a step by step guide on how to assess clients on our three

I © Investors in People We invest in people

A step by step guide on how to assess clients on our three-year journey


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The Investors in People identity is strong, simple, powerful and instantly recognisable. It is therefore important that only organisations that are accredited as Investors in People can use our mark.

©2019 The contents of this handbook should be considered commercial in confidence.


We invest in people

Why? Doing your best work. Knowing you’re in a place where you can grow. Getting to the end of the day and feeling like you’ve achieved something.

That’s what it means when we invest in people.

How? To our clients, we’re an honest advisor.

We get to know their people, ask questions, and collect data. Then we tell them, in simple terms, what they do well and what they could do better.

Our framework helps us assess how well our clients manage their people and how they compare. It keeps us fair and accurate.

We’ve been testing and fine-tuning our people framework, to get it the best it can be, since 1991. And academics and industry leaders helped us design it.

What do our clients get out of it? Lots of clients want our feedback to help them reach their people goals. Others are more motivated by our awards and standing out as a good employer. Most, by both!

Clients taking a We invest in people assessment get:

• Independent feedback on what they do well and what they could do better• A way to show their people they matter• The chance to get a We invest in people award• To see how they compare to other organisations*• A plan for improving how they manage their people*• Potential to improve performance in other areas of business*

*Some packages getmore detailed analysisthan others.


Our people framework The people framework is a guide to managing people right.

It’s broken down into simple chunks, and each chunk sets out best practice for:

leading people in the right direction supporting people with their work improving people’s skills

There are four award different levels: standard, silver, gold, and platinum. Clients on standard are doing well. Even our lowest award is a sign of a good employer.

Standard clients understand how to manage people well and why it’s important.

Silver clients are that next level up: engaged and actively involved.

Gold clients are even better: passionate about making positive changes.

Platinum clients are our superstars: their people management is rock solid and they’re always looking to improve.

You can use the people framework to assess how well your client manages their people, and to pull out their strengths and weaknesses. They might be great at looking after their people’s wellbeing, for example, but not so good at developing their skills.

Use feedback to decide what level your client is at for each section of the people framework. We score each section individually, at developed, established, advanced, or high performing. These four scores roughly align with the four award levels. If they have enough indicators at developed, they’ll be awarded We invest in people standard, if they have enough indicators at established, they’ll be awarded We invest in people silver, and so on.

The people framework keeps our assessments fair and accurate.

We’ve been testing and fine-tuning it, to get it the best it can be, since 1991. And academics and industry leaders helped us design it.

The people framework, and it’s four levels, helps us keep it fair. All clients are assessed against the same criteria. And our aim is that a client’s final award should be the same, regardless of practitioner, location, sector, or delivery centre.

The people framework keeps us consistent, which means we can compare our clients to others that have taken our assessments or to others in their industry.


Our people framework

Coming soon! A new version written in the Voice of the people. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our first principle: Leading


Our second principle: Supporting


Our third principle: Improving


Package types Clients can choose from different packages, depending on what they want to get out of their assessment and how much they want to spend. The most common packages are:

Insights Essentials / Standard Best for organisations who want feedback on how to improve. Includes:

• Specifics on what they do best and could do better

• Suggestions on how to improve • Industry and self-comparison data • Potential to explore survey data by groups

(e.g. department or region) • Potential to explore survey data by

demographics • Potential to add additional questions on

areas they’re interested in

• Quickest and cheapest way to get accredited

• Simplest way to understand how well the organisation is doing

• Our people framework makes sure the assessment is just as rigorous and only those who deserve an award get one

• Shorter feedback report • Fewer survey options • Essentials and Standard packages cap

award levels - Standard à max. award = standard - Essentials à max. award = gold

Insights shows off what we do best. Try to promote this package type first! We occasionally offer an Insights package without the survey.

• This is often more expensive for the client because it means doing more interviews. • If your client is interested in this, discuss it with the delivery centre first. • Don’t promote this option, if you can.

Help your client choose a package type that best suits their ambition. Think about their overall goal and make sure their chosen package helps them reach it.

Cost We calculate assessment prices using ‘rate cards’. These things all affect price: • Delivery centre • Package type • Organisation size • Organisation complexity

• Timelines • How the survey is sent out

to people • Extra detail or analysis (if

needed)

• Additional days for meetings/interviews (if needed)

• Any other extras

Chat to your delivery centre if you need further info. on pricing and final package options.


