What are companies doing with regards to 'Leadership'

More regular company meetings and one-to-ones have been introduced, at which everyone is encouraged to use their camera. There are plans to divide the business into teams across functions and countries, to help build relationships and ease communication between staff who would otherwise have no opportunity to interact.

PHASTAR has a paperless office policy under which files are digital wherever possible. Last year digital signature was introduced for internal forms to reduce the need to print out documents. Offices have energy-saving lights and sensors to limit unnecessary usage, and recycling is the norm.

Microsoft Teams and WhatsApp groups help colleagues to communicate with each other when they are not at work together. Company e-cards, which were designed in-house, have been a hit and enable the team to say thank you, well done and happy birthday.

Mind Cymru remains the company's charitable partner this year as it was unable to raise as much money in lockdown-affected 2020 as in previous years. In 2019 it donated nearly £10,000 to Macmillan Cancer Support. During the pandemic, it raised funds through the on-site tuck shop which it ran.

The company had an 81.5% internal promotion rate last year, with 103 new roles created, of which 84 were filled internally. Moneypenny says: “We learnt so much from our last survey in 2018, which highlighted a concern by staff about personal development. We launched our Leadership Development Programme and 163 people participated in 2020.”

Company co-founder Rachel Clacher set up national charity WeMindTheGap to provide support and opportunities for young people. Moneypenny adopted 26 different species of animals and raised £1,170 after a Chester Zoo appeal and its charity committee, Raising Pennies, gave £1,000 to a local foodbank, hospital and the Salvation Army.

The management structure at Made Tech is based on coaching and mentoring. Guidance for line managers has been written into its handbook to ensure everyone knows how to get someone promoted or handle the annual review and pay increases. Staff wellbeing is central to decision-making.

LTE uses a performance appraisal process to measure manager performance throughout the year. This is based on a number of key factors including contractual compliance, learner achievement and staff engagement – and the group's Best Companies results support these action plans. LTE aims to develop its performance management process further over the coming 12 months.

Each month or so there have been group-wide team sing-alongs and mini-competitions to raise everyone's spirits. Many Teams groups were set up to prevent people from feeling isolated – especially those working at home, and a fitness challenge helped competitive colleagues to track their overall kilometres and achievements.

The recruiter sees its business success as intrinsically linked to its ability to attract, develop and retain brilliant people. Each manager is measured and compensated against a selection of criteria, which includes their ability to achieve this – and the company is constantly looking to improve.

Wilton & Bain helped to raise funds to provide laptops to needy children for home-schooling during lockdown. Many families didn't have access to the basic equipment that was required, with Ofcom estimating that more than 1m children weren't able to get hold of a laptop, desktop or tablet at home.

As part of its approach to hiring staff, Lifeplus creates short videos that summarise a job role and use this when reaching out to potential talent to stimulate a conversation. It also makes use of social spaces to showcase the company's culture and people.

The company helped staff to cope with feelings of uncertainty during the pandemic, using podcasts explaining the nature of anxiety and some CBT-based techniques. It also encouraged people to focus on their listening and noticing skills when using video-based online communication.

Managers send weekly status reports to the senior team and directors. Manager, customer and staff feedback is taken seriously. Last year the company set out a five-year strategy, outlining where it was going and how everyone had a part to play in getting it there.

Learning Pool is committed to behaving ethically, focusing on its local communities and on the development of continuous environmental initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint. As an online enterprise, it empowers customers to help create a more sustainable world by using its technology.

Many company leaders have completed the Lane4 Coaching Performance Excellence programme, accredited by Middlesex University, and the Trans4m Programme was launched in 2017 to support new leaders transitioning into their first people-management role. Each course takes six to nine months and is designed and delivered by Lane4 consultants and senior managers.

Company Days are held three times a year where everyone comes together for business updates, the opportunity to network and to have a bit of fun. Online social activities such as talent shows, coffee connects, pet pageants, cook-alongs and garden walk-arounds all also attracted good levels of attendance and feedback.

Kyan has two ways of recognising employees: a bonus linked to performance against living the company's values and a less formal "thank you" where staff are encouraged to thank team members on a personal level with surprise gifts such as a book or a new mug.

All team members have a self-directed development budget. Training and development is flexible and can involve studying team coaching and board dynamics at Henley Business School, training in practical skills via HubSpot Academy or having a go at improv to help with presentation skills.