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

Weleda have implemented a refreshed and more professional performance management process this year, consistently applied to all staff. This includes regular informal 1-2-1 catch up meetings (at least monthly) and a formal annual review. Those with people responsibility have a consistent 'people objective'. Failure to deliver against this objective would have consequences for overall performance ratings and potential performance related pay increases. There is a "Lead my Team" objective to follow Weleda UK's performance management calendar and process which involves agreeing SMART objectives & development priorities with each individual's team, holding monthly 1-2-1s, an interim review and a formal, annual PDR. In addition, to support and challenge each person to help them deliver; listen, set a good example and coach each person to learn and grow and to seek feedback from my team at least once a year.

In addition to generous monetary bonuses, all employees at WFAC can earn 'Chorlty Chips' (CCs) for doing everyday things, such as attending work each day or meeting their quality expectations. The company have created an online shop where employees can spend their CCs to get goods such as vouchers, family days out or additional leave. Similar to online banking, each employee also has their own balance, prominent when they log on. Another jewel in WFAC's crown is their ‘Achievements' feature. Appealing to their young workforce, the company ventured outside the box and decided to create a system that mirrors a video game. Agents can ‘unlock' Achievement Points (AP) for completing a range of activities, some that are easily attained, such as logging onto the system for the first time and others which are more challenging, such as the agent's customers receiving over one million pounds worth of offers in a month. These APs can then be exchanged for currency in the internal shop.

WFAC are currently supporting ‘All Creatures Great and Small', a local animal charity that rescues and re-homes animals. They were recently in a dire financial situation, so the company asked employees to dig deep to support the charity through paying to 'dress down'. WFAC don't just ask for monetary donations though, they also support their re-homing efforts by posting the details of available pets on the internal newsletter 'Tintern Times'. There is even a collection bin in the reception area where employees can donate pet food. Another cause the company are currently supporting is a local child named Lily-May, who has a genetic disorder that affects the central nervous system. WFAC are supporting her family to fund the building of a sensory room, all to provide Lilly-May with additional stimulus through donations, a football tournament and other events. The company have also helped a local retirement home by donating radios, so that the elderly residents would be less lonely.

The ‘Pennies from Heaven' scheme allows employees to donate the pennies from their salary to charity. Monthly salaries are rounded down and the most anyone can give a month is £0.99. VocaLink also ask employees to vote for a new charity each year, with the current charity being Cancer Research UK. One Friday per month is allocated to charity fundraising. The company also allocate a number of colleague days per year for employees to book and fundraise for a charity of their choice. VocaLink is committed to helping to strengthen its surrounding communities and encourage their employees to get involved in their communities through volunteering. All permanent and fixed term contractors are entitled to one volunteering day per year. VocaLink have also formed a partnership with Pilotlight, a not for profit organisation who match directors from charities and social enterprises with teams of senior business people to plan for sustainability, development and growth. The company have nine members of their Executive and Senior Leadership Team who are working as mentors and coaches with charities across the UK, providing their business and personal experience to develop strategic and business plans.

In addition to their extensive pay and benefits package, performance related bonuses and intangible benefits such as flexible working and a great working environment, VocaLink also have an employee recognition scheme that seeks to reward employees for efforts that are over and above their usual role. The recognition award scheme is directly linked to the company behaviours of commercial, courageous, collaborative, transparent and respectful. Anyone across the business can nominate their colleagues against one or more of these behaviours through the recognition portal. As each nomination is made with supporting information, a post is made on the intranet which contains all the details of the nomination and is available to 'like' and comment on. All the nominations are then assessed by a panel made up of colleagues from across the business. Three nominations per month are crowned 'winners' and in addition to the immediate recognition from the nomination itself, these employees are awarded £100, which can be redeemed at a range of shops and restaurants. In addition, teams of people that are nominated could win a quarterly prize of up to £500 towards a team celebration. Each year three 'overall' winners are selected by a panel to receive £1,500. The scheme is regularly reviewed and refreshed to ensure that it is in line with our behaviours and the needs of all employees.

At Unicef, different teams adopt different practices according to their needs. These include weekly stand up meetings to share priorities for the week and to ask for assistance if they need it using a red /amber / green status flag, which indicates their workload to colleagues. There is also the use of instant messaging or communication apps such as WhatsApp to share information, updates and to ask questions, plus the use of Skype or FaceTime to dial colleagues into meetings. Each year, Unicef bring all employees together for an all staff away day. This is an engaging event which gives real meaning and purpose to everyone's jobs by connecting people to the impact their efforts and Unicef's work is having for children around the world. 2016's event was themed around Children on the Move. They had informative presentations from colleagues working in their Jordan and Lebanon country offices and heard from inspiring young people about the positive impact one of their UK Programmes 'Rights Respecting Schools' is having on their lives. Staff also had the opportunity to participate in a humanitarian emergency simulation and take a virtual reality tour of a refugee camp.

