Duncan Rendall, Chief Executive and co-founder of Rendall & Rittner, explains why putting staff first really does count for the Investors in People Awards 2016.
At Rendall & Rittner we have always known that the greatest asset of the Company is its people. Being on the receiving end of a managing agent that provided a very poor service prompted Matt Rittner and I to start the company and we have striven ever since to offer exceptional customer service to all our clients and residents.
We realised that to do that it was essential that we employed and developed the best talent possible to offer a specialist and professional service. Now that we have grown to employ a Head Office staff in excess of 200, we regularly review the policies and practices used by our teams to ensure that we are delivering the best customer service and remain the employer of choice. This approach has paid off as we are delighted to have been shortlisted for the third annual Investors in People Awards, in the Excellence in Social Responsibility category, which attracted more than 300 international entries this year. It truly is a clear indication of the dedication and hard work we have invested in the business and our staff over the years.
The Awards’ judges commented on our “clear purpose, defined strategy and range of high impact Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity” and remarked that they were particularly impressed by the success of our apprenticeship scheme which demonstrates clear growth and improvement.
Most recently we co-hosted an event at the Houses of Parliament as part of the Government’s trailblazer apprenticeship scheme, where we launched a new housing and Property Management apprenticeship, backed by the National Housing Federation. However, other strategic CSR activities include working with the Berkeley Foundation and on-going fundraising for Macmillan, GOSH, the Stroke Association and Scope.
Finalists for the Investors in People Awards demonstrate that social responsibility is not just a policy; it’s driven from the top and rooted in the culture of the whole organisation. We will now wait to see if we are announced as winners at the spectacular awards ceremony and dinner on June 29th at Old Billingsgate, in London.
With such a large number of global organisations outperforming in their sector, competition is intense but we are confident in our people management practices and our CSR achievements - winning such a prestigious award would be fantastic - a great way to celebrate our 25th year in business.