Typical three-year journey

Client signs proposal

Meet senior staff Survey

Client gets their feedback report

Gather documents

Observations

Interviews

Feedback meeting

24-month meeting

12-month meeting

Start your research

Renewal

Decide award

Ideally, start interviews when survey finished

Send to client at least 5 working

days before your first interview

Review all feedback against the framework

Submit feedback report to delivery centre

Max. 10 working days from your last

day on site

Delivery centre review feedback report and send back if changes needed

Max. 5 working days

These can happen at the

same time, or in whatever order

fits best

Client gets assessment plan


What will my assessment involve? Although package types vary, doing an assessment generally means:

1. Getting to know your client• Meet your client to talk about what they can expect from their assessment• Explore how well they think they manage their people with our free ‘taster’ survey• Show them our people framework

o What level do they think they’re at for each of the nine indicators?o Where do they want to be in the next one-five years?

• Their ambition will guide which indicators are high priority• Use this information to fill in ‘as is’ and ‘to be’ heatmaps

2. Gathering feedback• Set up and run the survey• Interview people at the organisation• Observe the organisation’s day to day• Find relevant documents• Make sure you’ve explored all inconsistencies

3. Evaluating data• Link all feedback to sections of the people framework• Work out how the organisation performs for each theme• Decide overall award level• Write feedback report

4. Giving feedback• Give client award and feedback report• Talk over your feedback in person• Arrange a meeting for next year

https://www.investorsinpeople.com/accreditations/we-invest-in-people/


Top tips Look at your client from multiple angles and keep an open mind.

Learn from their board members, their execs, interviews with their people, and their survey results. Take it all into in account before making your decision.

Assess clients against the whole of the people framework.

Even if your client performs fantastically in one area, what about the others?

To gain standard, silver, gold, or platinum, clients must be at a certain level in lots of different areas.

Don’t be put off by inconsistencies.

For example, survey data could suggest something quite different from what you find out in interviews.

Don’t try to decide ‘which source wins’. Instead, gather more feedback to find out the reason for the inconsistencies.

All evidence is valid. Keep exploring until you’re sure you understand.

Think about how well ingrained your client’s practices are.

Are they consistent?

Do they do the same things all over the organisation? Always keep your clients’ ambition in mind. Think about how managing their people better will help them reach it. We believe investing in people leads to success in all aspects of business.

Don’t conduct your assessment as a ‘tick-box’ exercise.

It’s not about finding enough evidence to prove your client hits their target level. It’s not always about facts and data at all.

To a certain extent, your assessment is subjective. You need to be able to recognise things they do well in the context of their business.

Get to know the people framework in detail so you understand the ideas and theory behind each area, instinctively.


Planning your assessment Am I the right person to do this assessment? As your client’s practitioner, you mustn’t have any conflicts of interest

You shouldn’t assess organisations you’ve done people management consultancy work for recently

You shouldn’t assess or review the impact of your own work You shouldn’t assess organisations that you are affiliated with You must be impartial You can offer your professional opinion and give advice

If you think you might have a conflict of interest, talk to your delivery centre. Make sure your assessment matches your client’s package type Essentials or insights? What do they want out of it? Consider what type of assessment you’re doing First-time assessments, 12-/24-month meetings, and renewals need to be run a bit differently. Renewals, or reassessments, often focus on improvements and dips since last time, but 12-/24-month meetings look at progress on their action plan. Start thinking about:

1. Places/sites you’ll visit 2. Which senior members of staff you’ll need to meet with 3. Which people you’ll include in the survey, and any groups they fall into 4. How you’ll find an appropriate sample of people to interview 5. Where you’ll hold your interviews (needs to be somewhere private/confidential) 6. What, if any, additional feedback or documents you need

More on all of these later!

Be aware of timelines

Keep your client up to date on timelines and deadlines Use your proposal and assessment plan to make these clear Run your client’s survey early on Feedback you collect is only valid for six months


Proposal Your client will need to sign a proposal before you start work on their assessment. Sales teams tend to complete proposals for first-time clients, but you’ll need to complete proposals for clients who are renewing. In it, you’ll need to:

• detail what kind of project they’ll be doing, including any extras. • estimate the number of days and cost of the assessment. • check their details and payment info. are correct.

Your delivery centre will be able to help with any questions.

Get to know your client Before you start your assessment, learn as much as possible about your client. What do they do? How successful are they? What sectors do they work in? Who do they serve? Research! You should find usual information on Companies House, websites, and social media, and certain reports (e.g annual, market analyst, and Ofsted) are in public repositories. If they’ve worked with us before:

• check their account page on CRM. • talk to colleagues you’ve worked with them before. • read old assessment feedback reports and notes.

