The HWP Group received its Investor in People certificate yesterday.

The IIP scheme is designed to help companies motivate and keep their most important asset: their staff.

The Minister of Labour, Home Affairs and Public Safety, Terry Lister made the presentation to the HWP president and other HWP staff who had been involved in the project.

The minister said that HWP had achieved a "high standard of employee development" by committing to the Investors in People programme.

"In this day and age, the ongoing development of employees is one of the keys to successful business and encouraging people to be as successful in their lives as possible is an added benefit."

Terry Bond of Investors in People Bermuda added: "Achieving the high standards set by Investors in People is no easy task and the HWP Group steering committee deserves kudos for reaching this goal."

Thomas Gallagher and Eric Jenkinson of Jenkinson Consulting, an international human resources firm, added their congratulations and commended HWP executive Jocene Wade as the "Champion for Investors in People at HWP".

Jonathan Brewin, president and chief executive officer of HWP said that the company had chosen the Investor in People scheme because they wanted an international benchmark. "We want our staff to know that the company is good by international standards, not just by Bermuda standards."

Talking generally about the Investor in People scheme, the consultants agree that it can bring about major objectives for a company.

The four stages of commitment, planning, action and evaluation take companies and their staff through a major learning curve.

According to Mr. Bond, the rewards are measurable: "They will see increased performance, staff morale improves and turnover levels decrease."

He said that the scheme can help to change the work culture of a company, adding: "After many years where training was not given much emphasis, Bermudian companies are starting to realise that they need to put development schemes in place for their work force."

Mr. Gallagher said that Investors in People was helping companies to address the key issue: "How can we get Bermudians to the next level both in getting into key positions and advancement."