Staff from Clare County Council celebrating the NSAI Excellence Through People Platinum Level Certification at Áras Contae an Chláir with Chief Executive Pat Dowling and Director of Service Finance and Support Services Noeleen Fitzgerald. Photograph: Eamon Ward.
CLARE COUNTY Council has become the first the local authority in the country to be awarded Platinum for Excellence Through People (ETP) by the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI).
Organisations are provided with a business improvement model from the ETP specification to enhance performance and realise strategies through the management and development of its people. Clare County Council is one of a number of organisations from the private, public and SME sectors to become certified to ETP standards.
This upgrade to the ETP Platinum Level Certification follows on from Clare County Council’s recent Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) award for ‘Embracing New Ways of Working’ in February 2024, and the CIPD award for ‘Embedding a Culture of Workplace Wellbeing’ in 2023.
Initially granted ETP Gold Level Certification by the NSAI in May 2018, the Council has undergone assessments annually to maintain the certification. When upgrading Clare County Council from gold to platinum level, NSAI auditors noted the ongoing improvements in human resources and learning and development, including business coaching; a wellbeing hub; a new HR newsletter; and improved use of technology in information management, recruitment and analytics.
Monica Meehan, Senior Executive Officer in Human Resources, Clare County Council, said, “This is an independent assessment process with a rigorous evaluation. Achieving the platinum certification speaks volumes and demonstrates Clare County Council’s innovative and progressive culture. It shows that by working together staff can achieve success and this collaborative effort has now resulted in this prestigious and sought-after ETP certificate”.
Chief Executive of the County Council, Pat Dowling noted, “This platinum ETP certification is testament to the partnership approach adopted within Clare County Council. It is also a demonstration of the commitment of council staff to improving the working environment within the organisation and to their planning, organisation and hard work in providing a quality, year-round service to the people of Clare”.
NSAI’s Head of Business Excellence, Stewart Hickey explained, “Platinum Level Certification from NSAI recognises employers, such as Clare County Council, which are exemplars in how they attract, manage and develop their staff. Clare County Council continues to embrace the concepts outlined in the ETP scheme and works consistently at developing its HR systems, structures, values and culture towards a people-focused environment for its staff. Achieving ETP Platinum Level Certification requires constant effort and focus and is a remarkable achievement”.
