What are companies doing with regards to 'My Company'

Civica UK Limited reward employees by giving them awards, C Star Points and thank you boxes.

The company seek to enhance the wellbeing of employees by offering EAP Service Fresh Fruit, wellbeing days and a wellbeing workshop.

At CIPD they firmly believe in the correlation between employee engagement and employee wellbeing. They hold health and wellbeing events twice yearly where they engage with the community and invite local businesses offering complimentary taster sessions for their products and services. This ensures staff have the opportunity to focus on their personal well-being both inside and outside of the workplace. These days are well attended by a cross section of staff as they work hard to provide something for everyone. Alongside this, they also arrange free of charge influenza vaccinations for all staff who wish to have them on site and offer staff eye care vouchers. Another aspect of how they try to enhance the wellbeing of their employees is by offering all staff every day a free lunch. These are freshly made on site and very balanced and varied.

Our Values are Purposeful, Agile, Collaborative, Expert (PACE) and the Senior Management Team role model these by setting clear direction for their teams, meeting regularly with their teams and direct reports, seeking feedback and input on a range of organisational activities including on their own behaviours and being accessible. For example, the senior team meet every month with their direct reports to discuss strategic priorities and get input and then cascade these discussions to the wider business and their commitment to digital developments is led from the top and promotes agility. On a daily basis, senior directors promote a non-hierarchical and friendly culture by interacting with staff at all levels, eating in the staff café, walking around the building to speak to people and participating in online staff chats.

Matt Barlow hot desks around the office, deliberately working his way round various departments, ensuring he gets to engage with all staff members. He does not even have his own office, and simply books a meeting room if he needs to work on something confidentially. Matt and John also operate an open door policy, both literally and metaphorically. Their email addresses and phone number are posted on the Intranet and anyone can pop in or book some time through their PAs. This is regularly encouraged and Matt also hosts Munch with Matt. This is a regular monthly lunch time slot in his diary when staff can join him for lunch and raise any issues or ideas in an informal setting – ensuring that staff are making the most of his open door policy. Matt also writes a regular blog on the Intranet, often inviting direct response, either in person or via email. On a social level all staff are invited to Matt's house for a meal. He holds these regularly, with priority being given to new staff, or those he has not connected with for a while, but all staff have the opportunity of joining him for one of these meals. Both Matt and John also make a habit of using the staff break room and joining teams for lunches or staff birthday celebrations. Matt also makes sure to enter the staff pool and table tennis tournaments, alongside joining in with social events.

CAP reuse scrap paper. Many of their employees car share and are encouraged to do so. They have switched to energy-efficient hand dryers. They switched to Mac minis from PCs as they were more energy efficient. They also have a “sleep” policy for the computers at night, as with Mac minis the difference between “sleep” and off is negligible. CAP have an ethical action team (EAT) for all environmental issues. Matt Barlow, their Chief Executive is part of this team. They have implemented a number of charity-wide environmental awareness days, educating and informing employees of how they can become more environmentally friendly in their work and personal lives. Matt Barlow is also leading a consultation into environmental travel to work. They also ensure that their tea, coffee and biscuits are all Fair Trade.

ChapmanBlack took the entire company away for a "Summer Holiday" team building weekend. This was a weekend stay at an adventure activity ground in Suffolk. The guys spent the day on activities such as working together as a team to navigate swamps, transport liquid from one area to another as fast as possible without spilling any, abseiling and zip wiring. A lot of ChapmanBlack's incentive trips are based on individual performance, rather than the performance of the team so the winners often go with a mixture of people from the company which they find really beneficial in bringing different parts of the business together. Regularly as a company, ChapmanBlack go out for drinks. They find this, as a young company, to be the most effective way of bringing people together. They have a bar in their office as well and provide drinks for people there on a Friday before everyone goes out together. ChapmanBlack let their employees take the lead in the activities that they want to do. They don't believe in "enforced fun" but they try to act as facilitators to the needs and desires of their employees.

