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My Company - The level of engagement employees feel with their job and organisation
My Company is what we call an ‘output’ factor, it focuses on people’s ‘love’ and ‘pride’ in working for your organisation.
Now unfortunately you can’t directly make people feel these emotions, but when all of the other seven factors are doing well, people will be far more likely to experience that love and pride ultimately improving the My Company factor as a result.
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 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.
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.
As stated elsewhere, Frame live their values, believing this to be more genuine and real than merely stating them. Not all employees are aware of instances where they have been honest, at a cost to the business, but many are, and most managers could point to an instance of this. They talk about the ambition and progress at staff meetings, particularly the annual review. And individual departments have their own review meetings where the overall direction and the way Frame work, and relate to each other are discussed. The company routinely demonstrate the ‘employee first' mentality in the way they manage, encourage, develop, promote and reward the people. And where they are forced to choose between a client's and an employee's interests, Frame always choose their people. They have resigned clients on this basis and for this reason – the most notable being a six-figure income client. Working hard, and doing your best is in the DNA of the company. And this is top-down. Frame take their work extremely seriously without taking themselves too seriously. And they never criticise failure, only lack of proper application and effort.
In January this year, Frame's over fifty staff were spread over 2 separate neighbouring properties. They had grown quickly and were in danger of losing the collective spirit that was the source of their success. The company decided that they should move office, not because they were running out of space but because their working environment was beginning to compromise their culture. The search was on for new offices that would facilitate more open, collaborative ways of working, stimulate the senses, uplift everyone and signal the company ambition. In August, they moved into a 13,000 square foot office in the Creative Quarter of Glasgow on the river Clyde. They are sandwiched between the BBC and STV in the orbit of countless radio and TV production houses and other businesses in the creative industries. The £100k+ office refit was undertaken to deliver a physical environment that would improve team interaction and communication. They have provided a café area with full kitchen facilities and seating for around 30 staff. Numerous break-out areas have been designed to enable informal or impromptu meetings. They have a free bar and ping-pong area, a screening room with bleachers to seat up to 25 people, and numerous project areas with wall to wall magnetic whiteboards. They gave the staff a budget to stock a creative library with reference books, and the arrangement of desks has been designed to enable communication and collaboration – in particular, the creative department, where desks are arranged in one huge row seating 24.
At the end of the year, Frame go away together to spend time in each other's company, to celebrate, socialise and talk about the year behind and the year to come. It's accompanied by a presentation of the year in review so that everyone knows where the company is, what kind of year they have had, and what their plans are for the coming year. The impact of the trips lingers long into the next year. Relationships are deepened and new ones formed, they gain collective memories, discussed for months afterwards. Barriers come down, and the company talk about work, but also life in general – away from the office environment, where they try to be informal, but where there are inevitably some structures and hierarchies. Above all, the trips are a shared experience enjoyed by everyone. They're a reward for collective effort. Alongside more individual rewards like annual performance-linked bonuses, salary reviews and promotions, these trips are a way for the company to reward staff at the same time, in the same way, in the same degree. As Frame have grown, they have discussed whether there is still a role for these trips. And in particular, now that they are nearly sixty people, whether the expense is justified. Staff feedback on this subject is universally that they would rather go away together in this way, than be given an equivalent cash sum. Previous trips have included Paris, Amsterdam and Belfast, and this year's trip will be in Berlin from 15th to 17th December.
At Firstco they have a diverse social committee, made up of a self-elected cross section of employees. The aim of this committee is to organise and arrange a variety of events throughout the year, that all staff are able to attend (either free of charge, or heavily subsidised). They have a budget of £6K available to them each year, with the annual company picnic being one of the most popular and well attended events. Other events include theatre trips, tickets for sporting events, wine tasting, music sessions and barbecues. With a lot of their employees relocating to London for the job, they have found that having a strong social ethos has been pivotal for helping them settle in, make new friends within the workplace and develop ongoing working relationships.
