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Giving Something Back - The extent to which employees feel their organisation has a positive impact on society
Giving Something Back focuses on the organisation’s social responsibilities. If key factors such as ‘Leadership’ and ‘My Manager’ are performing well, it can influence the improvement of all the other factors, boosting your overall engagement.
As part of the company benefits Pulsant do look to provide helpful ways to support employees in maintaining a well-balanced and health conscious lifestyle. They currently provide fresh fruit and fruit juice, as well as healthy breakfast produce. The company have a Bike to Work Scheme in place. Some employees are entitled to free gym memberships and others can obtain discounts for gym memberships via the ‘My Pulsant Rewards' discount programme. There are additional opportunities to enhance wellbeing as part of the Health Shield cash plan, which gives employees access to an employee assistance programme as well as considerable contributions to health care and wellbeing. The 'Pulsant Plodders' go on regular runs during lunchtime and enter various local challenges. Pulsant have and will continue to refer to their occupational health provider as and when they feel this would be of benefit in order to manage and obtain advice on best practice as required.
One to One meetings are frequently held with all the applicable Managers in relation to their development plans, which are put in place as required to help improve weaker areas. Coaching and mentoring is available and some have found this to be of great benefit. Pulsant have had external facilitators leading them through a development programme and are looking to reinforce this again next year. There are various ways of measuring the performance of the company's Managers, for example the output from the internal Pulse Survey. The company's bi-annual appraisals, review, assessment of goals and functional KPI's is another very useful tool when assessing performance. 360 feedback was only introduced this year and is a very useful means when assessing performance and impact on various areas of the business.
As part of the company benefits Pulsant do look to provide helpful ways to support employees in maintaining a well-balanced and health conscious lifestyle. They currently provide fresh fruit and fruit juice, as well as healthy breakfast produce. The company have a Bike to Work Scheme in place. Some employees are entitled to free gym memberships and others can obtain discounts for gym memberships via the ‘My Pulsant Rewards' discount programme. There are additional opportunities to enhance wellbeing as part of the Health Shield cash plan, which gives employees access to an employee assistance programme as well as considerable contributions to health care and wellbeing. The 'Pulsant Plodders' go on regular runs during lunchtime and enter various local challenges. Pulsant have and will continue to refer to their occupational health provider as and when they feel this would be of benefit in order to manage and obtain advice on best practice as required.
Prospectus' leadership team demonstrate in many ways their commitment to the values of the organisation. In the first instance they sit amongst their teams and have 'no fixed abode' which enables them to hot desk across their teams and the organisation which underpins and supports their values of trust, collaboration and community. The CEO shares his diary for the week ahead each week to the whole company so they can see what he is doing and contribute and request information. The senior management group and leadership team meeting every Tuesday morning to discuss business activity, share information and learning, identify ways to collaborate with clients and candidates and support the work of the community. All managers participate in networking externally and contribute to the workshop programme that support employee development. Several members of the team are trustees of charities. David is at the heart of the organisation passionately endorsing Prospectus' commitment to quality recruitment and desire to find the best people for the beyond profit sector. He has created a language that all employees use. David doesn't have an open door policy because he is rarely in the office but you will find him somewhere in the wider office personally appraising successes, enquiring about recruitment projects, sharing information, knowledge and experience, providing guidance, sharing his passion for people and the beyond profit sector and celebrating! Only last week they had the difficult task of closing part of a desk due to the need of the clients changing, and whilst this didn't lead to dramatic internal changes, David lead a celebration of that desk with a breakfast for everyone, recognising what was achieved and moving the company forward.
Prospectus is a community that participates and has an impact on the larger communities that are within the recruitment space, the beyond profit sector and society. Their impact can be felt in the way the Prospectus team work together to connect thousands of talented individuals with hundreds of beyond profit organisations every year. They work with a range of organisations, from small grass-root community-led local charities, to large-scale NGOs operating in hundreds of countries. All of these organisations and all of the talented individuals that the company place helps to bring about global change. This is reflected in the recent accreditation as a B Corp organisation. Other community initiatives include the fundraising that takes place including two upcoming events, the Big Sleep Out for the Big Issue and a team cycling for the British Asian Trust. The CEO is trustee and patron for several organisations, and the company are pioneers for the Trust Youth initiative. They a team run in the British London 10K raising money for various charities. Every employee gets 6 volunteering days a year. Examples of volunteering can be seen in the attached copy of Beat. Prospectus is a pioneer of Advantaged Thinking, a philosophy that underpins the Trust Youth movement, an alliance of organisations and individuals working to promote an asset-based approach to young people. As part of this they are dedicated to ensure young people are given the right opportunities to thrive and prosper. In addition, they have made a commitment to offer at least two weeks of work experience to young people each year. This reflects previous experience of supporting initiatives assisting this who might have difficulty gaining or regaining employment.
