Portman Travel, one of the UK’s leading travel management companies, has been awarded the Investors in People Standard to honour its commitment to improvement and the development of its employees.

Investors in People (IIP) is a UK quality Standard introduced in 1991 with the aim of focusing organisational priorities and improving business performance through its people. Portman Travel decided to undertake the accreditation to help employees better identify with Portman’s strategy, vision and values, as well as the part they play in the company’s success.

The Portman Travel team was awarded the Standard to commend the company’s commitment to employee development, including the launch of an annual employee engagement survey and the appointment of departmental ‘team champions’ to ensure honest employee feedback and two-way engagement at every level of the company. 2013 will also see the third annual Portman Professional Awards take place, as a way of rewarding those that have gone above-and-beyond to make an outstanding contribution to Portman’s overall strategy and success.

A commitment to corporate social responsibility was integral to the process, with the launch of the ‘Responsibly Portman’ scheme in early 2012, encouraging employees to engage in socially responsible business practices.

A focus on learning and development was also key to the improvement strategy with more than 40 employees undertaking Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) accredited training programmes in 2012. A further 16 people are expected to complete ILM level three courses in 2013.

Dawn Murphy, chief people officer at Portman Travel commented: “The engagement of our employees has always been at the core of Portman’s strategy and it is very important that we provide a work environment where people feel valued, appreciated and involved in communication and decision making.

“Achieving the Investors in People Standard is a credit to the hard work of the entire Portman team and we are exceptionally proud to see how Portman’s vision and values have been embedded into our every day practices over the last two years - driving improvements, and ultimately, our business success.

“In a competitive market, it’s great to have our culture and values recognised at such a high standard by an independent body and we look forward to continuing to develop and grow with the aim of achieving gold, accreditation in the near future.”

Portman Travel was commended by the IIP for the pride that employees felt towards the company and their clients, as well the significant changes to people practices that have taken place on a wider scale throughout the company.

John Telfer, Managing Director of Inspiring Business Performance Ltd (IBP), the organisation that delivers Investors in People for London and the South, commented:  “Portman Travel should be very proud of their achievement, particularly as they have gone beyond the core requirements of the Standard. I hope other organisations will look to them as an example of what can be done when staff and managers work together.”