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

Annually the Studio organises trips to a European City where £500 is paid towards flights, accommodation and food for each employee. This year staff had the option of going to Oslo, Lisbon. Arhaus, Eindhoven, Nantes and Rotterdam. In groups of 25 staff visit and explore various cities, reviewing architecture for the purpose of research and team building. The trips are led by a Partner and made up of a mix of people who don't normally work each other. The days include waking tours, visit to other architectural practice and cycle tours. While evenings are a time for everyone to socialise over dinner. It is said that Studio Trips are a highlight for staff and a calendar event much anticipated. Upon return staff are encouraged to share photos and present learning's from the trips to the wider studio.

Annually the Studio organises trips to a European City where £500 is paid towards flights, accommodation and food for each employee. This year staff had the option of going to Oslo, Lisbon. Arhaus, Eindhoven, Nantes and Rotterdam. In groups of 25 staff visit and explore various cities, reviewing architecture for the purpose of research and team building. The trips are led by a Partner and made up of a mix of people who don't normally work each other. The days include waking tours, visit to other architectural practice and cycle tours. While evenings are a time for everyone to socialise over dinner. It is said that Studio Trips are a highlight for staff and a calendar event much anticipated. Upon return staff are encouraged to share photos and present learning's from the trips to the wider studio.

Despite last year's budget requiring that the company make cost savings of £12.5million by 2020, the decision was made to maintain their Learning and Development budget and continue to invest in employee development. Employees are able to request development at any point during the year, which could be in the form of shadowing, coaching, courses, conferences, roadshows etc. All employees are also invited to apply for funding for a formal qualification once a year, with all applications this year being approved. Greenfield's also run monthly lunch and learn sessions, where either an employee or external guest will discuss a specialist area. Recent topics include CPR training, Dementia Friends, Healthy Eating and Speaking with Impact, as well as other work related topics. These sessions encourage development in a range of areas, as well as providing opportunity for cross-team interaction. One of the most interesting things offered last year was coaching skills workshops for non-managerial employees. Whereas previously this was only offered to managers, this time round various employees from different teams attended the four workshops offered, where they found it helpful to discuss issues with people from different teams that they did not usually work with. One participant even said ‘I can't believe how well coaching works. I've just had a conversation with one of our residents who I was making no progress with. I used coaching and it really worked.'

Workplace Health Champions organise health and wellbeing activities quarterly for employees to participate in. This year these have included Mental Health Awareness, a Men's Health Week and a ‘Race to Rio' event in aid of the Olympics. During the Mental Health Week an employee ran an afternoon of 30 minute meditation sessions which were well attended. The week also offered posture checks and head and shoulder massages, which were popular among the Customer Services Team. For Men's Health week each male employee received a health check manual for men, written in the style of the Haynes car manuals. Employees also ran a Top Man Challenge, with prizes for all the winners. Using a Top Gear style Leader board men challenged one another to a range of activities, including bench pressing and weight lifting, aiming to be at the top of the leader board. The event was talked about for weeks afterwards. Health Champions organise various other initiatives, for example a six-week weight loss programme, health checks, flu jabs, a running club and even stop smoking hypnotherapy sessions. Following the running club four employees ran a half marathon, raising £1000 for Greenfield's charity of the year. Greenfield's Employee Assistance Programme is available through BUPA and employees can have six face to face or telephone counselling sessions to discuss in confidence any topics concerning them. What's next for Greenfield? Coming up they have a five-week programme focusing on Mental Health that will include Laughing Yoga, a Modern Jive taster session, a ‘lunch and learn' session delivered by an employee discussing their experience with Bipolar Disorder, plus a healthy festive bake sale. The company will also be promoting their Christmas present appeal, where they collect donated Christmas presents which employees then distribute to local residents just before Christmas Eve.