Senior Management at ChapmanBlack demonstrates their commitment to the values of the organisation through everything that they do. Every member of the Senior Management Team has come from inside the company and they would not have got to the position that they are in now, without demonstrating the values that the company holds dear. Their attitude every day is the best daily practice they use to demonstrate their commitment to the values of the company. ChapmanBlack have a strong ethos around leading by example, which sees senior managers prepare to, for example, mark up a Whiteboard with gridding tape or create a PowerPoint document; there is no job too small to not apply the values of the company to. This willingness to "get their hands dirty" and to perform even the smallest task with excellence, is the best daily practice.

During transition, Stephen Bell, the Chief Executive, has managed to maintain a consistent leadership style. Time is prioritised to attend every corporate induction not only to outline his vision but also to engage with new starters about their previous experiences and feelings about joining Changing Lives. He also attends every national staff council meeting. He champions the involvement of all employees in generating ideas and suggesting improvements. Stephen Bell remains highly visible, visiting each of their 38 projects at least once a year and spends time with not only managers, but also colleagues and service users. He also takes retiring employees for lunch. Stephen Bell is highly committed to encouraging the employment of ex service users into employment aiming to increase the levels from 26% to 33% in the next three years.

In order to consolidate in times of change, as well as prepare for future growth, Changing Lives recognised the need to develop the senior leadership team to become more strategic in the running of the organisation. They therefore embarked upon a journey to develop their leadership capability. This involved a number of key initiatives. Firstly, they recognised the need to clarify exactly what skills, knowledge and behaviours are required at every level of management. So, they developed a Management Skills Matrix setting these out from the level of executive director to team leader. They also redefined the authority levels that each level of management should have in the various facets of their work. Recognising that to enable their senior people to progress, they needed to upskill the managers below them, Changing Lives are now in the process of developing a Project Manager Development Programme which will be launched in January 2015. Each of their senior team has had a personal profile completed through Insights, aiding greater self awareness and enhancing understanding of others to assist in really effective team working. They are also taking part in individual development reviews, involving 360 degree feedback from a range of both internal and external colleagues. Each will then have a personal development plan, which will encourage the use of coaches and mentors, shadowing, taking on projects out of their usual remit as well as formal training.

In line with their company vision, mission and values, they have developed the monthly 'Value Champion Award' which can be for an individual or a team. The latest award was given to a cross discipline team of individuals for their sterling efforts in implementing their new account; Houses of Parliament. They received fantastic feedback from the client about the way in which they worked together and demonstrated the value that the Chambers brand portrays. Each staff member was given a £50 voucher, an award and dinner with the CEO. Their pictures now take pride of place on the 'Value Champion' board on the company wall - alongside previous Value Champions. At the bi-annual staff conferences, staff are recognised and rewarded across a wide range of disciplines and categories for work ethics, performance and going that extra mile.

The CEO, owner holds quarterly breakfast meetings with pre-selected staff which change for each event, so they can share ideas, be recognised etc. The CEO has an open door policy and all senior management work in their respective areas in an open plan office amongst their teams which creates an environment of sharing and invaluable discussion. The COO asks for feedback, news and ideas for the monthly company update which goes out electronically to all staff.

Cerner via First Hand Foundation gives back to community as much as possible. First Hand Foundation does various fundraising activities such as internal cake sales, movie nights to associates entering competitions such as Tough Mudder and The Strongest Man. There is also First Hand Foundation Football series and last but not least The Three Peaks Challenge. All the physical challenges resonate Cerner's efforts, as a health company, to keep associates healthy and active. Funds raised go to qualifying individual cases that have been referred to First Hand Foundation or on regular basis to Stephen Hawking School for children with profound and multiple learning difficulties where they primarily fund Sensory integration therapy that would otherwise not be available at the school. The company have also done a couple of nonmonetary activities - The Buddy Bag programme, which provides and helps children begin the process of restoring a sense of security and safety into their lives easing their transition through tough situations. The bags provide children with belongings they can call “their own”. The Christmas Wish Tree for Stephen Hawking School where the school identified appropriate gift for each child, this got then transferred onto a little card, put on a little Christmas trees around the office and each associate could pick up the card and buy a particular present for a particular child. All the presents were delivered to the school for their last assembly before Christmas.

