exemplas - realising potential

BritSec International Ltd is a professional security company with its head office based in Ware, Hertfordshire. With 450 employees and 25 managers or supervisors operating from 10 UK locations, BritSec’s largest satellite offices are in Belfast and London.

BritSec joined the Excellence network, which is run by Exemplas Ltd, in July 2005. “We’ve come a long way in the last few years,” said Gary McPartland, Operations Director at BritSec International Ltd. “At one point, we didn’t have formalised job descriptions or a standardised approach to appraisals and there was no official management induction for staff who had been promoted internally.”

Gary continued, “Our Excellence membership has enabled us to review our people management procedures, enhance our managers’ skills and has led to their gaining recognised NVQ qualifications from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI).”

“When I joined the company five years ago, the HR function within BritSec was not fully developed and there was little training in place for either managers or more junior staff,” recalled Gary. “Our satellite offices didn’t have a standardised approach to HR matters and regular appraisals were not being held at all our locations.”

Business advantage

As he had started a Chartered Institute of Professional Development (CIPD) qualification, Gary realised the value of investing in the development of staff. “I really needed to sell the concept of an ongoing programme of training and accreditation to our board by proving the business advantage this initial investment would give us,” remembered Gary.

Gary identified achieving Investors in People (IiP) accreditation as an important goal for BritSec, so he contacted business support experts Exemplas Ltd and found out about their Excellence network. Excellence is founded on the principles of Investors in People (IiP) and provides organisations across London and the East of England with the support they need to develop a highly-skilled and competitive workforce.

BritSec have fully utilised the wide range of benefits offered by their Excellence membership: this includes the support of an expert IiP adviser; a free management Training Needs Analysis (TNA); a varied programme of workshops and breakfast briefings; and access to HR industry updates via a tailored e-newsletter.

A fantastic experience 

In 2007, key staff undertook a free TNA which gauged the development needs of the managerial team. “The Training Needs Analysis was a fantastic experience. When the results were analysed the results were a revelation and really motivating,” said Gary.  BritSec’s TNA highlighted key areas for improvement including the development of techniques in delegation, time management and people management. Following the TNA report, managers and supervisors are now offered the opportunity to study at degree level or NVQ level 4.

Excellence membership provides a set number of sessions of support with an IiP adviser. “The advice has been invaluable in preparing us to achieve IiP recognition and to continue our investment in our staff,” said Gary. BritSec have also benefited from the programme of Excellence breakfast briefings and workshops. “There is a lot of value to networking at business briefings, especially in sharing experiences with people in different fields,” said Gary. He continued, “The effective appraisals workshop we attended proved particularly useful for us, and I’m keen to send more of our managers on it.”

Joining Excellence has been part of a period of change in both culture and processes at BritSec.

An integrated approach

With the help of their adviser, BritSec has taken an integrated, company-wide approach to training and development based on achieving the goals of their business plan. With the help of their Excellence adviser, BritSec’s appraisal documentation was redesigned to better fit the company’s needs and to support the cascade of their business objectives throughout the organisation.

Motivated staff

Staff questionnaires and appraisals are now used consistently across BritSec’s offices and locations, and the feedback from staff throughout these changes has become increasingly positive. “I feel we are in a much stronger position to go for our Investors in People status, and by offering relevant training and development we’ve found a great way to motivate our staff”.

The improved appraisal processes and a series of travelling briefings have also helped staff at BritSec become informed and involved in the organisations decision-making process. “Our night-time workers, in particular, previously had little opportunity to give feedback to our senior team,” said Gary. He continued, “Now all our staff have a forum for discussion and opportunities to give feedback. Our directors hold travelling question and answer sessions, and our staff are both more aware and more supportive of the aims of the organisation.”

“We believe that continuing our ongoing staff development and people focus is something we can do to make us stand out from our competition,” said Gary. He continued, “The adviser provided as part of our Excellence membership has also been invaluable in preparing us to achieve IiP recognition and to continue our investment in our staff.”

Gary said “Joining Excellence has had some fantastic results for BritSec. Staff at all levels of our organisation have been motivated by our investment in their futures, our culture is becoming increasingly open and our workforce is gaining skills that give our business a real advantage.”

“Our Excellence membership has enabled us to review our people management procedures, enhance our managers’ skills and has led to their gaining recognised NVQ qualifications from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI),” concluded Gary.