The CIPP has arranged for employees to have free access to Peppy Health, which is a menopause, fertility, early parenthood, and men's health related app. There is also online support by professionals to help with any questions and tips on how to manage menopausal and perimenopausal symptoms.
It is a Living Wage Employer and ensures a company-wide fair pay structure relating to job title and responsibility for that role. It has an annual pay review every September to ensure all employees’ salaries are consistent across all departments, and this year has also taken the cost of living increase into account.
Once a month, managers are asked to focus on one value and nominate an employee who has shown exemplary work towards that value. A vote of the selected candidates then takes place and the winning employee is congratulated by the senior leadership team and recognised throughout the organisation.
Ashton Gate ensures a fair deal for employees by annually reviewing pay scales. In 2023, the organisation was able to enhance pay by 3% across the group, demonstrating its commitment to fair compensation.
Ashton Gate believes in giving back to the community. Post-match day events see excess food donated to local food banks. The organisation also strives to reduce its environmental footprint through initiatives like Project Whitebeam.
Ashton Gate prioritises wellbeing, providing services like Health Assured and Able Futures for mental, physical, and financial advice. It also hosts Wellness Weeks, featuring activities like meditation and pilates, to promote a healthy work environment.
Oryx Align supports personal growth by providing a variety of training courses through Udemy licenses and internal training sessions. The company's focus on individual development plans and the promotion of internal talent underscores its commitment to growth.
Oryx Align's leadership team ensures transparency and alignment through regular company update meetings, led by the CEO. The company's values are reinforced through a 'Living our Values' award at the annual awards ceremony.
In addition to private healthcare and pension contributions, Oryx Align supports its employees through financial contributions to help with energy bills. This commitment to fair treatment extends to free financial advice through its partnership with Schroders.
Siddall & Hilton's dedicated work committee, representative of various business areas, coordinates seasonal social activities. This not only enriches the workplace culture but also fosters team spirit and camaraderie.
Siddall & Hilton prioritises mental health, with initiatives such as the Menopause Café and the 'Listening Ears' team. It also provides a fully funded financial coaching service, further supporting their employees' wellbeing.
Siddall & Hilton's fair treatment of employees is reflected in its quarterly profit-related bonus scheme. It has also increased pay overall by 23% over the last two years, demonstrating its commitment to employee welfare amid the cost of living crisis.
Lovat Parks maintains a hands-on approach with its leadership frequently visiting parks and central offices. The company encourages openness and accessibility, enabling employees to comfortably share their thoughts, concerns, and suggestions. The management also ensures regular one-to-ones and reviews to focus on employee strengths.
The company's commitment to wellbeing is notable, with a structured plan focusing on workplace, financial, social, and mental wellbeing. Lovat Parks also offers an Employee Assistance Programme, mental health awareness training, and a Mental Health First Aider programme.
Lovat Parks offers interest-free pay advances to all team members, with flexible repayment options. The company is a real living wage employer and offers all team members a 50% discount on any holiday booked on one of their parks.
KP Snacks demonstrates its commitment to fair treatment through financial support initiatives in collaboration with Grocery Aid, offering financial grants and a one-off cost of living payment to colleagues earning £35,000 or less per annum.
KP Snacks' 'Community Heroes' initiative encourages employees to support local community projects. Additionally, the company's sustainable strategy, 'People & Planet', highlights its commitment to environmental responsibility.
KP Snacks' leadership ensures transparency and clarity through regular updates on the KP4ME portal and on-site townhall meetings. They promote organisational values and provide strategic direction, enhancing employee engagement.
As the firm is employee-owned, all staff are entitled to an equal profit share bonus each year. Employees also get gift vouchers on milestone birthdays, weddings and for babies. At Christmas, staff can choose a voucher or donate to a food bank. And there are plenty of sweet treats and free breakfasts at quarter end.
Evolito runs a fitness challenge where departments compete against each other, with the winners receiving Nike vouchers. Many employees participate, with people walking at the weekend to add to their team's success. The organisation invited a bike doctor onsite and employees were able to bring up to two bikes each for a free service.
Employees have the opportunity to win prizes every week during Friday’s ‘Spin the Wheel’. If some employees work late, the organisation will order them food for free. The organisation also sends thank yous to employees’ families. It recently sent flowers to the partners of two employees who had been working late for several weeks.
