EQUIFAX ACHIEVES ‘EXCELLENCE THROUGH PEOPLE’ STANDARD
Irish Award recognises commitment to training & communication of Wexford operation
London, 26th May 2005 – Equifax Ltd, one of the UK’s leading consumer credit and business information companies, has achieved the ‘Excellence Through People (ETP)’ standard for its operation in Wexford, Ireland. The Wexford office supports Equifax’s key consumer credit and business information services with a 150 strong team of customer service, data processing and analysis personnel.
Equifax has achieved the ‘Excellence Through People’ standard by demonstrating their commitment to a number of key staff development areas, including training and communication. There are specific targets for each category and an overall score that is required to achieve this Irish business standard.
In awarding Equifax the standard, the ETP Assessors said: “The organisation appears to have a very committed team where both staff and management work together to achieve a very focused approach to business planning. The training and education of staff is seen as integral to the success of the business objectives. The organisation is committed to its employees and in providing an efficient and client focused service.”
Simon Clementson, General Manager, Equifax Commercial Services Ltd, confirmed the significance of achieving this standard: “It is particularly pleasing to have achieved this Award because it recognises the consistent approach taken by the Wexford team – management and staff alike. It is a source of great encouragement to staff at all levels to earn a reputation for excellence, and to receive formal acknowledgment of their work in this area at these awards.”
While other quality accreditations consider processes and systems, ‘Excellence Through People’ is the only Irish national standard uniquely dedicated to People. The standard was introduced by FÁS in 1996 to encourage organisations to develop the full potential of their employees and, to date, 476 companies are ETP accredited.
The assessment of the Equifax Wexford operation was conducted by FÁS in March 2005, where the company’s systems were reviewed & compared to the ETP standard. In order to achieve “Excellence Through People” certification the organisation had to achieve a score of 80% in each section of the assessment and 80% overall.
“Excellence Through People presented us with an ideal opportunity to receive an independent benchmark of our training, development, communications and employee involvement” concluded Simon Clementson. “Now that we have achieved the standard we need to keep it. This provides a focus for continuous improvement and we will continue to strive to improve the organisation through its people.”
Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Conor Lenihan, presented the Excellence Through People awards at a ceremony in Dublin Castle on 9th May 2005.
