NSAI’s Excellence Through People scheme launch

Supporting business competitiveness

Employee Engagement Programmes benefit the bottom line

Dublin. Friday, January 27, 2012. A global workforce study¹ shows that businesses with higher levels of employee engagement have boosted their net income by 13.7%. More than 30 Irish and Irish based multinational companies were certified to the Excellence Through People (ETP) scheme at an event hosted by NSAI (National Standards Authority of Ireland) at Dublin’s Convention Centre today. Excellence Through People is Ireland’s only national human resource management specification dedicated to the role of people and their impact on business.

Speaking at the event, John Perry, TD, Minister for Small Business, said, “It has been proven that innovative HR practices can impact business success through bottom-line improvements, building up organisational capabilities, improving employee satisfaction, and shaping customer satisfaction. Excellence Through People, with its emphasis on utilising current human resources best practices such as employee involvement, can play a key role in increasing the efficiency of Irish businesses.”

The ETP scheme transferred from FÁS to NSAI by Richard Bruton T.D., Minister for Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation at the end of 2011. NSAI will provide independent certification to organisations in recognition of their commitment to best practice in human resource management. The scheme provides a business improvement model for organisations to enhance performance and realise strategies through the development of their people and is attainable by all organisations, in both the public and private sector, regardless of their size.

Mr Maurice Buckley, CEO, NSAI, said, “The transfer of Excellence Through People to NSAI is a natural fit with our role of setting standards and supporting trade and promoting business excellence in Ireland.  Currently, Excellence Through People is being used by many of Ireland’s most successful organisations as part of their strategies for becoming more efficient, productive, flexible, competitive and innovative. Due to the economic conditions, the role of such standards has never been more relevant. Management System Standards play a key role in supporting an Irish economic recovery by enhancing an organisations’ competitiveness. We look forward to building upon the pioneering work done by FAS and developing Excellence Through People over time into an internationally recognised and respected standard.”

Since Excellence Through People was first developed in 1996, more than 800 companies in Ireland have been awarded Excellence Through People certification. Minister Perry presented the companies with their Excellence Through People certificates, saying it is a testament to Irish enterprises’ commitment to achieving the highest international standards. The organisations come from a diverse range of sectors, including the private and public sector, including hospitality, medical devices, retail, financial services and pharmaceutical manufacturers. 
 

Among the firms certified were:

Allianz Worldwide Care; Athy International Concentrates; Barry Group; Crowne Plaza Dublin-Blanchardstown ;Defence Forces - 1 Southern Brigade; EmployAbility Service Galway; Engineers Ireland; ESB Independent Generation Training Ltd; Europ Assistance Holdings Ltd; FedEx Express Europe inc.; Good Shepherd Services; HR & Business Solutions: Jobmatters Ltd: Kavanagh Retailing ROI; KONE Ireland Ltd; Marine Institute / Foras na Mara; Naval Service; PM Group; Sky Handling Partner Ltd; Sodexo Ltd; The Courts Service - Resource Management Directorate; Tina's Hair, Nail & Beauty; Waterford Employment Support Agency; Work4U Ltd.


Clink on the link for details on the NSAI Excellence Through People scheme






Note: ¹ Towers Perrin Global Workforce Study 2007-2008 (2008). Closing the engagement gap: a road map for driving superior business performance. www.towersperrin.com (referenced in IBEC’s The Essential Guide to Employee Engagement).