At HCSS Education each leader operates an open door policy and encourages employees to have their say through positive feedback in team meetings and performance reviews. All employees are encouraged to attend an Invention and Innovation group if they have an idea or suggestion – this enhances a culture of continual improvement and innovation. Each department head prepares a monthly report detailing any improvements suggested and implemented in their department – no matter how small. This report is submitted to the CEO and feedback is provided to reinforce this behaviour. Employees are always encouraged to ‘have a go' and are supported to take risks in their drive for excellence, there is a no blame culture - the focus is always on what lessons have been learned, what needs to change to make it better next time and what needs to continue. Information is shared openly with all employees on the company's targets and progress. The company hold quarterly team briefings for all employees detailing their progress against the strategic objectives of the business together with a detailed review of their performance against KPIs as detailed in their dynamic scorecard. Regular one to ones are held with all employees and the company values form a key part of these discussions. A quarterly award is presented based on nominations from staff for demonstration of the company values.

To maintain employee well-being, HCSS Education provides on-site flu vaccinations that are funded by the company. They encouraged participation in the ‘British Heart Foundation Pedometer challenge, with 6 teams entering, and a prize giving funded and arranged by the company at the end. This also encouraged team working as teams walked together. The use of ACAS on line materials for well-being is encouraged and Managers are sent links to relevant webinars to support them managing the well-being of their staff.

To help in the company's recruitment efforts and as an added incentive for their employee referral programme, they offered an all-expenses paid weekend trip to Ibiza for an employee and 1 guest for a successful recommendation. Each month senior management recommend their team's 'innovator of the month' to recognise their efforts to go above and beyond. In the summer the company put all the winners names year to date into a hat and drew 4 names who were sent to the Home House Summer Festival for an all-expenses paid trip. The company also offer spot bonuses to mid-level/ junior team members who they feel have made a significant contribution to the business outside of their key responsibilities e.g. as a reward for new business leads or work on projects which are so outstanding they end up being nominated for an industry award. An added perk of working on an award-winning piece of work is attendance to a glamorous awards dinner.

Hanover regularly sends their employees on secondments, in order that they can learn a more holistic view of their role. Currently they have a number of people working on short to medium-term secondments within their clients, e.g one of our Account Directors has just completed a 6 month secondment with Sky. He spent Mon - Weds every week at their office, working with the government affairs team on projects worked on by their agency. He has learned so much as a result of his being 'on the other side' and in a few weeks will be delivering a Lunch & Learn to his colleagues to share his experience. Every 2 months the company also send junior members of the team to their office in Brussels, where they learn about EU politics, get a tour of the European Parliament buildings, meet clients locally and build relationships with their colleagues in this office. Social activities are woven into the schedule and they stay in a furnished apartment within minutes of the office, and sightseeing trips are also offered to those who are not familiar with the city.

Bilfinger GVA provide support to employee's development in many different ways; in the last 12 months they have fundamentally overhauled their training principles, they have driven the training to relate to their values and beliefs and in parallel carried out a gap analysis of training requirements. There are three examples worthy of note that they have created recently and rolled out across the business: Firstly, the introduction of career pathways into the business, allowing clarity of expectations and how individuals can progress within the organisation; secondly, the release of a CMI (Chartered Management Institute) Level 5 accredited leadership programme for middle management, and lastly; a new graduate training programme for their graduate planners; as part of this programme they engaged with both past and present graduates and partnered with the RTPI to establish a training programme to be used as a standard across the industry, this training programme was recently recognised at the annual RTPI awards by being nominated and winning the governing body's Excellence Award.

Bilfinger GVA's people care passionately about the communities they live in and every year collectively and individually they take on a variety of amazing and inspirational challenges in the name of charity. A number these initiatives include: Raffling the reception flowers every Friday, charity dress down days (Pretty in Purple, Comic Relief, Jeans for Genes, Wear it Pink, and Xmas Jumper Day), charity events such as; Breakfasts, Raffles, Quizzes, Back to School, Land Aid and Rainbow Fun Runs, Three Peak Challenge, Children in Need, Bike Rides, Moon Walks, Nightriders, Tough Mudders, Shawn the Sheep Charity Trail, Shwop at Work and Brave the Shave to name a view. They work with local communities on specific community schemes; an example of this is where 13 volunteers from their Glasgow office helped out with the gardens at their local Robin House children's hospice. They collectively contributed over 70 hours of time to transform the grounds in time for the hospices special memorial weekend, they also have a number of senior managers who give their free time as school governors, business coaches or confidents to SME businesses.

