London – 24 March, 2009 – IKON Office Solutions is celebrating retaining the Investors in People (IIP) accreditation, first achieved three years ago. The assessment took place in December 2008 and follows the company’s acquisition by Ricoh last November.
Investors in People (IIP) is a national standard that recognises companies that develop their workforce, and is supported actively by the Government. It provides external feedback and benchmarking for organisations that believe that internal people policies and processes are good business practice.
The assessors found that the Investors in People Standard remains comprehensively met at IKON Office Solutions. This is a significant achievement given the stretching nature of the current Investors in People Standard and the levels of change the company has experienced since the last IIP assessment.
The 4-day review took place a month after IKON was acquired by Ricoh, so it was a time of some change and uncertainty among staff. That said, an independent assessor found that staff - from across a number of departments and employment levels - were complimentary about leadership and their communication of the changes. They were also optimistic about the future of IKON.
Feedback from staff highlighted a more open approach to the business with good communications via the intranet, team meetings, internal magazine and conference events. People also described a culture with increased levels of engagement and listening from management over the past three years. The culture itself is better defined with work being done to promote and live IKON’s core values.
“I am honored that we have not only retained the prestigious Investors in People accreditation but exceeded the standard set by the leading body”, says UK President, Phil Keoghan. “Everyone at IKON can be truly proud of this achievement, proving to the outside world what we already know – that IKON is a great place to work!”
“I feel really proud that IKON has been recertified and recognised as an Investor in People”, comments Gary Elson, Director for Learning and Development. “IKON is committed to investing in the training and development of all employees, from ‘Customer Handling Skills’ for Service Technicians to our extensive ‘Sales Orientation and Foundation Training Programme’. All of which will help to maintain our standard and status in the future.”
IKON Office Solutions (www.ikon.co.uk)
IKON is a leading provider of integrated solutions that help organisations produce and manage documents most effectively. An IKON solution starts with an understanding of your unique business needs and is complete only when we have delivered the right combination of technology and support services to satisfy those needs in the most efficient, cost-effective way. IKON is a Ricoh company, part of a $22 billion global technology innovator and leader in digital office solutions, with 75,000 employees and offices in over 150 countries worldwide. In the UK, IKON has over 30 years’ experience, with 1,600 dedicated employees and over 800 service support staff nationwide. |
