Regional contractor Beard Construction has successfully retained its We Invest in People (IIP) Gold status and achieved a matching Gold standard for its staff health initiatives under the 'We Invest in Wellbeing' framework. The combined scores place the company within the top 12% of all IIP-accredited construction firms.

An independent assessment praised the firm for its commitment to inspiring workforce leadership, its adherence to core corporate values, and an established family culture built on transparency and trust. The review highlighted that employees understand their roles clearly, feel confident in their work, and are regularly encouraged to use their own initiative.

The firm's positive workplace culture is reflected in its staff turnover rate, which fell to 5.9% from 8.9% in 2023, demonstrating strong workforce loyalty. Feedback from recent sign-ups indicated that the company's industry reputation and personal recommendations were key drivers for their applications, with new starters stating that their initial expectations had been surpassed.

-- Advertisement --

Cath Parish, Investors in People and Wellbeing Practitioner, noted in the report: "The values of 'Friendly, Efficient and Committed' are cemented in the company ethos. The Leadership Team are trusted and respected for their decision making with the ambition of being 'better tomorrow than today'.

"The wellbeing of staff is taken seriously and seen as an integral part of Beard's culture. Everyone interviewed agreed Beard is a 'Great Place to Work'. There is no doubt that working in construction is not easy and everyone in Beard works extremely hard. The list of successes is very commendable."

While the contractor has maintained its primary IIP accreditation since 2011, it first secured the 'We Invest in Wellbeing' Gold status in 2022, scoring significantly above the benchmark average. This strategy is backed by targeted activities, such as a recent corporate away day at Wrington Warren. The event brought together more than 70 colleagues from the firm's five regional offices for team-building exercises during Mental Health Awareness Week, featuring activities like paintballing, archery, axe throwing, and a woodland treasure hunt.

Other regional teams marked the awareness week with localized events. Staff in Swindon held a 'wear it green' day, the Bristol office hosted a sports day and walking challenge, and personnel from the Southampton branch completed an 18-mile sponsored walk to raise funds for Naomi House & Jacksplace.

Neil Sherreard, deputy chairman of Beard, said: "We're extremely proud of the spaces and projects that we deliver at Beard, but our people are the ones making it happen, so it's incredibly important we can recognise and celebrate them and their successes.

"We've made strong progress since the last We Invest in People assessment in 2023, particularly in our learning and development offering and our approach to wellbeing, which we're pleased to see highlighted. There is always more we can do though and we aren't standing still. We'll take the report's recommendations and feedback from our colleagues forward to continue to be better tomorrow than we are today."