What are companies doing with regards to 'Giving Something Back'

To mark Ultima's 30th anniversary in business in 2020, the company hosted a virtual get-together and sent every employee a bottle of Champagne celebrate. At Christmas everyone received a hamper and got together for an escape room challenge.

Ultima has put a huge focus on mindfulness, hosting drop-in sessions with an industry-leading practitioner. Each session has taught managers and employees how to live in the present, turn negative situations into positive ones, and how to cope with stress.

UK Flooring incorporates its values – customer, family, professional and driven – into all stages of its recruitment and training process. The company values were reviewed and re-established in 2019 and staff members who best demonstrate the values are recognised with annual awards.

The company's Wellbeing programme covers mental, emotional, financial and physical health. The senior management team is focused on looking after its people and will continue to be flexible about home working in future. UK Flooring has launched a step challenge for staff members and is setting up a book club.

Every second Wednesday, staff have the afternoon off to work on personal development projects alone or in groups. They show off their projects in a regular video series and monthly newsletter. Each employee also has £300 to spend on courses and resources on the online learning platform Learnably, launched in December 2020.

One of the lessons of lockdown was that the more people communicated outside their day job, the more productive collaborations they had on important projects. Mediatonic recognised its teams had different rhythms and stopped organising fun events such as quizzes and tea breaks in favour of empowering groups to host events of their own design.

The Grand Recognition Incentive Scheme rewards those exceptional effort with Grands which can be exchanged for 35 different treats including cinema tickets, champagne, afternoon tea and dinner. Every six months those earning 50 Grands are entered into a draw to win an all-expenses paid two night break, normally abroad.

The Grand has introduced an apprenticeship programme across the business and has also launched a range of other development schemes including a Management Academy and a Food and Beverage Academy. More than 50 staff have moved into new roles or been promoted each year for the last four years.

To encourage teamwork and create an understanding of what TDS does, new employees are introduced to the executives and key members of staff. Employees are trained to do other jobs in their department and encouraged to help out in other departments.

Staff have been sent regular gifts through the year, including a Christmas hamper – the perfect accompaniment for the virtual Christmas party. Other events included quiz and bingo evenings. The wellbeing team supports managers with any mental health issues in their teams and counselling is available through an employee assistance programme.

The senior management team is committed to a leading-from-the-front approach. Covid-19 saw an increased focus on employee safety, with team leaders regularly consulting with staff, encouraging feedback, and following through on initiatives that drive safety in the workplace.

Career progression has continued despite lockdowns and the Coaching Inn's Innspire app promoted such development. Skills training takes place internally and externally through online courses, video tutorials and tailored team-member communication. Face-to-face coaching was actually enhanced by delivering it in smaller groups.

Star performers are nominated by the partners for quarterly care packages. This could be a foodie treat, a trip to the theatre or a night in a hotel with their spouse and is always accompanied by a personalised thank you from the manager who put them forward for recognition.

Employees' health and happiness is paramount and every member of staff is entitled to a £300 annual wellness benefit to spend on anything they think will enhance their wellbeing. Berkeley also pays for staff to order plants or seeds to grow at home.

Open and honest communication is key at TCS. This is illustrated by the way pay rises were handled during the pandemic. While the increases were initially put on hold, managers announced they were reinstated at the first possible opportunity – creating huge trust among employees.

Staff are paid to learn. Under the Elevate Wings 1 initiative, which was launched during Covid, junior to mid-level employees who complete specific training packages will not only upskill – they will also qualify for a salary increase of up to 25 per cent.

A monthly recognition and reward scheme, Appreci8, allows employees to highlight good work by a team member, who is rewarded with a £25 gift voucher. During the pandemic, when morale was low, boxes of chocolates were delivered to hard-working employees.

Flexible working patterns and webinar tips were introduced for working parents who were homeschooling their children during the pandemic. The Restorative Café series also included mindfulness techniques.

Team leaders have received virtual training on how to manage a team remotely. Rising stars can complete a professional development programme which consists of modules to furnish them with the skills to grow and develop. Topics covered include brand, culture, business development and marketing, finance, public speaking and networking.

Stephens Scown is the first large law firm to have introduced a shared ownership scheme. Employees own part of the business and share in 50% of additional profits over and above the published profit target figure. Employees are called ‘Scowners' and the scheme's strapline is 'There's no place like Scown!'.