To further strengthen and improve HR and other related processes, in line with company’s policy of continual improvement, the company is working within a framework of good HR practice, using the international Standard, Investors in People. First introduced in the UK in 1991, Investors in People (IiP) is now used in over thirty countries around the world and is the only international standard for people management and development. It is based on three key principles:

  • how organisations plan to improve their performance by developing and implementing strategies on people development
  • how actions are taken through training and development to deliver these strategies
  • how investment in such development is measured in terms of performance improvement.

This cycle of continuous business improvement is at the root of what the Standard aims to achieve. IiP has been found to bring enormous value to those organisations working with the framework, whether or not they go forward for a formal recognition as an IiP company. 

The framework covers the following areas:

  • How the organisation plans for its business
  • How the organisation develops a learning and development strategy that supports the business and puts in place appropriate training
  • How the organisation develops and applies people management strategies, including HR policies and procedures
  • How the organisation develops a strategy to develop its leaders and managers, measures their competence, and how such a strategy is implemented
  • How recognition and reward is provided by managers to their staff
  • How the organisation empowers its workforce and involves staff in suggestions and decision making around business improvement
  • How training and development is delivered and with what measurable results
  • How is the investment in such development taken forward to develop the business and inform the forward business planning cycle

Following a diagnostic exercise carried out in September’2007 by an external HR consultant, Angela Mulvie, Director of Corporate Elevation Bahrain, a number of issues were identified as an opportunity for improvement. We have therefore begun to prioritise these and currently Angela is working with our HR team on some of these issues. A job evaluation exercise was undertaken across the whole company, whereby up to date job descriptions have been written for each post and these are then being compared and ranked according to levels of importance. As a result of this process a new grading structure will be developed, bringing greater efficiency to the organization. At the same time we are developing a new performance management system to ensure that we have a fair and equitable way of assessing the competence of our staff, and their development needs, and of rewarding them accordingly. We are going to place a much greater focus on performance and job competence than in the past, to ensure that we have the right people with the right skills in the right posts. This will enable us to ensure that we really are investing in our people in an appropriate way that will help us to grow and develop the business for the future.