Prospectus is a community that participates and has an impact on the larger communities that are within the recruitment space, the beyond profit sector and society. Their impact can be felt in the way the Prospectus team work together to connect thousands of talented individuals with hundreds of beyond profit organisations every year. They work with a range of organisations, from small grass-root community-led local charities, to large-scale NGOs operating in hundreds of countries. All of these organisations and all of the talented individuals that the company place helps to bring about global change. This is reflected in the recent accreditation as a B Corp organisation. Other community initiatives include the fundraising that takes place including two upcoming events, the Big Sleep Out for the Big Issue and a team cycling for the British Asian Trust. The CEO is trustee and patron for several organisations, and the company are pioneers for the Trust Youth initiative. They a team run in the British London 10K raising money for various charities. Every employee gets 6 volunteering days a year. Examples of volunteering can be seen in the attached copy of Beat. Prospectus is a pioneer of Advantaged Thinking, a philosophy that underpins the Trust Youth movement, an alliance of organisations and individuals working to promote an asset-based approach to young people. As part of this they are dedicated to ensure young people are given the right opportunities to thrive and prosper. In addition, they have made a commitment to offer at least two weeks of work experience to young people each year. This reflects previous experience of supporting initiatives assisting this who might have difficulty gaining or regaining employment.
Positive Steps Leaders always consult and involve colleagues, clients and partners in all that they do. They are always thinking things through and reflect upon learning using their knowledge and experience to create and develop new ways of working; Everyone is collectively and individually accountable for Positive Steps targets and work together to achieve them. The Leaders also innovate and develop ways of working that make a difference to the people with whom they work alongside. The Senior Management Team are highly visible in the organisation and know all staff by their first name. They frequently have structured team meetings, the Chief Executive attends the quarterly Staff Forums and also provides regular full staff briefings. Bright Ideas are considered at each Senior Management meeting and ‘you said – we did' feedback is later provided by meeting minutes. These minutes are always disseminated throughout the organisation and staff then have the opportunity to comment or question at their team meetings.
Positive Steps Leaders always consult and involve colleagues, clients and partners in all that they do. They are always thinking things through and reflect upon learning using their knowledge and experience to create and develop new ways of working; Everyone is collectively and individually accountable for Positive Steps targets and work together to achieve them. The Leaders also innovate and develop ways of working that make a difference to the people with whom they work alongside. The Senior Management Team are highly visible in the organisation and know all staff by their first name. They frequently have structured team meetings, the Chief Executive attends the quarterly Staff Forums and also provides regular full staff briefings. Bright Ideas are considered at each Senior Management meeting and ‘you said – we did' feedback is later provided by meeting minutes. These minutes are always disseminated throughout the organisation and staff then have the opportunity to comment or question at their team meetings.
Positive Steps Leaders always consult and involve colleagues, clients and partners in all that they do. They are always thinking things through and reflect upon learning using their knowledge and experience to create and develop new ways of working; Everyone is collectively and individually accountable for Positive Steps targets and work together to achieve them. The Leaders also innovate and develop ways of working that make a difference to the people with whom they work alongside. The Senior Management Team are highly visible in the organisation and know all staff by their first name. They frequently have structured team meetings, the Chief Executive attends the quarterly Staff Forums and also provides regular full staff briefings. Bright Ideas are considered at each Senior Management meeting and ‘you said – we did' feedback is later provided by meeting minutes. These minutes are always disseminated throughout the organisation and staff then have the opportunity to comment or question at their team meetings.
