The people at Gore have a deeply held fundamental belief in the potential of individuals to be creative, solve problems, and exercise judgment and initiative. Their freedom principle succinctly captures the essence of their philosophy of development. They want to encourage associates to grow and to maximise their true potential. Embedded in that wording is the assumption that the ultimate responsibility for an associate's development lies with the associate. The role of other associates, including sponsors and leaders, is to encourage and support the associate in their efforts. Within Gore, they do not have pre-defined career paths or roles that ensure associates' success. Associates must find their own path that enables them to maximise their contributions to the enterprise. Ultimately, the contribution process is the primary determinant for measuring an associate's overall contribution. Associates can grow in a variety of ways. Once established, they can increase their "depth" - become experts in a certain specialised field or they can increase their "breadth", assuming broader responsibilities within the enterprise. The journey for each associate is dynamic and may change over time, but key is the idea that they should all encourage each other in a path of development that helps each individual associate to succeed, increase their ability to contribute, and thereby help the enterprise succeed.

W L Gore & Associates have a lattice structure which means that they have no hierarchy and can go directly to whoever they want /need to talk to with feedback, or questions and using a range of media. This seems like a simple answer, but it works. There is no need to ask permission and it is just a natural every day occurrence for them to challenge decisions, share ideas, seek clarity on strategy. No need for secret suggestion boxes, they support open communication instead. The company teaches listening and communication skills so that the direct communication is not confined to those who are eloquent.

As a charity, Victim Support's purpose is helping victims find the strength to move on after crime. The work that they undertake focuses on giving back to local and wider communities by providing support to victims and witnesses of crime. Since Victim Support first began in 1974, they've helped well over 25 million people affected by crime. Over the last year we, they made almost 74,000 visits to see victims; made more than 1,167,700 phone calls to talk to victims of crime; organised 45,800 pre-trial and 124,034 on-the-day court visits to help witnesses prepare for giving evidence; supported 26,700 witnesses who were vulnerable or intimidated witnesses and identified a further 15,600 people who they felt needed special help at court. Delivery of their services depends on the skills, knowledge and time of their volunteers, supported by their employees. They have over 6000 volunteers undertaking work for Victim Support. They invest in development for their volunteers through training. This is imperative for delivery of frontline services but for many volunteers it also gives them access to skills which will support them in their wider life, whether in paid work roles, whilst studying or as life skills that they can use every day. In the last year they also launched their first apprenticeship programme and are currently supporting apprenticeships for circa 7 paid apprentices; supporting them to gain valuable skills that we hope they will be able to continue to grow and develop with Victim Support.

In London locality Victim Support invited each of the divisions, the National Homicide Service, Locality Head Office, the Victim Care Unit and Supportline to nominate a member of their team to join a new communications working group. The purpose of the group is to act as a forum in which to engage with the London locality staff by acting as a channel of communication between senior management and staff regarding organisational concerns and issues; providing an opportunity for the participation and involvement of staff in developing an action plan in response to the findings of the employee engagement survey; discussing and agreeing actions to address areas for development identified through the survey and taking forward agreed actions with a view to seeking feedback from the respective teams. Meeting at least every two months, the communications group is popular within the locality. As a direct result of engagement with staff, the group have introduced several new initiatives including a work place shadowing scheme and a new London locality newsletter. Members of the group meet with their respective teams and divisions and provide a channel of two way communication whereby matters can be discussed and fed back to the group. Victim Support has also introduced monthly summaries of their senior management team meetings where staff are invited to raise any issues or concerns with their respective manager. Any matters raised are guaranteed to be discussed and considered at the next relevant senior management team meeting and are responded to accordingly.

