Staff training and development are of high importance to the Argus Group - and it has just been reclassified with an Investors in People (IIP) standard award to prove it.

The certification was awarded following a review by an independent consultant from the UK who confirmed that staff development activities were strongly imbedded in the organisation and positively reinforced as part of the company's business strategy.

Gerald Simons, president and CEO of the Argus Group, said that the IIP was international recognition for the work and commitment the insurer had made to best practice in people management and developing the skills of its staff, as well as rewarding their strong performance.

"Confirmation of our status as an Investors in People organisation is testimony to our belief that our people are our most valuable asset," he said.

"We actively promote their development and training. Argus supports the concept of 'total wellness' for its employees whereby they are encouraged to improve their physical, mental and financial well-being through programmes such as the Argus Walking Club and workshops on investments.

"In addition, the culture at Argus enables employees to balance the demands of work and home."

The three-day review, which was carried out by a qualified IIP assessor, was based on first-hand evidence from staff interviews and examined the definition an understanding of the business strategy by employees.

The interviews measured employees' ability to identify the organisation's learning and development needs and explain the plans and resources in place to meet them.

The review explored the human resources strategies that exist to promote equality of opportunity; the capabilities of managers to lead, manage and develop people effectively; and how the staff's contribution to the organisation is measured, recognised and valued.

An assessment of how well Argus encourages its people to take ownership and responsibility by being involved in decision-making also formed part of the review process.

Mr. Simons said the IIP award, which had been adopted by most of the top British companies, gave prospective job candidates a clear idea of what to expect from an employee/employer perspective when searching for work on Argues website.

"It represents a key criterion for some employees, allowing them to have some comfort in knowing that as an Investor in People company it will be a properly run organisation from a business perspective and gives them an assurance that there will be clearly defined goals," he said.

"From its inception 60 years ago, Argus has strived to treat its people fairly and to ensure that every employee know what is their job, where they are going, how they are doing in their job and how they are going to get there.

"The company spends thousands of dollars in improving training and development and is often seen as the ideal training ground for people who go on to work in the banking, financial or international business sectors, and Investor in People really carries the idea of training to a new level."

Indeed, in order to qualify for the award, employers need to show that they have gone through the three stages of planning, action and evaluation thoroughly and is relevant to the organisation's business goals in order to quantify what the employee and employer has derived from the process.

Jocene Wade, a consultant for IIP in Bermuda, said: "Through our review process, IIP was satisfied beyond any doubt that the Argus Group continued to meet the requirements of the standard by successfully implementing business, development, people management, leadership and performance measurement strategies.

"It was particularly pleasing to see the consistency with which the Argus Group ensures equality of opportunity and drives skills development across all levels of employment to demonstrate that each and every member of staff is valued by the company."

The Argus Group, which employs 148 staff in Bermuda, less than 15 per cent of whom are on work permits, was one of the first companies to get involved in the IIP programme when Government launched a body to oversee it in 2000 and received its first IIP certification in June 2003 and subsequently its status has been reconfirmed for three years as a result of the latest review.