Doing your best work. Knowing you’re in a place where you can grow. Getting to the end of the day and feeling like you’ve achieved something.
That’s what it feels like to work in an organisation that invests in their people.
Arrow is proud to announce we have once again achieved the prestigious Investors in People® Platinum accreditation, placing us in the top 3% of companies assessed by Investors in People for the second consecutive time – recognising the strength of our workplace culture and the ‘family feel’ that’s embedded throughout Arrow.
About Investors in People
Investors in People is a community interest company dedicated to improving workplaces. Their ‘We invest in people’ framework helps organisations assess their workplace culture and invest to “Make work better”, supporting over 59,0000 organisations worldwide in leading, supporting and improving their people.
It’s a simple, powerful structure that helps businesses understand the effectiveness of how they lead, manage and develop their people, and how this can be sustained or improved to achieve key goals and move forward.
Based on three overarching principles of Leading, Supporting and Improving, the framework includes nine key indicators, with clear criteria defining what it takes to reach each level of accreditation – Standard, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Platinum (held by Arrow) represents the highest accreditation level, recognising a “consistently high-performing and deeply embedded people-focused culture that delivers sustainable success and exceptional outcomes”.
Add IIP Framework – Key Indicators image
How we invest in our people
Working with Investors in People for over 10 years, Arrow are one of 3% Platinum-accredited organisations in the UK. For Arrow, achieving Platinum wasn’t the end – but the start of a much larger journey to keep making work better and maintain their Platinum standard moving forward.
Arrow’s Platinum strategy focused on three specific indicators, investing in employee development, training and recognition programmes to truly empowered our staff, leaders and deliver exceptional outcomes. Key initiatives included:
1. Inspiring and Leading Our People
• Developing our Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and Senior Management Team (SMT) structure to give clear progression pathways and promote internal growth.
• Developing role outlines and person specifications for director-level roles, giving current and aspiring leaders a clear development roadmap.
• Introducing structured onboarding and coaching for new leaders, reflecting our belief that good leaders are developed and not just promoted.
2. Recognising and Rewarding Our People
• Working with our Colleague Circle – a peer-elected employee voice group – to enhance our approach to employee recognition.
• Updating our employee benefits offering and launching new peer-to-peer recognition initiatives to make appreciation part of day-to-day life.
3. Driving Continuous Improvement
• Streamlining internal processes to support our expansion, including opening three new distribution hubs.
• Introducing 360-degree feedback for all SLT members using SpiderGap, promoting self-awareness and personal growth.
• Holding regular team-building events and workshops to build cross-team relationships and engagement.
This approach resulted in a landmark year for Arrow, combining record-breaking growth with real improvements to our people management strategy. As a result, Arrow successfully retained our Platinum status in our 2025 assessment, with key highlights including:
• 87% of our staff said they trusted the leaders of our organisation.
• 94% feel encouraged to use their initiative in their roles.
• 88% feel they have opportunities to learn and develop at work.
• Teamwork is incredibly strong, and there’s no hint of a blame culture – challenges are tackled together.
• Employees genuinely believe the company is a great place to work and are committed to its future success.
Paul Devoy, CEO of Investors in People, said: “We’d like to congratulate Arrow County Supplies. Platinum accreditation on ‘We invest in People’ is a remarkable effort for any organisation, and places Arrow in fine company with a host of organisations that understand the value of people.”
Commenting on the award, Managing Director Bruce Blackledge said: “This is a truly fantastic achievement that belongs to every person at Arrow. Thank you to the entire Arrow team for your hard work, commitment, and energy – it’s what makes our company such a special place.”
Find out more about our People strategy here , or visit the Investors in People website to discover their ‘We invest in People’ framework.