Global Aerospace's current community initiatives include employee volunteering, foodbank donations, a work experience programme, support to local charities through charitable donations and business mentoring. The recently launched Business Mentoring Scheme provides support to students in a local school who do not have a role model in work or may have difficulty relating to the world of work. Global Aerospace's local borough, Tower Hamlets, is only a stone's throw away from the financial heart of London that houses the richest concentration of economic business in the world. TH is the UK's most deprived borough, with 39% of people living in poverty and 55% of pupils qualifying for free school meals. There are high levels of unemployment and crime, plus low educational attainment in children. A team of eight volunteers will mentor children over a school year, with the aim of nurturing talent and encouraging the young people. These activities benefit not just society but Global Aerospace too, as they provide an opportunity to learn and good practice to be shared and built on.

Earlier this year Global ran a series of lunchtime guided City walks, held on a monthly basis. Walks were led by qualified City of London Guides and incurred no cost for attendees. As well as providing an opportunity to explore the unusual and hidden features that the City of London has to offer, the walks provided healthy moderate exercise, an opportunity for members of the PMI scheme to earn additional points from increased daily activity and the chance to socialise with colleagues. The lunchtime beginner group, offered by the store emphasises on participation and not pace. Feedback was received from one employee that from being a non-runner, after 7 weeks' attendance, they successfully completed a 5km run in 30 minutes. The Company funds massage therapy appointments which are delivered in-house, twice a year and are available to all employees. The massage therapist uses a combination of massage and acupressure techniques to the back, neck, shoulders, arms, hands and scalp while the employee sits in a specially designed chair. Each massage lasts for 20 minutes and takes place during the working day. Benefits include easing tense and knotted muscles, improves mobility and flexibility, relieves anxiety and stress, induces relaxation and wellbeing and increases mental alertness and clarity. On a day-to day basis, they provide employees with the use of a large kitchen with break-out seating area to encourage individuals to take time away from their desks to eat lunch and integrate with their colleagues. For those requiring a more tranquil area, a First Aid room is available for private reflection.

Genuine Solutions strongly believe that their staff are their future. With this in mind, the company has several initiatives in place that give their staff the opportunity to develop. Every single employee has a personal development plan that is created between them and their manager and reviewed during their annual or half yearly appraisal. The company also works closely with the Duke of Edinburgh's charity and as part of their 60th anniversary they released the Challenge Award, which is given in recognition for achieving either a personal or commercial challenge or achievement. This innovative award and framework allows Genuine Solutions to give their people an opportunity to develop and gain prestigious recognition. Another example of how the organisation supports employee development is their monthly training courses. The company takes pride that they can offer every member of staff the opportunity to attend monthly training courses held at their offices by an external trainer. These courses are built around training needs and what is best for the business. They have also provided several training courses at Kingston College, which have been hugely beneficial for all staff and have allowed them to develop further within their specific job roles. Alongside these initiatives Genuine Solutions also run an Apprentice Programme, which has proved incredibly successful, as it has not only increased productivity but it has also strengthened the workforce and improved motivation amongst all employees.

Genuine Solutions truly believe that as a company their vision, mission and values are what makes them come alive throughout the business. There are several ways in which they communicate them to their staff, for example the large posters on the walls throughout the buildings to ensure visibility. Whenever there are new starters within the company, an induction is held for each and every one of them to ensure that they are all aware what Genuine Solutions vision, mission and values are. They are also available to view on the company's intranet, as well as them being discussed in the monthly management meetings, board meetings and departmental meetings, such as the All Hands Meeting. Genuine Solutions strongly believe that all of their staff are aware of what the company's vision, mission and values are, ensuring that they are then able to implement them successfully into the fantastic work they generate.

There is an SMD presentation at all staff meetings on the values of FTI. Values have been installed as a screensaver on all computers in the office, put on the website and is featured on all job specs. There is also a desk drop announcing the launch of the values. The Leader engages with employees on a daily basis through emails and also through Business Area Town Halls. The company supports employees development by providing resources for them to gain professional qualifications for both client facing and support staff. Coaching and mentoring is always offered to those who attend these programmes and there is also ongoing training in person or through online resources. On top of all this there is support of a competency matrix, coaching from external providers and further programmes run internally.

Away days are run by FTI Consulting for business areas abroad, where each employee goes away for a few days to discuss performance in the business area, as well as increasing skills like team building and networking. End of month drinks are run at the end of every month, providing free drinks and nibbles for any employee who wishes to attend. New joiners are allocated a buddy to be an initial point of contact in their first few weeks. The company puts on a Christmas Party, business area Summer parties and Young professional events. They also hold forums for various levels within the business and graduate induction events. Balance network run various events, including the use of high profile speakers (looking at diversity and equality network). The company get involved in various charity events and lunchtime briefings are also held based on various topics to encourage team interaction and communication.