During a recent strategy process at Unicef, members of their Executive team ran face to face briefing sessions for employees in which they shared their refreshed primary purpose / mission statement and showed how their strategic plans and ways of working together will help achieve their vision of a world fit for every child. Their Executive Director also presented on this at their all staff away day in September. These are a couple of ways that Unicef help colleagues to see how the work they do contributes to the bigger picture. As part of Unicef UK's induction programme, all new colleagues take part in a half day interactive workshop that is focused on introducing their Common Approach values and explaining how they work together to achieve their ambitious goals for children. Their Common Approach values are first mentioned during the recruitment of new staff. They are an important part of the induction and on-boarding of new colleagues. They also conduct 360 feedback as part of the end of probation review to ensure that new recruits are able to model these values in their work with others.

UCAS support a number of community and charitable initiatives as part of their Wellbeing Strategy. There is a wide range of activities that have been organised or sponsored, as well as hosting awareness days, event sponsorship (e.g. Cheltenham Science Festival, sporting events), sustainable travel activities and events to support the personal health and wellbeing of employees. UCAS employees also participate in a number of charitable events using three paid volunteering days each year, as well as some doing these in their own time. Activities include paired reading at local schools, young persons' mentoring, practice interviews for Year 10 & 11 students and participating in local education provider sporting tournaments. UCAS also opens its grounds to local schools for allotment development and pond-dipping, all to support local educational programmes and curriculums. Furthermore UCAS recently hosted the Cheltenham Qualifying Round of Debating Matters, which is a national debating competition for sixth form students. UCAS is also a proud sponsor of the competition and a number of employees commit their time to serve as judges at various levels of the competition.

UCAS support a number of community and charitable initiatives as part of their Wellbeing Strategy. There is a wide range of activities that have been organised or sponsored, as well as hosting awareness days, event sponsorship (e.g. Cheltenham Science Festival, sporting events), sustainable travel activities and events to support the personal health and wellbeing of employees. UCAS employees also participate in a number of charitable events using three paid volunteering days each year, as well as some doing these in their own time. Activities include paired reading at local schools, young persons' mentoring, practice interviews for Year 10 & 11 students and participating in local education provider sporting tournaments. UCAS also opens its grounds to local schools for allotment development and pond-dipping, all to support local educational programmes and curriculums. Furthermore UCAS recently hosted the Cheltenham Qualifying Round of Debating Matters, which is a national debating competition for sixth form students. UCAS is also a proud sponsor of the competition and a number of employees commit their time to serve as judges at various levels of the competition.

Consistent messaging is at the heart of everything that Tusker do. The Senior Management Team ensure that all information which is distributed throughout the organisation is in accordance with the company's goals and objectives, while remaining accessible and engaging for the teams. The CEO and Senior Leadership Team embody most of the values which have been incorporated within the vision and objectives of the organisation. Committed to a familial approach to the organisation, the Senior Leadership Team have an open door policy where employees are encouraged to share ideas to maximise the success of the company. The leadership team are unafraid of change and are willing to review ideas from all levels of the company at various opportunities. The CEO and CFO have both been recognised for their commitment to the business and its development with awards from a prestigious publication. David Hosking, CEO has in 2016 been awarded the "CEO of the Year" and David Brockwell, CFO has been awarded "CFO of the Year" by Finance Monthly. Tusker itself has been recognised as a whole for its ethical and sustainable development practices. Each Director personally meets new starters in order to welcome them into the company in order to foster good relationships from the outset, while also sharing key information about working practices and company policies. The Senior Management Team all attend the communications meeting on a quarterly basis in order to be available to answer queries and respond to questions which might arise from the information being shared. The CEO has just agreed to lead a team of 20 in a charity fundraising event, tough mudder, which is a muddy assault course over 12km.

Tusker have several "break-out" areas which are equipped with comfortable seating, food preparation equipment and drinks machines which enable employees to switch off from work during their breaks. Additionally, they have televisions available for employees to watch in these spaces, as well as activities including darts and table tennis available for staff to participate in. Tusker also run a bike hire scheme for employees to enhance fitness levels and a greener form of transport. Each team member has the ability to turn their phone to "do not disturb" in order to aid focus on their roles or to complete tasks without interruption. Tusker actively encourages this practice. Tusker carefully monitors the skill sets of individuals and ensures staff are in appropriate roles. Further training is provided for those who require support, as is a change of role for those who find their current skillset isn't matched to their existing role.