At Firstco they have a diverse social committee, made up of a self-elected cross section of employees. The aim of this committee is to organise and arrange a variety of events throughout the year, that all staff are able to attend (either free of charge, or heavily subsidised). They have a budget of £6K available to them each year, with the annual company picnic being one of the most popular and well attended events. Other events include theatre trips, tickets for sporting events, wine tasting, music sessions and barbecues. With a lot of their employees relocating to London for the job, they have found that having a strong social ethos has been pivotal for helping them settle in, make new friends within the workplace and develop ongoing working relationships.
At Firstco they have a diverse social committee, made up of a self-elected cross section of employees. The aim of this committee is to organise and arrange a variety of events throughout the year, that all staff are able to attend (either free of charge, or heavily subsidised). They have a budget of £6K available to them each year, with the annual company picnic being one of the most popular and well attended events. Other events include theatre trips, tickets for sporting events, wine tasting, music sessions and barbecues. With a lot of their employees relocating to London for the job, they have found that having a strong social ethos has been pivotal for helping them settle in, make new friends within the workplace and develop ongoing working relationships.
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.
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 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.
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.
eSynergy are currently working with a local charity called St Lukes, which gives under privileged children in inner London the ability to play sports. Consultants run the lunchtime sporting activities once a week and they also run the school's football team for both boys and girls. Furthermore eSynergy sponsor the end of season football tournament, which is attended by a number of local schools in the area. Through the same charity the company also provide CV writing advice and expertise, as well as providing several work experience opportunities for those involved.
eSynergy are currently working with a local charity called St Lukes, which gives under privileged children in inner London the ability to play sports. Consultants run the lunchtime sporting activities once a week and they also run the school's football team for both boys and girls. Furthermore eSynergy sponsor the end of season football tournament, which is attended by a number of local schools in the area. Through the same charity the company also provide CV writing advice and expertise, as well as providing several work experience opportunities for those involved.
eSynergy are currently working with a local charity called St Lukes, which gives under privileged children in inner London the ability to play sports. Consultants run the lunchtime sporting activities once a week and they also run the school's football team for both boys and girls. Furthermore eSynergy sponsor the end of season football tournament, which is attended by a number of local schools in the area. Through the same charity the company also provide CV writing advice and expertise, as well as providing several work experience opportunities for those involved.
'#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.
Estee Lauder's High-Touch Leadership Competencies are at the heart of their organisation's DNA. They provide a map of the behaviours and qualities the company believe enable their employees to lead themselves, their teams and ultimately the company itself. Estee Lauder's Senior Management Team demonstrate these behaviours and operate a leading from every chair model, which means every employee has the opportunity to voice their ideas and shape the future of the organisation. The organisation has a strong ethos of sharing and integrating at all levels. An example of how the company's Leader integrates with his colleagues is through regular Coffee Mornings, where by employees have a chance to ask questions, interact and learn more about the business from the Leader himself. He also chairs a TownHall every year which is broadcast across the whole UK and Ireland organisation by video, with the opportunity for live Q&A's at the end. He attends every brand conference and even records a personal video message when he is unable to attend.
Over the past year Epiphany have doubled their training expenditure to offer employees a variety of development interventions. These include 360 feedback and workshops on time management, presentation skills and leadership. Some more innovative examples include yoga, sophology (mindfulness/meditation) and stress-busting workshops. Staff have access to an array of online resources including Google Partners Courses, Bing Accreditation, Lynda.com, Umbraco TV, Microsoft Gold Partnership and Microsoft Training. Approximately 100 people have attended one or more workshops in the past year. Many employees have also benefited from attendance at conferences and internal knowledge-sharing, including their monthly 'Brainfood' session and Expert Network groups. Epiphany have continued to invest heavily in leadership development. Over the past 12 months 32 people have undergone an intensive ten-module programme supported by 360-degree feedback, development resources, and bi-annual catch-ups to assist with personal development action planning. Psychometric assessments have been introduced to support employee development. All employees completed a Motivational Styles Questionnaire and they identified motivating and demotivating factors at individual, team and organisational level. Outcomes are being used by individuals to help with personal development and career planning. Psychometric assessments have also been used for development of the sales team. Employees completed personality and motivation questionnaires and their results were mapped onto the various stages of the sales cycle to highlight areas of potential strength and development. Employees were provided with 1:1 feedback and tips to aid their development. The overall results formed the basis for a team sales development session.