All Directors are committed to preventing injuries to both employees and also everyone else that Fichtner work with, hence their adopted policy of 'safety in everything we do'. Directors are committed to providing the highest possible quality of service delivery to their client base, commensurate with the expertise and experience that reside within the organisation. The Senior Team acts with integrity in all of their actions and interactions with colleagues, clients, contractors and suppliers. John the MD has an open door policy and will talk to any of the employees at any point during the day without a prior appointment. He drives health and safety behaviour, sits on the health and safety working group, chairs the monthly team leader's meetings and also the Friday weekly staff meetings whenever possible. He makes himself available to everyone and will provide support and guidance with both work and, where appropriate and with HR support, personal issues as well. John also continues to undertake an element of fee paying project work. Overall Fichtner has a flat structure and is not hierarchical in culture.

Fichtner have a charity committee within the business made up of volunteers that manage all of the company charitable activities each year. The committee meets once a quarter and sets a budget every year, which is then used to support one main charity that is chosen by the employees, plus a number of smaller and more local charities. This year Fichtner are proudly supporting MIND via their local branch, as well as Cancer Research, BHF and a local children's hospice. Several of the engineering staff also actively involve themselves in the STEM projects with local schools and universities and the company have two 'women in engineering' university societies coming to the offices in September for networking and discussions around careers in engineering post qualification.

Ethicall have awards on a regular basis, a fundraiser of the quarter and a fundraiser of the year scheme. The fundraiser of the year has been running since Ethicall was established. The winning fundraiser of the year, who is selected by the Board of Directors, is able to volunteer for up to two weeks on any project they have chosen. Past winners have volunteered to build a school in Nepal, work teaching English in a school in Peru and volunteer on a wildlife reserve in Kenya. This year's winner is volunteering with ActionAid on an overseas development project in Cambodia. The fundraiser of the year initiative is the ultimate incentive for the company's top fundraisers and something that always seems to inspire new fundraisers when they first start.

Ethicall give 25% of their post-tax profit to charity, resulting in more than £1.25m being donated to various charities in the last 10 years. They are committed to supporting worthy causes in the local community where employees live and work. One such charity is One 25, a charity which works to get Bristol street sex workers off the streets and rebuild their lives. Ethicall have also funded the 50K cost of an ambulance to transport children from the local maternity hospital to the operating suite of the children's hospital. Staff are encouraged to get involved with charities and Ethicall will donate £250 to any staff fundraising. The company have also done “paint and fix” activities as part of vision days for local charities.

'#iMentor', Estee Lauder's reverse mentoring programme in the UK, is just one example of the company's commitment to offering the largest part of its workforce the best environment in which to grow, develop and engage with the organisation. The iMentor programme, welcoming anyone from interns to Managers, is designed to help employees embrace and epitomise inclusion and diversity. The programme was piloted in the UK and the first opportunity was for the millennials to work with the Executive Leadership Team, providing consumer insights and establishing a long term mentoring relationship to the benefit of both parties. Participants even have an opportunity to connect with iMentors from around the globe through a private community on DreamSpace called iShare. This programme is sponsored by Fabrizio Freda, President and CEO and also Phebe Farrow Port, Chief of Staff to the President and CEO.

'#iMentor', Estee Lauder's reverse mentoring programme in the UK, is just one example of the company's commitment to offering the largest part of its workforce the best environment in which to grow, develop and engage with the organisation. The iMentor programme, welcoming anyone from interns to Managers, is designed to help employees embrace and epitomise inclusion and diversity. The programme was piloted in the UK and the first opportunity was for the millennials to work with the Executive Leadership Team, providing consumer insights and establishing a long term mentoring relationship to the benefit of both parties. Participants even have an opportunity to connect with iMentors from around the globe through a private community on DreamSpace called iShare. This programme is sponsored by Fabrizio Freda, President and CEO and also Phebe Farrow Port, Chief of Staff to the President and CEO.