This year Updata Infrastructure introduced the Employee Assistance programme which offers a helpline where employees can speak to an experienced counsellor, legal representative or qualified nurse 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. This provides around the clock advice and counselling on matters such as, emotional issues, bereavement, relationships, health concerns, healthy living advice, alcohol/quit smoking advice, debt/money matters and landlord/tenant disputes. Employees also receive access to the Worklife Solutions website where you can gain access to help on a number of topics including: relationships, family, home, bereavement, finances, sickness, disability, retirement, change, workplace conflict, working as an expatriate, work-life balance, stress, nutrition, smoking, drinking, ill health, physical health and healthy heart. The Healthy Living website includes an online health coach, Heath Matters E-Zine and information on an extensive range of health related topics. Employees can set personal fitness goals and track their progress online. Finally, employees can take an online assessment, generating their own ‘Q' score, understanding the impact that their lifestyle is having on their health. There is also an area for line managers providing management tools and advice. In addition to this, the company have launched an income protection scheme, the policy will provide 65% of base salary until the age of 65 should an employee become medically incapable of performing their duties. This takes the stress and worry out of any long term sickness situations for the employee.

This year Updata Infrastructure introduced the Employee Assistance programme which offers a helpline where employees can speak to an experienced counsellor, legal representative or qualified nurse 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. This provides around the clock advice and counselling on matters such as, emotional issues, bereavement, relationships, health concerns, healthy living advice, alcohol/quit smoking advice, debt/money matters and landlord/tenant disputes. Employees also receive access to the Worklife Solutions website where you can gain access to help on a number of topics including: relationships, family, home, bereavement, finances, sickness, disability, retirement, change, workplace conflict, working as an expatriate, work-life balance, stress, nutrition, smoking, drinking, ill health, physical health and healthy heart. The Healthy Living website includes an online health coach, Heath Matters E-Zine and information on an extensive range of health related topics. Employees can set personal fitness goals and track their progress online. Finally, employees can take an online assessment, generating their own ‘Q' score, understanding the impact that their lifestyle is having on their health. There is also an area for line managers providing management tools and advice. In addition to this, the company have launched an income protection scheme, the policy will provide 65% of base salary until the age of 65 should an employee become medically incapable of performing their duties. This takes the stress and worry out of any long term sickness situations for the employee.

Unruly offer spot ‘superhero' bonuses to team members who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. These £1000 bonuses are given each quarter to nominated employees. Managers globally are given the opportunity to nominate Unrulies for a superhero bonus, and these nominations are reviewed by the executive team to ensure senior Unrulies are aware of special contributions team members have made. In addition to monetary rewards, Unruly provide a mentoring programme which partners team members based on skills, this is not about hierarchy, it's about subject matter experts providing support to team members seeking development in this area. If someone has delivered wow in a spectacular fashion they are given a pair of tickets to an exclusive film preview, hosted by the NSPCC in Mayfair. This helps the company to reward Unrulies who have delivered wow and to share the love with the NSPCC. They always try to make sure their most dedicated Unrulies are given lots of high profile networking and speaking opportunities, which have included lunches at #10 Downing Street, appearing on stage at the Barbican theatre, industry leadership dinners and invitations to the opening of the market at the London Stock Exchange.

Unruly offer spot ‘superhero' bonuses to team members who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. These £1000 bonuses are given each quarter to nominated employees. Managers globally are given the opportunity to nominate Unrulies for a superhero bonus, and these nominations are reviewed by the executive team to ensure senior Unrulies are aware of special contributions team members have made. In addition to monetary rewards, Unruly provide a mentoring programme which partners team members based on skills, this is not about hierarchy, it's about subject matter experts providing support to team members seeking development in this area. If someone has delivered wow in a spectacular fashion they are given a pair of tickets to an exclusive film preview, hosted by the NSPCC in Mayfair. This helps the company to reward Unrulies who have delivered wow and to share the love with the NSPCC. They always try to make sure their most dedicated Unrulies are given lots of high profile networking and speaking opportunities, which have included lunches at #10 Downing Street, appearing on stage at the Barbican theatre, industry leadership dinners and invitations to the opening of the market at the London Stock Exchange.