Shake off any hunches or biases you have about them. Arrange an informal chat to try to gauge their culture and motivations.

• Why do they want to work with us? • Why do we want to work with them? • What’s their main ambition? • How are you going to work together? • What does a successful assessment look like to them? • Prepare questions in advance.

Focus on their ambition. How will managing their people better help them reach it?


Meet senior staff ‘Where you are and where you want to be’.

• Meet senior staff like the CEO and HR Director. In large organisations, you might want to extend this to the level below like the senior leadership team.

• Always meet in person, you can do it as a group or 1-1. • Build on your background research of the organisation. • Explore how well they think they manage their people with our free ‘taster’ survey’ (it’s a good

idea to send this beforehand). • Establish their ambition. • What level do they think they’re at for each of the 9 indicators? Where do they want to be in the

next 1-5 years? • Their ambition will guide which indicators are high priority. • Use this information to fill in ‘as is’ and ‘to be’ heatmaps. • Talk about what they can expect from their assessment.

‘How we’ll get there’.

• Give an overview of the people framework and explain how their assessment will help them improve their people practices and other areas of their business.

• Think logistics: go over timelines, who you need to speak to, where you need to visit (e.g. If there are multiple sites).

Afterwards, write all this up in your assessment plan using our template. You’ll need to estimate key dates so have these to hand.

! Large organisations might need more than one meeting to go through all this.



How do I collect and evaluate feedback? Try to use the ORCE approach:

1. Observe 2. Record 3. Classify 4. Evaluate

Don’t make judgements until you’ve gathered all your feedback. This helps avoid accidental bias. If you evaluate all data at the same time, you’ll avoid the regency effect (placing more importance on data you’ve collected most recently), as well as other biases.

1. Observe Try to gather as much feedback as possible. Be objective and try not to make any judgements yet.

2. Record Record everything, regardless of whether it seems relevant or not. You’ll gather numerical data from the survey, written data from client documents, and verbal data from interviews and meetings.

3. Classify

Try to match all the data you’ve gathered to parts of the people framework. Survey data is already broken down by theme and indicator. Only do this, once you’ve collected all your feedback.

4. Evaluate Evaluate all data at the same time. Compare survey and interview data, review documents, and make sure you reach a consistent, well-supported decision.


Who do I collect feedback from? Decide who’s in scope You should try to include people that are managed, supported, and developed by your client’s organisation, including people who aren’t directly employed by them. Don’t include people who are managed by another organisation. Scope and selection of interviewees should be guided by you, not your client. Scope will vary client to client and you’ll need to use your judgement. Check with your delivery centre if you’re not sure. This table should help:

Definitely include: Maybe include: Don’t include: • Employed part-time

associates • Board members (where

they are not Company Directors)

• Casual/seasonal workers • Committee members • Doctors • Fixed-term contract

workers • Full-time workers • Home workers • Magistrates/judges • Part-time workers • School governors • Shift workers • Temporary agency staff • Union representatives • Volunteers

• Franchisees • Self-employed workers • Sub-contractors • (For more complex cases

we have provided additional guidance below.)

• Customers • Company Director or

someone holding a position of office (e.g. Council Leader)

• A supplier or someone who works for a third-party

• Parent organisation employees

• Patients • Pupils/students • Contractors wholly

employed and managed by another organisation (e.g. contract cleaners, caterers and security guards)

‘Employees’ includes: temporary workers, casual staff, agency workers or sub-contractors (including those under contract by a third party. For example, a cleaning agency for the office building, where the cleaners are managed by direct employees of the organisation).

‘Volunteers’ includes: part-time and full-time workers that give their time without payment. E.g. Magistrates. To be in scope, volunteers must be managed by the organisation.

There must be a minimum of two people in scope. They can be volunteers and employees but not people that aren’t managed by the organisation.

There’s no hard and fast rule, so decide on a case by case basis.


Choose a representative sample If possible, include everyone in the survey. For interviews, you’ll need to take a sample of everyone in scope. Make sure your samples are representative. Consider:

Organisation characteristics People characteristics Total number of people Number and type of sites Number of different types of job and work patterns Number of organisational levels Strength of central processes and systems Quality of other evidence Existing data Uniformity of organisational units (and, therefore, the likelihood of repeating evidence)

Seniority and position Location Length of service Employed status (full/part time, sub-contracted, self-employed) Line-management responsibilities Work patterns Age Gender Disability Ethnic origin Other significant factors (new starters, trade-union representatives, overseas workers, career developments and job changes)

Hit the minimum sample. You have to include a certain number of people in the assessment for your results to be valid. This depends on organisation size. Make your client aware of their minimum sample and the implications if they don’t meet it.

