Investing in its employees is paying off for another Bermuda company involved in the international Investors in People organisation.BF&M was yesterday honoured for ten years of continuous Investors in People accreditation.Originally assessed and accredited in 2002 by Investors in People International, BF&M has continued to achieve successful reaccreditation every three years. In 2011 they were awarded Investors in People Gold Award, the highest Accreditation level possible.John Wight, president and CEO of BF&M said very few companies out of the thousands that are assessed worldwide each year by Investors in People achieve the Gold Level of Accreditation.“Our success in this regard is testament to the great people that I have the pleasure to work with at BF&M,” Mr Wight said.“Working towards the highest standards of good business practice has become ingrained in our culture. Perhaps the most pleasing comment made to us by the Investors in People International Assessor was the one where we were informed that compared to the 500 companies that he had worked with, BF&M was in the top one percent, which puts us alongside some of the great UK companies.”Don Mackenzie, partner of Management Solutions, the license holder for Investors in People Bermuda commented, “We are extremely pleased to present BF&M with their Investors in People ten-year award.“Investors in People Accredited organisations are required to demonstrate ongoing operational improvements when they are reassessed every three years. Not only does achieving this ten-year Award reflect BF&M’s successful focus on ensuring continuous improvement for the organisation, it speaks volumes about its commitment to the development of the entire BF&M team.”Eric Jenkinson, IIP partner and quality manager continued, “Organisations who genuinely recognise and use Investors in People as a framework for strengthening business practices, often create the cultural evolution to a ‘people-focused’ approach that ultimately becomes the foundation for that ongoing success. BF&M is certainly a fine example of just that.”Mr Wight added: “We are honoured to receive the ten-year award from Investors in People. After BF&M originally met the Investors in People Standard in 2002, we continued to focus on developing our people and strengthening operations and ultimately achieved Gold Level Accreditation in 2011. This is the highest recognition that IIP can bestow on a company.”Investors in People is an International Quality Standard that defines good practice for improving an organisation’s performance through its people. It is the only internationally recognised standard that uses a ‘people-oriented’ approach to business improvement. To achieve Gold Accreditation, organisations must successfully meet at least 165 evidence points in their business strategy, learning and development, leadership and management, reward and recognition and performance management.The following Bermuda-based organisations are currently Investors in People Accredited: ACE (Silver), Argus (Gold), Bacardi Limited (Gold), Bermuda Public Services Union, BF&M (Gold), Container Ship Management, KPMG in Bermuda, National Training Board (Gold), and The Rosedon Hotel.Organisations interested in taking the Investors in People Journey can contact Investors in People Bermuda at 298-0170 or info@iipbermuda.bm.