Norcare Limited has a staff forum and a communication group meeting which allows employees to share ideas and best practice. Norcare also provides staff with the opportunity to raise issues through a confidential blog. Points are noted by the Senior Management Team and the Chief Executive and where required action will be taken.

Norcare Limited has a staff forum and a communication group meeting which allows employees to share ideas and best practice. Norcare also provides staff with the opportunity to raise issues through a confidential blog. Points are noted by the Senior Management Team and the Chief Executive and where required action will be taken.

Mosscare's culture and approach to staff engagement is to: - Consult - Listen - Respond - Act. Following this approach develops the trust of staff and gives them confidence to come forward with ideas and suggestions. Mosscare provide three examples of where this approach to engagement has led to positive change: - in the consultation on their 2011-16 Corporate Plan, a staff member encapsulated the approach of Mosscare with the suggested phrase "Pride in our past and passion for our future". These words resonated with the wider staff group and the boards of Mosscare and Mossbank. They were embraced within one of their strategic challenges and featured as the title to the 2010/11 Annual Report; - Their Mosscare in the Community Day, described later in this submission reflected the innovative ideas and suggestions provided by a range of staff from within the group. The success of the day was to a large extent, due to the belief of staff that their ideas had been taken seriously and were making a real difference and impact bringing benefit to local residents and neighbourhoods; - In 2010-11 a proposed staffing re-structure of the organisation was changed significantly following consultation with staff who responded with positive and constructive ideas for a revised structure which was embraced by the organisation as the best way forward. Success has been achieved through the revised structure.

The leader of Mosscare has a clear passion for and pride in the work of The Mosscare Housing Group. In leading the organisation he seeks to include, engage and listen to staff, customers and other stakeholders so together they can fulfil their vision of “achieving excellence in all they do”. Currently he is undertaking a shadow placement with each of the teams within the Group.

Llamau operates a core competency training matrix. Clearly listed is the employer's position with regards to employee development. In the last BEST Company survey they won an award based on the principles of how they operate this development programme throughout Llamau.

The organisation operates an open and transparent management style and their 'flat' structure allows quality communications at all levels. The Chief Executive offers free lunches to all employees three times a year when she is willing to explain and outline proposed changes to service delivery, changes that affect staff and any question which employees feel they want to ask. Since the last survey they have ensured all teams have a breakdown on the results and that they share ideas and suggestions to improve the working lives of employees. Examples have been the installation of water coolers and a tuck shop for staff.

Hospiscare supports employee development best through its comprehensive Learning and Development Programme. This in-house programme offers 71 separate training opportunities between April 2011 and March 2012. These range from one hour sessions on a ‘hot topic', to essential updates to support staff in their roles, to four day courses on Bereavement and Loss. The programme is needs-led and responsive, with managers and employees regularly being consulted on their learning needs. This programme is also informed through analysis of appraisals and the training needs identified within them. Needs are responded to quickly either by provision of an in-house course if demand is great enough and there is capacity within the organisation, if the need cannot be met in-house an appropriate external course is sought.

In addition to regular supervisions, all staff have at least two personal development reviews (PDR) with their line manager per year. At these meetings, along with a review and assessment of objectives, their development needs are also discussed. Development can be in the form of formal training, e.g. training courses, attendance at events or conferences or informal training e.g. mentoring, coaching and shadowing. Staff are encouraged to take responsibility for identifying, planning and fulfilling their own learning and development needs through the appraisal process and highlight any training that would be beneficial in their development, whilst meeting their need for job satisfaction and career progression. Possibly the most successful employee development programme is their mentoring scheme. A number of managers have undergone mentoring and coaching training so that they can mentor new managers, but also any staff wishing to develop particular skills or progress into a management role. Mentoring is a learning and development process which allows a mentee to discuss any issues or development needs they have with a more experienced mentor.

As an organisation, they have been looking at a holistic approach to Healthy Workplaces and considering what effect health has on work and work has on health. They plan to run a series of educating campaigns around healthy hearts e.g. eating well, smoking cessation, encouraging 5 minute desk workouts etc. and healthy minds e.g. managing stress and anxiety, challenging behaviours, seeking support, etc. Examples of some of the things they already offer to enhance employee wellbeing are flexible working, independent counselling sessions and a cycle to work scheme. There are also healthy options within the Goodwin Café. They recently conducted a Healthy Workplace Survey to find out what improvements staff felt they could make. One of the suggestions included making it known what the ‘points' values of meals served in the Goodwin Cafe are for those participating in Weightwatchers which has been put in place. Other suggested initiatives included pool bicycles to get to meetings and between sites, a fun group dance and sport leagues which are being considered.

Looking Back, Looking Forward staff presentation days, including ask a Director session. There are Presentations to management executive and all staff teams on the results of the survey and areas for improvement. EACH undertake presentations and discussions with teams on the survey results and ask staff for their ideas on how they can improve as well as the management team taking actions.

During the past year the CEO, Mark Molden, has held a series of workshops, incorporating all members of staff, examining and considering their organisational values and the behaviours that they want to encourage within Care for the Family that are reflective of these values. These sessions have been enormously valuable and have seen staff engaging thoughtfully and passionately with what it means, in practical terms, to live out the values of the organisation. The leader sets the tone for the rest of the organisation and empowers managers to move from being risk averse to risk taking. He is distinctive in that he shares his personal story and openly acknowledges his own weaknesses, which engenders a culture of honesty and authenticity in the organisation.

Individual supervision sessions are held with a line manager every 4-6 weeks where agenda items include a review of any work/personal issues affecting their work and identification of effective/ineffective competencies. Managers are explicit about what high performance looks like and focus on the results required from actions and tasks. They meet regularly with staff as a team to create a clear vision for their project area. They attend to individuals within the team, to ensure they understand their role in the performance of the organisation and feedback is provided regarding service level key performance indicator. They meet with their team regularly to share information and respond to staff questions and suggestions. They also take the time to relay information that could be confidential or impact in particular roles or individuals in the most sensitive way possible.

Their mission, vision and core purpose as a charity of beating breast cancer is a life changing method of giving back to which all staff buy-in and actively contribute. With this in mind, they recognise the importance of funding medical research, without which the charity would not exist and the key role the supporters play at every level to contribute to this. Staff are encouraged to volunteer at events and to fundraise themselves, for Breast Cancer Campaign and for other charities or causes. This year, all staff were asked to volunteer in October for one event outside the day job, an example set by the Chief Executive and Senior Management Team and recorded on a Wall of Wonder in the Fundraising Department.