• Survey It’s best to include everyone in scope in the survey. If this isn’t possible, chat through the best approach with your client. They must hit the minimum response rate, so you’ll need to include quite a few more people to make sure it’s achievable. If responses are low, we can extend the survey end date. If they still don’t meet the minimum, the survey’s invalid and you’ll need to interview more people, as below (this may have a cost implication if you need more days on-site).

• Interviews Generally speaking, the larger the organisation, the larger your sample should be. Make sure you speak to at least the minimum number of people below.


If your assessment includes a survey:

Total people in scope

Minimum survey response rate

Essentials/Standard: Minimum interview sample*

Insights: Minimum interview sample*

5000+ >7% 1.3% 1.3 - 2.5% 2500 to 4999 >7% 1.3% 1.3 - 2.5% 1000 to 2499 >11% 1.3% 1.3 - 2.5% 500 to 999 >24% 2.0% 2.0% - 4/0% 250 to 499 >34% 3.8% 3.8% - 7.5% 100 to 249 >50% 4.5% 4.5% - 9.0% 50 to 99 >50% 7.5% 7.5% - 15.0% 25 to 49 >50% 14.0% 14.0 - 28.0% 10 to 24 >50% 17.5% 17.5% - 35% 2 to 9 >50% 25.0% 25.0% - 50.0%

*% of people in scope If your assessment doesn’t include a survey (or if the survey isn’t valid):

Total people in scope Minimum interview sample* 5000+ 4.0% 2500 to 4999 4.0% 1000 to 2499 4.0% 500 to 999 6.0% 250 to 499 10.0% 100 to 249 13.0% 50 to 99 20.0% 25 to 49 38.0% 10 to 24 50.0% 2 to 9 70.0%

*% of people in scope


Survey You can only interview so many people, but our survey gives everyone in the organisation a chance to have their say. It produces quantitative data that’s automatically split by indicator – making it easier for you to find strengths and weakness and giving you evidence to back up your decisions. It’s only there to inform your decision, however, not to make it. Take into account all other feedback too. You might find survey and interviews results contradict each other. If this happens, look into discrepancies further until you have a clear picture. What is it? People taking our survey are asked to rate how strongly they agree or disagree with 38 core questions, using a seven-point Likert scale. It looks a bit like this:

Each question links to a theme, and each theme links to an indicator. It’s a useful way to figure out which areas of the people framework your client excels in and which areas they could improve. Clients on Insights packages can add extras to their survey, like additional questions (from a selection), questions on diversity and inclusion, demographics questions, and groups. It’s a good idea to do the survey early on: a) because it usually runs for three weeks (sometimes longer) and b) because the results can inspire your interview questions. If people say their work isn’t very structured, for example, you’ll know to ask more questions around that. What are we asking? Base questions Optional questions Demographics

https://www.investorsinpeople.com/people-base-survey-questions-2/

https://www.investorsinpeople.com/people-option-survey-questions/

https://www.investorsinpeople.com/people-demographics-2/


What do survey results show?

• An organisation’s survey engagement score is their overall survey score (out of 900). o It’s calculated using base question results only. o You can compare it to the average survey engagement score (of all organisations that

have taken the survey) and the average industry survey engagement score (for your client’s industry).

• Highest and lowest indicator. • Results split by indicator.* • Results split by theme.* • You can compare the client’s results to the average scores for all organisations who’ve ever taken

the survey, to specific other industries and, if they’ve done a survey before, to their previous scores.*

• You can explore how specific groups and demographics feel (if these options are selected).*

*Insights only. How do I set it up? Start setting up your client’s survey early. Ideally, the survey should go out before or during the period you hold your meetings and interviews. The earlier you have the data, the more easily you’ll be able to plan your interviews. You may need to put more thought into setting up surveys for larger organisations.

• What groups will they need? • Should their survey go out by email or open access links? • Do they have more than 10,000 people taking in their survey? If so, let head office know in

advance Sending out the survey The survey can be sent out in two ways: a) straight to people’s emails or b) using open access links.

Straight to people’s emails This is the best option. It’s easier to keep track, fix problems, and less work for your client. People doing the survey get sent a unique link straight to their inbox. When they click on it, they’re taken to a webpage where they can complete the survey. Each link can only be used once. If they haven’t completed their survey and the deadline’s approaching, they’ll get automatic reminders straight to their inbox. Open access links Not everyone has their own email address and some people aren’t very technical. Open access links are links multiple people can use to submit a survey.


