Pride Powers Performance

Christmas Party – it will always be top of the list. It is the event that all the staff look forward to.. We are City based and well aware of the fall in the number of companies holding Christmas parties over recent years. The MD of the company is proud to buck this trend, feeling that a party to show their appreciation, showcase success and say thank you for your efforts is not a luxury but a must. Year on year it is the most talked about event in the office with excitement building up weeks in advance. The company pays for food, drink and a DJ so all can let their hair down. In keeping with the family ethos of the company partners are also invited to come along and enjoy the festive cheer. Inevitably the budding singers who work for us provided some of the entertainment on the night which is always a highlight.

Christmas Party – it will always be top of the list. It is the event that all the staff look forward to.. We are City based and well aware of the fall in the number of companies holding Christmas parties over recent years. The MD of the company is proud to buck this trend, feeling that a party to show their appreciation, showcase success and say thank you for your efforts is not a luxury but a must. Year on year it is the most talked about event in the office with excitement building up weeks in advance. The company pays for food, drink and a DJ so all can let their hair down. In keeping with the family ethos of the company partners are also invited to come along and enjoy the festive cheer. Inevitably the budding singers who work for us provided some of the entertainment on the night which is always a highlight.

Caerphilly County Borough Council recognises that its employees are its most valuable asset and as a result it is strongly behind looking after the health and well-being of its employees. This is evidenced by the fact that the Corporate Management Team (CMT) are fully behind health and well-being initiatives and receive quarterly updates on the strategy, progress and initiatives that the Council runs. An Employee Health and Well-being Group has been established to develop and progress the strategy across the whole of the Council. The representatives of this group are cross Directorate and include representatives from the Council's recognised trade unions. High level briefings have also taken place to all Senior Officers within the Council, so that they have not only been made aware of the Employee Health and Well-being strategy but have also been briefed on the Corporate Health Standard. Another initiative to show how seriously the Council believes in the employee health and well-being agenda is the fact that all employees have been given time off during working time to attend employee health and well-being events.

Caerphilly County Borough Council is leading the way in the UK by offering hundreds of young people the opportunity to join an ambitious Apprenticeship and Training programme. Over the past year alone more than 230 young people have signed up to the popular scheme as a work placement, apprenticeship or trainee, helping them get onto the career ladder and gain valuable work experience. The scheme, called the 'Caerphilly Passport Programme' offers a journey for individuals through the various tiers of development. There are 4 tiers in total ranging from unpaid placements to paid employees at a graduate level in specialist areas such as social work, environmental health, ecology or waste management. The authority is working closely with a number of providers including the Job Centre Plus to bring more people through who are unemployed to help them find sustainable employment. Caerphilly County Borough Council is keen to further develop the Passport Programme and provide potential opportunities for young people in the area to be able access quality work placements and training opportunities that can lead to positive outcomes.

Within their learning and development programme, Business Stream put a strong focus on developing leadership skills and nurturing the talent and potential of their existing staff. Over the past three years, 58 people have been on the Talent Stream training programme and this year they introduced an eLearning portal to give even more staff access to development programmes. Business Stream also introduced a two-year management trainee programme called the Business Stream apprentice. The apprentice gives four individuals the opportunity to rotate across all the functions in their business, gaining insight into how Business Stream works from every angle. They also receive training and development, mentoring from senior management and coaching throughout.

Within their learning and development programme, Business Stream put a strong focus on developing leadership skills and nurturing the talent and potential of their existing staff. Over the past three years, 58 people have been on the Talent Stream training programme and this year they introduced an eLearning portal to give even more staff access to development programmes. Business Stream also introduced a two-year management trainee programme called the Business Stream apprentice. The apprentice gives four individuals the opportunity to rotate across all the functions in their business, gaining insight into how Business Stream works from every angle. They also receive training and development, mentoring from senior management and coaching throughout.

