First Microsoft Dynamics partner to win IIP Gold
22 July 2010
K3 Retail, the UK’s leading provider of Microsoft Dynamics NAV technology, has become the first Microsoft Dynamics NAV Partner to achieve Investors in People (IIP) Gold status. K3 Retail won the IIP Gold award in recognition of its commitment to its employees and their contribution to the company’s continued success.
Colin Bain, K3 Retail’s Managing Director said, “At K3 Retail, we want to attract the best people to serve our customers, and we aim to be the most attractive and desirable place to work in our industry. The IIP award is confirmation that we have met this goal, as well as the fact that we have an amazing workforce.”
The Gold status awarded to K3 Retail demonstrates that the company has achieved world-class best practice, operating at the very highest levels of people management practice. With this commendation, K3 Retail joins an elite group, with less than 1% of the 35,000 IIP recognised organisations in the UK having achieved the gold status. This award sets K3 Retail apart from the competition.
Bain continued, “Working in partnership with IIP is a way of future-proofing our business. We’ve always worked hard to maintain a high level of staff retention, and the IIP programme will help us continue our trend of a low turnover of staff. We have come up with a number of initiatives to support our programme for staff development, for example our Academy Training scheme, an intensive training programme for graduates or candidates with a strong interest in IT, which has produced some excellent consultants and developers, who work closely with our customers. We also provide support for professional training and exams, and offer a full schedule of ongoing training and mentoring within K3 Retail.”
Andrew Hodges, Commercial Director at K3 Retail, said, “To ensure that we offer our customers excellent service, it’s crucial that our team have the best possible support from the company. The IIP programme is proof that we do this. The personal development of our staff is of utmost importance to us and the IIP, coupled with our Microsoft accreditation programme (K3 Retail is the UK’s largest Microsoft Dynamics Provider with a skilled international consultancy pool) reinforces our commitment to industry knowledge, together with sector expertise which in turn helps deliver a return on investment to our customers.”
The IIP standard is a rigorous process, and to achieve Gold status K3 Retail had to meet 165 evidence requirements, including 39 measures required for the standard award. The measures included appraisals of engagement with employees, investments in staff training, how K3 Retail are helping staff develop leadership capabilities and ensuring equality of opportunity for development and support.
Trish Fraser, Managing Director of Inspiring Business Performance, which is licensed by UK Commission for Employment and Skills to deliver IIP advice and assessment within defined geographical areas, said, “Congratulations to K3 Retail on achieving Investors in People Gold. They are a company that is genuinely focused on business improvement and this shines through in the way that they really listen to their staff and encourage them to come up with new ideas. All learning and development is directed at supporting the key goals of the business which is one of the principle keys to success. K3 Retail is at the leading edge of people management best practice in the UK today.”