Your client could put open access link(s) on a poster or set up a computer or tablet for people to complete their survey one after the other. You can create one open access link for the whole organisation, or, if people are grouped, one for each group. The risk of open access links is that someone could submit their survey more than once (skewing the results). Make your client aware of this risk and ask them to explain that people should only submit once. You can use both email links and open access links in the same survey. We DO NOT offer paper surveys. Contact your delivery centre if you have a question about survey set up. GROUPS Clients usually group their people by department (e.g. Marketing/Sales), location (e.g. London/Paris), or site (e.g. Shop/Delivery Depot). Try to help them pick whichever will help you get a clearer picture of their organisation. Make sure all groups have more the seven people in them. If a group has less than seven responses, you won’t be able to show the results to your client (otherwise, you risk anonymity). Languages The survey can be taken in lots of different languages. Here’s the list. The default is English, but alternatives can be added. If the language you need is missing from this list, get in touch with [email protected]. Give us as much warning as possible. Optional questions If your client’s on Insights, help them choose which optional questions to add. Remember: they are just for reference, and don’t count towards the survey engagement score and average indicator and theme scores. Your delivery centre will tell you the maximum you can add (we usually recommend 10 max.). Where can I find survey results? You can explore survey results in detail on the survey platform. You can export graphics to use in your feedback report, too. Ask your delivery centre if you need help getting into your account.

https://www.investorsinpeople.com/support/survey-faqs/


When the survey’s in progress, you’ll see results come in live. The response rates keep track of the number of people who’ve done the survey overall and in groups (if applicable). You can see who’s submitted (using email links) on the Manage Emails page. Once a survey’s finished, you’ll need to archive it to see the survey engagement score. Make sure the survey is 100% finished (and you won’t need to reopen it), as archiving a survey puts it in a queue for personal information to be anonymised. How are the results calculated? The survey engagement score and average indicator and theme scores are calculated using only the base questions. This makes sure our assessments are fair for everyone taking part (as Essentials surveys only include base questions). Keep it anonymous

• Individual survey responses must be kept anonymous. • Your client should never be able to identify someone from survey data. • We’ve added features that make it hard to identify individuals but sometimes these aren’t

enough. • Don’t show your client any data that could identify an individual. • This includes group and demographics results where fewer than seven people responded in that

particular group or demographic group. • Only share group results with your client if seven or more people answered the survey in

that group. • Never give clients the raw data exports from the survey platform.

We protect privacy If anyone’s concerned about how we handle our data, show them our privacy policy. They can also contact us confidentially on [email protected].

https://www.investorsinpeople.com/support/legal/


Interviews Interviews are a really important part of our assessments. You’ll get to explore how people feel about their organisation in detail and pick up on subtleties the survey can’t. Be prepared

• Plan your questions in advance. • Keep what you already know of the organisation in mind: their culture, their ambition… • Let survey results inspire areas to dig into deeper. • Keep them between 30 minutes and an hour.

What do I need to do?

1. Choose a representative sample

• More info on this in ‘choosing a representative sample’. • You might need to interview minors (people under 18). If so you must do this either; in a group,

by telephone, or with an appropriate adult present. You’ll also need to get the permission of someone senior in the organisation.

2. Keep it confidential

People being interviewed have a right to confidentiality, always.

• Interview people in a private room, even if it’s over the phone/online. • Let them know what their feedback’s for and how you’ll use it. • Assure them anything they say will be treated confidentially. • They should feel comfortable and able to talk freely. • Ask their permission if you want to record the interview or take notes. • If you feel pressured to breach confidentially, ask your delivery centre for help.

3. Make sure the feedback you collect is valid

• Choose your words carefully to make sure they understand what you’re asking. • Remember that the way people speak and the words they use can differ dramatically from one

organisation to another. • If they misinterpret questions, they might accidentally give incorrect answers. • If you need to, challenge someone’s beliefs or perceptions. • If you interview a group, go over what you’ve gathered at the end and make sure everyone

agrees.


Observations Ask your client if you can observe people in their normal working environments. Try to set up dates to do this in your first meeting(s). You’re aiming to find out if there’s evidence the organisation meets a certain level of the people framework… or the opposite. You could… sit in on meetings, go to roadshows, conferences and group or management forums. ‘Walk the floor’ to see how things run day to day. Have a few short chats with people of different levels. Record what you see/hear. You’ll need specific examples to back up your feedback. What evidence is there your client’s at silver for structuring work but standard for rewarding their people? How do you know? This step is useful not compulsory.