A key goal for 2016 was to make the learning and development within The Perfume Shop accessible to everyone. By creating the Learning Ladder for stores the company have been able to map out a very clear four step development plan. The Ladder looks at store based employees, Sales Assistants, Supervisors, Deputy Managers and Store Managers. It identifies both required training and external qualifications. There are also programmes that promote talent within each role, such as The Perfume Masters and TMA. The company have also provided every Head Office and Operations team member a £200 GROW account. This is to spend on their own development and encourages the individual to take ownership of learning. Every store employee who joins the business receives a Perfume School box. The box contains ‘Foundation,' the first of their modular learning. Once completed the business provide a chance for the individual to increase their knowledge with the Diploma Level. For those who have demonstrated a real passion for product and expertise The Perfume Shop will then provide sponsorship to an external qualification, The Fragrance Foundation.

A key goal for 2016 was to make the learning and development within The Perfume Shop accessible to everyone. By creating the Learning Ladder for stores the company have been able to map out a very clear four step development plan. The Ladder looks at store based employees, Sales Assistants, Supervisors, Deputy Managers and Store Managers. It identifies both required training and external qualifications. There are also programmes that promote talent within each role, such as The Perfume Masters and TMA. The company have also provided every Head Office and Operations team member a £200 GROW account. This is to spend on their own development and encourages the individual to take ownership of learning. Every store employee who joins the business receives a Perfume School box. The box contains ‘Foundation,' the first of their modular learning. Once completed the business provide a chance for the individual to increase their knowledge with the Diploma Level. For those who have demonstrated a real passion for product and expertise The Perfume Shop will then provide sponsorship to an external qualification, The Fragrance Foundation.

At the Girls' Day School Trust, the Senior Management Team refer to their values when presenting or participating in workshops. They are also used as a framework when difficult decisions need to be taken. They have appointed subject champions to promote collaboration between their staff and have also increased the range of events for students to allow them more opportunities to collaborate and compete. The CEO's stated aim is that 10% of staff in every school will spend one day a year in one of their other schools or academies. Putting girls first guides their approach to key investments in their estate, as they want the teaching and learning environment to be first-rate for all the pupils in their care. The Girls' Day School Trust's Leader engages with employees on a day to day basis through regular email updates, vlogs, regular school visits, annual school reviews with Heads and their Senior Leadership Team. She will always attend results day and prize giving in the schools and regularly speaks at school events.

At the Girls' Day School Trust, the Senior Management Team refer to their values when presenting or participating in workshops. They are also used as a framework when difficult decisions need to be taken. They have appointed subject champions to promote collaboration between their staff and have also increased the range of events for students to allow them more opportunities to collaborate and compete. The CEO's stated aim is that 10% of staff in every school will spend one day a year in one of their other schools or academies. Putting girls first guides their approach to key investments in their estate, as they want the teaching and learning environment to be first-rate for all the pupils in their care. The Girls' Day School Trust's Leader engages with employees on a day to day basis through regular email updates, vlogs, regular school visits, annual school reviews with Heads and their Senior Leadership Team. She will always attend results day and prize giving in the schools and regularly speaks at school events.

The Consortium recognise employees for their efforts by awarding 'a Value Champion' of the month. Each winner is then entered into a draw to win Employee of the Year. This is voted for by all staff and the winner is announced at the annual End of Year presentation. The company also offer an All Staff discretionary bonus scheme, with payment based on company performance.

The Consortium offers everyone a core health care provision, which includes dental and optical cover. As part of a wider group, the company also offer an employee assistance programme, a free phone advisory service offering 24 hour, 365-day support and guidance on a range of areas including bereavement, money trouble, addictions and relationship breakdown. There is an open minded approach to work flexibly, a cycle to work scheme, healthy food options in the canteen and an outdoor green space with garden furniture for colleagues to enjoy their breaks. The organisation believes that good management practices can help reduce work-related stress. Examples of practices The Consortium use include making sure employees understand what they have to do and how to do it by meeting training needs, involving employees in the way work is carried out and having clear procedures for handling misconduct and poor performance.

Every year The Access Group runs Big Break, where all staff are given the choice of two days extra holiday or a long weekend in Spain with their colleagues as a reward for their efforts. The Spain trip is more popular than ever and this year over 200 staff members went on the company holiday, which offered an all-inclusive hotel and a range of activities and nights out. If you were to ask anyone in the company what is unique about this company their first answer would definitely be Spain.

Every year The Access Group runs Big Break, where all staff are given the choice of two days extra holiday or a long weekend in Spain with their colleagues as a reward for their efforts. The Spain trip is more popular than ever and this year over 200 staff members went on the company holiday, which offered an all-inclusive hotel and a range of activities and nights out. If you were to ask anyone in the company what is unique about this company their first answer would definitely be Spain.