assessment process.

Achieving Gold Standard IIP accreditation is described by Investors in People as an achievement of ‘world class best practice’ and reflects the very real progress that has been made since SSDC’s last assessment in 2012.

In 2012 SSDC was assessed against the standard criteria and achieved the ‘standard’ award. For the recent assessment, SSDC elected to be assessed against all 196 criteria required for the Gold Standard. Opting for this criteria would allow the District Council to see where they are as an authority and could help identify areas for improvement as well as seeing if recent changes were working. SSDC was able to show they met 169 of the Gold Standard criteria, with 159 being the gold level requirement.

The IIP report describes South Somerset District Council as a “successful Local Authority, which is evident from achievement of the Strategic Plan objectives and key performance indicators”.

The report also identifies a number of awards that SSDC has achieved which demonstrates the quality of specific services and managers attribute success to the commitment and capabilities of staff. These awards include:

  • DCLG Gold Standard Housing Peer Review
  • Fair Train Gold Standard for work with Interns and Work Experience students
  • Green Flag Awards for Ham Hill, Yeovil Country Park and Chard Reservoir
  • Most improved NLIS Service Highly Commended
  • Theatre Manager of the Year at Encore Theatre Awards 2014

Mark Williams, Chief Executive at SSDC said, “We are very proud of our recent IIP re-assessment and the Gold standard accreditation we have achieved. We are considered to have the highest standards of people management and development that support the Council’s goals. It is also external recognition of the efforts that we are making to ensure the Council is a happy and creative organisation. I realise these are words not normally associated with local government but I do believe they are an appropriate response to the ongoing austerity agenda and the need for vital local services to continue to be delivered to the people of South Somerset”.

The report also highlighted the many staff employed at SSDC with long service records. This demonstrates levels of satisfaction working for SSDC, including loyalty, motivation, and recognition.

Visit www.southsomerset.gov.uk/jobs-and-volunteering to find out more about working at SSDC, placement schemes, volunteering and the latest job vacancies available.