Over the course of the year the company have put together a small working group to engage on this topic. They have spent the first half of the year: - reviewing the data - planning key actions - working on Org Clarity - Diving deeper on a number of topics. The second half has been undertaking key actions that help move the meter on Engagement.

Along with regular team meetings, the firm holds an annual employee communications event, which features presentations from the partners and senior managers. Amongst the topics covered are the performance of the various fee earning departments, information on future plans for the business and strategic projects. There is a question and answer session with employees being able to put forward questions and suggestions to the partners leading the discussions.

Carey Olsen has a multi stranded approach to underpinning the well being of its employees. This includes the security of a comprehensive employee benefits package with gold standard private medical cover, permanent health insurance, on site gym/gym membership subsidy, free eye tests, annual flu jabs, free fruit, the most modern IT and workstation equipment to name a few. There is a collective strength in all these elements which gives employees a security that the firm cares about their well being both inside and out of work. These tangible aspects are enhanced by a management focus on flexibility and understanding particularly when employees may be experiencing difficulties in their lives. The firm offers an employee assistance programme through UNUM and internal counselling and support where this is needed.

Accessibility to the executive and senior management is seen as essential to the culture within Calyx. As such, none of the executive or senior management have their own office. Everyone works together in one open plan environment. All senior management are expected to attend social events with staff. Staff are actively encouraged by the CEO to seek out and question management about decisions or issues that they want better to understand. The reward scheme, which is agreed by the executive team, is based on which member of staff has best demonstrated the values of the company.

Accessibility to the executive and senior management is seen as essential to the culture within Calyx. As such, none of the executive or senior management have their own office. Everyone works together in one open plan environment. All senior management are expected to attend social events with staff. Staff are actively encouraged by the CEO to seek out and question management about decisions or issues that they want better to understand. The reward scheme, which is agreed by the executive team, is based on which member of staff has best demonstrated the values of the company.

Annually C P Hart canvass all of their people and ask what charity they would like to support. This year, they voted for Scope. As a result, events have taken place throughout the year with the company matching contributions made. Their people make suggestions all year as to events they would like to host. So far they have supported every suggestion to help raise money for their charity. Events have include keepy uppy, Jenga challenges at their Summer BBQ, sandwich and cake sales, Guess the weight of the cake, Steptember Challenge, HQ and Showroom BBQ's, Christmas Raffle. C P Hart also support individuals raising money for their own charity, by allowing them to ask for sponsorship and posting information on noticeboards and the bulletin. C P Hart publish their achievements and any funds raised in their weekly bulletin. If one of their people supports a team or club outside of work hours, they will sponsor them to enable them to purchase uniforms or equipment that they need. Recently they had a team that took part in a charity football event, in which the company paid for the kit.

C P Hart have always had a training budget, even through difficult times they believe the development of their people is paramount and integral to the business. Their bespoke training academy at their Waterloo showroom provides their sales people with support throughout their career from new joiners to their top sales people. They provide a structural learning programme supporting them through different stages in their career, along with external product training, and visits to manufacturers/suppliers in the UK and Europe. Their sales and non sales teams, have the opportunity to take up an apprenticeship scheme in partnership with their training providers and are encouraged and supported to complete their programme to gain numerous qualifications. They also offer apprenticeships to young people within their local area, and currently have two apprentices at present and are looking to take on more when suitable vacancies become available. Individual development needs are identified through 1-2-1 meetings. This can be provided through formal training, mentoring or being a buddy for a new joiner. They will even support their people if they need an external qualification such as AAT in accounting. C P Hart have a succession plan in place, and will look to see if any of their people are suitable for the vacancy before looking outside of the business, promoting from within wherever possible.