Gather documents Ask your client to send you documents and resources related to how they manage their people. You can use these to figure out if/how much they meet parts of the people framework. Perhaps they’re able to give you:

• Key performance indicators

• Employee engagement scores

• 360-degree results

• Recruitment and retention data

• Exit interview information

• Financial performance results

Do they use data and analytics to understand their people? How could they do this better? This step is useful not compulsory.


Make your decision How do I decide the overall award level?

• Link all feedback to sections of the people framework. • Decide how the organisation performs for each indictor. • Work out overall award level.

What are the award levels? To reach standard, silver, gold, or platinum overall, your client needs seven or more indicators at that award’s corresponding level. For an indicator to be rated as developed, established, advanced, and high performing, it must reach that level and all lower levels.

• We invest in people standard – all nine indicators must hit developed. • We invest in people silver – all nine indicators must hit developed and seven of the nine

indicators must hit established. • We invest in people gold – all nine indicators must hit developed and established, and seven of

the nine indicators must hit advanced. • We invest in people platinum - all nine indicators must hit developed, established, and

advanced, and seven of the nine indicators must hit high performing.

Award level

Minimum indicators at developed

Minimum indicators at established

Minimum indicators at advanced

Minimum indicators at high performing

Standard 9 0 0 0 Silver 9 7 0 0 Gold 9 9 7 0 Platinum 9 9 9 7

Awarding platinum

Think your client meets platinum? Before you tell your client anything, speak to your delivery centre. Your report will need to be reviewed.

Unsuccessful accreditations

If your client doesn’t reach standard, they won’t be accredited. But that doesn’t mean they won’t have lots of take away from the assessment. Your feedback can help get them there next time.

If you’re not sure whether your client meets the people framework, talk it through with your delivery centre.

Trying again

Unsuccessful clients can’t bank evidence. If they want to try again, they’ll have to do another assessment from start to finish (at a cost). Your delivery centre will help you decide how to do the reassessment.


Give feedback This is the moment your client’s been waiting for! Don’t skimp on this bit. You’ve done the hard work and made your decision, but this is what it all builds up to. Your client doesn’t want a long, boring monologue on everything you found out; they don’t want you to rush through it either. Think about how to reveal their award in an exciting way – it’s a celebration! Try to feedback the most important things first: their award, what they do well, what they could do better. How do I give feedback?

• Write your feedback report using our templates. • Get it checked by your delivery centre. • Arrange a feedback meeting. • Tell your client what award they got and give them their report. • Explain how long their accreditation lasts. • Arrange a meeting for a year’s time.

There are 2 types of report:

1. Feedback report Write this for clients who are being assessed for the first time, or who’ve come around to their three (or six or nine!) year review.

2. A 12-/24-month meeting report Write these one and two years after a full assessment; more on these below.

Remember: different package types need different levels of detail in their reports. What needs to go in an assessment feedback report?

• Their overall award level. • Things they do best. • Things they can improve. • How we can help them reach their ambition.

Reports and award decisions sometimes need to be reviewed

All reports get checked by the delivery centre before they go to the client but some need to be reviewed more thoroughly (for example, if you’re new, if the award is platinum, or just in a random selection). This helps us makes sure we’re awarding clients fairly and consistently, and that our feedback is high quality.


Deadlines You need to submit your report to the delivery centre within 10 days of the last day on site (the last day of your interviews). The delivery centre will then check and approve it or return it to you if you need to make any changes. Don’t share it until it’s signed off. Giving feedback in person

• Keep it light – their award, what they do best, what they could do better. • Senior staff have so much to think about, they’ll want you to get to the point. They’ll ask if they

want more info. • Ask them how they feel about their results. • Come up with an action plan of quick-wins and mid-to-long term tasks. Set the annual meetings

as deadlines for certain tasks. • Arrange 12-/24-month meetings for a year’s time. • Prepare what you want to go through in advance. • Give your client warning if they need to do anything beforehand. • Have evidence on hand to back you up – if needed.

‘You didn’t meet the people framework’.

• Keep the conversation positive – they can try again later on and now they know what they need to do.

• They might not take it well - bad news brings out the worst in most of us! Expect some push-

back. Listen to their point of view and try to stay understanding.

How long will my client be accredited for?

Accreditation lasts three years It starts on their accreditation date, which is the last day on site (the last day of your interviews). Exactly three years later is their accreditation due date, or anniversary date, which is the last day on site of their reassessment. In between, you’ll finish the assessment and give feedback, have annual meetings, and start their reassessment.