Browne Jacobson's aim is to give their people what they want and need! However, their experience is that interventions have the best chance of success if they work with ideas put forward by the departments themselves. After all, they are in the best position to understand what they need. The creation and implementation of the firm's development frameworks is a classic example of this. One of the company's departments approached them with a request to help its solicitors understand what they needed to do at each stage of their career to be successful in that role and prepare themselves to move up to the next level. From that discussion was borne the development framework, a type of competency framework designed to provide a clear and consistent structure for the skills, knowledge and behaviours required by their people, focusing on the four key skills areas the business needs, personal effectiveness, management and leadership effectiveness, business effectiveness and technical effectiveness.

In addition to the thousands of pounds raised over the years by their people through activities such as jeans days, raffles, donations at the annual Christmas carol concert and firm quiz, profits raised from book and CD sales, clothing collections and sponsored events, Browne Jacobson has established the Browne Jacobson Charitable Trust which is funded by the partnership and enables employees to apply for grants for their chosen charities. In the last financial year, ended April 2012, they have distributed £12,000 to worthy causes across the Midlands.

At 5 and 10 years service BIU send staff on luxury holidays.

BIU provide subsidised gym membership, free fruit, sports clubs and counselling helplines.

British Gas' people enjoy regular opportunities to air their views on subjects important to them. Working as a team to address the issues raised is essential to maintain good workplace relations. To create a culture of ongoing feedback, the company not only coach their managers but also have more formal feedback processes in place. Their annual engagement survey gathers feedback from right across the organisation. The survey has developed over the years and now really focuses on those factors they know drive their people's engagement.

British Gas' people enjoy regular opportunities to air their views on subjects important to them. Working as a team to address the issues raised is essential to maintain good workplace relations. To create a culture of ongoing feedback, the company not only coach their managers but also have more formal feedback processes in place. Their annual engagement survey gathers feedback from right across the organisation. The survey has developed over the years and now really focuses on those factors they know drive their people's engagement.

June 2012 saw another of Boxwood's legendary Summer Fun Day weekends – a sociable and fun weekend to thank their employees and their families for their effort and support during the year. This year the company took over Tylney Hall in Hampshire and managed to dodge most of the rain! The highlights were: a treasure hunt in the grounds of the hotel for the children, whilst ‘grown-ups' sampled fine canapés and champagne in a fantastic walled-garden, a fantastic hog-roast and BBQ accompanied by live entertainers – a roving magician, caricaturist, Barber Shop Quartet and late-evening live music. Even the ‘little ones' were kept entertained later with their own movie room before being swept away to bed by the babysitters. On Sunday they had an event-packed day of fun including: hovercraft racing, Segways, bunjee trampolines, bouncy castles, cake decorating, canapé making, face-painting - to name but a few! After a lazy lunch and more activities, families then made their way home on the Sunday afternoon.

June 2012 saw another of Boxwood's legendary Summer Fun Day weekends – a sociable and fun weekend to thank their employees and their families for their effort and support during the year. This year the company took over Tylney Hall in Hampshire and managed to dodge most of the rain! The highlights were: a treasure hunt in the grounds of the hotel for the children, whilst ‘grown-ups' sampled fine canapés and champagne in a fantastic walled-garden, a fantastic hog-roast and BBQ accompanied by live entertainers – a roving magician, caricaturist, Barber Shop Quartet and late-evening live music. Even the ‘little ones' were kept entertained later with their own movie room before being swept away to bed by the babysitters. On Sunday they had an event-packed day of fun including: hovercraft racing, Segways, bunjee trampolines, bouncy castles, cake decorating, canapé making, face-painting - to name but a few! After a lazy lunch and more activities, families then made their way home on the Sunday afternoon.

The company held its Annual “Celebrate Your Success” event which celebrated and recognised training achievement and individual staff development. This event was attended by over 200 staff who undertook a variety of training programmes ranging from customer services to professional cookery. Staff who attended the event were addressed by the Managing Director who personally thanked each member of staff and awarded certificates to mark their achievements. The Celebrate Your Success event was also attended by a representative of the Pubs Federation who emphasised the importance of the Companies' reputation, not only within the trade but also in the wider community in which it operates. Attendees at this event had the opportunity to meet staff from different areas of the business and to see for themselves, how they as a staff team which is responsible for the continued success of the Company. Feedback from staff in terms of the “Feel Good Factor” has been excellent and it has resulted in an increase in morale as demonstrated in this year's annual survey.

