What are companies doing with regards to 'Giving Something Back'

Everyone at BM has the chance to learn, develop, and progress utilising a combination of virtual, online, classroom and workshop training. The organisation also offers mentoring, individual coaching, and DISC profiling through its decision to invest in an Learning and Development lead qualified in these areas.

The organisation’s Early Careers Pathways are designed to upskill its teams from junior to senior roles in Front of House, Chef and Barista roles. It also operates 10 modules within its Managers Workshops package sharing best practice and senior manager skills, and managers can enrol in a variety of work-based NVQs from Level 4 onwards.

The marketing and solutions experts and SLT teams have both held several “away days” where they have a day away from the business and discuss pertinent work without any distractions. Following the day they have a social evening. Teams are allocated a budget to use on team bonding nights out, meals, entertainment, and milestone awards.

Annually, the senior team choose an “employee of the year” and two runners up. The winner receives £2,500 and the runners-up each receive £1000. Recently, Eficode UK introduced a “Now That” reward scheme. Every SLT member has a discretionary budget to give non-monetary rewards to any employee or their family for going above and beyond.

The organisation has introduced a Social Committee inclusive of each department of the company. This committee is responsible for organising several events throughout the year, including two small gatherings and two large gatherings every year.

Heathcote & Co have introduced a ‘Moments of Magic’ reward and recognition scheme. Everyone can write names and on what occasion they have used moments of magic. Each quarter the organisation goes through the best ‘Moments of Magic’, and the chosen one receives a £100 voucher to the restaurant of the individuals’ choice.

DMSL’s Wellbeing Forum meets to discuss the current wellbeing climate, concerns, goals and a calendar of events. This year, it has planned drop-ins on financial wellbeing, the menopause, loneliness and caring for people who are unwell. Its Wellbeing Charter includes an hour per week set aside for individuals to do something that supports their wellbeing.

The organisation has created a leadership community who meet informally to talk all things leadership, and as topics for development are identified workshops are set up. This has included Feedback, Setting Objectives, Leaders as Coaches, Growth Mindset and more business as usual topics such as handling bonus awards and pay reviews.

The organisation offers a free Employee Assistance Programme, which includes a confidential helpline, and up to 6 free counselling sessions. As part of the service, there is a mobile app, which includes webinars, nutritional advice, fitness advice, financial advice, and health checks. It also offers wellbeing days off in addition to annual leave.

Linnk Group runs monthly and quarterly incentives with trips for the winners. It has sent teams go-karting, to Clays, Flight Club, Fairgame, and it awarded an iPad as the prize at the end of year competition. The Group also awards an Employee of the Month in each office who is nominated by their senior colleagues.

To foster team energy and unity, the organisation hosts quarterly strategy sessions, providing a platform for collective brainstorming and goal alignment. Additionally, it organises communal cooking events and celebrations, creating opportunities for bonding and relaxation outside of work tasks.

The leadership team fosters organisational clarity through several key practices. They prioritise open and transparent communication, ensuring that all employees are kept informed about company goals, changes, and progress. This is achieved through regular meetings where updates and expectations are clearly communicated. Additionally, directors conduct quarterly strategy sessions to review and refine the company direction.

Henry Blue offers all of its employees the opportunity to travel to cities all over the world through its incentive programme. Employees who achieve their targets and live by the organisation’s values have the chance to go on overseas trips to locations including Las Vegas, New York, and Dubai.

The organisation has recently partnered with an external training programme, offering its future leaders and managers the opportunity to develop and grow as leaders. This programme helps participants to learn the skills needed to encourage and motivate their teams. As such, Henry Blue hasn’t hired any external managers, with all roles filled through internal promotion.

A dedicated section on the organisation’s communication app, Cornerstone, is focused on the mental and physical health and wellbeing of its people, with tips, hints, tools and advice on a range of subjects, including goal setting, exercise, virtual working, mental health, diet and much more.

Claims Consortium Group runs regular virtual workshops hosted by the CEO and Executive Chair. These workshops focus on providing clarity and understanding of the goals and plans for the future, updates on the organisation’s performance, and taking questions from the whole company in a live Q&A environment.

The annual office study trips to places such as Lyon, London Dock, and Wapping are a testament to the firm's focus on team-building. These trips allow teams to learn about best-practice architecture, fostering team spirit and a sense of belonging.

JTP offers ample opportunities for personal growth, with initiatives like weekly design reviews and fortnightly professional training groups. These initiatives not only utilise the skills of the employees but also offer a platform for learning and development.

Honest feedback is encouraged both to and from the manager, with timely and caring feedback given in person the only allowable type. The organisation has also employed a permanent head of communications whose sole remit is to develop better organisational clarity around information sharing, both internally and externally.

To ensure each project is delivered successfully, all full-time staff and subcontractors must be fully committed to the critical areas of their operations - health and safety, quality, and environmental management – to an ‘exceptional level’. To motivate staff, the organisation rewards each team member that excels in these areas with a £100 quarterly bonus.