The organisation builds employee relationships through a number of social activities such as a weekly football, badminton, biking and walking groups, and an in-office social area with jigsaws, chess, and ping pong. It also has a company pet Tortoise, Donna. Employees share responsibility caring for her at work and taking her home at the weekend.
July 2023 saw the first NYLON Week, with the US team coming over for the summer party and a week of in-person collaboration. There are many smaller team-building initiatives too, likely weekly lunches with pop-up food stalls. And the Pride Employee Resource Group is the company's largest, with LGBTQIA+ members sharing experiences and organising events.
'Papier with Purpose' is the company's CSR programme encouraging employees to give back to the local community through paid-for volunteering days, as well as being charitable and mindful of environmental impact. Initiatives include mentoring young people to help them into the creative industries, donating excess stock and giving a proportion of card sales to charity.
'The Golden Pen' is the company's weekly recognition award – an opportunity for teammates to celebrate each other's work. During the Monday meeting, the 'pen' is awarded by the previous holder, with the CEO giving the winner a shoutout. All winners from the previous four weeks get a voucher prize in the monthly meeting.
Verastar offers paid volunteering days for team bonding which help instil a sense of purpose and camaraderie among employees as well as supporting the wider community. Christmas and Summer socials are another way that the organisation brings its teams together in a festive and joyful atmosphere, reinforcing the bonds and developing the relationships between employees.
The organisation operates a bonus scheme, STAR bonus. This scheme rewards colleagues with a quarterly bonus of up to 2.5% of their annual salary based on the achievement of specific objectives. Verastar also ensures that any goals set are stretching so that its employees are continually developing in their roles.
To support the ongoing business strategy, Verastar have launched a number of new initiatives, including system investment. The progress is underpinned by the CEO’s communication in his monthly newsletter, VNews, or via a senior leader cascade. It’s important that teams across the business are updated and can support each other with new ways of working.
Slack is the agency's heartbeat, with team members interacting on projects and industry developments to 'rate my plate' lunch sharing and parenting support. The office hosts' Crowded House' every Thursday to encourage social catch-ups, winter and summer company parties, and three work showcases a year to inspire and celebrate jobs well done.
Employees get time every week, month and six months to discuss their development. There's a clear progression framework so everyone can see the opportunities available and what they need to do to succeed. All staff have a learning and development budget and access to a learning library. There're also regular events on wellbeing and diversity.
Employees benefit from two bonus schemes. 'Made Born Bigger' is a performance-based annual cash bonus set against revenue goals, and 'Made Born Better' offers top-performing employees, voted for by the team, the chance to choose from a prize list including vouchers, new trainers, hotel stays and extra holidays.
There is weekly internal email communication from the CEO and an internal newsletter which reinforces organisational clarity and purpose. Organisational performance against agreed KPI’s is shared with colleagues so everyone can see how the charity is performing and training is provided where improvements may be required. Staff are encouraged to provide feedback and ideas.
An internal CPD accredited 10 week training plan was undertaken by all employees from Team Leaders and above. Areas covered included Building Relationships, Understanding Team Behaviours, Motivation. How to Give and Receive Feedback, Constructive Criticism, Time management and Effective Delegation, Assertiveness and Dealing with Difficult Situations; Communication and Learning Skills, and Coaching.
The organisation runs a number of schemes including Employee of the Quarter and Year. These are colleagues nominated by their colleagues. Winners receive vouchers. It also launched 'Because Your Roarsome' where both colleagues and those outside of the organisation can give their thanks to a member of the team for their hard work/support.
With a recognition-led culture, as well as benefits and salary, Searchability has a range of incentives to reward its employees for their efforts. This ranges from commission, achievers meals, weekend trips away, legend of the month awards, and its most recent Be Sound award – these are all led by colleagues.
Searchability has recently installed eco-friendly lighting systems in its offices and continues to support recycling initiatives. Additionally, it has removed plastic cups from its offices and continuously supports plastic waste reduction, giving all employees access to glass or refillable bottles to prevent single-use plastic.
As part of its wellbeing programme, Searchability has a weekly boxercise class which has encouraged new connections between colleagues. It has continued to host First Friday events which brings the whole company together for social interaction. It also recently held a charity day that included fancy dress and a bake sale.