The company provides a company-wide health shield plan that is available to all staff. Health Shield is an award winning friendly society and market leading provider of health cash plans and health and wellbeing benefits. The cash plan can be used by children of the employees and includes benefits such as: food and entertainment, gifts, dental, optical, shopping etc.

Guidance Marine Ltd supports employees in participating in charitable initiatives within the community and matches any money that is raised. Guidance Marine Ltd was the largest financial contributor to a local Leicestershire school through supplying and fitting solar panels on the school premises. Guidance Marine Ltd has also previously provided reading material for a school in Brazil showing their intention to help projects both in the UK and abroad.

Grass Roots' has a learning platform which holds sections dedicated to programs which support their manager's development. There is a curriculum of workshops; insights; webinars and various materials, as well as a toolkit of activities the managers can use to engage, develop and inspire their teams. A separate pathway supports those people who aspire to be a manager at Grass Roots'- providing them with the skills and knowledge before they are promoted into a management role.

Grass Roots' has a learning platform which holds sections dedicated to programs which support their manager's development. There is a curriculum of workshops; insights; webinars and various materials, as well as a toolkit of activities the managers can use to engage, develop and inspire their teams. A separate pathway supports those people who aspire to be a manager at Grass Roots'- providing them with the skills and knowledge before they are promoted into a management role.

The managing director at Global Payments holds quarterly huddles whereby all employees gather and he provides updates on key business activities, good news stories, personal achievements and upcoming projects. At the end of each huddle, the floor is opened for questions and the Managing Director along with members of his team will answer any questions posed to them from the rest of the staff openly and honestly.

The managing director at Global Payments holds quarterly huddles whereby all employees gather and he provides updates on key business activities, good news stories, personal achievements and upcoming projects. At the end of each huddle, the floor is opened for questions and the Managing Director along with members of his team will answer any questions posed to them from the rest of the staff openly and honestly.

At Gerald Eve LLP they seek to enhance the wellbeing of their employees physically and emotionally, both inside and outside of work, and help them plan for their future. To aid their employees financial wellbeing the company run tailored financial education sessions by age group to assist them with each stage in their life - this financial education strategy has been nominated in two awards ceremonies this year for best Financial Education Strategy. In conjunction with the education strategy Gerald Eve LLP provide benefits that help their employees through life events such as moving home. They are one of few employers who provide an interest free Rental Deposit Loan to staff which can especially help graduates when moving to a new city. To enhance their employees physical welfare, employees have access to private medical insurance and wellness days so they can understand their key health metrics and seek advice on them. The company's private medical insurance provides incentives and assistance to stop smoking and to become healthier. The wellbeing of staff is of the upmost importance to the firm and their policies and practices are designed with this in mind. A bi-annual Firm Away day demonstrates this commitment by enabling all employees to meet each other, get to know each other outside of the office and build relationships, cementing the values and culture of the organisation that promotes and enhances our employees wellbeing.

The senior management team at Gerald Eve LLP demonstrate the company values on a daily basis through their approachability and engagement with all staff. The company has an open plan office, with no separate offices for senior management ensuring they are open and friendly to all. Managers regularly visit all offices to ensure a consistent message of 'one firm' is felt by all. The board at Gerald Eve LLP host 'Breakfast with the Board' sessions in which small groups of employees are encouraged to give open feedback and ask questions, promoting the values of Integrity, Respect and Friendliness. Senior management are actively involved with clients on a day to day basis, again demonstrating the company's values of Trust and Integrity. The company display excellence in the quality of their work and dedication to going the extra mile for clients. All of Gerald Eve LLP's values permeate the behaviours and actions of all staff and are embedded in the processes and operations of the firm.