Long service awards - This is an annual event which rewards and recognises staff contribution through long service, loyalty and commitment. At the annual Long Service Awards Banquet, Botanic Inns recognises 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years service, through the awarding of additional holidays, presentation jewellery, holidays and cash rewards. This event is attended by staff receiving the awards, their partners and the Senior Management Team. To recognise the importance of this event and to emphasise the contribution made by staff, the Lord Mayor is invited to say a special word of thanks and to underline the part that staff play, not only toward company success but also to the community in which they work.

Visitors to Boots' Support Office in Nottingham are greeted by a “Hall of Fame” that extends along numerous walls. This shows the names and faces of the hundreds of their colleagues in the Stores, Support Office, Logistics teams and Opticians who have been recognised for their exceptional performance. The achievements of these individuals and teams are celebrated annually at the company ‘Best of the Best' awards and whilst not everyone in the business can attend these events, Boots make sure everyone gets to hear about their achievements through cascades and magazine articles that follow soon afterwards helping showcase the great work that goes on across their business.

In 2012 thousands of Boots' colleagues and customers all over the country took part in events to raise money and awareness for Macmillan Cancer Support. These events included climbing mountains, running marathons, a virtual cycle ride from Nottingham to Monaco on exercise bikes, walking Hadrian's Wall and the Welsh coastal path. Their ambition is to cover 290,000 miles – one mile for each person diagnosed with cancer every year in the UK. Macmillan's Big Walk at Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire on 8 September was Boots' biggest event yet. They promoted the walk through a variety of communications, including an invite from their CEO and donated £10 for every colleague who signed up. Over 1,400 people took part, including the entire Executive team. Over 50 Boots colleagues helped as volunteers.

Bolton Lads and Girls Club have created a Staff Forum, which has a representative from each department and ensures the majority of employees have the opportunity to influence change within the Club.

Bolton Lads and Girls Club ensure all managers have sufficient skills to conduct professional and productive supervisions and formal reviews, which are used to track an individual's needs, development and career ambitions.

Managers undertake a formal bi yearly review and have regular performance conversations to ensure that the objectives remain specific, realistic and achievable based on the individual team members' roles. These formal reviews are documented and completion is reported to the BMS Group Board. BMS performance management process includes the setting of SMART objectives to ensure that what is expected from their employees is realistic and achievable. The completion of these objectives is linked to the bonus reward to recognise those that have performed well.

BMS introduced a number of new Well Being initiatives in 2012 and these included the subsidised funding of a well being activity and an annual health assessment. The comprehensive health assessments were held on site and each employee received a personalised health report giving the overall status of their well being and advice and recommendations on appropriate individual health targets and ways to maintain or improve their health. Both options were well received and take up was higher than anticipated. The activity funding was attractive because it allows individuals to do an activity of their personal choice rather than being limited to gym-based options and the health assessment was attractive because it was convenient to schedule in a welcoming environment and only took an hour out of the employee's day.

Bibendum run regular group discussions which are chaired by the Managing Director. These sessions are open forums for a small group of employees to ask questions and make suggestions. A lot of their developments over the years have come about as a result of these sessions such as an increase to the holiday allowance and the introduction of long service awards. The MD has an open door policy and genuinely encourages employees to speak to him whenever they want. Bibendum run a series of values workshops where a group of employees goes away for a few days to discuss the company values and how they affect the day-to-day lives at Bibendum. These workshops are great ways of getting feedback from employees and as a result a number of group-led initiatives have emerged such as reworking the employee reward programme.

Bibendum run regular group discussions which are chaired by the Managing Director. These sessions are open forums for a small group of employees to ask questions and make suggestions. A lot of their developments over the years have come about as a result of these sessions such as an increase to the holiday allowance and the introduction of long service awards. The MD has an open door policy and genuinely encourages employees to speak to him whenever they want. Bibendum run a series of values workshops where a group of employees goes away for a few days to discuss the company values and how they affect the day-to-day lives at Bibendum. These workshops are great ways of getting feedback from employees and as a result a number of group-led initiatives have emerged such as reworking the employee reward programme.