The leadership team has developed a people charter. It holds an annual conference where all employees are invited to get together in person. It holds monthly team meetings which reinforce company values, mission, and objectives. These meetings have included the opportunity for employees to get involved in people and company strategies.
Prime People continues to run its Salary Sacrifice scheme supporting a small orphanage in South Africa. One of its London team leaders has recently run a successful charity golf day to raise money for company charities. More employees have also run/walked 50 or 100k of the Thames Path to raise money.
In terms of pay increases and rewards associated with performance, it offers a completely transparent promotion scheme to all employees. This enables consultants to fast-track their careers and reach Director-level at their own rate. The scheme is designed to be measurable and fair; employees also have promotion opportunities every six months.
Medicheck's VIBE team is tasked with arranging social events, from those celebrating Pride Month to exercise challenges and fundraising events. There are also the staple Summer BBQs and Christmas parties. And staff are encouraged into the office on wellbeing day for activities like wellness walks or a massage.
A new performance management platform supports staff with their development goals. It includes a feedback function allowing employees to give or request feedback from each other, with ‘Feedback Fridays’ encouraging staff to participate. Colleagues can also nominate each other for monthly awards, using the system to select which value they demonstrated.
All lower-paid employees got a winter cost-of-living salary increase, with all employees getting a higher-than-usual rise in the spring. Performance-related bonus awards are on offer, and staff get £500 once a candidate they've successfully recommended for a role passes their three-month probation.
CEO Jamie and the leadership team regularly send out updates to the business outlining any changes. Additionally, every month in its Global Review meeting, there is a section called 'ask the CEO'. Employees can anonymously submit questions and have those answered and addressed in the meeting providing clarity for everyone.
Its own development program, ‘InterExcellence’, consists of 4 learning pathways. Engage ensures a smooth onboarding process. Enhance focuses on refining the initial skills needed to succeed. Excel is designed to equip those going through their first steps in mentoring. Elevate is a management development program, focusing on supporting managers to help the next generation.
InterEx Group has a generous commission structure and career pathways with reward schemes and incentive criteria for individual contributors and people managers in contract, permanent and delivery roles, as well as pathways for Talent Acquisition and Business Support Teams. It also prides itself in delivering world-class incentives, including trips abroad, monetary bonuses and vouchers.
Managers can give a gift voucher to any employee they feel has gone above and beyond. Employees are recognised and rewarded for their long service with the company from 5years+. The employee is allowed to choose a gift or voucher of their choice for the value of £150-£900 depending on their long service milestone.
HSO has an internal Learning Management System in place for all employees to access training courses. It uses the LMS to stay abreast of new enhancements to technologies, soft skills and industry updates. The LMS gives employees the flexibility to be able to learn on the go by accessing it on their desktops or mobiles.
As well as feedback to line managers directly and an employee survey, the organisation has two dedicated email accounts for employees to make suggestions and express concerns anonymously. All questions are read out and answered by the MDs every two weeks to maintain transparency and openly share concerns that other employees may also have.
Staff can share how they’re feeling with monthly wellbeing workshops covering topics like mental health and menopause. They also have access to counselling services, massages, yoga sessions and a dedicated wellbeing app. And everyone gets private healthcare after two years. There’s also a ‘helping hand fund’ offering interest-free loans to anyone struggling to fund necessities.
The company has reinvigorated its Diploma Academy to tackle a shortage of candidates – particularly paraplanners. The two-year course with a qualification at the end is open to school leavers, graduates and those who want to retrain. All exams and study materials are paid for, and they also get paid time off to study.
Based on their feedback, staff now benefit from a revised bonus structure, with the personal performance element, which everyone got, now part of their basic salary. This has allowed for a boost in pension contributions and helps employees with mortgage applications. The bonus is now 100% based on company profit.
ClearScore recognises that sometimes people need support. Leave after pregnancy loss is a policy it has recently provided. The organisation understands the impact pregnancy loss can have on both parents, so should an employee experience this, if directly, with their partner, or through surrogacy, ClearScore gives them the time they need.
