Q: How does Profile work with the Investors in People Standard?
A: Profile builds on the foundations of the Investors in People Standard and takes organisations beyond the Standard providing them with the challenge they are looking for. Following a review in 2004 Profile was revised to align it with the revised Investors in People Standard. Profile works to the same three principles of the Standard but outlines four levels of good practice. The scope and content of Profile level 1 is exactly the same as the Standard and represents good practice where as level four (the highest possible level) represents excellent practice.
Q: Is Profile right for my organisation?
A: If you are an ambitious organisation looking for new ways to improve your performance year on year then Profile is for you. It is designed to help organisations looking to stay ahead of the competition with a way to go beyond the good practice of the Investors in People Standard and work towards world class practice. The framework has been designed to work in organisations of all sizes and sectors.
Q: Do I have to be an Investor in People already to work towards Profile?
A: No. If you would like to be assessed against Profile at your first Investors in People assessment you can arrange that with your Quality Centre.
Q: Is Profile compulsory?
A: No. Profile has been created for those organisations that are ambitious and are looking for a challenge beyond the Investors in People Standard.
Q: How long does it take?
A: This depends on what kind of changes you need to make and how quickly you can put them into practice. The flexible nature of the Standard and Profile means that it can be used by organisations of all types and sizes. This does however make estimating timescales difficult. It may be realistic to expect that an organisation could achieve Investors in People status within a year, but this will vary depending on the changes your organisation needs to make.
As Profile builds on the foundations of the Investors in People Standard and takes organisations further, a full Profile assessment is more detailed and will take longer to complete. However, the Assessors feedback is more comprehensive as a result, giving companies valuable insight into their current performance. Those companies that have undertaken a Profile review have confirmed that the investment was extremely worthwhile (see case studies sector for further information).
As part of the Profile assessment process organisations are strongly advised to use the Profile employee survey which will give Assessors vital information prior to assessment. This will help to focus the Assessor's time during assessment interviews. This survey is available electronically free of charge however where customisation or paper based questionnaires are required a charge may be incurred.
Q: How is the cost worked out?
A: Before any commitment is made to working with Profile you can talk to your Quality Centre and Assessor to help you work out what costs will be involved. They will discuss with you what you want to achieve from Profile and help to establish where you currently stand in relation to Profile. Once you have agreed these two key pieces of information you can understand how long it is likely to take you to achieve the Profile level you are aiming for and how much it will cost your organisation.
Q: Where can I get advice on Profile?
A: Quality Centres will provide initial consultations and guidance on Profile. They are also able to signpost you to suitable sources for any further advice required by your organisation.
Q: How is Profile assessed?
A: As with the Investors in People Standard, Profile is assessed by Qualified independent Assessors. The assessment is based on confidential interviews with employees but with Profile it is advisable to supplement these interviews with a Profile Employee Survey questionnaire which provides greater volumes of quantitative information for the Assessor and allows greater involvement from a wider range of employees in the assessment process.
Following an assessment the Assessor will provide the organisation with a detailed report providing practical feedback on current performance and a level for each indicator, illustrating where organisations strengths and weaknesses lie.
Q: Will my current Investors in People Assessor be able to carry out a Profile assessment for me?
A: Yes, all Investors in People Assessors have been trained to assess against Profile. However it is advisable to contact your Quality Centre who will discuss with you which Assessor will be best able to meet your needs.
Q: When can I have an assessment against Profile?
A: Profile assessments are available now. If you would like to book an assessment or talk to an Adviser about when would be appropriate to go for assessment contact your Quality Centre.
Q: Will I be recognised for a Profile assessment?
A: Yes. Organisations that have undertaken a Profile assessment are presented with a different Investors in People certificate which carries details of the organisation's Profile levels across all 10 indicators as well as confirmation of its successful recognition.
Q: How do I benchmark my performance against my competitors?
A: All full Profile assessments results are fed into the national Profile database which can be accessed by organisations that have undertaken a full Profile assessment. Using this benchmarking web tool, organisations can compare their performance against Profile to other organisations nationally, regionally, by sector and size band. This benchmarking tool is available on line but if organisations have any questions about how to use it; Quality Centres can provide support.
Q: When can I benchmark myself against other companies?
A: Benchmarking is available nationally immediately. As more organisations go through Profile assessments the benchmarking web tool will be able to provide more refined comparisons including comparisons by region, sector and size band.
Q: Can I expect to achieve the same Profile levels as the previous version of Profile?
A: Profile has changed following its review in 2004 and direct comparisons with the previous version of Profile are not possible. The current version has a scope and range well beyond the previous version, and it may be that you will not achieve the same levels as before. If you would like to understand more about how you compare to the current version of Profile you can talk to your Quality Centre or Assessor for guidance.