Life Pharmacy Gets Top Marks From International Business Assessors, Investors In People
Staff motivation is at an all-time high since Life Pharmacy overhauled its training scheme and induction processes in
the Christchurch region, a move that has led to the Northlands branch being awarded Investors in People (IIP)
accreditation two years in a row, in 2007 and 2008, and Riccarton achieving the award for the first time earlier this
year.
IIP is an internationally recognised framework for assessing how successfully a business develops and supports its
people to improve business performance. New Zealand is one of more than 30 countries around the world which has adopted
the IIP standard. Over 150 companies of all sizes and representing all sectors are using the standard as an
organizational development tool in New Zealand.
‘Over the past two years, we have been focusing on developing our training and induction schemes and ensuring that staff
members feel involved in the company,’ says Kim Lischner, Business Manager at Life Pharmacy Northlands. ‘Improvements
have included making training more specific to business needs and encouraging staff feedback.’
‘The constructive criticism from Investors in People assessor, Denise Carter, has been invaluable,’ adds Matt Fleet,
Business Manager at Life Pharmacy Riccarton. ‘Being involved with Investors in People has really encouraged the
management team to take a step back and reflect on where the company is, where it has been and in what direction it
should be going.’
Having seen the benefits, both managers are determined to make the Investors in People assessment a regular occurrence.
‘Organisations like ours are constantly changing so we can’t afford to be complacent,’ says Kim. ‘We will be working
alongside IIP long-term to ensure that we continue to meet and exceed the Investors in People standard.’
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