An independent Scottish firm has become the first specialist lettings agency in the UK to have achieved Investors in People at Platinum level. Glasgow based Western Lettings was established in 2008 and it currently employs eleven people, managing almost 900 residential properties. Initially awarded ‘We Invest in People’ Gold, in 2019, this Platinum accreditation now serves to further exemplify the company’s commitment to delivering a highly conducive working environment for developing and supporting its people.
Investors in People work with companies around the world to help them create a supportive and fulfilling environment for their teams. To date, over 50,000 companies have been assessed against the framework, with around 5% assessed at the highest level of platinum. Paul Devoy, CEO of Investors in People, said: “We’d like to congratulate Western Lettings. Platinum accreditation on ‘We Invest in People’ is a remarkable effort for any organisation, and places Western Lettings in fine company with a host of organisations that understand the value of people.”
Jack Gallagher, MD of Western Lettings, spoke just as highly of this award and commented that “everyone on the team is thrilled to have achieved this accolade.”
“We consistently strive to make our working days more fulfilling and productive”, he continued; “it’s a happy team and I feel hugely privileged to share in the success we have found”.
In their report, Investors in People emphasised the highly democratic and inclusive culture of the company, scoring the firm particularly highly for ‘Recognising and Rewarding High performance’ and ‘Empowering and Involving People’. It also found that there was unanimous agreement, amongst its people, that this organisation is a great place to work and that its culture embodies continuous improvement.
This helps to further prove the need for businesses to prioritise how they treat their people, as a happy workplace is a successful one. Western Lettings actively find ways to improve their organisation and their people’s experiences, by implementing employee suggestions and engaging in regular one-on-one discussions. This is good news for clients too since the company’s interest in development only means their clientele will be in constantly good hands and they will feel the benefit of this supportive culture immediately. Customers report high levels of satisfaction; any complaints are discussed among the team and invariably result in rapid and effective improvements, which are communicated to everyone involved.
According to Investors in People, organisations that are assessed against the framework expect to achieve higher profits than average. At Western Lettings, their ethical and transparent culture has resulted in a virtuous cycle of happy employees providing outstanding service to appreciative clients, with profitable results.
