CarShop's big investment pays off

From left to Right: John Cornish (CarShop Training Manager), Neville Rowles (CarShop Head of People),  Hannah Ayres (CarShop HR Assistant),  Caroline Culley (CarShop HR Assistant), Nikki Finn (CarShop HR Business Partner), Shirley Young (CarShop Talent Acquisition Manager), Laura Chapman (CarShop HR Business Partner), Sean Read (Investors in People Executive Director), Jonathan Dunkley (CarShop CEO).

Last week CarShop celebrated after being awarded the prestigious Investors in People Silver Standard accreditation. This fantastic news created a buzz around the whole company and was very much welcomed by all.

True, CarShop is no stranger to trendsetting and hitting the headlines regarding vehicle sales, servicing or preparation, but this is a total game-changer for the business. That’s because this is the first time that CarShop has been recognised externally for the tremendous effort they interject into recruiting, training and developing their people.

Investors in People is an internationally recognised accreditation, acting as a seal of approval for businesses who invest heavily in, and continually evolve, their people management processes. According to research carried out by the Cranfield School of Management, by being recognised as an investor in people results in increased colleague engagement, higher output efficiencies across the business and improved financial results.

As part of CarShop’s ongoing innovation and improvement strategy, the company has placed a huge amount of financial, human and technological overhead in pulling this off. And when it comes to change, CarShop wholeheartedly believe in and embrace it. But not only do they embrace it, they use it as a catalyst to further improve and enhance their processes.

Since the inception of the Investors in People idea, CarShop’s People Team created a movement designed to give every single colleague the best chance for progression and success. Underpinned by a robust Skills Framework, CarShop introduced a brand new Development Journey, launched regular focus groups and embarked on collaborative communication roadshows; alongside reviewing pay, benefits and much more.

Neville Rowles, CarShop’s Head of People, managed to take time out of his hectic schedule and said:

“Fact is, our people are our lifeblood! They shape our strategy, define our brand and deliver on every level. With the industry and world changing so much we need to ensure we have the right people to keep us ahead of the game, and I believe this accreditation is a testament to the fact we’ve been doing a great job so far, and will continue to do so going forward. On top of that, achieving the silver standard is an even bigger bonus, as it’s only been awarded to less than 3% of all businesses who hold the accreditation; it’s a truly marvellous job well done.”

A recent colleague survey carried out by CarShop really brought this accreditation to life, as the result generated was indexed way above the national average, and showed that over 90% of CarShop’s workforce were satisfied.

This accreditation has also been timed nicely with both the appointment of a new Talent Acquisition Manager, to ensure CarShop is attracting the best people for their roles, and the launch of the brand new full-responsive careers section of their main website - https://www.carshop.co.uk/careers-overview. With a freshened-up modern look, the section clearly demonstrates CarShop’s dedication to investment in technology and people; alongside providing a wealth of information for both recruiters and talent alike.