Leadership - How employees feel about the head of the organisation, senior management and the organisation's values and principles
Leadership has the biggest influence on how employees feel about the organisation.
Leaders need to create inspiring visions and provide clear direction to positively Impact the My Company factor.
When it comes to Wellbeing, no amount of free fruit or stress busting classes are going to address an imbalance. Employee Wellbeing is a by-product of the leadership and management culture.
If there’s pressure at the top of your organisation, it won’t take long to be felt throughout.
Whilst it doesn’t provide a formal programme, Cloverleaf regularly looks at management development opportunities. Management have access to Level 5 qualifications, apprenticeships, and external management training. Managers also have monthly discussions where they can raise any concerns. It also encourages a peer support system, where managers buddy up to support their services and wellbeing.
Organisational clarity is key. Leadership runs a quarterly employee briefing to provide company updates and strategy. This is reinforced by a monthly managers forum which directors attend; this goes into further detail about the plans and workstreams so that the information can be passed to teams in team meetings and supervisions.
The charity has Mental Health First Aiders for its people to speak to regularly if times are hard. It subscribes to Perkbox so employees have access to its wellbeing platform which include fitness and mental health tools such as mindfulness podcasts. The charity also runs weekly mindfulness sessions.
There are many opportunities for employees to have their say and get involved, including monthly all-staff meetings and issue-specific away days. There's also a voluntary employee forum and ones for wellbeing and equality, diversity and inclusion. And cross-team projects allow staff to flex their skills beyond their daily roles.
caba's developing a leadership framework to help managers become confident leaders capable of meeting the charity's future challenges. It already gives its leaders and managers the freedom to be creative and innovative. It trusts them to challenge actions that aren't in line with the charity's values and behaviours.
caba gives all candidates the interview questions in advance to promote a level playing field, particularly for those who are neurodiverse. There's also a buddy system to ensure new starters have a familiar face to turn to outside their team and plans for a new starter network.
Employees benefit from regular communications and opportunities for feedback. 'The Loop' is sent out weekly, and there's a dedicated employee forum and monthly' virtual coffees' where the leadership team gives updates and answers questions. The Chief Executive leads an annual Town Hall reinforcing key principles, thanking colleagues and celebrating successes.
Employees who recommend a successful hire get £250 three months after the new recruit starts – £500 if the starter is in a more senior position. And awards are also made to team members who successfully recommend somebody for a temporary or fixed-term vacancy. They get £50 in shopping vouchers.
All employees get dedicated time with their line manager for two annual performance development reviews. All staff have access to online learning, and the organisation is undertaking a learning needs analysis to capture CPD for each directorate and any informal coaching needs. It also plans to introduce an accredited management development programme.
A newly refurbished office with employee breakout spaces and gardens encourages a social, friendly atmosphere and teamwork across the business. And Whitecode Consultancy takes on a fun family feel with a variety of social activities across the year, such as a summer party and quiz nights.
Questions and feedback are encouraged at the monthly business-wide breakfast meetings. Staff are updated on company progress and have the opportunity to make suggestions. Any issues raised are addressed asap, and progress updates are given at the next meeting. There are also weekly team meetings to discuss workload and any problems.
‘Whitcode Wishes’ is the consultancy’s own charity. It raises funds to make hampers and buy Christmas presents for underprivileged children to spread festive magic and support as many families as possible. And in terms of ‘giving something back’ to the environment, the company aims to be recognised as a leader in environmental design.
Verastar offers paid volunteering days for team bonding which help instil a sense of purpose and camaraderie among employees as well as supporting the wider community. Christmas and Summer socials are another way that the organisation brings its teams together in a festive and joyful atmosphere, reinforcing the bonds and developing the relationships between employees.
To support the ongoing business strategy, Verastar have launched a number of new initiatives, including system investment. The progress is underpinned by the CEO’s communication in his monthly newsletter, VNews, or via a senior leader cascade. It’s important that teams across the business are updated and can support each other with new ways of working.
