Rapleys awarded “Investors in people” status in step towards becoming industry ‘Employer of Choice’

Strategic property advisor Rapleys has been awarded ‘Investors in People’ status in recognition of its success in centring the business around its people over the last 12 months in particular.

Investors in People assess how an organisation performs against its ‘Invest in people’ framework, and focus on improving workplace culture around employee engagement, communication, organisational culture and work practices.

In autumn 2022, Rapleys rebranded and reorganised with people at its heart, while earlier this year, it launched an innovative and progressive People Plan that removed core hours for all employees, put in place an enhanced holiday scheme, invested in personal Learning & Development courses for each employee, and upped its focus on Equality, Diversity & Inclusion.

The launch of a Junior Board to engage employees below Partner level has seen new initiatives launched, while the reward & recognition strategy has been overhauled in favour of teamwork, behaviours and values in addition to individual performance. 

Rapleys recently held its first company-wide wellbeing day where all employees were encouraged not to work and to focus on positive mental or physical activities instead.

Managing Partner Justin Tuckwell said of the accolade: “We are honoured to receive Investors in People status which underpins all the hard work and investment in our people over the last 12-18 months. We firmly believe that if we have happy, healthy and motivated people, our clients will also benefit. As a result we have recruited experts across the business at all levels and our people retention is also excellent, as are our financial results. It just goes to show that a successful business is only built off the happiness of those who work within it. We will continue in our mission to become the property industry ‘Employer of Choice’ buoyed further by this fantastic recognition.”

A new Head of HR, Karl Lea, was also recently hired to lead the people strategy and organisational development of the business. Karl previously worked as head of people services at British Sugar and Serco. 

Karl Lea said: “This is an exciting time to be part of the ever growing and developing Rapleys. Having now achieved this accreditation demonstrates that we are continuing to create a foundation for our employees and our business to succeed and grow. Taking on board the IIP accreditation, the people agenda and business plan which is aimed at creating a working environment where we see our employees develop, recognised, and rewarded supporting the full employee lifecycle. Our ultimate aim is to be the Employer of Choice within the industry and recognised for both our employee and business achievements”.