What works really well at the Ultimate Finance Group is the fact that there appears to be no political agenda by any member of staff. If people identify an opportunity the management will review and regularly support employees allowing them to deliver and drive their own personal development. The company seeks to promote from within allowing personnel to develop without leaving to a competitor or third party.

What works really well at the Ultimate Finance Group is the fact that there appears to be no political agenda by any member of staff. If people identify an opportunity the management will review and regularly support employees allowing them to deliver and drive their own personal development. The company seeks to promote from within allowing personnel to develop without leaving to a competitor or third party.

Their appraisal process is robust; it encompasses 3 elements: 360 feedback from colleagues and clients, self review and the appraisal meeting with the manager. Embedded into the appraisal process is a ‘training needs analysis' where they identify where gaps exist in employees knowledge/experience and they aim to fill those gaps with recommended training, be it external/internal training courses, mentoring, job shadowing, etc. They have approved and supported most training requests; ranging from short courses, degree courses, right through to MBAs. The appraisal process is focused on enhancing professional development by encouraging all employees to consistently deliver results, capitalise on successes, learn from failures and grow in their position.

Human Resources has been given full responsibility to take appropriate action following the results from the survey. Firstly they plan to communicate the overall results to all. Where appropriate, they will run focus groups to dig deeper and gain insight on the areas that they will work together to translate the results in more concrete action plans. A senior member of the team will be assigned to take ownership of each area. Employees will be given updates on a regular basis on how these things are progressing. They will also take notes on the areas they scored well in and ensure these are maintained and enhanced further.

Trustmarque Solutions combine a corporate and individualised approach to employee development, to focus on both immediate and career-focused needs. They are currently supporting a number of employees through professional qualifications which will enable them to progress in their career path, but will also enable contribution at a higher level in their current role. They have also designed a “Solution Sales Professional” programme for all those in account management, which covers both general sales skills and the specifics of selling their services product set; this combination of product and skills training equips individuals to do their current role, but also enables them to progress through a sales career structure. A similar development plan that mirrors this programme is in place for the Commercial Department, combining Partner and Marketing teams in the organisation and numbering 20 employees. A modular programme of training and accreditations will incorporate generic content together with specialist modules (on topics such as video case studies, content generation and digital marketing) for advanced skills development. This provides a structured, needs-driven programme of training and opportunity for development for the entire team.

All teams have an annual budget for smaller team events which have been used for a whole host of activities that range from karting to chocolate making. In addition, Trustmark hold an annual team building weekend called “Kick-Off”. This involves strategy presentations, motivational speakers, workshops, a team building activity (this year, a GPS treasure hunt), dinner, dancing and awards. The organisation find this to be a very effective way of setting their direction for the new financial year, thanking employees for contribution in the previous year, and developing cross-team relationships. For example this year the organisation chose to launch a “living the values” session at the annual Company Kick-Off event. Employees from all departments across the business were divided into groups and, for each value, asked to work in their teams to select an appropriate quote; a benefit to the organisation; a benefit to the individual; and a group commitment to live that value. Trustmark felt that it was important to involve employees to work together and across departments, outside of their usual working teams, to define what the values meant for them, and to truly bring these ideas to life within their workplace environment.

Michael WB, TRO's managing director, joined TRO 18 years ago as a seasonal event executive. Everyone at TRO appreciates that Michael started at the bottom of the ladder and has worked his way up through a series of well-earned promotions to join the board and subsequently become the MD. Michael's style of operation, his decisions, actions and overall involvement in the business are hugely influenced by his organic development. Staff feel a great respect for his achievement; they have empathy for his views because he has been where they are and covered the ‘hard yards'. Furthermore, they are inspired by the thought that TRO is the kind of place where internal development is encouraged, as evidenced by Michael. It is because Michael knows his way around every single job within the business and because his natural style is open and accessible that TRO staff find him easy to deal with.

