BUPA, the private healthcare company and employer of 24,000 UK-based staff achieved the Investors in People Standard in August 2000; read on to see which business benefits they reaped as a result.

The challenge:
Major change across the business made it necessary for BUPA to examine both its internal processes and its approach to training and development.

Chairman Bryan Sanderson explains: “We had undergone a significant period of acquisitions, both in the UK and internationally, and we felt we needed a clear structure that would provide clarity and focus. We believed Investors in People would give us a framework around which we could integrate and standardise our business processes.

“In addition we wanted to create a shared goal that all employees could focus on and work towards following this uncertainty. At the same time we wanted to develop a common business culture.”

BUPA was keen to ensure the process was underpinned by effective communication across the organisation.

Bryan adds: “It was important for us, particularly during this period of flux, to establish effective communication processes that would meet the needs of all our business stakeholders.”

“We also felt the Standard could provide a way of evaluating the contribution of people development, and in particular training, on business performance.”

The solution:
“By using the Standard to develop a comprehensive framework we were able to identify a clear link between business objectives, staff performance, residents’ satisfaction and commercial business performance. We introduced a development initiative called the Personal Best Programme in Care Services to act as glue for all of these issues.

“Personal and business performance objectives are now agreed as part of a two-way process and are linked to personal development plans,” comments Bryan.

“These in turn feed through to business development. Practical feedback on progress is provided regularly through various channels – this can include information on any challenges, either internal or external, that our business is facing.

“We have also been able to evaluate the effectiveness of our training better. As a result we have seen that certain training methods needed to be altered to better reflect how the business had changed as it had grown. For example we now have more online training as well as direct learner-led training.”

Feedback also played its part as Bryan explains: “We also asked staff to provide feedback on existing appraisal documentation and, as a result of both their and managers’ comments, we made a number of amendments.”

BUPA addressed the range of tools it was using to communicate with staff, and looked at ways to tailor these to identified needs.

“Effective communication was always a key element to the process,” confirms Bryan, “And we made some improvements to the tools we use. They now include manager briefings, BUPA TV, breakfast forums and other cascade forums. We also now use staff meetings and forums with residents and their relatives as a platform to communicate our progress towards achieving our business objectives.”

Benefits:
“We track a number of key performance indicators which cover a variety of business aspects such as people, finance, quality, and the customer.

“We regularly measure these and have witnessed a positive impact as a result of the changes made under the Standard.

“Job satisfaction, for instance, has steadily increased and this is as a direct result of the systems and processes we have implemented in line with Investors in People.”

Since embarking on the path towards Investors in People accreditation BUPA has also witnessed a remarkable reduction in staff turnover.

“We have seen a drop of approximately 10 per cent,” explains Bryan. “Again the framework provided by Investors in People has been instrumental in this. The result has meant both cost savings to the business as well as improvements in quality, as consistency of staff has helped us deliver a more reliable level of service to our customers.”

Bryan also recognises the benefit that having Investors in People has on external perceptions of the organisation. “For our local authority customers, achieving the Standard is an independent confirmation of our quality status and the value they receive as a result is enhanced.”

Since overseeing the introduction of the Standard in Care Services, Bryan has opted to become an Ambassador for Investors in People and actively promotes the benefits of the Standard to other organisations.