Larger organisations are twice as likely to use Investors in People (IiP) than companies with less than 50 employees, research shows.
In a survey of 500 members of the Institute of Directors (IoD), about a quarter were IiP-accredited or committed to achieving the IiP standard, compared with 36% of UK businesses as a whole.
One-third of small businesses (less than 50 employees) were IiP-accredited or working towards IiP status, compared with 86% of IoD members in companies employing between 50 and 200 staff.
Just under half (45%) of organisations with more than 200 employees used IiP.
Dr Richard Wilson, head of business policy at IoD, said smaller organisations should try to align themselves more with IiP initiatives.
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“Larger businesses are less likely to recognise the benefits of being IiP-accredited. It’s very easy for businesses to spend money on training without understanding the personal objectives for employees,” he said.
June Williams, director of quality at IiP, agreed: “Larger, more established organisations do take IiP more seriously because they generally have more resources and an established HR function,” she said.