The organisation operates a bonus scheme, STAR bonus. This scheme rewards colleagues with a quarterly bonus of up to 2.5% of their annual salary based on the achievement of specific objectives. Verastar also ensures that any goals set are stretching so that its employees are continually developing in their roles.
There is weekly internal email communication from the CEO and an internal newsletter which reinforces organisational clarity and purpose. Organisational performance against agreed KPI’s is shared with colleagues so everyone can see how the charity is performing and training is provided where improvements may be required. Staff are encouraged to provide feedback and ideas.
The organisation runs a number of schemes including Employee of the Quarter and Year. These are colleagues nominated by their colleagues. Winners receive vouchers. It also launched 'Because Your Roarsome' where both colleagues and those outside of the organisation can give their thanks to a member of the team for their hard work/support.
An internal CPD accredited 10 week training plan was undertaken by all employees from Team Leaders and above. Areas covered included Building Relationships, Understanding Team Behaviours, Motivation. How to Give and Receive Feedback, Constructive Criticism, Time management and Effective Delegation, Assertiveness and Dealing with Difficult Situations; Communication and Learning Skills, and Coaching.
The organisation asked its teams to have some fun and make videos to show how proud they are of what they do and the impact they have on our customers experience. It had a huge response with videos parodying Bake Off, M&S adverts, ABBA, game shows, Johnny Cash, and fairy tales.
VIVID’s internal talent programme targets non-managers who have a desire to develop into management. It has a rigorous selection process involving online tests and an assessment centre. It also has a job mentoring and rotation feature in the programme as well as virtual delivery of management skills by our own trainers.
The senior management recognise and reward employees across VIVID for living the values. Monthly winners of its Values Awards are communicated at the Let’s Talk VIVID monthly events and receive ‘love to shop’ vouchers. It also details the behaviours that the organisation wants all levels of staff to demonstrate in order to live its values.
The organisation has a staff counselling service which is available to all Touchstone employees and volunteers. Staff can access up to 6 confidential sessions, paid for entirely by Touchstone. It also pays for counselling from a therapist of staff’s choice, including a male or female counsellor, BME or LGBTQ+ background.
The CEO is an ex-Touchstone service user with lived experience of mental health and is supported by a Senior Leadership Team who also have lived experience of mental health and neurodiversity conditions. The CEO produces videos for employees and attends team meetings highlighting his personal vision and experience aligning this to Touchstone’s mission and values.
The organisation organises at least two fun away days per year, with teams doing additional social days as well. In September 2023, it held an whole organisation away day at Herd Farm. The day allowed staff to take part in activities such as giant swings, archery, pottery, walks, face painting, and much more.
The outcomes of Leadership Team meetings are cascaded down to all levels of the organisation. Employees can voice their opinions openly through the employee consultation forum. St Michael’s Hospice’s CEO also regularly provides update videos to keep employees informed on all the latest organisation news.
The organisation provides a number of opportunities for managers to learn new skills and for prospective managers to learn what is takes to take that next step. St Michael’s Hospice supports manager apprenticeship, degrees, and offers in-house training, coaching, and mentoring.
St Michael’s Hospice offer to facilitate sessions for teams to explore effectiveness and team relationships. Furthermore, teams are provided with support given by the organisation’s Spiritual Care Team and by Mental Health First Aiders for clinical colleagues on site.
Quanta’s leadership encourage employees to live by company values through its rewards and recognition scheme ‘Qudos’. This recognises employees who exemplify the organisation’s values and is celebrated throughout the business. The senior management team live and convey the values through internal communications and employee reviews of gathering feedback on themselves.
It has introduced LinkedIn learning for those employees who have requested training in specific areas. It has also recently launched a new mentor programme where employees are paired with senior members of the business to mentor and guide them with professional advice, development, and or within a specialist subject matter.
During the last year, it has run collections for the local children’s ward – including an Easter egg hunt. Employees held a number of bake-off events in the office as well as taking part in the dragon boat race for its local hospice.
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