State of Engagement 2026 Report |
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Debra Ward is unstoppable in achieving their vision. She leads a team that is passionate, talented and dedicated to making their vision a reality. Debra comes up with wacky and fun ways to make sure their culture is lived and breathed every day. Supported by the Senior Leadership team (nicknamed the Jockey Club), they are driven in making every one of their team members engaged, passionate and dedicated to what they do. It is this underlying principle that comes from the Managing Director that makes them unique and a great place to work.Deb and Dave's Excellence Adventure - the national tour. In the Autumn of this year, Debra Ward (Managing Director) and David Howorth (Director of Operations) hired a VW Beetle and toured the UK. Their team members work on client's sites and often do not have much contact with each other (other than our team building events or when attending training courses). The aim was to visit as many of their team members as possible - to say "thank you and well done" for the exceptional contribution they make to the company.
Debra Ward is unstoppable in achieving their vision. She leads a team that is passionate, talented and dedicated to making their vision a reality. Debra comes up with wacky and fun ways to make sure their culture is lived and breathed every day. Supported by the Senior Leadership team (nicknamed the Jockey Club), they are driven in making every one of their team members engaged, passionate and dedicated to what they do. It is this underlying principle that comes from the Managing Director that makes them unique and a great place to work.Deb and Dave's Excellence Adventure - the national tour. In the Autumn of this year, Debra Ward (Managing Director) and David Howorth (Director of Operations) hired a VW Beetle and toured the UK. Their team members work on client's sites and often do not have much contact with each other (other than our team building events or when attending training courses). The aim was to visit as many of their team members as possible - to say "thank you and well done" for the exceptional contribution they make to the company.
They volunteer at The Passage- a homeless shelter in Victoria, London. One of their team members volunteered there and recommended it and so the whole team joined in. They found that this was so beneficial to the charity that they agreed to do this permanently. They now nominate two or three people every Monday (and give them time off work) to serve breakfast to the homeless. They also have a collection scheme called 'Warm Hugs', in which their team donate warm clothing in the winter, to give to local hostels and charities. They give coats, gloves, unused underwear and toiletries, which is collected from offices and sites (they also collect from their client's sites - last year over 1750 items).
Mind Candy went to MoshiCon in Centre Parcs last year and this year it is in Disneyland Paris, as well as a Christmas party and Sportsday for the company and their families.
Mind Candy find certain practices work really well in the way their organisation listens to employees. They have a Strategy board, HR catch ups, six week catch ups with new starters and there is an open door policy layout with no private offices.
Mind Candy went to MoshiCon in Centre Parcs last year and this year it is in Disneyland Paris, as well as a Christmas party and Sportsday for the company and their families.
MBUK hold monthly 'town hall' company briefings. focus groups, monthly team meetings, feedback requests after major events and team action planning as a result of Best Companies' survey.
Recognising effort and ability and promotion internally. The company also give individuals lateral moves to satisfy personal development plans. At their conference, MBUK present awards to those who they believe have been living the values of the organisation. These are voted for by employees.
One of the best MBUK led things that they do is SARI (Surrey Alcohol Responsibility Initiative). SARI is a multi-sectoral initiative led by MBUK, designed to address alcohol responsibility issues in the local community. The project has three aims: To research and identify the key issues that need addressing, to convene a broad spectrum of stakeholders on alcohol responsibility issues and to leverage the skills and resources of those stakeholders, collaboratively, in order to positively influence alcohol responsibility issues in the local community and to measeure our success. We are working in partnership with representatives from the local council, Surrey Chamber of Commerce, the NHS and the police, among others.
MEU are a specialist clinical research facility working with the pharmaceutical industry to identify potential new treatments for illnesses such as asthma and emphysema. These treatments could be new or different combinations of existing medications. They conduct two main categories of clinical trials: early phase I that require healthy male volunteers to assess the effects of the medication on body functions; later phase trials that require volunteers who suffer from the medical condition that the drug is intended for. MEU believe the work they do in identifying potential new treatments for the future allows them to give something back to the community.
MEU have an open door policy and encourage staff to make use of it. The company regularly let staff know that they value their feedback and ideas, hence we now have the ideas/suggestion box. A recent addition has been the company newsletter which they fill not just with news about the company but try to make it interactive with competitions and personalise it with items about individuals. This has been working really well, with staff wanting to get involved with the input/copy for it.
MEU's work Christmas Party is an event that is looked forward to each year. This is open to all staff and paid for by the company. Each year they have the party at a different venue. Last year it was at MUFC and was a spectacular event hosted in a marquee in the football grounds. They had over 60 staff attending and it was a particularly good event at which to unwind, have fun and get to know each other better.