Phoenix worked with staff to develop their new strengths framework, which underpins all of their recruitment and performance development and is understood as a way of achieving the corporate vision. Their strengths framework represents a cumulative understanding of ‘essential behaviours' at Phoenix. They believe that the behaviours are a unique perspective of current and future cultural aspirations and very much about a shared understanding of how to create a workplace that they love. The eight core Phoenix strengths complement and sit alongside their four core principles and values of Community, Customer, Consideration and Collaboration. The four C's, as they are known, are visible and salient throughout the organisation and within their offices. Posters are displayed prominently in resident facing areas and customer service spaces so that they are accountable to customers and partners. They have also used giant whiteboards on the stairwell, allowing staff to write up how their job roles help deliver corporate objectives. This has helped staff understand one another's contributions to the business and sparked further internal talks and working groups. All colleagues received a strengths toolkit, workbook and bespoke journals that reinforce the messages. Their new ‘thank you card' initiative prompts staff to celebrate and acknowledge outstanding examples of customer service and work against these core principles.
Phoenix's Community Chest project sees an annual fund of £100,000 made available to groups and organisations with ideas for projects that will improve the community and life chances for residents. Since 2013, Phoenix has awarded £300,000 worth of funding to projects that have benefited more than 3,000 Phoenix residents and local people and are set to reach even more. Community events include a Phoenix Festival, which attracts more than 3,000 people each year, a Summer Fun programme for children in their area and regular Community Links events where residents can get involved in what's happening in their locality. They supported a small village in Togo via the Dekamile charity through inkind support and also engaged with staff to raise £12,000 to support further essential construction. They offered an opportunity for one Phoenix staff member, along with an employee of the subsidiary Phoenix Repairs Service, to travel to Togo to support the construction project and see first-hand the impact of their contributions. Unemployment in Lewisham, London, is more than twice the national average. Phoenix offer a range of initiatives to support local people to take the necessary steps in or back to work. Their ‘Roots into Work' programme offers a weekly job club, one to one advice and coaching from dedicated careers advisors, plus CV and interview workshops and a broad range of flexible training programmes. In 2015-16 they supported 48 residents into long-term employment. Free training ranges from functional skills in English, Maths and IT to vocational programmes that include work experience/placements. They also offer apprenticeships each year and seek to maximise job and apprentice vacancies within contractors and broader supply chain. Since 2014 a total 33 Lewisham residents have benefited from apprenticeships.
Phoenix worked with staff to develop their new strengths framework, which underpins all of their recruitment and performance development and is understood as a way of achieving the corporate vision. Their strengths framework represents a cumulative understanding of ‘essential behaviours' at Phoenix. They believe that the behaviours are a unique perspective of current and future cultural aspirations and very much about a shared understanding of how to create a workplace that they love. The eight core Phoenix strengths complement and sit alongside their four core principles and values of Community, Customer, Consideration and Collaboration. The four C's, as they are known, are visible and salient throughout the organisation and within their offices. Posters are displayed prominently in resident facing areas and customer service spaces so that they are accountable to customers and partners. They have also used giant whiteboards on the stairwell, allowing staff to write up how their job roles help deliver corporate objectives. This has helped staff understand one another's contributions to the business and sparked further internal talks and working groups. All colleagues received a strengths toolkit, workbook and bespoke journals that reinforce the messages. Their new ‘thank you card' initiative prompts staff to celebrate and acknowledge outstanding examples of customer service and work against these core principles.
Oxford City Council offer Partnership Payments, which are paid based on Appraisal rating and Sickness absence during the year. As a result of organisational negotiations in 2013 a ‘Pay Deal' was agreed through Unions which encompassed several key employee benefits. One of these was to introduce a bonus scheme where, providing Council financial performance was met, any employee who attained certain annual performance criteria would receive a bonus payment. The amount depended on the level of performance and an additional amount was provided for staff who had a level attendance below a set figure.
Oxford City Council has invested heavily over the last two years in specific staff development. The first example is a comprehensive Health and Wellbeing programme, which covers a diverse range of subjects from nutritional health and health MOT's to resilience training and stress management techniques. As an addition to this a staff champion group was formed to put forward ideas about other aspects of development that would be popular. From this funding was provided for initiatives such as a Council Choir, City walking events, exercise bands and Fit Bits. The second example is the Leadership and Management Development Programme, where the fundamental principle was to move away from a ‘sheep-dip' training programme to an assessment centre where Leaders and Managers were able to identify personal strengths and developmental areas, as well as raise their own understanding of their emotional intelligence.