As part of eg's ongoing fundraising activities for the company charity, the Doornkop Needy Children's Centre in Soweto, South Africa, they now have their annual Great eg Bake Off. The Bake Off commenced Monday 19th September with a total of 8 bakers participating in this year's event. Each contestant will be baking something of their choice to be judged by the eg community based on Presentation, Creativity and Flavour on a scale of 1 – 10. Each contestant is to bake something of their own choice and of course, all submissions must be home cooked! A donation of £1 will be given for a sample of each of the baked goods and all proceeds will go towards the DNCC fund to help reach their target of £5,000 for a new play area and a further classroom. Ian Sparks, eg's Software Tester, started a gruelling 960 mile cycling challenge on 3rd August from Land's End to John O'Groats in just 10 days! Ian's mission is to raise £2,000 towards the £5,000 target to raise funds for the company charity. eg solutions are proud to announce their sponsorship of Aston Juniors FC, a newly formed local junior football team based in Staffordshire. The partnership has been formed to help further accelerate the team's rapid development, by ensuring the young squad has access to the best possible equipment, facilities and coaching. Aston Juniors FC is an under-10s team formed in May by a group of local parents, who saw an opportunity to create a more organised team than the ones their children had previously played in.

Each Monday eg have a large selection of fruit delivered. They are just at the end of a six week 'steps' challenge, the CFO collated names of everyone who wanted to be involved and put those employees into a variety of teams. They have a weekly score board and individuals who have made significant progress have received individual prizes. At the end of the six weeks the individuals in the team with the most steps will be awarded a prize. This has encouraged staff to go out for a walk at lunch time and to be far more active during the evening. They have had board members and the CEO involved - who have turned out to be the most competitive! The chairman of the board has scheduled his appointments in London so he can walk between them. There is also a running club each Wednesday evening which a few members of staff participate in. They have a healthy eating committee who are organising for someone to come in and give head and shoulder massages. eg have a 'break out' area in the kitchen with tables, chairs and a football table.

Each December Edenred celebrate ‘Eden for All', a company initiative designed to mobilise employees' support of local communities. Last December employees collected gifts for House on the Hill, giving their carers a much needed respite. As a company Edenred also supports Westminster Food Bank and help by donating food every month. To help contribute to the Food Bank, each month a different department organises food hamper collections. To date over 346 kilos of food has been donated by the employees of Edenred. Throughout the year, the company carries out fundraising events for its charity partner, Action for Children. Events organised have included dress down days, themed cake bakes and talent contests. For every employee involved in charitable fundraising activities, Edenred donate a set amount to the relevant charity. This year the company also worked with the ‘The Princes Trust', a youth charity that helps young people aged 13 to 30 get into jobs, education and training. They were able to be involved in their ‘Get Into' programme, which gives selected young people who are work-ready but do not have vocational skills the opportunity to develop the relevant skills to enable them to move into a sustainable job in a specific sector of work. With regards to employees, Edenred is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in employment, resulting in no job applicant or employee receiving less favourable treatment because of a protected characteristic like race, disability etc.

Each December Edenred celebrate ‘Eden for All', a company initiative designed to mobilise employees' support of local communities. Last December employees collected gifts for House on the Hill, giving their carers a much needed respite. As a company Edenred also supports Westminster Food Bank and help by donating food every month. To help contribute to the Food Bank, each month a different department organises food hamper collections. To date over 346 kilos of food has been donated by the employees of Edenred. Throughout the year, the company carries out fundraising events for its charity partner, Action for Children. Events organised have included dress down days, themed cake bakes and talent contests. For every employee involved in charitable fundraising activities, Edenred donate a set amount to the relevant charity. This year the company also worked with the ‘The Princes Trust', a youth charity that helps young people aged 13 to 30 get into jobs, education and training. They were able to be involved in their ‘Get Into' programme, which gives selected young people who are work-ready but do not have vocational skills the opportunity to develop the relevant skills to enable them to move into a sustainable job in a specific sector of work. With regards to employees, Edenred is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in employment, resulting in no job applicant or employee receiving less favourable treatment because of a protected characteristic like race, disability etc.