The company ensures that a minimum of 1% of pre-tax profits are donated to charity. They are also a partner of the bloodhound land speed record and support the STEM project (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). They also support and are a partner to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Hull FC Foundation which gives support to Young Adults to get them ready for employment. All staff can have up to 2 paid days per year for CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and all colleagues are encouraged to participate. They also hold an annual family fun day where they participate in an activity and actively encourage colleagues to raise money for their chosen charity, in the past they have taken part in a Dragon Boat Race and an It's a knock out challenge.

The Executive Board demonstrate their commitment to their four company values, Caring, Connected, Excellent and Responsible in a variety of ways. They do regular walk-arounds and attend team meeting to stay connected with what is happening at all levels of the business. The Executive Board take part in an ‘Exec Tea Run' twice a year, delivering tea, coffee and cakes to employees on every floor of our head office. They also lead by example when it comes to CSR, regularly taking part in volunteering days and our company wide events for Children in Need. During our bi-annual Communication Forums the members of the Executive Board present with a focus on the four values.

Employees have attended events to create understanding about the company's five year plan, about individual business areas and how they plan to deliver exceptional customer service. The event also offered opportunities for colleagues to ask questions of the Executive Team. Prior to the event, employees posed questions and feedback via an electronic portal so they could ask questions anonymously should they prefer. Competitions were set up with prizes, and everyone was encouraged to have fun. Feedback post event showed that colleagues gave the event an overall rating of 4.1/5 (v 3.8/5 in 2014). 92% of participants felt the events objectives were met, 90% said they felt proud of working for the company and 74% of respondents had a better understanding of the Bank's vision. Following on from the events all senior leaders were involved in a company-wide cascade of the five year plan launched at the roadshows. Leaders across the business held sessions with their teams, using a centrally provided toolkit (presentation, quiz cards, briefing notes) to explain the five year plan in more detail and what it would mean for colleagues in their area. These sessions were well received and have set the strategic context for colleagues for the years ahead.

Investment in people is paramount to the organisation and its success. Having a budget to spend on staff development is as important as a budget for IT, facilities, etc. The current annual Learning and Development budget is in the region of £300,000. As part of the performance review process a learning and development plan is designed for each member of staff for the forthcoming 12 months. These plans typically include skill development, technology, professional education and qualifications, coaching and mentoring, management development, overseas secondments. They also invest in the Emerging Talent Programme and in 2014 developed and introduced the Advent Graduate Programme, which offers an 18 months placement with a structured training and development timetable which encompasses secondment in each area of the business. Financial support is given to all employees studying for all relevant professional qualifications, which includes paid study leave and time for examinations. Requests are welcome from staff for any qualifications or external training courses that they feel would enhance their personal development and/or the business. The company pays for annual professional membership fees and training courses are regularly held and run by external providers for development of the Managers. At the beginning of each year the Senior Management team goes off site for a three day strategic business planning and objective setting seminar which ensures that business and personal development objectives are aligned to support the overall business objectives and goal.

The company's core values are uniquely communicated under the banner of "Let's Talk". This maxim is regularly referenced and clearly understood by everyone. Their values live through what they say and do and "Let's Talk" makes their values a conversation and a work in progress. They have ‘Outrageous Ambition' to double the business to £38m by 2020.

The company believe their Wellbeing scheme has been their most effective initiative. The scheme focuses on quarterly campaigns, which have in the past covered nutrition, hydration, resilience and physical activity. These campaigns were supported with merchandise to reinforce messages, e.g. water bottles and healthy alternative drinks to tea and coffee. They trained 15 Wellbeing Leaders across the business who have planned and delivered these campaigns. The Wellbeing Leaders recently organised and supported an extension of an existing office hygiene campaign following a successful pilot called Healthy Workplace to their new upgraded offices provided for staff with improved facilities. Following employee feedback, this year they have reviewed how they can refocus their wellbeing campaign to make a bigger impact on staff. Going forward, the company will be holding two dedicated 'wellbeing weeks' a year, jam-packed full of health-focussed events. Their Lean Programme helps staff to improve their productivity, efficiency and quality of services to customers by streamlining processes and cutting out anything that is unnecessary. In addition they offer a long and varied list of flexible benefits that are continually refreshed in consultation with their employees.

The company offer ‘supply chain & quality employee of the month' voted for by staff, and annual company wide awards which recognise achievement and performance. They celebrate success in a company newsletter and noticeboards and give ‘thank yous' from team members to thank colleagues who have gone the extra mile. All these factors increase engagement in addition to the contractual and monetary benefits like salary increase, discounts and bonuses.

They are committed to developing the career of every team member within the Company, and are continuously seeking new ways in which they can support individuals with their chosen career path. An example of this would be the recent award for The Microsoft National Apprentice of the Year Award, whereby one of their apprentices was awarded ‘runner up' out c.7,000 applicants directly employed and trained by Microsoft Partners and Customers. In conjunction with the Company Wide PDP scheme, they have found that recruiting and training apprentices is not only beneficial to the Company, but it also improves the lives of young people.

The development and implementation of a core skills programme, integral to the development of Managers for the future of the company. An outside company is used to give their Management Team regular external residential training to focus their Management Abilities and enhance Team Performance.

The 'Skills Hub' is a collective of experts in various disciplines responsible for the learning, knowledge and skills of the entire team. They have developed a set of core competencies for each role and they develop a training plan around those competencies to ensure skill level of the agency is adequate. The company has enabled all staff members to enrol in the IPA commercial and Legregs certification in an e-learning. Staff working in the analytics team have taken an external course and examination paid for by the company to further develop their knowledge in this area from an external source. 360 degree appraisals are being trialled in one team as a direct result of feedback from the staff. Digital Ps is a full day training day hosted every 6 months for staff members to learn from internal and external speakers, ensuring they are up to date with the industry and their knowledge.

The company host events throughout the year to encourage teamwork like work shadowing, activities run during values week, mentoring, internal newsletters, charity volunteering. Fun Central is the company's sports & social committee organising activities such as quiz nights, barbecues and fundraising events such as an abseil which raised over £2,000.