Shropshire Housing Group use their Leadership Group and Performance Management Group as an opportunity for junior managers and more junior staff members to develop presentation skills. This is seen as a useful platform for them to have a go at "practicing" in front of critical friends and is a great development opportunity. In addition they permit a cross range of staff to become champions in their own right and use their abilities to train work colleagues e.g. IT software champions, lean ways of working champions and E&D champions are just a few examples. They have also put together a CMI L 3/5/7 for staff/ managers and directors. They are looking to introduce a Career Development Plan for each job role within the orgnaisation.

The continuation of the Global Corporate Challenge resulted in staff members reporting that their fitness had improved, their diet was healthier, as well as employees being encouraged to take a break away from their desks especially during lunch hours. Management has the ability to relate to employees at every level, putting them at ease so they feel comfortable, and have the genuine desire to want to understand and address the issues that employees are facing within their workplace. Management is also interested in staff members just as much at a personal level as at work level.

The recent sales conference, involved almost all staff from ShP. A BBQ was backed up by a range of wine, PIMMS and beers and all enjoyed the evening to the early hours. Staff based at home, office based and warehouse all had a great time together and many chatted and conversed with people that they do not on a daily basis due to work requirements. All agreed it was great to find out things about people that you would not know outside of these events. This culminated in the presentation of iPads to staff for that sales period.

Shine has the most outstanding group of Account Directors who operate between the account manager and associate director levels. They hold an enormous wealth of knowledge on best practice account management, client handling, as well as being great custodians of company culture. In 2012 founder, Rachel Bell, moved to a CEO role and promoted Richard Brett to Managing Director. The leadership team created a 'shadow board' out of the long-standing account director team and Rachel took on a mentoring role to develop the leadership skills and business acumen of this middle management level. The team meet monthly over breakfast with the CEO who plays a mentoring role in helping them hone their leadership skills and business acumen. The monthly meetings allow them to shape and discuss how to progress these plans. It is also a great forum to share coaching tips around negotiation issues either with team members or clients.

The ‘personal growth' of staff is something Shine takes very seriously; all employees are encouraged to adopt an entrepreneurial approach to self-empowerment. Central to Shine's employee charter is to encourage its team to never miss an opportunity to learn. Training and development is a major focus of the agency, with an investment of 10% of annual profit into bespoke training programmes for every member of staff. Every training request from reviews is facilitated in the ‘Shiney Happy People' training programme and Shine Business School. This is further supplemented with a £36,000 fund for individual sessions designed to tackle specific development areas. Testimony to the success of this approach is the fact that 38% of staff were promoted in the year and, perhaps most notably, four new ‘home grown' Associate Directors were welcomed onto the Board. Over and above Shine's structured training programme and its ‘Shine Business School' for senior managers, the company offers all staff the chance to apply for professional development courses such as CIMA accountancy qualification or a CAM Degree (Communications, Advertising and Media).

2011 was a challenging yet rewarding year and across the whole Group success has been celebrated and recognised: Staying First has a new identity, Domus has won new business, they're officially Guinness World Record holders and also Gold Investors in People Champions.

2011 was a challenging yet rewarding year and across the whole Group success has been celebrated and recognised: Staying First has a new identity, Domus has won new business, they're officially Guinness World Record holders and also Gold Investors in People Champions.

In the last year they have held and supported several charity events for 'Movember', Children in Need, Children Today and Harris Hospice. Furthermore, they give their supplier gifts to their nominated charity for them to distribute to patients and use as charity raffle gifts.

Secure Trust Bank encourages all staff to take time off during their working days to volunteer their time for the nominated 2012 charity, QAC. This is reinforced by the CEO who 'tops up' the money raised in events from his own pocket. The events throughout the year are driven by the department managers who are often found at the front leading their team during the event, i.e. the IT team helped re-organise the library and the Lending and Project teams helped redecorate rooms by painting walls. All events although organised by a specific department involve everyone within the business to a greater or lesser extent, often creating a competition between departments.

Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners was founded on the premises of teamwork and the importance of communication. The management style of the practice reinforces this by providing as many opportunities as possible to encourage direct communication between the partners and employees at all levels. This breaks down the traditional hierarchical boundaries between different groups within the practice and prevents corrupted feedback to the management team.

Rocela views communication as a two way initiative and has implemented a number of methods to listen to their employees, seek ideas and feedback. A quarterly company conference which covers performance and staff news. The Q&A session is an opportunity for anyone to ask questions or offer feedback. A companywide email group used by any member of staff who wishes to communicate news or ask a question. The most recent Employee Questionnaire was issued in September 2011 and this covered a variety of topics including; Communication, Line Management, Values, Benefits, Performance feedback and Development. Below are a few “stats” from the survey: 96% of Rocela employees took part in the survey , 87% of the respondents felt that Rocela communicate well on a company level , 95% of the respondents felt that communication was good on a team level , 96% answered positively to the question regarding customer service/ client care and89% answered positively in relation the Rocela Performance Management process Rocela has a formal Performance Review Process. This is particularly pertinent for those people working from home or based in an alternative location to their Line Manager. 1to1 meetings take place across the business approximately once a month. They are a great opportunity to ensure that people's views are heard. The key topics that are discussed at these meetings are achievements ,frustrations,role alignment and career alignment. Their Executive Team operate a “real” open-door policy and encourage people to speak to them on any topic – either face-to-face or on the phone.

The UK and global senior management team aim to be visible throughout the business which helps not only with employee engagement, but also helps with morale and motivation in the business, as the recruitment market continues to be challenging. As their leadership team have all started with and built their careers with the company, it is encouraging for staff to know that their managers have been there and know what they're going through. The leadership hierarchy is very shallow and as such, it is common to see the directors and even global senior executive members sitting alongside the consultants in an open-environment. This helps break down barriers and demonstrates that the leadership team is accessible. Whether to assist on client meetings, training or general day-to-day activities, the leadership team works very closely with the sales consultants. To recognise consultants for their contributions and hard work, the company hosted a sales competition with 16 winners receiving VIP access to various Olympic competitions. Their managing director launched the competition and the directors worked very closely with employees to ensure they were on track and meeting targets for the highly sought-after prize!

The CEO has embedded a culture within the organisation that nurtures and provides the environment for innovation and employee self-expression. The open-door policy and employee communications within Riverbed enables each and every employee to directly communicate their ideas and thoughts to Jerry Kennelly and his executive team.

Riverbed Technology is committed to enhancing the quality of life of employees and their families. By offering competitive salaries and comprehensive packages of various benefits they strive to create an environment that attracts the most highly qualified individuals.