Beard Construction Maintains Gold Status for People and Wellbeing Initiatives

Beard Construction has successfully retained its Gold accreditation under the We Invest in People (IIP) framework, receiving praise for its dedication to leadership, company values, and fostering a transparent, family-oriented culture.

The award-winning construction firm achieved Gold in both the We Invest in People and We Invest in Wellbeing assessments, placing it among the top 12% of IIP-accredited construction companies.

Cath Parish, Investors in People and Wellbeing Practitioner, remarked in the report: “The values of ‘Friendly, Efficient and Committed’ are cemented in the company ethos. The Leadership Team are trusted and respected for their decision making with the ambition of being ‘better tomorrow than today.’” She added, “The wellbeing of staff is taken seriously and seen as an integral part of Beard’s culture. Everyone interviewed agreed Beard is a ‘Great Place to Work’. There is no doubt that working in construction is not easy and everyone in Beard works extremely hard. The list of successes is very commendable.”

The report also highlighted that employees feel confident and competent in their roles, with a clear understanding of expectations and encouragement to take initiative.

Beard’s staff turnover rate has dropped to 5.9%, down from 8.9% in 2023, reflecting strong employee loyalty. New recruits cited the company’s reputation or personal recommendations as key reasons for applying, with many stating their expectations had been exceeded during the assessment interviews.

While Beard has held the We Invest in People accreditation since 2011, it received the We Invest in Wellbeing Gold status for the first time in 2022, scoring well above the IIP wellbeing average.

The assessment confirmed that employees recognise the company’s commitment to supporting their health and wellbeing, which is embedded in Beard’s culture.

Beard’s Strategy for Wellbeing includes initiatives such as a recent away day at Wrington Warren woodland, where over 70 colleagues from five regional offices participated in team-building and wellbeing activities during Mental Health Awareness Week.

Activities included paintballing, archery, axe throwing, woodland walks with treasure hunts, and various games and competitions. Other events during the week featured a ‘wear it green’ day in Swindon, an office sports day and walking competition in Bristol, and an 18-mile sponsored walk in Southampton to raise funds for Naomi House & Jacksplace.

Neil Sherreard, deputy chairman of Beard, stated: “We’re extremely proud of the spaces and projects that we deliver at Beard, but our people are the ones making it happen, so it’s incredibly important we can recognise and celebrate them and their successes.” He continued, “We’ve made strong progress since the last We Invest in People assessment in 2023, particularly in our learning and development offering and our approach to wellbeing, which we’re pleased to see highlighted. There is always more we can do though and we aren’t standing still. We’ll take the report’s recommendations and feedback from our colleagues forward to continue to be better tomorrow than we are today.”