Since McArthurGlen's largest UK Designer Outlet, Cheshire Oaks, was built in 1995, McArthurGlen has been continually engaged with Cheshire Wildlife in conserving an ancient wetland habitat that now surrounds the site on three sides. This strip of woodland is home to a colony of Great Crested Newts which are an endangered European Protected Species. A scheme partly funded by McArthurGlen, helps the management and maintenance of this licensed site including the reintroduction of black poplar trees which are native to the area. The Cheshire Oaks Facilities and cleaning teams are seeking an accreditation to enter this restricted zone to further aid in ensuring that the environment is kept clear of litter and pollutants. Cheshire Wildlife report an estimated growth in newt numbers of around 30% over the past three years.
Since McArthurGlen's largest UK Designer Outlet, Cheshire Oaks, was built in 1995, McArthurGlen has been continually engaged with Cheshire Wildlife in conserving an ancient wetland habitat that now surrounds the site on three sides. This strip of woodland is home to a colony of Great Crested Newts which are an endangered European Protected Species. A scheme partly funded by McArthurGlen, helps the management and maintenance of this licensed site including the reintroduction of black poplar trees which are native to the area. The Cheshire Oaks Facilities and cleaning teams are seeking an accreditation to enter this restricted zone to further aid in ensuring that the environment is kept clear of litter and pollutants. Cheshire Wildlife report an estimated growth in newt numbers of around 30% over the past three years.
The training plan that is in place is a full and comprehensive list of provision that appeals to different learning styles and abilities. In response to demand for flexible learning the offer has featured the following: •Further Education: Prince 2 Foundation and Practitioner and Professional Studies •Personal Development Plans- freely to complete •Behavioural Development: Communicating for Results ,Managing Success, Executive Impact, Practical Employment Law, Presentation Skills ,Advanced Presentation Skills, Time Management, Influencing Skills, Impact, Property Business Report Writing, Debt and Insolvency, Contracts - Understanding and Negotiating, Project Management, Health and Safety Offer – NEBOSH General Certificate, NEBOSH International General Certificate, CIEH Basic Food Hygiene, IEMA Environmental Course, International Managing Safely, IOSH Managing Safely ,NEBOSH Fire Certificate •IMS, 50 Lessons, Windsor Leadership Trust. Offered primarily for the leadership team within the business, however is also available for individuals interested in developing networking opportunities. •Coaching Opportunities: Stephen Marshall Clear Sight Executive and Martin Longdon Coaching Hot House •Self-Help Development Guides are designed to be downloaded and used individually as a refresher or as introduction to a new topic area.
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The Social Committee at Lloyd & Whyte Group Ltd underpins the company's strategy around culture, and its importance should not be under estimated within the business. Every year, the company has a budget to be utilised in organising a family summer event and an employee only Christmas event. Last year 67 employees attended the Christmas party and year on year the company always has good attendance. The event starts with a champagne reception, closely followed with a speech from Matthew, the company's MD, who gives a strategic over view of the year. Importantly it is also an opportunity for Matthew and the Group to recognise some of the people within the Companies who are consistently excelling in what they do and without whom; the business could not do without. They then have a 3 course meal, finished off with dancing the night away. The night is paid for by the Group and the company always receives lots of thank you's after the event.
Lloyd & Whyte Group Ltd believe their charity work has been extremely rewarding over the last few years, and it has been something that everyone has been touched by and contributed to at one point or another. The substantial sums raised by the company's various nominated charities, have given people in the community the opportunities and support that people take for granted on a day to day basis. The company are collectively very proud of what they have achieved and can see the impact it has on others outside of the Group.
In order to communicate Lloyd & Whyte's commitment to professionalism, an objective to attain Corporate Chartered Insurance Broker status was set, and achieved in 2011. In order to deliver a professional service, Lloyd & Whyte firstly nurtures professionalism within its culture. Attaining Chartered status demonstrates to employees the value of professionalism, and the expectations go beyond the individuals to include the organisation itself. The company believe that working for a Chartered company also sets a standard for staff to work towards, improving motivation and morale. Since becoming chartered, development and qualification on an individual level has been adopted as a corporate objective. Investment in staff begins on day one, with the aim of new starters achieving CertCII within 12 to 18 months, if not already held. At present, over half of employees are studying towards professional exams, with an average pass rate of 80%.
