High praise given to the Greater Manchester charity which has come out stronger following the Covid pandemic
Greater Manchester health and social care charity, Gaddum, has been awarded a strong Silver accreditation from Investors in People (IiP) following a two-day inspection.
Gaddum is an independent charity with a long history of providing quality social and health care services, including advocacy, carer support, and therapy services, to communities across Greater Manchester. More than half of its employees have lived experience of the issues faced by the people they help.
Since the charity’s first IiP inspection in 2019, when it achieved a bronze award, Gaddum’s trustees and leadership team have focused on making substantial improvements for its teams across the organisation.
Of significant change was the restructure of the senior leadership team by Lynne Stafford, chief executive. This has ensured the charity has the focus and capacity at a senior level to take the charity through the changes needed.
Since the last IiP review, COVID-19 has led to unprecedented challenges for the charity and its staff. During this time, Gaddum ramped up its support for staff in terms of their wellbeing and development.
Led by deputy chief executive, Ben Whalley, the charity has made significant leaps forward in the nine indicators required to achieve the nationally recognised Investors in People award. These nine indicators focus on key areas including personal and professional growth, recruitment policies, development opportunities and, particularly important during turbulent times, staff wellbeing.
During this time, improved recruitment processes were introduced, including a blind screening process to ensure the delivery of best practice in equality and diversity. And, upon joining the charity, its probationary process is now much more supportive, and staff reviews have been developed so that Gaddum’s values are at their core and lived and demonstrated.
Investors in People awarded Gaddum a very high score of 767 out of 900, which is 5.4% higher than the average IiP score – which includes large corporates with much bigger budgets. And, compared with “like for like” organisations, Gaddum scored 2.7% higher than the average charity score.
In Gaddum’s latest IiP report, several members of the Gaddum team provided anonymous quotes. One employee said: “We have regular meetings, and I am always asked my opinions, it’s good to feel involved in things”.
Another added: “I love working here, I feel I have a voice and people, including senior leaders, are prepared to listen”.
A further member of staff said: “If I need to change anything, I’m empowered to get on with it”.
One member of the Gaddum team commented: “I enjoy the opportunity to try new things and managers are open to you doing this and putting ideas forward, it makes you feel innovative.”
Ben Whalley, deputy chief executive of Gaddum, said: “The whole team is absolutely delighted to receive this strong Silver accreditation and recognition from Investors in People, particularly as it was achieved through such a turbulent time while we were dealing with the impact of the pandemic.
“Our staff are our strongest asset in delivering on the commitment we have made to people across Greater Manchester and we will absolutely use this platform to improve and aim for Gold – not because of the colour, but because it really signifies how much we care about our workforce.
“Over the last three years, we have been working really hard to provide better support to every member of the Gaddum team and ensuring that our working culture is up there with the best. That’s why we are particularly proud that Investors in People highlighted that we are living our values and linking them to actual behaviours.
“Over 50k organisations have been assessed for IiP since 1991 and so, for a small charity, Gaddum has done amazingly well, especially when you consider the unprecedented time we’ve been through and in comparison to big companies with big budgets going through the IiP process.”
Joanne Lever from Investors in People who led the evaluation, said “Congratulations on your excellent achievement! You’ve done remarkably well to achieve Silver in a particularly tough time. I’d like to thank Ben and his team for their hard work and collaboration with me. You are in fine company with a host of organisations who recognise the value of their people.”