It encourages employees to create a Personal Development Plan to structure and commit to their learning and growth. Employees are given a learning budget of £500 to support their individual personal development. This is housed on a platform called Learnerbly, where employees can access a wide range of development content.
Its leaders articulate eight behavioural principles, which are described as the 'rules of the game'. They ensure that all employees are judged and measured against these. ClearScore's principles are communicated to new starters as part of an intensive two-day onboarding process and employees who demonstrate these principles are celebrated at the 'end-of-race' awards every quarter.
CFC is a 34% employee-owned company which means it benefits from having employee ownership alongside an incredibly engaged senior management and leadership team who act as role models for their teams. The core values are demonstrated through its belief in market-leading insurance products and customer service and a constant drive for innovation.
CFC recently opened an Innovation Hub that provides a modern and tech-friendly office space for the tech team to collaborate in. Additionally, it has launched a careers platform to attract candidates to CFC. This platform is much more visually appealing and candidate-engaging, with video job overviews, manager profiles, and transparent recruitment steps and processes.
By attracting high-calibre talent, and retaining, motivating, and engaging employees through fair, competitive, and responsible remuneration structures it continuously builds on not only CFC principles but puts a spotlight on each and every individual in the organisation, these are the key components to its success.
Managers at Vaculug are supported in their development through various avenues, including: Training and Development Programs, Coaching and Mentoring, Leadership Development Programs, Performance Feedback and Reviews, Workshops and Seminars, Employee Assistance Programs, Networking and Communities of Practice, and Work-Life Balance Initiatives.
Vaculug believes in fostering a culture of appreciation and recognising employees for their efforts. To create a unique and effective rewards programme, it has implemented the "Appreciation Adventure Program." This program goes beyond traditional rewards to provide employees with memorable experiences and opportunities to pursue their passions.
The organisation encourages employee growth through a number of initiatives, including: Individual Development Plans, Mentorship Programs, Internal Training and Workshops, Tuition Reimbursement and Learning Stipends, Job Rotation and Cross-Functional Projects, Internal Promotions and Succession Planning, Feedback and Performance Reviews.
Bringing teams together is a big part of the Quint Group ethos. Two annual company-wide events bringing everyone together are the summer BBQ and the Christmas Party. In addition to this, the organisation also hosts smaller inter-team events such as pool and table tennis competitions, a fantasy football league, a Mario Kart competition, and more.
Quint Group has created a Compensation Committee that is responsible for ensuring pay and reward equity across the organisation. Every year, the organisation goes through a robust salary benchmarking exercise using external and internal data to ensure that its salaries are competitive, and in line with the market and the organisation’s reward and compensation philosophy.
Quint Group’s overall strategy and objectives are clearly communicated to everyone during the annual group-wide strategy update. This is further broken down from group to team and individual objectives, and OKRs are then created. These OKRs are regularly reviewed and reinforced during weekly and monthly meetings, stand-ups and performance appraisals.
All staff are encouraged to stay in touch with each other as much as possible though Teams calls, regular team catch up meetings, and coffee meetings. Each team has a budget they can use to come together and participate in non-work related activities of their choice. There is also coffee mornings for those learning Welsh!
Senior leaders commit to the values of "Bold, Responsible, Passionate, Inspiring and Together" and collaborate to ensure they are involved in, and aware of, the day-to-day running of the charity. They also work alongside team members to make sure deadlines are met. An open-door policy means they embrace honest conversations with staff.
To combat the cost of living crisis, the Board at Keep Wales Tidy quickly approved 4%+ pay increase across all employees, as well as an additional one-off payment to all staff. The organisation has also undertaken a salary benchmarking survey to ensure that all employee salaries remain competitive in the market.
Ontic is committed to creating an open and supportive culture. It wants employees to feel comfortable speaking about how menopause-related symptoms may be affecting them at work and be able to ask for the support that they need to help manage their symptoms. Managers have been provided support to help them have conversations about menopause.
The company continues to see considerable growth in the business through acquisitions. However, this means that it has inherited a lack of female representation at all levels. To tackle this, Ontic employed 30 new starters, of which 17 were female, and it has seen increased numbers of women joining its Early Careers Programme.
Ontic has a dedicated People Managers' Communication channel - a monthly, action-driven communication platform with clear expectations of what managers are expected to read/understand and share/do with their teams. This is backed up by a dedicated Managers Hub which provides managers with all the information they need to do their job effectively.
