What are companies doing with regards to 'My Company'

Given the diverse nature of the Clyde Group and its distinct companies, different managers will have different approaches, but each manager/director ensures they have weekly/monthly meetings with line managers. Through the Intranet and Bi-yearly newsletter they also look to highlight individual and company achievements.

All employees upon successful completion of Probation are offered the chance to enter the BUPA healthcare scheme with the Group paying the majority of membership costs. Staff also have the option to include members of their immediate family at a discounted cost, providing them with peace of mind and in many instances, allowing them to recognise and successfully treat serious illnesses, found due to regular health checks. The Group has also authorised members of staff to form a Slimming Club using company premises and communications platforms to promote and encourage healthy eating and exercise.

THT are renowned for their variety of fundraising and social events, many of which are attended by well known TV personalities and other celebrities. Many staff have the opportunity to volunteer at these events. The last such event was the charity's annual gala dinner where many staff enjoyed mixing with the cast from Eastenders and other TV actors. The selection for these events is done on a rota basis, so that, in time, many get the opportunity to dress up and enjoy the spectacle.

Managers have open and honest relationships with their staff so that personal issues and work life balance can be discussed. These form part of management induction to insure that managers understand the need to be flexible while still delivering the service that they are contracted to do. There is also mandatory 'Managing Diversity within your Team' training to equip managers with the skills to manage a diverse group of employees in an effective and reasonable way. Team Meetings have a set agenda which includes feeding back Charity messages to their staff. This is also encouraged in Supervision meetings. Managers also encourage their staff to attend any extra workshops where they will receive such information. There is a Daily News Bulletin sent to all staff highlighting THT news (internal, external and where they have featured in the press). Every Friday there is a magazine style Friday Post highlighting Fundraising events and other news. Charity messages are cascaded at both the Staff Involvement Committee and in Team Meetings.

Telecom Plus Plc does not have formal pay grades, individuals can be rewarded with above standard pay increases or where work has been exceptional, with Company Share Options. Whilst every employee upon starting is issued with Company Share Options, exercisable after three years, those who have performed above expectations can receive bonus Share Options. These Share Options are known to be a highly valuable benefit and is a meaningful way of rewarding and incentivising members of staff. The Company also has an Employee Recognition Awards scheme, whereby peers or line managers can put forward someone for going above and beyond the call of duty, for approval by the Management Team. Winners are celebrated on the Wall of Fame and in the Company Newsletter 'OINK!' and receive shopping vouchers. In addition, at the Christmas Party there is an ERA Grand Raffle, and last year, the First Prize was a three day trip to New York, staying in the Waldorf Astoria, with $500 of spending money!

The company's Management Team is accessible and approachable, which they believe accounts for their levels of staff engagement. A fun example of this was their Valentine's Cup Cake Day, all for Make-A-Wish. Members of staff could pay to put forward a Director of their choice to deliver a cup cake and personalised message to their Valentine. All day long the Directors, and particularly the company's CEO, could be seen running up and down the stairs, with cupcakes in hand, flourishing messages!

Steer Davies Gleave realise that the most valuable, and therefore, respected assets are their PEOPLE. That is why they put so much importance in a company-wide learning and development programme that helps their people to be the best they can be. The L&D programme not only includes professional qualifications, but also handmade internal workshops given by consultants for the company's consultants. They have developed a sophisticated online system, whereby any member of staff can preview all the forthcoming workshops and seminars and can elect to attend. Many of these workshops take place during lunch (with lunch!), so learning can be done quickly and efficiently, without eating into evenings or even needing to leave the building. All of the seminars and workshops are recorded by video and can be viewed via the company's intranet system. They also have a network of video conferencing systems, that enable any member of staff from home or another office to be part of the workshop.

The main focus of wellbeing initiatives at Steer Davies Gleave, centres around EXERCISE. The company realises that the success of the company depends heavily on the productivity and performance of staff, and they have seen for themselves that their health and wellness initiatives achieve lower levels of absenteeism, increased productivity and a happier healthier people. They introduced a series of sports initiatives that could be participated in during office hours and on-site, thus making it easy for staff to take part. They run weekly yoga classes in the board room, have lunchtime football, netball and badminton in outdoor spaces near the office, and have a lunchtime aerobics class. They even supply equipment for all of these sports including yoga mats, footballs, net balls and bibs. All of the sports activities are either free or heavily subsidised. The company even added four showers in the building, supplied free clean towels and shower products so employees had somewhere to get clean afterwards.

The St Jude Medical Employee Forum has been established for 18 months as a vehicle for staff and management to have an open discussion on any topic that has an effect on the business and personnel. The Forum membership is represented by every area of the business and the members actively seek topics to raise at bi-monthly meetings. The company also have informal surveys which are issued to solicit anonymous feedback on specific matters or events for consideration and implementation of initiatives, which have been beneficial to SJM. In addition, all staff are encouraged to raise issues and discuss with managers as well as colleagues, the employee forum rep or mentor. By relocating everyone to completely unfamiliar and unusual surroundings, the SJM office staff were invited on a boating experience day to discuss the way the office is branded and perceived, how individually and collectively they work and how things could improve. Fresh, open and honest discussions were had, an alternative mission for the office staff was agreed upon.