Over the past year Epiphany have doubled their training expenditure to offer employees a variety of development interventions. These include 360 feedback and workshops on time management, presentation skills and leadership. Some more innovative examples include yoga, sophology (mindfulness/meditation) and stress-busting workshops. Staff have access to an array of online resources including Google Partners Courses, Bing Accreditation, Lynda.com, Umbraco TV, Microsoft Gold Partnership and Microsoft Training. Approximately 100 people have attended one or more workshops in the past year. Many employees have also benefited from attendance at conferences and internal knowledge-sharing, including their monthly 'Brainfood' session and Expert Network groups. Epiphany have continued to invest heavily in leadership development. Over the past 12 months 32 people have undergone an intensive ten-module programme supported by 360-degree feedback, development resources, and bi-annual catch-ups to assist with personal development action planning. Psychometric assessments have been introduced to support employee development. All employees completed a Motivational Styles Questionnaire and they identified motivating and demotivating factors at individual, team and organisational level. Outcomes are being used by individuals to help with personal development and career planning. Psychometric assessments have also been used for development of the sales team. Employees completed personality and motivation questionnaires and their results were mapped onto the various stages of the sales cycle to highlight areas of potential strength and development. Employees were provided with 1:1 feedback and tips to aid their development. The overall results formed the basis for a team sales development session.
Over the past year Epiphany have doubled their training expenditure to offer employees a variety of development interventions. These include 360 feedback and workshops on time management, presentation skills and leadership. Some more innovative examples include yoga, sophology (mindfulness/meditation) and stress-busting workshops. Staff have access to an array of online resources including Google Partners Courses, Bing Accreditation, Lynda.com, Umbraco TV, Microsoft Gold Partnership and Microsoft Training. Approximately 100 people have attended one or more workshops in the past year. Many employees have also benefited from attendance at conferences and internal knowledge-sharing, including their monthly 'Brainfood' session and Expert Network groups. Epiphany have continued to invest heavily in leadership development. Over the past 12 months 32 people have undergone an intensive ten-module programme supported by 360-degree feedback, development resources, and bi-annual catch-ups to assist with personal development action planning. Psychometric assessments have been introduced to support employee development. All employees completed a Motivational Styles Questionnaire and they identified motivating and demotivating factors at individual, team and organisational level. Outcomes are being used by individuals to help with personal development and career planning. Psychometric assessments have also been used for development of the sales team. Employees completed personality and motivation questionnaires and their results were mapped onto the various stages of the sales cycle to highlight areas of potential strength and development. Employees were provided with 1:1 feedback and tips to aid their development. The overall results formed the basis for a team sales development session.
For an individual who has moved up internally within the business one to one mentoring is organised to support them with the challenges they are faced with. These challenges are related to colleagues and stakeholder's perception of them being more ‘junior' within the business. Internal work experience is also made available throughout the organisation, enabling colleagues to shadow individuals in other departments and businesses, as well as encouraging personal and professional growth.
The England and Wales Cricket Board's mission, vision and values are communicated through Cricket Unleashed. Initially this was launched to key stakeholders in cricket at the AGM. It was launched to all employees at the employee's event in 2015. This was special because it brought all employees and teams under one roof for the first time. It marked a change in the way the organisation wanted to do things going forward – collaboratively and as a team. It included an address from the CEO Tom Harrison and the Director of Cricket Andrew Strauss. The values were also communicated at the annual Christmas Event. It was launched by two of ECB's values ambassadors, who had helped the People team throughout the process and provided excellent assistance and advice throughout. Furthermore the Board designed some visually inspiring logos to bring the statements to life. They now use these across their paperwork and within their processes to reinforce the messages.
For an individual who has moved up internally within the business one to one mentoring is organised to support them with the challenges they are faced with. These challenges are related to colleagues and stakeholder's perception of them being more ‘junior' within the business. Internal work experience is also made available throughout the organisation, enabling colleagues to shadow individuals in other departments and businesses, as well as encouraging personal and professional growth.
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