Staff at Willmott Dixon’s office in Cathedral Road, Cardiff, are celebrating after their company become one of only a select few to achieve Gold status for Investors in People (IIP).
Over 15,000 companies have the quality mark which recognises how they invest, develop and engage with their workforce, yet only 3.5% achieve the Gold mark. For the first time, Willmott Dixon has attained Gold status, which is an important benchmark on its approach to people given the construction industry’s on-going challenge to attract and retain the very best talent.
Neal Stephens, managing director for Willmott Dixon’s office in South Wales, said, “We invest a lot of time and resource in making sure our people feel contented and challenged in working for us, and to be recognised by IIP as worthy of their Gold award has made us all very proud. It’s important we continue to develop and enhance our approach to ensure we are ‘best in class’ and our people feel there is literally no better place to work and develop a career in construction.”
In awarding Gold, IIP said, “Willmott Dixon is a company that clearly understands the link between investing in people and business success. There is an impressive legacy of structure, policy and practice that is strongly evident in the culture of the company.
“Values are at the centre of all the company does and these are far reaching in encompassing approaches not only within the company and the employees but also with suppliers, clients, local communities and the wider context.”
Other areas that helped Willmott Dixon achieve Gold include sustainability and environmental priorities which are firmly embedded in practice; and the well planned development of skills with many countless examples of people who have advanced their careers while at Willmott Dixon.
At a time when the construction market is picking up, companies like Willmott Dixon are looking to recruit, with 30 job opportunities alone in 2014. Having IIP Gold is an important signal to send about a company’s approach to investing in the growth of its own people and engaging with them to deliver business success.
Projects being delivered by Willmott Dixon in South Wales include Cardiff School of Art and Design and Cardiff and Vale College.