Reinforcing people power message

WORKPLACE & EMPLOYMENT AWARDS LAUNCH: Department of Employment and Learning minister Sir Reg Empey and Irish News editor Noel Doran, foreground, launch the 2009 Irish News Workplace and Employment Awards with business partners, from left, Anna Beggan (Tughans), Kieran Mannion (Investors in People), Mark Prentice (firmus), Jon D’Arcy (KPMG) and Kathleen Blaney (Royal Mail). PICTURE: Mal McCann

There has never been a more important time to reinforce the message that people are by far Northern Ireland’s most important resource.
That was a message delivered both by Department of Employment and Learning minister Sir Reg Empey and Irish News editor Noel Doran at the launch of the third annual Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards in Belfast.
This year’s awards – which take place in the Ramada Hotel on June 18 – will reflect how the best, most creative and most innovative people and businesses in the north have been fleet of foot in acclimatising to current circumstances.
“Commercial life in Northern Ireland, like most of the industrialised world, has been negatively impacted on in the wake of the first full-blown recession in a generation,” Mr Doran told guests at the launch reception at W5.
“But there is widespread evidence that the best companies and the most self-motivated individuals on this island are seeing the downturn not necessarily as a threat but as an opportunity to realign, re-educate, reinvent and to research.”
Companies have increasingly viewed the current economic climate as a window to innovate and create new products.
In recognition of the current economic climate a new award – that of Innovative Employer – has been introduced for 2009.
It is open to companies which can demonstrate innovative measures taken to ensure that their workforce is fit for purpose and able to face the challenges of the immediate future.
There will be eight categories up for grabs in this year’s awards, and size will be no barrier, with blue-chip companies expected to compete alongside many smaller innovative firms.
The launch was attended by representatives of the Workplace & Employment Awards’ five business partners.
They are Tughans Solicitors, KPMG and Royal Mail – which have all been involved previously – and new partners for 2009, Investors in People and firmus.
Also present were Julie Scates from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and Peter Aiken representing the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD).
Both these leading industry bodies have again endorsed the Irish News initiative, which recognised excellence and underlines the dynamic of people who research, develop, manufacture and market products in Northern Ireland.
Speaking at the launch, Sir Reg – who has supported our competition from its inception three years ago – said it was “wonderful” to see the Workplace & Employment Awards going from strength to strength.
“More businesses and organisations recognise the need to upskill their existing workforce so they can make the most of new opportunities,” he said.
“Unfortunately we live in times of economic uncertainty. Training budgets are often the first to suffer, but as research has shown, companies that invest in the skills of their staff are two and a half times more likely to survive.
“Effective training can reduce staff turnover and absenteeism, improve motivation, increase productivity and deliver higher customer satisfaction levels – essential ingredients for an organisation’s survival at this time.”
Sir Reg emphasised that a highly skilled and flexible workforce would also have a huge role to play in the economic upturn in the years ahead.
He said the aims of the Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards went hand in hand with the work being done through his department’s Skills Strategy for Northern Ireland, ‘Success through Skills’.
“Both place an emphasis on individuals and their positive contribution to the workplace,” he told guests.
Referring to the addition this year of the new Innovative Employer category the minister said: “This award recognises organisations that are clearly able to demonstrate innovative approaches to managing and developing staff, at a time when economic pressures are bringing considerable new challenges.
“Indeed, preparing staff to meet current and future challenges is a key management and leadership issue.
“This brings me back to the reason we are here today.
Many employers in Northern Ireland recognise that people are key to the success of their organisation.
“The high volume and standard of entries consistently received for the Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards are proof of the numbers that already reap the benefits of investing in their workforce.”
The other main speaker at the launch was Tony Mulvenna, area leader of technical solutions at Allstate NI, which has twice scooped prizes in the Workplace & Employment Awards – winning the Best Place to Work and Work-Life Balance Awards in 2007 and the Talent Management Award in 2008.
He said Allstate NI (previously known as Northbrook Technology) is characterised by a relaxed yet hard-working independent culture which fosters individual initiative and flexibility.
“We embrace a philosophy where we promote a lifestyle, not just a job and we recognise the correlation between satisfied employees, satisfied customers and business results,” he said.
“The Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards provide a forum that was missing for companies to promote what they are doing to attract, train and retain the people talent that Northern Ireland has to offer and we are very proud to have been recognised in both 2007 and 2008.
“I attended the 2007 inaugural dinner in the Ramada Hotel and it was a who’s who of Northern Ireland companies, from the small niche company to the large corporations and attracted entries from public, private and voluntary sectors.
“It is a testament to the foresight of the Irish News and their sponsoring partners to create awards that are a celebration of every company’s greatest asset – their people.”