One way Cornelius has brought its teams together is through its giving fund (charity committee) and wellbeing events. One event held by the giving fund was Meat Free May, where everyone brought in a vegetarian meal for the team. This helped build strong working relationships.
Cornelius utilises both monetary and non-monetary efforts to reward its employees uniquely and effectively. An example of this is its yearly appraisal scheme, which is used to give employees objectives and to add check-in points throughout the year. The appraisal scheme also links to the annual bonus, which financially rewards staff for their achievements.
The senior management team lives the company’s values of We Lead, We Care, We Deliver in order to drive the organisation forward together. The senior managers also ensure that all their actions reflect the values, through the complete employee lifecycle, leading effectively, and delivering the results needed to drive the business forward.
It has introduced regular 1-1 meetings with each employee which gives the opportunity for each person to discuss their goals and for managers to check each person is ok. It also has a suggestion box to be raised at each SMT meeting for discussion.
Dedicated to giving back, the company has 0% landfill waste. Additionally, it has an ESG committee that gives tips on green living; following this, it is aiming to procure sustainable products, for example coffee and company clothing.
Just Digital has a golden ticket reward and recognition scheme. This is peer-to-peer recognition and employees are able to award a ticket to another colleague and for that, in exchange, they receive a small gift. That ticket goes into a quarterly draw and then in turn an annual draw to receive bigger prizes.
Care, compassion, and commitment are the values that the senior management team tries to instil into every employee at PJ Care. They all support their individual teams but also work hard to build strong relationships with other teams across all areas of the business, whether that's the frontline staff or the support teams.
Over the past 12 months, PJ Care has donated over £15,000 to charity. Members of staff participate in various events e.g. London to Brighton Cycle Ride, marathons, and half marathons. One member of staff lost her son to suicide so she and her family ran a virtual marathon during May, raising funds for Mind.
The average hourly rate for PJ Care’s staff for males was £12.35, and for females, it was £12.81, showing that gender has no bearing on pay. Almost all of the company’s registered managers and senior clinical staff are female, selected solely on merit, with development plans in place for all to achieve higher positions.
The organisation offers a recognition award of up to £500 to employees who make an extraordinary effort, contribution, and/or sustain an exemplary level of exceptional performance. As some of the company’s projects remain open over the Christmas break, it has introduced a payment for staff who cover Christmas Day.
It provides food parcels to its residents and people who use our services when and where needed. These are often gifted or donated by organisations, local churches, and groups within the local area. It has also distributed essential supplies including face masks, hand sanitiser, and hygiene products.
Visibility and communication is essential to the organisation. The results of the last internal pulse survey were shared with staff in January through a company-wide video call by the Chief Operating Officer. The company culture is driven by these surveys, so communicating them with staff is treated with the importance it deserves.
The organisation encourages and supports any team building activities and clubs, from the four teams in the GA Pet Food Partners’ Football League to the Go Karting and Fishing clubs. This allows them to socialise and grow closer with their teammates and colleagues from other departments.
GA Pet Food Partners has established an Employee of the Quarter scheme, enabling colleagues to nominate their peers who have demonstrated dedication and exceeded expectations in their roles. This award serves as a means to celebrate colleagues’ accomplishments and rewards them with a £500 prize, to be used for a weekend getaway of their choosing.
The organisation has a strong engagement with apprenticeships across various business areas. Currently, there are ten apprentices employed at different stages of their study programmes. These courses are conducted in collaboration with Runshaw College, Preston College, Southport College and St Helens College.
Eames Group regularly organise company-wide team events to bring the whole business together, but also recognise the importance of building relationships in smaller teams. Each business unit has their own budget for socials, team building exercises and reward programmes. Additionally, weekly team meetings take place face-to-face to maintain strong connections between employees.
Every starter has an ‘L&D introduction’ meeting with the Head of People and Performance, to gain feedback on the interview process, review expectations set by their manager and understand what training they require. New starters also have an HR induction and meet the Operations and Marketing team to help create a culture of inclusion.
