September 2008
Do you offer your staff a job, something to fill their days or do you offer them a career?
What is the difference? The difference is huge, in one they turn up but don't necessarily commit, in the other you invest in them and they repay that investment in terms of commitment and enthusiasm to the business. Various means have been used over the years to encourage managers to invest in their employees, IIP for example.
A study into the effects of the investors in people standard1 concluded "That undertaking to attain investors in People recognition does provide significant benefits to organisations and to people, and specifically to productivity of people and organisations. The benefits to business, regardless of size, sector or location, of increased productivity are clear. The benefits to employees are equally clear."
In that same study 69% of SMEs felt that they had increased productivity by investing in their people and 20% felt that this increase was significant, however, IIP is not alone; training is a key stone in almost every management system.
Within ISO 9001 it states that the organisation shall "determine the necessary competence for personnel performing work affecting product (service) quality" and "provide training or take other actions to satisfy these needs". The environmental standard, ISO 14001 states that one shall "identify training needs associated with its environmental aspects and its environmental system. It shall provide training or take other action to meet these needs .."
So it is up to you! Train your people, keep them committed and offer them a career, or leave them be, and watch them leave for other jobs and feel smug that you knew that they would anyway and that their productivity did not warrant the investment.
1. People and Productivity by NOP World in October 2001
Also see our News section for further news items.