Lexmark strives to be an environmentally responsible provider of products and services. From the way they design with the environment in mind, to how they engineer their packaging to reduce materials, all the way to the collection programs they provide and the company's environmentally progressive approaches to recycling. Lexmark's MD is a member of the local Chamber of Commerce where he actively participates in providing insights on key business areas.
At Lexmark International Ltd, they have reward schemes, bonus schemes; provide job descriptions, development plans, pay reviews, performance management processes, organisation strategy.
Lexmark strives to be an environmentally responsible provider of products and services. From the way they design with the environment in mind, to how they engineer their packaging to reduce materials, all the way to the collection programs they provide and the company's environmentally progressive approaches to recycling. Lexmark's MD is a member of the local Chamber of Commerce where he actively participates in providing insights on key business areas.
KPMG's Employee Recognition Programme Encore remains leading edge and provides an effective way to recognise the company's employees. With reward budgets remaining tight, it is a relatively low cost, yet highly valued way of keeping employees feeling valued and appreciated. KPMG's innovation this year was to align the tool with their new global strategy, so that KPMG could directly reward individuals who demonstrated the attributes that are key to driving the business forward. KPMG were placed in the shortlists for the Personnel Today Awards 2012 ‘Award for Excellence in HR Through Technology or Social Media' and CIPD Awards 2012 ‘Excellence Through Technology' categories. When an employee is nominated for an award, the reason given will relate to one of the company brand attributes and this is clearly communicated to both the individual who receives the award and their line manager.
KPMG's Employee Recognition Programme Encore remains leading edge and provides an effective way to recognise the company's employees. With reward budgets remaining tight, it is a relatively low cost, yet highly valued way of keeping employees feeling valued and appreciated. KPMG's innovation this year was to align the tool with their new global strategy, so that KPMG could directly reward individuals who demonstrated the attributes that are key to driving the business forward. KPMG were placed in the shortlists for the Personnel Today Awards 2012 ‘Award for Excellence in HR Through Technology or Social Media' and CIPD Awards 2012 ‘Excellence Through Technology' categories. When an employee is nominated for an award, the reason given will relate to one of the company brand attributes and this is clearly communicated to both the individual who receives the award and their line manager.
As a company, KPMG believe that being valued by the communities in which we live and work, and leading on issues such as social mobility is vitally important. They believe local communities have talented individuals who are hungry for career opportunities, yet are hampered by considerable access barriers. A key element of the company's response to diversifying entry routes into the professional services was their STARs programme – an 11-month Risk Consulting internship for 20 talented school-leavers. Now in its third year, STARs forms part of a structured commitment to widening access. In 2011, Audit launched a School Leaver Programme (6 years-employment, degree and ACA qualification) recruiting 224 students over the past 2 years and Risk Consulting has now launched a 3-year Level 4 apprenticeship scheme. All programmes are complementary and build future capability. Working in partnership with local communities, KPMG tackle employability issues. Their education outreach programme builds long-term relationships with 94 schools/colleges in targeted, disadvantaged communities, representing a commitment of over 10,000 KPMG hours.
Kiln promotes healthy living by providing free fresh fruit every day, the aim is to get staff to avoid sweet snacks and help them take a healthy option instead. The company also provides coaching from outside of the company to help employees address issues that are impacting on their work life, they organise a yearly flu jab programme which takes place in the office, all employees over the age of 35 are able to attend a Well Man/Woman medicals, those who are over 45 are able to attend an Executive Health Assessment, an even more exhaustive medical. Kiln also provide a 75% contribution to yearly gym membership fees with selected gyms partners that are located close to the office locations, to enable staff to go to the gym during lunch breaks if they wish to.
Kiln promotes healthy living by providing free fresh fruit every day, the aim is to get staff to avoid sweet snacks and help them take a healthy option instead. The company also provides coaching from outside of the company to help employees address issues that are impacting on their work life, they organise a yearly flu jab programme which takes place in the office, all employees over the age of 35 are able to attend a Well Man/Woman medicals, those who are over 45 are able to attend an Executive Health Assessment, an even more exhaustive medical. Kiln also provide a 75% contribution to yearly gym membership fees with selected gyms partners that are located close to the office locations, to enable staff to go to the gym during lunch breaks if they wish to.
The Kiln Group hold an annual lunch every January. This is an important date in the calendar for all staff, but particularly the leadership team as this is their way of thanking staff and celebrating the success of Kiln. The leadership team make the commitment to hold the lunch every year, and close the office for half a day. The event is viewed as the social highlight of the year by employees and the details, including the venue, are kept a closely guarded secret until the last minute. This is an example of how the leadership team at Kiln engage with the staff and make them feel truly valued for their efforts.
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