Celebrate! Encourage your client to celebrate their award. They could throw a party for their people, publish a press release (we have templates they can use), or shout about it on Twitter. They’re now part of a community of thousands of accredited organisations. They can come to our events or even apply to be part of our Awards. Accredited clients receive:

• A congratulations letter • A We invest in people plaque • A We invest in people certificate • Use of our We invest in people logos

They can also buy:

• More plaques • A trophy • Badges • Mugs • And more!

All We invest in people merchandise (plaques, trophies, etc.) must be bought from Investors in People. Other production or reproduction of these products is a trademark violation and a breach of delivery partner license agreements. Ask your delivery centre for more info. about merchandise.

https://www.investorsinpeople.com/events/

https://www.investorsinpeople.com/events/awards/


12- & 24-month meetings If your client passes their assessment, you’ll need to meet them again one and two year(s) later. The initial cost of their accreditation includes these meetings. Why do I need to do it?

• To check your client’s still meeting the award level they met at their last assessment (or better). • To help them reach a higher award when they’re next assessed.

When do I need to do it?

• The meetings are due one and two year(s) after your client’s official accreditation date. • Try to keep these on or around the meeting due date.

What do I need to do?

• Ask your client to complete a new self-assessment or look over their old results and note if/how their performance has changed

• Meet senior staff to discuss performance changes and progress they’ve made in the last year. Then, come up with an action plan for the next year

• Do some more observations (sit in on meetings, have a quick chat, ‘walk the floor’) to get an idea of the current day to day

• Ask for an update on documents and resources related to their people management • Summarise your feedback (around two pages) • Agree when you’ll next meet • Record your visit on CRM and upload a copy of your feedback report

This is the minimum that needs doing. You can add extras to suit your client. For example, they may want to do another survey (at an extra cost). More on this below. What do I need to put in my 12-/24-month feedback report?

• Summarise your discussion and your advice • Let them know if there are any areas of concern that could affect their award level at their next

assessment



The end of an accreditation There are two ways a client can lose their accreditation:

1. The accreditation expires. If your client chooses not to renew their accreditation, they’ll no longer be accredited after their accreditation due date. If they do decide to renew, but fail their reassessment, they’ll no longer be accredited. If they’ve signed a proposal to renew their accreditation, and the reassessment is completed within three months of their accreditation due date, they don’t have to remove their accreditation plaques, certificates, etc. until they get their result. Delivery centres will tell clients when their accreditations have expired and what to do.

2. The accreditation is suspended or removed early because of misconduct.

If there’s proof an accredited organisation’s done something that goes against the values of our people framework, it could call our reputation into question. We have the right to remove their accreditation, if we need to. Clients agree to Your Obligations as an Accredited Organisation when they get their award, so they’ll be aware of this possibility. If they’re under investigation, they may have to give evidence – if they refuse, we’ll remove their accreditation. Examples of things that could get organisations suspended:

• An employment tribunal result that suggests the organisation isn’t meeting the people framework anymore

• People who work for the organisation tell us of significant issues that go against the people framework

If you’re concerned about an accredited organisation, ask your delivery centre to investigate or email [email protected]. Before we remove it completely, we can suspend accreditation temporarily while we investigate. After the delivery centre has investigated, they’ll either reinstate the accreditation or remove it. Delivery centres can suspend organisations but a decision to remove accreditation must go through Head Office.

https://www.investorsinpeople.com/accreditations/obligations/


FAQS Assessment logistics My client has multiple sites The delivery centre for the area the client’s head office is in should usually run the assessment. But if the client already has a relationship with a different deliver centre, they might take the lead instead. Just make sure the delivery centre for the area where the head office is knows the assessment is happening. You should make sure the people in your sample are representative of the organisation, including by site/location. My client only wants me to assess part of their organisation Large organisations sometimes ask for this. Make sure the part being assessed:

• has its own management structure • has its own business plan and performance targets • has its own learning and development plan • manages its learning and development resources (financial and other)

The part being assessed doesn’t necessarily need its own vision and strategy, as the parent organisation is likely to dictate these for all its parts. However, you’ll need to make sure you know what the parent organisation’s vision and strategy are for developing its people. My client’s changed dramatically since they were last accredited Occasionally, a client might want to do a full assessment more frequently than every 3 years (for example, if they’re making big changes). If the organisation has changed dramatically, they may need to do another full assessment earlier than 3 years to check they’re still at the same award level. My client’s accredited but it’s merging If two accredited organisations or departments merge, they might ask to combine their accreditations. If the accreditation levels are different, the joint accreditation will be lowest of the two awards.