St Jude Medical UK Ltd supports employee development by their Performance Development Review (PDR) process. They have two PDRs each year – one mid-year and one at year-end. The aim of these are for the employee and their line manager to discuss the achievement of objectives, establish new goals moving forward and openly address career aspirations. As part of the company's effort to continuously improve processes, they recently tasked a working party with the responsibility of revamping the PDR documentation. They maintain the company's five key performance factors (Customer Focus, Delivers Results with Integrity, Teamwork, Initiative, Personal Involvement) but use a role profile matrix to standardise performance expectations for each role. The company rolled out a training programme equipping individuals with the procedural knowledge and preparation requirements required to maximize the output of the PDR. Following the year end PDR, they produced a development database where they detail each employee's short term and long term goals and objectives.

SRLV have a number of different ways of listening to employees. They find that the combination of different methods works well, these include: a virtual suggestion scheme, an anonymous suggestions box, an intranet where information and news are posted on a daily basis and a Staff Forum which meets on a monthly basis.

The company employs an individual part time who has severe learning difficulties. Her time at SRLV enables her to have an income and a certain amount of independence that she would not have otherwise.

An annual conference takes place in quarter one each year, where ‘Superstars' are announced at an Oscars style ceremony. Individuals are nominated by their colleagues and recognised for their high performance or going the ‘extra mile'. The awards ceremony creates buzz and excitement as well as allowing colleagues to raise their profile.

An annual conference takes place in quarter one each year, where ‘Superstars' are announced at an Oscars style ceremony. Individuals are nominated by their colleagues and recognised for their high performance or going the ‘extra mile'. The awards ceremony creates buzz and excitement as well as allowing colleagues to raise their profile.

The Sporting Index Group believes that by developing their employees, they are able to show reward for exceptional performance. They pride themselves on having many managers who have been promoted within the organisation. The company provides support, coaching, training and encourages exposure to areas of the business which employees are interested in. A recent example was an employee within the technology team being asked about their career aspirations in their annual review and they said they would like to move into an area which was client facing. The company arranged a mentoring scheme between the employee and a client facing manager to help the employee gain exposure and experience in the area, with a view to gradually developing their skills so the employee could move into the new area of the business.

On a company wide level, The Sporting Index Group part-fund the annual pool (snooker) competition which is available to all employees. The company organises participants into random groups, which ensures there is a mix of employee from different departments and different levels. They provide venue hire, food, drink and there is also a prize for the winner. Half the company normally takes part, with others attending as spectators. Other company wide social events include a golf day, a poker night, a cake sale and a darts competition. They also have regular pay-day drinks at a local pub where the HR team have been known to take on the Directors team at pool.

Sport Wales uses two ‘unique' ways to engage with employees, listen to their ideas and seek their feedback: Yammer and Champions. Yammer was introduced to the organisation to encourage staff to share what they are working on in an effort to encourage collaboration, and to also bring staff together across the various regions in Wales. All staff (including Senior Managers) post updates and documents actively seeking feedback from colleagues and ideas to help produce a finished document, and to ensure it is the best it can possibly be. Staff are given the opportunity to read and respond to the update, and there is also the opportunity for staff to edit other people's documents in ‘real time' on Yammer to further collaboration. Sport Wales staff are all offered the opportunity to be part of a Champions network. The network have a work programme aligned to the Senior Management Team's priorities, and one on the areas that the group work very hard on is to seek two-way feedback/communication with the Senior Management Team regarding new ideas and giving feedback. The Champions are very effective in providing responses to new initiatives and providing further ideas that will help programmes. They also seek ideas and feedback from outside the network, regularly providing temperature checks from the rest of the organisation.

Sport Wales produces a staff magazine, Clubhouse, and in each edition staff have the opportunity to nominate a colleague who they feel has ‘gone the extra mile' within their work. As part of the nomination process staff have to detail what their colleague has done to warrant going the extra mile and what the outcome was. Comments are included from the nominee's line manager about their performance as well as a member from the Senior Management Team. A Staff Awards ceremony has been introduced, where people can nominate their colleagues for outstanding work towards the Vision.

Every year the company holds a week of staff conferences to which all staff are invited for a half day session. With a staff of 657, this works out at conferences of approximately 80 people. The senior Management Team attend every conference and with such a diverse workforce, the conferences are designed to be entertaining, engaging and inclusive. The format ensures all staff have an opportunity to work directly alongside members of SMT and the occasion is used to reinforce the vision and values of the Company. This gives staff an opportunity to express their views directly to the SMT and come up with ideas for improvement.

South Tyneside Homes are not only a social housing provider but are actively involved with the local and wider community they serve. The company is a leader and ambassador for engaging with young people from the borough. By engaging with young people they can gain a better understanding of their needs and requirements whilst passing on information about the services we provide and what the opportunities of employment are within the company. One such initiative is the "Eco Challenge" which is now in its fourth year. The inititave has been very successful as it encourages young people to get involved and its also links in with the school learning curriculum at key stage 3. This years challenge was to plan a development in an open space. Each team was given the challenge of planning, designing and developing improvements for an estate somewhere within the North East of England.