Oxford City Council is very conscious of its corporate social responsibility and recognises that there is a significant level of deprivation in the city. Many initiatives have and are being taken to tackle this, such as additional funding for education and support/mentoring for certain age groups in city schools. The has also been the redevelopment of community centres, a new swimming pool at Blackbirdleys, the Barton housing development and the new Westgate shopping centre. A team was also set up specifically to respond to the implications of welfare reform that impacted on several areas of the city. The Welfare Reform Team was specifically set up to respond to the implications of Welfare Reform on certain groups which included the homeless. The Council also works closely with charities such as Crisis to support homelessness and similar issues. Oxford City Council's apprenticeship scheme has been running for five years and has had a significant impact on ensuring vulnerable young people have a chance of employment and becoming ‘work ready'. One part of the organisation's Community Team has worked with a group of young people who were having difficulties at school and through various initiatives have changed lives for the better. One example of this has been the city garden, where these young people are responsible for managing and growing crops.
Every year Oxera hold a two-day Core Academy induction event for all new starters. They cover a session on ‘The Oxera Way' and the actual vision of the company. These sessions are presented by the company Partners, who explain the mission and vision of the company and how they plan to achieve and maintain them over the coming years through a five-year plan. There are always opportunities to ask questions and network with partners and Senior Management throughout the course of the event. Oxera also hold a Trade Fair each year, which is a company-wide information-sharing event. This is held offsite and everybody is invited to attend. It is a chance to find out more about the company's mission, vision and values in a fun and informative way.
Oxera provide a number of training courses run internally at all levels of the business. This ensures that the content is relevant and applicable to the delegates and that the information can be applied back to the workplace they operate within. Any questions or queries after the courses can also be directed back to the presenters as and when required. Oxera also encourage one-to-one training, which is provided by the highest level experts within the company. One of the pre-requisites in becoming a Senior Consultant at Oxera is Line Management experience. The company prepare consultants for this by allowing them the opportunity to line manage an intern or work experience person for a short period of time. They also hold a number of recruitment events which they encourage the consultants to take part in to develop their presentation, networking and interpersonal skills.
Oxera provide a number of training courses run internally at all levels of the business. This ensures that the content is relevant and applicable to the delegates and that the information can be applied back to the workplace they operate within. Any questions or queries after the courses can also be directed back to the presenters as and when required. Oxera also encourage one-to-one training, which is provided by the highest level experts within the company. One of the pre-requisites in becoming a Senior Consultant at Oxera is Line Management experience. The company prepare consultants for this by allowing them the opportunity to line manage an intern or work experience person for a short period of time. They also hold a number of recruitment events which they encourage the consultants to take part in to develop their presentation, networking and interpersonal skills.
OVO invested over £600,000 in their Customer Service department with their new reward initiative, OVO Reward Steps. OVO Reward Steps is a way of rewarding great performance and recognising people's commitment to OVO within the Customer Service and back office teams. OVO Reward Steps has introduced significant salary milestones alongside clearly defined knowledge and experience criteria, giving people clear career progression in this crucial part of the business. Addressing attrition, sickness and a perception that people were not getting a ‘fair deal', OVO Reward Steps resulted in a 4% decrease in sickness, 52% decrease in attrition and 39.8% increase in the company's eNPS score for ‘Reward'. The success of this project in its first four months represents savings to the business of £409,762.
OVO invested over £600,000 in their Customer Service department with their new reward initiative, OVO Reward Steps. OVO Reward Steps is a way of rewarding great performance and recognising people's commitment to OVO within the Customer Service and back office teams. OVO Reward Steps has introduced significant salary milestones alongside clearly defined knowledge and experience criteria, giving people clear career progression in this crucial part of the business. Addressing attrition, sickness and a perception that people were not getting a ‘fair deal', OVO Reward Steps resulted in a 4% decrease in sickness, 52% decrease in attrition and 39.8% increase in the company's eNPS score for ‘Reward'. The success of this project in its first four months represents savings to the business of £409,762.
OVO invested over £600,000 in their Customer Service department with their new reward initiative, OVO Reward Steps. OVO Reward Steps is a way of rewarding great performance and recognising people's commitment to OVO within the Customer Service and back office teams. OVO Reward Steps has introduced significant salary milestones alongside clearly defined knowledge and experience criteria, giving people clear career progression in this crucial part of the business. Addressing attrition, sickness and a perception that people were not getting a ‘fair deal', OVO Reward Steps resulted in a 4% decrease in sickness, 52% decrease in attrition and 39.8% increase in the company's eNPS score for ‘Reward'. The success of this project in its first four months represents savings to the business of £409,762.