Eames Group’s High Achievers Club rewards employees who have performed well over the last quarter with various fun activities, such as a day at Goodwood Races, Division socials at Crystal Maze and day trips to France. The organisation rewards those who have performed exceptionally over the last year with an all-expense paid trip abroad.
The organisation has introduced Express-O-Coffee Chats to help keep team members connected. It also brings team members together in its fundraising activities, allowing them to work together to raise money for worthy causes. Cox Automotive now hosts bi-annual 'Town Hall Meetings' so teams can gather to hear updates, share ideas and collaborate as a team.
The organisation offers Bitesize learning across the business which is an on-line training library offering topics such as leadership, personal development, IT skills, customer service and sales mastery. It also runs an Apprenticeship programme which offers Apprentices training in automotive & logistics, leadership & management, sales administration, technology & digital and business support.
Cox Automotive uses a reward platform, GearUp. On the platform, is its recognition scheme, Gear Up Grand Prix. This could be a simple thank you card or financial recognition where anyone can nominate a team member. Winners receive £50 into their GearUp account where they can spend it on rewards.
Baylis has employed an in-house skills coach that has developed an 'Aspiring Managers' course. This twelve-month course will take selected employees keen to progress through several key managerial disciplines with a presentation to the board at the end of the course, it also employs designated skills coaches.
As well as offering bonus payments for productivity, Baylis also offers a £1,000 referral bonus to existing employees. Agencies have become a mainstay in attracting new staff, and salaries have risen due to skills shortages coupled with the cost of living.
The organisation is committed to visible charitable efforts that align with the company’s strong values. Throughout 2022, the company supported the Pied Piper Appeal, with the proceeds from all related events being donated to the charity. Where possible, it agrees on an amount that will be donated or matched.
At Admiral, its employees have access to a unique benefit – its Share Incentive Plan (SIP). This came into existence with the Finance Act of 2000 to give employees Tax and National Insurance advantages when given shares in their place of employment. The organisation believes share ownership helps to motivate and reward longer-term performance.
Its senior managers sponsor the Ministry of Fun (MOF) which encourages colleagues to enjoy their time whilst at work. Each month a different department or group of departments are responsible for organising in-office and hybrid fun events, with each month sponsored by a different senior manager.
Admiral has partnered with industry specialists Bupa and Health and Her to offer a discounted menopause service for its colleagues. Both include access to specially trained menopause GPs along with varied benefits for each. Alongside this, it has worked with Brightlight coaching who provide the Bloom project to provide line manager training on women’s health.
Barnsley Hospice takes the wellbeing of its staff very seriously, offering a number of programmes to support them, including a 24/7 helpline, up to 6 counselling sessions covered by the hospice, psychological debriefs to help colleagues come to terms with their experiences, and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives such as a walking group.
All employees are invited to the monthly Staff Forum where they can share any concerns or suggestions. Feedback provided at these events have resulted in several improvements within the organisation, including a suggestion box which is reviewed during the following month’s forum, a book swap club, EV charging points, and coffee and cake days!
With the cost-of-living crisis affecting workers throughout the UK, Barnsley Hospice has ensured that its staff, whatever their role or position within the organisation, are receiving a fair salary that is above the real living wage. In 2022, 100% of the organisation’s staff received a pay rise.
Employees can access a new mental health hub on the company’s wellbeing platform, making it easy to explore all options for support, including the 24/7 employee assistance service. Staff can also access up to six paid-for counselling sessions. And new recruits are invited to a wellbeing afternoon, including a well-received workshop on personal resilience.
More than 600 nominations were received for the company’s inaugural ‘Simply Oscars’, which aim to reward and recognise employees for their efforts. Including behaviour-related categories such as ‘guiding light’ and fun ones like ‘best dressed,’ the winners – chosen by the CEO – were announced at the end-of-year party, all receiving a £100 gift card.
Every team member gets a monthly fun budget of £10 which can be spent on anything to encourage team building, from dinners to escape rooms. And employees who a colleague has nominated for going the extra mile could win a prize if they win the monthly vote.
Non-sales staff are now rewarded for making 'sales' through a new initiative. Those who upsell to customers or successfully recommend a service are recognised on a gamification platform with cash rewards. This new way of working is helping the company better meet customer needs and improving the interaction between the sales team and frontline engineers.
