CarShop reaps rewards of investing in its staff

9:49 am, October 21, 2015

CARSHOP, a leading used car retailer and MG franchise, has recently been accredited with the prestigious Investors in People silver standard.

Investors in People is an internationally-recognised accreditation, acting as a seal of approval for businesses who invest in and continually evolve their people management processes.

According to research carried out by the Cranfield School of Management, being recognised as an Investor in People results in increased colleague engagement, higher output efficiencies and improved financial results.

CarShop has devoted a lot of time, effort and money to achieving this. Since the inception of the Investors in People idea, CarShop created a programme designed to give every single colleague the best chance for progression and success.

CarShop launched regular focus groups and embarked on collaborative communication roadshows, alongside reviewing pay, benefits and much more.

Head of people, Neville Rowles, said: ‘Our people are our lifeblood. They shape our strategy, define our brand and deliver on every level. With the industry and world changing so much we need to ensure we have the right people to keep us ahead of the game, and I believe this accreditation is a testament to the fact we’ve been doing a great job so far, and will continue to do so going forward.

‘On top of that, achieving the silver standard is an even bigger bonus, as it’s only been awarded to less than three per cent of all businesses who hold the Investors in People accreditation; it’s a truly marvellous job well done.’

A recent colleague survey carried out by CarShop really brought this accreditation to life as the result generated was indexed way above the national average, and showed that over 90 per cent of CarShop’s workforce were satisfied.

This accreditation has also been timed nicely with both the appointment of a new talent acquisition manager, to ensure CarShop is attracting the best people for their roles, and the launch of the brand new mobile-friendly careers section of their main website.

Established in 1999, CarShop has grown to become one of the UK’s leading car supermarket groups. The company offers a choice of up to 4,000 quality used and nearly new vehicles across its five UK stores in Northampton, Cardiff, Swindon Doncaster and Norwich.

Our picture shows the CarShop People Team. From the left are Right: Nikki Finn (HR business partner), Neville Rowles (head of people), Hannah Ayres (HR assistant), Caroline Culley (HR assistant) and Lynn Jones (payroll manager)

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