A local charity of the year is chosen by the Ombudsman Services employees. The local charity the organisation is supporting this year is the Shannon Bradshaw Trust. Events in aid of the charity that have taken place in 2016 include a football fun day, a walking challenge and dress down days. Ombudsman Services also encourage staff to take individual leadership roles in the community, such as being a school governor. Teams have supported local charities such as a RSPCA site that needed some outside maintenance and decorating. Ombudsman Services is also committed to fair treatment of its employees, potential employees and service users. They actively promote equal opportunity for all with the right mix of skills, knowledge and talent and welcomes applications from a wide range of candidates, including those with criminal records.
Ombudsman Services employees are invited annually to vote for a local charity and have the opportunity to volunteer to be part of the charity crew with all areas of the business represented. One of the activities for the crew in 2016 was to organise a group to take part in the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge. Later in the year the crew organised a Christmas fair. Throughout the year they encourage friendly team competition by running desk decorating challenges, with prizes including a meal out for the whole team. Also, Ombudsman Services foster team spirit through initiatives like ‘Women in the Workplace', taking part in Pride and running informal ‘Meet the Exec' sessions. Their employee voice group Novus works across the organisation with business leaders to support the cascade of information and gain consensus on key topics. The group played a pivotal role in the engagement of colleagues with the 2014/15 office move and are now working on consultation about supporting better attendance management and a wellbeing programme. Finally, there is the sports and social team who coordinate activities, including regular football sessions and an annual Halloween quiz.
There is an overall programme to support and develop Ombudsman Services Managers to be at their best. This programme includes refresher training sessions, as prior to mid-year reviews taking place a programme was provided for Managers focusing on the preparation and delivery of the review meeting, including dealing with challenges from employees. Managers also have access to online learning. This contains e-learning modules, guides and checklists around ‘Performance & Development', ‘Coaching & Mentoring' and ‘Managing People'. One to one coaching is provided to Managers using both internal and external coaches. An internal accreditation is awarded to those Managers consistently demonstrating effective coaching and observation is continued on a less regular basis to encourage maintenance of standards. Mentoring is supported within the organisation and a number of Managers have an internal mentor as part of their development. Objectives are set at the beginning of the year and are a basis for gauging progress and performance. Managers have a monthly conversation with their own Manager to discuss progress against their objectives and general wellbeing. Regular observations of one to one's and coaching sessions with team members also take place, with feedback and suggestions for development being provided to all Managers.
Out of Old Mill's total head count of 243, over 70 are currently training to be Accountants, Tax Advisers or Financial Planners. This represents a huge investment in the future of Old Mill and is all supported by the company's Coaching and Mentoring programme. Trainees are also rotated around Old Mill so that they can appreciate the different parts of the business when advising clients in the future. The Leadership Programme covers all employees from Trainee through to Partner level and increases self-awareness of how they impact on others. This programme has been designed in conjunction with the Centre for Leadership Studies at the University of Exeter.
Old Mill's Leadership Programme has made a big difference with the Managers. It focuses on how people impact on others and has been specifically designed to align with Old Mill's values and goals. The company have also had specific developmental issues with one or two Managers. The company culture encourages Managers and employees alike to want to change and develop. Old Mill have had some great results through individual coaching, all by using a mixture of both internal and external Coaches. The performance of the Managers is measured in financial terms on a month by month basis. The company's appraisal system also measures performance against specific objectives and organisational values. Finally, a very comprehensive psychometric and 360 evaluation of the Managers is repeatedly completed.
Old Mill's Leadership Programme has made a big difference with the Managers. It focuses on how people impact on others and has been specifically designed to align with Old Mill's values and goals. The company have also had specific developmental issues with one or two Managers. The company culture encourages Managers and employees alike to want to change and develop. Old Mill have had some great results through individual coaching, all by using a mixture of both internal and external Coaches. The performance of the Managers is measured in financial terms on a month by month basis. The company's appraisal system also measures performance against specific objectives and organisational values. Finally, a very comprehensive psychometric and 360 evaluation of the Managers is repeatedly completed.
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