The Community Engagement Group organises fundraising events and volunteering days to support charities and community groups close to Telappliant's sites. Activities have included charity golf days, a virtual London to Paris bike ride, litter picks and career talks and reading days in local schools.
A training programme for Team Leaders and aspiring ones – Lead 2 Succeed – is equipping colleagues with the right skills and knowledge to progress. It's so far helped four colleagues get promoted to these roles. A peer-to-peer mentoring scheme is also boosting confidence amongst technical engineers.
Employees struggling with their mental health or specific issues can access telephone, online and counselling support via the company's Employee Assistance Programme. There are factsheets and HR support on topics such as financial wellbeing and menopause, and manager-level staff benefit from private healthcare, including online GPs. Team members also get free meals on shift.
The Oakman Group has a proud history of supporting local community organisations and national charities – including a £25,000 donation to the Epilepsy Society. Now the company's taking a more venue-based approach to charitable giving, letting the team choose who they want to support. Good causes include hospices and animal shelters, lifeboats and food banks.
The 'Heart of Oakman' is the company's bespoke reward and recognition scheme. It celebrates colleagues who live the values and go beyond the call of duty with instant, branded rewards chosen specifically for them and accompanied by a personalised message. The gift and the story behind it are then shared group-wide for all to see.
Each new employee at FluidOne receives a welcome pack that includes a water bottle, mug, pads, pens, and a printed copy of the organisation’s values. The induction course includes health and safety training, company structure, policies, procedures and wellbeing benefits, and initiatives are available to employees from day one.
FluidOne conducts regular pay benchmarking and pay reviews to help it to identify and eliminate any disparities in pay based on protected characteristics. It also has a transparent pay policy that outlines the factors used to determine pay, such as experience, education, performance, and job responsibilities.
All managers at FluidOne goes through several training programmes internally and externally to ensure that they are equipped with the necessary tools to be a great manager. During their first 3 months, they follow a specifically designed programme to help them to understand internal management policies and procedures.
Employees get a complimentary breakfast and fresh fruit every day. They also get longer lunch breaks so they get time to exercise without having to rush back. And each office’s ‘vibrant and contemporary feel’ is created through break-out zones and relaxing areas with activities such as table tennis and darts.
The ‘Engager of the Month’ award recognises colleagues who’ve exceeded in performance, effort and demonstrating the values. And employees who’ve gone above and beyond are treated to a meal with the directors. In addition, if sales team members hit their targets, there are vouchers, experience days and holidays for the taking.
The company ensures everyone knows their role in its vision and purpose. Employees get weekly leadership round-ups that give updates and highlight performance against long-term goals. And there are team and office meetings at least three times a week to share ideas and celebrate success.
Every team member can nominate colleagues who’ve gone the extra mile through the EW Allstars reward and recognition programme. It celebrates staff in four categories – 'Be Great', 'Be Amazing', 'Be Extraordinary' and 'Be Kind'. On ambassador approval, the nominees get money in their prize fund to spend with a host of retailers.
Employees are encouraged to suggest professional development opportunities to support their ambitions. Team members can benefit from bespoke learning courses like project management certification and Excel skills. There are also English classes for non-native speakers. The management team has external support to develop the skills and knowledge to build cohesive, results-focused teams.
The ‘Yellow Dip’ induction (reflecting the uniform colour) includes the company history, mission, vision and values and a ‘walk and spot’ around the park. All new starters get a bespoke four-week plan, a ‘buddy’ to ease them in and branded items to make their lives easier, including water bottles and keyrings.
The foundation makes sure that its values, which include "striving for excellence", "inclusive" and "trustworthy", are visible to all staff and it sets out to articulate a clear vision. Staff away-days and meetings are used to convey that vision and inform employees on how the charity is performing.
Benefits include 30 days' annual holiday, plus compassionate leave, generous maternity and paternity leave and sick pay, as well as time off for moving home or study. It offers a life assurance scheme, season ticket loans and a cycle-to-work scheme. Staff are also given three paid days off a year for voluntary work.
There is a learning-management system containing training resources to support staff development. Learning hours, which offer bite-sized training sessions, are delivered by internal and external trainers. A dedicated group discusses how learning can be promoted within the organisation and it was responsible for creating learning champions. The foundation also has a leadership development programme.
