Northern has revealed that it has been awarded the Gold standard by the internationally renowned Investors in People scheme.

Northern employs approximately 7,000 people on its network in the North of England and has been evaluated using a thorough process in order to build on its Silver accreditation which was awarded in 2019.

Investors in People (IiP) is a not for profit, independent organisation and undertook the assessment of what it was like to work at Northern using an all-colleague survey and the interview of over 120 staff members.

The Gold standard is very difficult to attain and now the rail operators have reached the required status as part of the top 83% of organisations assessed throughout the world.

IiP assessors have recognised a number of areas that they say Northern should be proud of.

The rail operators were found to have an extremely clear vision and long term business plan which allowed team members to comprehend expectations and targets alongside their contribution to the running of successful services which support over 100 million customer journeys every year.

The assessors also commended the collaborative internal attitude with colleagues encouraged to ‘go do their thing whilst Learning and Development within Northern was noted as being sector-leading, providing excellent opportunities for both personal development and career progression.

The rail operator has worked hard and is exceedingly proud of its approach to equality, diversity and inclusion, the IiP experts also agreed that substantial progress has been made in these vital areas.

Good two-way colleague communication alongside feedback within the workplace has also been received as a positive benefit bringing a difference to internal culture.

Nick Donovan, Northern’s Managing Director commented: “This is fantastic news and everyone at Northern is proud of achieving the Gold standard accreditation.

“Gold is not an easy thing to achieve, and the review process has been rigorous and detailed. I am delighted that Investors in People assess Northern to be one of the best-performing people organisations in this country.

“It’s our great people doing their thing day in and day out that have made the difference and I want to thank them for their continued hard work and commitment.

“We won’t rest on our laurels, and we will continue to work together to make Northern a great place to work.”

Throughout the last 30 years, Investors in People have awarded over 50,000 organisations with their accreditation which is recognised across 66 countries around the globe, making it a worldwide benchmark for people management.

Paul Devoy, CEO of Investors in People, said: “We’d like to congratulate Northern. Our Gold accreditation is a fantastic effort for any organisation, and places Northern in fine company with a host of organisations that understand the value of people.”