• Finalists Announced on Thursday 28th May @ 12noon.

Speech by Department of Employment and Learning Minister Sir Reg Empey

I am delighted to launch the Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards, which recognise excellence in the workplace and reinforce the message that people are our most important asset.
More and more businesses and organisations are recognising this and the need to upskill their existing workforce so they can make the most of new opportunities.
Unfortunately we live in times of economic uncertainty. Training budgets are often the first to suffer but as research has shown, companies that invest in the skills of their staff are two and half times more likely to survive. This is because effective training can reduce staff turnover and absenteeism, improve motivation, increase productivity and deliver higher customer satisfaction levels – essential ingredients for an organisation’s survival at this time.
I encourage all employers to continue their training efforts. A recession is not the time to back away from training but a time to keep it firmly on the agenda.
As our economy becomes increasingly reliant on knowledge and areas in which we will be add more value than others, it is important that we ensure that our workforce has the skills required.
Yet when we consider that approximately two thirds of those people currently in the workforce will still be in active employment in 2020 and have already gone through compulsory education, it is clear to see that our focus needs to be on building the skills of those people already in the workforce.
We must also ensure that for those people employed in sectors which are in decline that there are options available for them to re-skill into areas where employment will grow.
We therefore must embrace a culture of personal development in the workplace to encourage staff to benefit from training.
The aims of the Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards go hand in hand with the work currently being done through my Department’s Skills Strategy for Northern Ireland, ‘Success through Skills’.
Both place an emphasis on individuals and their positive contribution to the workplace.
The high volume and standard of entries consistently received for the Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards are proof of the numbers that already reap the benefits of investing in their workforce.
I’m sure that the calibre of entries this year will be no different and I would encourage all eligible businesses and organisations to submit an entry form to showcase what they do.

Speech by Tony Mulvenna, area leader of technical solutions at Allstate NI

One of the main foundations of Allstate NI’s success has been our unique blend of competitive foresight and organisational culture which is rooted in the American principles of flexibility, work life balance and the societal nature of work.
As such, Allstate NI is characterised by a relaxed yet hard-working independent culture which fosters individual initiative and flexibility.
We embrace a philosophy where we promote a lifestyle, not just a job. We repeatedly attributed the success of the company to our people and we foster a winning and innovative environment where employees are empowered to drive the business forward.
From the outset we recognised the correlation between satisfied employees, satisfied customers and business results.
Our company has grown to 1500-plus employees over the past 10 years and is now present in three different locations throughout Northern Ireland.
The key to Allstate NI’s success story is based on the simple strategy of creating a work environment to enable the company to attract the best possible talent and providing them with the right tools, opportunities and knowledge to do their job well. Our motto is “train to retain”.
This approach is echoed by Bro McFerran, our visionary managing director, who is often heard saying that employees are the lifeblood of our company.
At Allstate NI we believe in the power of culture – we equip our staff with the best tools and knowledge to deliver the best service and we reward the results.
The investment in training and development of people has been crucial to the success of the business.
We like to believe our phenomenal growth, geographic spread and high employee retention is attributable to the culture and environment we have created for our employees and we are proud of that. But it is when independent adjudicators and those outside our company recognise us for our endeavours that we really can be proud of what we’ve achieved.
The Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards provide a forum that was missing for companies to promote what they are doing to attract, train and retain the people talent that Northern Ireland has to offer and Allstate NI is very proud to have been recognised in both 2007 and 2008.
These awards are a testament to the foresight of the Irish News and its sponsoring partners to create awards that celebrate every company's greatest asset – their people.