Reward for performance is a key facet of the remuneration strategy and therefore there is an opportunity for each employee to achieve a significant amount of their annual compensation through commission on sales. This is, however, a fairly rigid scheme and does not really achieve the relevant in company recognition desired. In order to address this the business has for some years run an annual incentive. This is launched each year at the annual conference and takes the form of the top ten employees/managers going on an all expenses paid overseas trip for four nights. The purpose of this trip is to engender healthy internal competition, create a high achiever business forum - one day of the trip is devoted to a business improvement workshop and recognise performance within the business. Every employee, whether in sales, administration or management is included in this incentive and there are regular monthly updates as to how each employee is doing against their objectives. For the first time in 2012 Berkeley Scott also introduced a silver and bronze level to reward individuals who over performed but did not make the overseas trip. This involved cash prizes and extra holiday days and was extremely well received

As a company Berkeley Scott strives to ensure that all of its employees are set challenging targets to get the best out of them, that are both realistic and achievable. The Managers of the business are given the autonomy and freedom to set their own financial targets, budgets and Key Performance indicators, which are benchmarked internally across the parent company and then externally across the sector. All managers are encouraged to operate an open door policy to facilitate open and approachable relationships with their teams. The Managing Director has individual 1:1s with each employee at least twice a year, to ensure that they have a clear understanding of how they feel within their role, which is then cascaded to the managers.

To encourage BCM employees to report safety violations or close calls. They incentivise a periodic reporting system by raffling £100 every 4 weeks.

To encourage BCM employees to report safety violations or close calls. They incentivise a periodic reporting system by raffling £100 every 4 weeks.

Project teams regularly complete volunteering activities in their local area to give back to the communities BAM are working within. e.g. BAM Plant redevelopment of a school playground into a beach themed play area.

Project teams regularly complete volunteering activities in their local area to give back to the communities BAM are working within. e.g. BAM Plant redevelopment of a school playground into a beach themed play area.

Avanta has a monthly team-based incentive scheme that seeks to reward employees collectively for achieving increases in performance. The main aim of the scheme to increase the number of job starts that can be sustained into claimed outcomes and sustainments. Each branch is set a monthly target based on a benchmark of their previous three months' performance. Performance is measured by the number of job starts, including first and subsequent jobs, as well as the number of starts on the Enterprise programme. In each of the five regions, the branch that demonstrates the highest level of improvement against their benchmark will receive the incentive. Measuring improvement on performance means that small branches have an equal chance of winning compared to their large branches. Each eligible member of a winning branch will receive £400.

In November 2011 Avanta held a Managers Conference for all Line Managers across the business. It was at this event when they officially launched their new vision and values, thus it provided the perfect opportunity for the Chairman and Managing Director to be clear about the strategy and the future direction of the business. All the Managers broke out into groups to discuss how they would practically implement the vision and values. This enabled the Managers to think creatively and share ideas with their peer group. Avanta also had an external motivational speaker at the conference, who spoke about their personal journey, to inspire their Managers to strive to excel in everything they do. In the evening the Senior Leadership team hosted a dinner and dance for all the delegates. This was particularly enjoyable, as the Managers were able to socialise outside of business hours and network with their peer group from different parts of the organisation.

Astbury Marsden think it's important to continually invest in their people to equip them with the skills to always be at the top of their game. The company have been recognised with a Bronze Investors in People award.

This year, Astbury Marsden top billers were rewarded for their hard work with an all expenses paid trip to Ibiza. The group left the office on Friday morning for their flight to Ibiza. They stayed in the world renowned 'Pacha Hotel' and were given free entry to the VIP area of a number of clubs. The next day was spent lounging on the beautiful beaches of Ibiza and was followed up with a delicious meal in one of Ibiza's most exclusive restaurants. As usual, the people on the trip said it was one of the best weekend's of their lives, you can't ask more than that!!

