Simon Tunley, Head of Sport, congratulated his staff yesterday (19 December) on once again being awarded accreditation against the Investors in People Gold Standard.

Sussexsport is part of the University of Sussex; based at Falmer, it employs more than 80 full and part-time staff and has held the Gold Standard award for the last six years, since September 2012. 

In total, Sussexsport has had Investors in People (IIP) accreditation for an impressive 16 years. The Gold Standard is said to demonstrate an organisation’s commitment to realising the potential of their people.  

This year, the accreditors found Sussexsport to be strong in a number of key areas, namely: leading and inspiring people, living the organisation’s values and behaviours, empowering and involving people, managing performance, structuring work, delivering continuous improvement, and creating sustainable success.

Only 16% of companies currently have the Gold Standard, measured against 36 key areas, compared with 62% who have the standard IIP award. Also, only 18% of IIP-accredited organisations are in the public sector, making Sussexsport one of a select few university sport departments to have this award.

The recent report noted that there is a "caring and developmental culture within Sussexsport that is led from the top by the senior managers". 

Staff comments, which appear in the report, describe it as a place where they feel supported and trusted:

• “Simon [Head of Sport] has always given me the confidence to [progress] and this trust from him has motivated me to perform to a high level.”
  
  
• “We do not have a punitive environment; staff are not jumped on if they get something wrong.”
  
  
• “There is a freedom of thoughts and ideas. Staff feel well supported and appreciate being allowed to try out ideas where feasible.”
  
  
• “Managers are more likely to say ‘let us try and make it work’ in the first instance rather than a no or maybe.”

This award is particularly impressive since it comes after a significant restructuring which took place in 2016.

Investors in People is the international standard for people management, defining what it takes to lead, support and manage people effectively to achieve sustainable results. Underpinning the standard is the Investors in People framework, reflecting the latest workplace trends, essential skills and effective structures required to outperform in any industry.

Working with clients across the globe, IIP enables organisations to benchmark against the best in the business on an international scale.

Paul Devoy, Head of Investors in People, said: “We’d like to congratulate Sussexsport. Investors in People accreditation is the sign of a great employer, and an organisation committed to achieving success by realising the potential of their people. Sussexsport should be extremely proud of their achievement.” 

Commenting on the award, Head of Sport Simon Tunley said: “We always knew it would be a challenge to retain our gold award; however, the dedication and commitment of the team have ensured we have remained a people-focused department and my thanks must go to all the team for their efforts in maintaining this coveted award."

For more information, please visit the Sussexsport website.

Back to news list