Beard gets Gold -
Construction firm joins top 1% of companies achieving Investors in People Gold Standard

Beard has achieved the Investors in People Gold Standard for its commitment to the Investors in People framework and the performance benefits the company has achieved.  As only 48 organisations in the south of England have achieved this, the award puts Beard in the top 1% of companies and makes them one of only four construction firms in the South of England to attain this.

Beard’s main objective for implementing the Investors in People Standard has been to add value to the organisation, to improve performance at all levels and to add value to its customers.
Cath Parish, Investors in People Assessor, conducted the review recently and said: “In comparison to many other organisations I have worked with in this sector, I was very impressed with the vibrant and supportive attitude within Beard and I am delighted to confirm the award of Gold status.  Since the last Review in 2007, there has been a real focus on the development of Leadership and Management skills and this has been a catalyst for raising the success of the organisation in line with its quest for ‘prompt and faultless delivery’”.

One of the most positive aspects of this Review revolved around staff’s perception that Beard is a really good place to work. In total 38 staff out of 169 were interviewed during the review, covering a range of different roles and responsibilities and representing the company’s three sites in Oxford, Swindon and Guildford.

Managing Director Mark Beard said: “Investing in people is central to our philosophy and underpins the performance of our company and the service and quality we deliver to our customers.  I believe our new leadership development programme for project managers coupled with our apprenticeship programme, cited by Visiting Fellow at Henley Business School, Chris Matcham as being ‘the best young people/trainee scheme I’ve seen in years,’ show why we’ve been given this Gold award.”