Michael WB, TRO's managing director, joined TRO 18 years ago as a seasonal event executive. Everyone at TRO appreciates that Michael started at the bottom of the ladder and has worked his way up through a series of well-earned promotions to join the board and subsequently become the MD. Michael's style of operation, his decisions, actions and overall involvement in the business are hugely influenced by his organic development. Staff feel a great respect for his achievement; they have empathy for his views because he has been where they are and covered the ‘hard yards'. Furthermore, they are inspired by the thought that TRO is the kind of place where internal development is encouraged, as evidenced by Michael. It is because Michael knows his way around every single job within the business and because his natural style is open and accessible that TRO staff find him easy to deal with.

Triodos Bank continually gives something back to the local and wider community through their very existence and business model. They only finance organisations that can demonstrate a positive impact on the environment, society and culture around them locally and globally. Through their lending and customer relationships, co-workers and customers are aware of their local and wider social engagement and impact. The point is it's part of their DNA as opposed to a CSR exercise. As such, they find that both co-workers who are already socially minded, and those who are less so, after spending time working at Triodos almost become more engaged with their local and broader communities simply by osmosis. Community participation, engagement and social impact by co-workers is encouraged, and supported by the bank though away days, social events, customer visits. Their co-workers take part in local sporting teams pitched against other organisations. Many co-workers volunteer at local organisations, and their procurement processes seek to use local, community and/or fair trade suppliers where possible, for example the twice-weekly local organic fruit delivery, the fair-trade tea and coffee supplied for co-worker and visitor refreshments.

Triodos provides a variety of ways to support co-worker well-being. They provide free organic fruit supplied by one of their customers for all co-workers to help themselves. They have a £50p.a. well-being allowance for all co-workers. This can be used towards anything to do with the co-worker's well-being and can be attuned to their interests, for example it has been used for gym membership, massages and bike equipment. They have internal clubs/societies where like minded people can get together and share a passion, such as their book club, craft club and netball club. They have begun lunchtime learning sessions where co-workers can learn a new skill in their lunch break. Their recent lunchtime learning is over an 8 week period -1 hour per week and involves 20 co-workers exploring the 8 Habits of Happiness. This is run by a positive psychologist from the Happy City Initiative. This is the first time such a course has been run at an organisation level so they are pioneering new ground with Happy City. Future planned activities involve learning languages, musical instruments, crafts, and being a DJ! These lunchtime learnings will all be run by their co-workers, who are keen to share their skills.

A memorable event is the annual weekend away, where in the past have visited Malta, Portugal, Jersey and Spain. In September last year they took the whole company away for the weekend to Chewton Glenn hotel in Hampshire. This is of course optional and they had an attendance of 120 people last year. The hotel is a beautiful 5 star hotel set in the New Forest where they hired the whole complex for 2 nights. The weekend included transport to the venue from London, a team building treasure hunt on Friday afternoon, a BBQ in the evening, a company meeting on Saturday morning followed by more team building events, personal time where people had options to do activities such as falconry, golf buggy racing, massages, swimming, archery followed by an evening three course meal and disco. It was a fabulous weekend enjoyed by all and they have received great feedback. They allocate £100 to this event on an annual basis and are very proud to be able to provide this for their employees.

A memorable event is the annual weekend away, where in the past have visited Malta, Portugal, Jersey and Spain. In September last year they took the whole company away for the weekend to Chewton Glenn hotel in Hampshire. This is of course optional and they had an attendance of 120 people last year. The hotel is a beautiful 5 star hotel set in the New Forest where they hired the whole complex for 2 nights. The weekend included transport to the venue from London, a team building treasure hunt on Friday afternoon, a BBQ in the evening, a company meeting on Saturday morning followed by more team building events, personal time where people had options to do activities such as falconry, golf buggy racing, massages, swimming, archery followed by an evening three course meal and disco. It was a fabulous weekend enjoyed by all and they have received great feedback. They allocate £100 to this event on an annual basis and are very proud to be able to provide this for their employees.