Teams come together regularly in person and virtually across the country. Whether it's lunch and learn sessions or staff networks hosting celebration events. Last Summer, as part of the organisation’s 'Creating Happy Memories Campaign', teams were given the afternoon off to hold a picnic and bring their children.

New employees attend an induction which the CEO always attends. He makes sure all new colleagues understand the organisation’s rich history, purpose, values, and strategy. Once a month it also holds an ‘open’ Executive team meeting, where all colleagues can join to hear the latest updates from the CEO and Directors.

Every month, Durhamlane hosts a performance incentive day with the intent to increase employee motivation, morale, and productivity. The company also hosts themed days, i.e. in June there was a Pride day. Durhamlane celebrates employee successes and rewards them for all the hard work every quarter.

Durhamlane supports its managers with externally accredited programmes. Every employee has their own personal development plan that outlines the forthcoming opportunities available. The majority of managers started off as lower-level staff but were promoted to managerial positions off the back of their development and training plans.

Baylis has employed an in-house skills coach that has developed an 'Aspiring Managers' course. This twelve-month course will take selected employees keen to progress through several key managerial disciplines with a presentation to the board at the end of the course, it also employs designated skills coaches.

As well as a generous leave allowance, with extra days at Christmas and Easter, employees benefit from a subsidised fitness and wellness subscription, which gives access to classes, gym sessions and experiences worldwide. Discounted gym membership is also available through the company’s private medical insurance provider, alongside mental health support.

Interns are welcome at Brandpie. A new recruit is hired quarterly – bolstering the team in any department from design to project management. They get a ‘buddy’ and are involved in all aspects of project work, from insights and research to client presentations. They also have skills training in areas like communication and IT.

An internal network working together as a People Engagement and Wellbeing Team, run by the organisation’s employees, helps with educating and running events on a range of topics and creating a network where colleagues can support one another. Quarterly socials and regular lunch and learn sessions helps bring teams together and drive employee engagement.

Communication is at the heart of what Dufrain Consulting does. Quarterly CEO calls with all employees to discuss its sales, financial, and other business updates. Furthermore, it has regular people updates to discuss the progress of the organisation’s goals and how it support its employees. Leadership also record regular videos on progress for all employees.

The ‘Alchemmy Sport’ initiative encourages colleagues to participate in group running, football and squash sessions, with plans to add more activities. There are also ‘comfortable conversation’ sessions where mental health issues can be discussed in a group setting. And mental health first aiders are always on hand for one-to-one chats.

Employees now benefit from greater transparency around the competencies they need to progress through the ‘Grades Reimagined’ scheme. It splits everyone into sub-levels within their job grade, showing what they need to do to move up the grades. The initiative has involved benchmarking with recruitment agencies and across the marketplace.

Reduced mental health-related sickness has saved the organisation more than £90,000 thanks to a range of wellbeing initiatives, including the We Care employee healthcare portal, which provides services including 24/7 GP access and counselling. There's also a dedicated month-long initiative championed by Mental Health First Aiders, a bi-monthly HPG Wellbeing newsletter and an intranet mini-site.

New managers – new to management or new to the organisation – are supported through a bespoke management induction, including toolkits to get them up and running quickly. And the Group offers two management development programmes – one for aspiring managers and one for new or future heads of service focused on leadership and strategy.

Stanton House has a dedicated Learning & Development team and five development programmes specifically designed for different stages of its employees’ careers, and as 1:1 coaching sessions. It also provides companywide situational support workshops which supports its diversity agenda. Stanton House additionally supports employees by funding external qualifications and providing additional time off to study.

In 2022, Ghyston implemented two pay rises to counteract the cost-of-living crisis, and reviewed its employees salaries against the market place to ensure that they were being paid fairly. An additional inflation pay increase was implemented in January 2023. All of the organisation’s employees are paid above the living wage.

Employee Innovation Days, which happen every quarter, mean all staff stop paid work to explore, learn or nail down something that interests them. These are great days to work with others from across the business on whatever is important to them.

Daily 'Energisers' of fun and fast-paced games get employees geared up for the day ahead. There are virtual quizzes and competitions, and teams enjoy monthly social events, including all-expenses-paid meals and nights out. And every Friday, there are free lunches from popular high street eateries encouraging colleagues to sit together and reflect on the week.

Designed in-house by Seven Resourcing, UGrad+ is one of the UK's only undergraduate recruitment courses. It allows sixth-form and college leavers to learn at degree-level while earning postgraduate pay. It recognises that university isn't for everyone and that recruitment careers aren't often highlighted as an option for teenagers.