Colas Isle of Man has maintained its Gold Award standard from Investors in People following a recent assessment, which praised the company’s commitment to its staff.

Colas first achieved Investors in People status in 2007 and gained the Bronze Award in 2010. Silver Award status followed in 2012, with the Gold Award achieved the following year.

Colas Isle of Man was the first company within the Manx construction industry to receive the highest accolade from IIP, which is the UK’s leading best practice standard in personnel management. Organisations that attain the Gold Award must undergo further assessments every two years in order to maintain their status.

Managing Director Steph Lowe said: ‘Investors in People provides rigorous scrutiny of where we are at as a company and how we treat our employees. We are delighted to see the assessor’s comments following his recent visit, which reinforce the ethos that runs throughout the company, of encouraging all of our employees to strive for greater achievement, and providing the platform for them to do so.’

The report from Assessor Mick Lynch said he was ‘satisfied beyond any doubt’ that Colas Isle of Man continued to meet the requirements of IIP. During his two-day visit he interviewed more than a quarter of the company’s 60-strong workforce.

Mr. Lynch said: ‘This was a very good accreditation visit, with 18 areas of strengths identified and gold accreditation maintained.’

During the visit, the Assessor said he witnessed a ‘tangible upward trajectory in terms of using Investors in People as a business improvement tool’. He said senior management should be congratulated on this approach and as a result were obviously reaping the benefits in terms of long-term planning, staff morale and overall focus.

‘This is pleasing evidence of our commitment to training and developing our employees at all levels of the company,’ said Steph. ‘There is a real team spirit here, and everyone within the company plays their part in achieving our ongoing success. I’d like to thank everyone involved with the company who took part in the assessment.’

Laurence Skelly, Minister for the Department of Economic Development with Responsibility for the Construction Industry, praised the efforts of Colas Isle of Man in fully embracing the IIP programme.

Mr. Skelly said: "I offer my congratulations to Colas for completing this important milestone in the Investors in People programme. The level of commitment is significant and truly highlights how Colas value their most important asset – their people.’

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