National chartered surveyors Bruton Knowles is continuing its long-standing commitment to developing and supporting its workforce with its latest Investors in People (IIP) reaccreditation. Bruton Knowles has held IIP accreditation since 2000 and undergoes a reaccreditation process every three years to ensure it continues to meet the widely recognised people management standard.
The IIP framework assesses organisations against nine indicators focused on how they lead, support and develop their people. The indicators are:
- Leading and Inspiring People: Leaders are trusted, communicative, and motivating.
- Living the Organisation’s Values and Behaviours: Values are embedded in everyday work.
- Empowering and Involving People: A culture of trust and responsibility.
- Managing Performance: Clear objectives, tracking, and feedback.
- Recognising and Rewarding High Performance: Acknowledging good work.
- Structuring Work: Roles designed to be efficient and engaging.
- Building Capability: Developing people to meet current and future needs.
- Delivering Continuous Improvement: Always looking for ways to improve.
- Creating Sustainable Success: Adapting to external changes to stay ahead.
Neil Young, HR Director at Bruton Knowles, who has led the business’s people strategy since joining in 2015, said the process provides valuable independent insight into how colleagues experience the organisation day to day.
“Participation in Investors in People is not mandatory, but it remains one of the most respected people management frameworks in the UK,” said Neil. “For us, the value lies in the insight it provides. It gives us a genuine temperature check on how colleagues experience the organisation and whether our processes, expectations and opportunities are clearly understood and consistently applied.”
The reaccreditation process begins several months before the formal assessment, with a planning discussion between Bruton Knowles and the appointed assessor. Business priorities, current challenges and overall people strategy, are all assessed before agreeing on the scope and timeline for the survey and interviews.
All employees are invited to complete a confidential survey facilitated directly by IIP. The survey explores areas such as performance reviews, clarity around line management, career and development opportunities and understanding of our values.
Around 10 per cent of the workforce is then randomly selected for individual interviews. These conversations provide colleagues with the opportunity to elaborate on their experiences and offer context beyond the survey responses. The selection process is confidential, ensuring openness and integrity.
Neil said the process provides an important opportunity for reflection and improvement.
“The survey and interviews allow colleagues to share honest feedback about their experience at Bruton Knowles,” he said. “That insight helps us understand where we are performing well and where we can continue to develop as an employer.”
The assessor reviews the survey data and interview feedback before producing a detailed report outlining strengths and areas for development. Following reaccreditation, Bruton Knowles develop a 12-month action plan based on these recommendations.
Bruton Knowles Ltd is an independently owned national chartered surveyor firm with 14 hubs across the UK. It provides a comprehensive range of property services to owners, occupiers, investors, lenders, and developers via a highly knowledgeable, multi-disciplinary team. This is complemented by specialist National Teams focused on Utilities & Infrastructure, Valuations, Building Consultancy and Commercial Property alongside Land & Development and Rural Services teams.