Interviews

How do I get the best out of my interviews?

1. Listen

Really listen. Sometimes we hear what we want to hear, so tune out of your own thoughts and into what they’re actually saying.

2. Phrase questions right

Try to keep questions relevant to themes. Asking anything more specific could be too narrow or leading and create bias.

You might want to try out different approaches:

• Open questions: encourage conversation; usually starts with ‘how’, ‘why’, ‘what’ and ‘tell me about…’

• Probing questions: expand on a topic by probing for details. • Closed questions: people can only give restrictive answers (e.g. ‘Yes’ or ‘No’).

…but, don’t:

• Ask leading questions (which imply a correct answer) • Ask more than one question at a time (it’s confusing and lets people avoid hard questions)

3. Avoid bias

• It’s easy to interpret someone’s feedback subjectively. To a certain extent, you’ll have to but be aware of how bias could affect your judgement Common biases:

• Priming: unconsciously recording what you expect to hear rather than what you actually hear • Attribution error: explaining your own behaviour base on context and environment but

attributing other people’s behaviour to their personality • Halo effect: judging someone’s character/competence by the way they look

Giving feedback My client wants feedback before I’ve finished my assessment Be careful

• Don’t hint at an award level or share too much, too soon • You can give a vague overview but don’t go into detail (e.g. an overview of themes) • Make sure you’re consistent with what you’ll say in your final feedback • Never give data that could risk anonymity


12/24-month meetings My client wants to run another survey at their 12-/24- month meeting

• There’ll be an extra cost involved. Delivery centres can help with pricing • Survey options and analysis should match their original package type • But, if an Essentials client wants Insights-style analysis, groups, or benchmarking at their 12-/24-

month meeting, they will need to upgrade their accreditation package to Insights as well as pay for their extra survey

• Upgrading means paying the difference between the two package types • Make sure to follow usual survey and sampling guidelines • Never provide your client with the raw excel data from their survey • They’ll still need to run a survey as usual at their three-year reassessment.

My client has improved enough that they’re now at the next award up. What do I do? Occasionally, you might find your client’s improved so much that their current award level is too low for where they’re currently at. A 12-/24-month isn’t as detailed as the full assessment, so you won’t be able to promote them up an award level. However, you can encourage them to take their reassessment (normally three years after the original one) early. My client doesn’t want to have the meeting

Your client will get the best out of their accreditation if we check in with them every year.

Encourage them to take part and always give them opportunity as they’ve paid for it. But, if they don’t want to do it, it’s delayed, or been missed, it won’t affect their accreditation.

Reassessments

When is my client’s next accreditation due?

Your client’s next accreditation should be coming to a close three years after their accreditation date. The last day on site (the last day of your interviews) of their reassessment should be exactly three years after their accreditation date. We call this their accreditation due date or anniversary date. So, if your client’s first-ever accreditation date is 01/09/19, their accreditation due date would be 01/09/22. All future reassessment due dates will be calculated using your client’s first-ever (successful) accreditation date.* *unless they have an early reassessment (see below).


My client’s missed their accreditation due date, or they want to delay

Try to encourage your client to meet their deadlines. Accreditations are three years for a reason: any longer, and we can’t be sure they’re performing at the same level. Plus, consistency keeps things fair for all our clients. If your client can’t make their accreditation due date, plan to start their accreditation as soon after their due date as you can. You must make them aware, though, that we won’t extend their accreditation period because of their delay. For example, if your client’s assessment due date was 01/07/19, but it doesn’t happen until 01/09/19, their 12-month, 24-month, and new assessment due dates would remain 01/07/20, 01/07/21, and 01/07/22.

My client needs to delay their reassessment for a long time

If your client needs to delay their reassessment for a long time, without losing their accreditation, they can pay for a Strategic Review. This lets them delay their reassessment for a year, and they can make changes in the meantime.

My client’s doing their reassessment early

If your (already accredited) client chooses to get re-assessed a lot earlier than their accreditation due date, their accreditation date will be the last day on site (the last day of your interviews) of the new (successful) accreditation.

My client’s still on v5, and is transitioning to v6

If your client’s been with us a long time, they might still be on V5. If this is the case, don’t treat V6 as a new assessment – it’s still a reassessment. This means their accreditation due date should be calculated using their first-ever accreditation date.

The end of an accreditation My client’s no longer accredited, what do they have to do? We’ll send them a letter reminding them they’re not accredited anymore and that they need to:

• Take down plaques and certificates • Remove our logo from their branding, website(s), adverts, email signatures, etc.


Want to get in touch? [email protected]

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