At Genesis Associates they ensure that employees in business support have the relevant qualifications and training required to ensure all processes run smoothly and efficiently, 2 examples of this being the learning and development/HR manager completing their CIPD and the Talent Acquisition Manager completing their PTLLS in order to enhance their skills set to training. Both funded by the business and provided with paid time off to study. At Genesis Solutions they also have a learning and development manager who provides a 4-8 week focused induction training programme for new employees, in conjunction with consistent training taking place on an ongoing basis for additional requirements/ refreshers for existing employees. Upon transitioning from the training academy each trainee is provided with a one to one mentor to continue assistance with their development and act as a one to one support. The company also conduct monthly review meetings with each employee where a needs analysis is conducted in order to ensure all training and support requirements are being met. There is also a competency based assessment in place for when employees qualify for promotion. Genesis Associates utilize an e-learning library accessible to all employees suitable from Trainee to Director level accessible 24 hours a day. There is an external course provided to future leaders and current managers to enhance their skill set and transition into a new role. There is also external programme training provided such as Broadbean where businesses come in to train employees on their direct product for optimal utilization. At Genesis Associates they implement PIP- ‘Personal Improvement Plans' these are designed for employees who are behind in terms of targets or competency development level.

First thing every Monday morning at Genesis Associates an activity is carried out based on interaction and communication, this could be a quiz, a team drawing activity or a team model building activity. The company run frequent individual team building events including dinners, lunches and team incentive rewards. At Genesis Associates they have inter-team competitions such as the ‘Premier League', based on performance as a team, a Premier League ranking is updated on a weekly basis with the top team being rewarded, this encourages team members at Genesis Associates to work together in order to achieve a weekly goal. There is external and internal training in place to help employees achieve as best as they can. At Genesis Associates they have away days where the whole office will undergo training or skill development in an alternative location, they mix up all of the teams to ensure full office integration. The company like to go Go-karting where employees are put into teams of 2 from different sectors of the business for a mini tournament, this encourages team communication and interaction. There is a reward and recognition group- this provides employees from different areas of the business the opportunity to interact and work together. At Genesis Associates they use the feedback from meetings to generate projects for employees to work on in small teams, helping again to integrate employees from different areas of the business enhancing cross team interaction and communication.

With a nurturing ethos that supersedes any sense of hierarchy in the business, the senior management team at Gemini People are committed to leading the company through collaboration, fun, inspiration and integrity. They hold Friday wrap-up meetings for the whole company, where they publicly recognise the week's best efforts in the office. They are the first people in the office each morning and the last people to leave at night, they hold regular cross-team meetings, where they share client information and they also run a host of training courses to up-skill everyone in the company. They are always the first to be involved in Gemini CSR initiatives, they have an open door policy and are always there to talk to. The senior management team at Gemini People also lead by example and are the top performers in the business. They would never ask a team member to do something they wouldn't do themselves (even clean the kitchen on their team's day on the rota!) and they frequently use WhatsApp as a quick way to chat about any issues their team members have out of hours.

With a nurturing ethos that supersedes any sense of hierarchy in the business, the senior management team at Gemini People are committed to leading the company through collaboration, fun, inspiration and integrity. They hold Friday wrap-up meetings for the whole company, where they publicly recognise the week's best efforts in the office. They are the first people in the office each morning and the last people to leave at night, they hold regular cross-team meetings, where they share client information and they also run a host of training courses to up-skill everyone in the company. They are always the first to be involved in Gemini CSR initiatives, they have an open door policy and are always there to talk to. The senior management team at Gemini People also lead by example and are the top performers in the business. They would never ask a team member to do something they wouldn't do themselves (even clean the kitchen on their team's day on the rota!) and they frequently use WhatsApp as a quick way to chat about any issues their team members have out of hours.

Freedom Finance has a charity committee. The committee holds various activities and competitions where all proceedings go to their chosen charity, St Anne's Hospice. At the end of each month they hold a dress down day where employees have to pay £1 to participate, the event has proven to be extremely popular with employees. Employees have participated in the Manchester Midnight Walk for St Anne's Hospice and also helped and attended a Quiz Nights and Bake Sales. Other events that staff have organised for another charity called Brainwave are a sponsored 5k run, fancy dress days, and formal dress Wednesdays. Freedom Finance holds an annual event called Freedom Festival, which is run across the entire workforce for their chosen charity. The activities that were in this year's festival included mangers participating in several events across the week such as limbo, races and treasure hunting events.

Manager's competency is assessed so that bespoke training and development can be provided on a regular basis with checks to ensure quality. L+D works to support managers by regularly assessing their training and coaching skills, providing feedback and development to improve this. Managers attend induction training to embed the vision and values and lend valuable context to their work across the business. L+D works hard to coach managers to provide the best feedback, support and development utilising a sports coaching methodology, ensuring that all staff at all levels of the business can expect the same consistent level and format of support. Lead Advisors are supported on their unique development path by L+D Managers to ensure their vision of a new career in management is fulfilled.