Cobalt wants everybody to achieve by setting realistic goals and targets. Its bonus scheme offers high financial rewards to all levels, including more junior ones. And there's a range of recognition awards with sought-after prizes, from a trip to NYC for Manager of the Year and a 'Dream Team Lunch' afternoon out for top performers.
Cobalt works with the Future Frontiers education charity. Its programme matches volunteers from the company with students from disadvantaged areas who may not traditionally have the same career opportunities. The project shows staff how to take the students on a four-week course to help them explore their options and broaden their horizons.
A new People & Development Manager ensures employees know of all the opportunities available to them, from support to develop new business opportunities to taking the next step into management. There's also a mentoring programme pairing employees with a more senior colleague in another team to help build broader relationships.
Annual awards recognise team members who exemplify the charity's values of "empowerment, respect, collaboration, compassion and passion". They are announced at an awards ceremony at the organisation's annual conference.
At the Mersey service, an area of wasteland has been turned into an allotment, where residents plant and grow vegetables. Gardening is known to be good for mental and physical wellbeing, so it benefits residents but, on top of that, excess produce is donated to the local food bank.
In July, Medaille gave all staff who were earning less than £30,000 a year, a 10% pay rise to reflect the rate of inflation at the time. The charity has also reviewed its job descriptions and pay structure to ensure they are fair and transparent.
There are plenty of opportunities for employees to top up their cash pot. Those rated ‘outstanding’ at their end of year reviews can ‘Grab a Grand.’ There are also long-service rewards and monetary prizes, including for 'etHERO of the month', suggesting ideas implemented by the business and during games and team events.
On passing probation, staff receive health benefits which include an Employee Assistance Programme and private health cover, with a cash-back option and the chance to add their families for a small additional cost. And working hours have been cut by one and a quarter hours a week with no change to salaries.
From day one, all employees are encouraged to reach their potential. There is flexibility to support them to develop in whatever area they choose, and job rotation is encouraged to boost skills and support succession planning. A new role has been created, focusing specifically on employee learning and development.
In addition to a company-wide 3% inflationary salary increase, staff received a one-off cost-of-living payment to recognise the challenging times. The company also introduced innovative benefits that help employees' money go further and invested in targeted pay increases for roles it believed were falling below the industry benchmark.
The Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal was chosen as CitNOW Group's charity last year and various fund-raising events took place, including bake sales. Staff from across the globe also ran, cycled or swam the distance between Stirling, in Scotland, and Kyiv, in Ukraine — an impressive 3,070 miles — to help the cause.
The monthly company-funded lunch is popular with office-based and visiting staff, as it gives them the chance to socialise and interact with people from other departments and teams. TetraMapping workshops help employees to understand their nature and that of others. They provide a learning experience that strengthens understanding of others and improves collaboration.
Staff have access to an external coach for personal or career-related advice and internal counsellors, who offer counselling support or general conversation about work or personal matters. There are also Speak Up Guardians who staff can go to if they have work-related concerns that affect their health. A wellbeing app offers a variety of resources.
The trust is working to ensure its work incorporates a greener, eco-friendly output, including ground, air and water-source heat pumps, solar panels and the infrastructure to support electric vehicles. It is also working on a carbon-zero strategy and action plan.
A cost-of-living payment has been made to staff and supermarket vouchers are available. Enhanced sick pay is available and staff receive 25 days' leave a year, plus eight bank holidays. The organisation also gives staff the opportunity to buy or sell up to one week's holiday per year.
Weekly team huddles focus on employee wellbeing, rather than performance or information sharing. Team away-days, which take place in neutral community venues, are supportive events where people feel valued. Cross-service training and working groups facilitate the mixing of staff across the charity, so that they can share experiences.
As well as charity fund-raising, n-Compass works with community organisations, taking part in forums, such as Rochdale and District Disability Action Group, to address local issues. It also collaborates on projects, including Bury Stepping Out, and engages with hard-to-reach groups such as local mosques and Bury Asian Women’s Women’s Centre.
The charity operates a buy-and-sell policy for annual leave. It offers flexible working, such as compressed hours, as well as hybrid working, to promote a good work-life balance. There is an employee assistance programme, a probate helpline and health cash plan. Bereavement counselling is also on offer.
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