The Leadership of Fairbanks is distinctive through its approachability and work ethic. Every member of the management team lead by example in all areas of their work and make time for employees should it be necessary on a work related or personal topic. Most members of management, at any level, attend and participate in company social events. From the Managing Directors down, all staff are known by name and made to feel valued and appreciated. The company has a ‘promote from within' attitude which motivates employees at all levels to work hard and demonstrate their dedication to the company as this will be noticed. Whilst not everyone can be promoted, events such as award dinners are offered to all staff, recognising that the company would not be what it is today without everyone playing their part.

Encore have enlightened leaders who take a servant attitude. Their goal is to support others to achieve goals. They believe in the maxim that 'I look good if I make others look good.' They attract respect for walking the walk, they see the importance of growing people. They recognise the importance of empowering successors. Annually the MD of Encore holds branch workshops, discussing and agreeing the ENcore business plan with all staff. After this is a 'Dragons Den' suggestion scheme, for anyone to present an idea which will save the company money or improve the efficency, the idea to be outside of normal daily activity, with cash rewards for the successful ideas.

Managers and team leaders are responsible for conducting 6 monthly reviews with their individual team. Depending on the various job roles within the business, managers or team leaders will provide evidence to support what they are discussing with the employee, for example, in the sales department they are able to produce KPI figures for each employee, these are in turn rewarded with bonus payments based on their achievements. Performance reviews set out achievable and realistic goals and objectives for the next 6 months, and both the manager and employee set agreed timescales to achieve these in. There are many opportunities for more informal feedback, both face to face, via announcements in meetings and via whole-company or departmental emails.

Best Companies! Duplo International are unique in their industry in striving to achieve this award year on year. They anaylse the results and feedback the results which leads to improvements and changes within their business.

The most important thing that the NextiraOne senior management team does in terms of employee engagement is to support the Company's culture and their people. All the senior management team display the values of the Company and are concerned for their team members and their development which is illustrated in the way they operate. The Managing Director's leadership style reflects the Company's vision, mission and values. He is an excellent example and role model of the Company values that he most certainly lives and breathes. He leads the business with respect, authenticity, honesty, compassion and humility. Such a leadership style has created a special culture and environment that is built on these characteristics; that in many ways feels like a family with high levels of trust, honesty and communications. The Managing Director is very organised and efficient in how he operates which creates a very calm atmosphere. He is a very influential figure, but he is totally undemonstrative and approachable to everyone. He also recognises the importance of people at all levels and he is extremely keen to develop the employees and support ‘home grown' talent.

DeepOcean is a member of Darlington Cares. Darlington Cares is a partnership of leading employers committed to making Darlington a better place. The project works by centrally coordinating the skills, expertise and volunteering power of members and matching these to community and charity projects where they can have the most impact. The Darlington Cares programme ranges from physical outdoor challenges through to utilising business expertise, all of which deliver tangible benefits for the local community, and workforce development opportunities for employers. DeepOcean's HR Director is on the board and fully supports both the initiative and involvement from employees. DeepOcean arranged a project to clear an area of wild vegetation at West Park Nature Reserve in Darlington, which coincided with World Environment Day in June. Meadow seed was then planted, which will grow into wild flowers for the local community to enjoy. During one of the companies busiest ever periods, DeepOcean was still able to send 12 volunteers for half a day during work time to support the project. All employees were given the opportunity to take part.

Colne offers health insurance for staff pre April 2012, with all new staff now offered Health care cash plan as part of its benefits package. Other benefits include payment of the cost of eye sight tests and a contribution of £75 per annum towards new glasses when needed, 50% or £15 monthly payment towards gym membership, provision of a 'fruit day' once a week for all staff, annual flu jabs, bicycle loan for members of staff who wish to use a bike to attend meetings. Colne appointed a health champion in 2010. This has produced regular email briefings from the health champion on a range of issues from healthy eating to managing stress. Staff were also offered a free health check as part of a Health and Well being roadshow it hosted in September 2013, which included tests for cholesterol, measuring blood pressure and individual advice on healthy lifestyles following completion of a questionnaire. Between January and March 2013, Colne also arranged a virtual walk to one of the charitable organisations it provides a payroll service to, Recycle, whose bicycles are shipped to South Africa, with the winning team being awarded with vouchers for a treatment at the local health spa. The local ACE partnership, has also attended staff meetings in the past 12 months and provided presentations on alcohol awareness, healthy eating and stress awareness and coping mechanisms. Colne also has detailed personnel policies for managing stress, including the option of referral to, and funding of, counselling and support services.

Feedback from their last annual staff survey told them that CSM needed to better engage with employees and their CEO reported at the last conference that this would be the focus for this year. An engagement strategy was developed and implemented and a range of activities have taken place. Examples are: forum sessions have been held with staff groups across the business, appreciative enquiry interviews were held with the Leadership Team, tenant focus groups have been held, regular updates have been given on engagement at departmental meetings and engagement is a standing item on team agendas, the senior management team has concentrated its efforts on being more visible, "walking the floor" and "going back to the floor" - the Director of Operations spends an afternoon a month in the call centre, they worked with their apprentices to develop a new and improved apprentice and trainee offer, their CEO held an interactive session with all operative staff to get their views on how the service could improve and feedback was given to all involved to inform them of actions taken and progress and this continues now on a regular basis.

Centrica support their managers and leaders to set the standard and expectations and role model behaviours, to help develop their people to make Centrica Storage a great place to work. There is an online recognition scheme called RecogniseMe in place. Tools are provided for the managers to take ownership for delivering and supporting their people's development. Coaching for managers at all levels.

Wellbeing at Centrica Storage is a fundamental pillar of the company's employee strategy. The company is committed to healthy employees for a healthy organisation and works to be proactive to support their employees and ensure they are well and safe at work. It is embedded in their occupational health and HR strategies to help their people. They have a dedicated and enthusiastic Occupational Health and Wellbeing manager who drives awareness and best practices across the business. Two key initiatives this year are their Health and Wellbeing Fairs, where they worked with the NHS and their Wellbeing partners, and their voluntary health checks to help employees be proactive about their health. Both these programmes have proven highly successful, with huge participation, both on-shore and off-shore. They encourage and support their employees by bringing health and wellbeing awareness into the workplace.

The appraisal process allows employees to provide feedback on the areas that affect their role and the wider company concerns. They have the opportunity to promote their ideas and thoughts on how to improve areas of the business. This information is discussed during the individual appraisal and then all comments are collated and put forward the Senior Management Team for review.

The company has an ethos of wanting to engage with the communities in which it works and for many years, in conjunction with the Local Education Authority, has run a scheme where permanently excluded students, aged between 14-19, are offered one day a week work experience. This is available for a whole school year. This has often resolved discipline problems and raised the skills level of the student. As importantly it has raised the expectation of the student and some have gone on to become apprentices within the construction industry. The company has become recognised, by the Devon Education Business Partnership and the local authorities Education and Skills Board for providers of best practice for work experience. The company is also recognised as one of the few employers in the construction industry locally who provide work experience for learners with learning difficulties or disabilities.