Lovell has achieved the rare distinction of an Investors in People Gold Award.

The Midlands, South Wales and Southern region of the company learned of the Award at the completion of a rigorous assessment procedure overseen by Investors in People (IiP) assessors.

Lovell has its regional offices in Birmingham, Cardiff and Fareham, and head office in Tamworth.

Awarding Lovell its Gold Award, Investors in People's John Jones commented: "The organisation is to be congratulated on achieving the Gold award and the commitment it has shown to develop and implement people management good practice at all levels."

Of the organisations that work towards IiP accreditation, fewer than 1.5% achieve Gold or above. The evaluation process involved detailed paper assessment but also interviews with staff and visits to operational sites, as well as the regional offices in Birmingham and Cardiff. Lovell had to meet 169 evidence requirements to reach the Gold standard.


David Gough, regional director of Lovell in the Midlands, South Wales and Southern region, commented: "From the moment we gained our Silver Award last year, I was determined that we should reach for the Gold standard because at Lovell, it really is our people that mark us out from our competitors in the industry. This is an award that can only be achieved when everyone is pulling together, so this is an accolade earned by every single employee in the region.

"I'm particularly pleased about the assessment feedback that points to our willingness to train and support people so they can move on in their careers, and our commitment to empower employees at many levels, which gives them a high sense of value and motivates them to exercise responsibility. Equally, I'm pleased the report acknowledges our particular efforts to ensure employees enjoy a decent work-life balance, which is all too often overlooked these days.

"It's rewarding to see that the combination of carefully thought-out and rigorous processes and procedures together with enthusiastic and committed employees has created an environment where each member of the team works for each other and takes responsibility for their own actions.

"The customer is always our prime focus and we believe investing in our people is the surest way to make that happen. It is good to have independent verification that we are on the right track."

(CD)