As an organisation asb law are committed to the well being of their people. This is apparent by their very effective family friendly policy which allows for flexible working/homeworking/flexi hours. Over the past two years every flexible working requests received have been granted and many of their people work from home or work an informal flexi hour arrangement. The company recruit part time employees, which is unusual in the type of environment they work in and have a sabbatical scheme to support those individuals who wish to pursue other interests for a period of time. They also offer first class benefits including a health care cash plan, which focuses on supporting their people for common ailments/conditions, provided for all staff. Cover can also be extended, at cost, to their families. A significant proportion of staff also have private medical insurance. The company encourage and support a variety of sporting activities from badminton, to 5-a-side football, to beach volleyball and operate a ‘Cycle to work' scheme.

Andrew Clinton, who has been with the firm for 22 years is a highly respected commercial litigator in his own right. He became the managing partner in 2006. His management style is open and egalitarian. Everyone is encouraged to ask direct questions at any time and is assured of a straight answer. He works in an open-plan environment and will make time for everyone, regardless of their role within the firm. A true champion of the firm's strategy, Andrew is constantly seeking to refine and develop the company's approach to market and the delivery of their services to ensure that asb law remain a sustainable, successful enterprise.

The Leader of the organisation is open and approachable to all staff. He is passionate about their business, the history of it and the capability of his staff to continuing building the business globally.

The staff and company as a whole are very committed and work hard but due to the flat management structure, everyone can see what Armajaro do and what they are striving for. If you have an idea, you are encouraged to share it.

Arcus employees are wholly involved in projects concerning upgrading homes for various Housing Association clients. In this respect they are an integral part of providing decent affordable homes for people across the UK. Each employee also has the opportunity to volunteer for a charity of their own choosing for one day each year to help and support in any way they want. Offices are able to take a working day out to support specific initiatives in their local community if there is something they want to get involved with. Arcus have signed up to ProHelp which allows Arcus to commit their professional time as Project Managers, Architects, Building Surveyors and Cost Managers to making a difference in their local community by providing free advice and professional support. For example, we gave 250 hours of professional time to assist the development of a Community Centre and Synthetic sports pitch in Droylsden, Manchester. The centre will be used by various community groups as well as providing a learning centre for local adults and others within the community.

Clive is accessible to all staff and still has a hands-on-approach to projects, working side-by-side with staff and clients to keep him fully in-touch with their needs and requirements. Clive makes a special effort to 'walk the office floor' to find out about staff on a personal level and to foster a family atmosphere throughout the organisation. Clive leads from the front and is the official communicator for both good and bad news demonstrating his leadership approach focussed on openness and trust. He is the first to send emails congratulating staff on their promotion or individual efforts in gaining awards such as NVQs, MRICS and MSc.

Appsense hold fortnightly round ups - in person in the UK office - where between 3-6 people will stand up and give a brief 'round up' of key news/activities/thanks etc. to all staff. After this the company expect and get feedback, questions and suggestions from staff on what could be done better either fed back directly to the people standing up or through the senior management team.

In the UK Appsense hosted their kick off in July which was attended by the majority of the UK employees and the EMEA/ROW staff. It was a great day despite the rain - a very competitive afternoon of their own version of the Olympics followed by a wild west night and the first ever presentation of long service awards to staff with 10 years service. It was an emotional and highly motivating event.

The staff obtain direct bonuses linked to profits which encourages quality work in a legal environment. They also offer discretionary bonuses for superior work. Finally, smaller items are rewarded with recognition in the firm's magazine and the giving of a bottle of champagne.

The staff obtain direct bonuses linked to profits which encourages quality work in a legal environment. They also offer discretionary bonuses for superior work. Finally, smaller items are rewarded with recognition in the firm's magazine and the giving of a bottle of champagne.

AmicusHorizon state their people constantly challenge them as an organisation to rise to the occasion – and what better occasion to rise to than the London 2012 Olympics? Claire, a Customer Service Team Leader at the time, pitched ambitiously that the organisation should hold their very own AmicusHorizon Games. With her appointed panel, Claire raised internal and external funding to make her vision to life. And so the weekend of July 7/8 was a weekend of sporting highlights - the British Grand Prix, the Wimbledon finals, and their very own AmicusHorizon games! Everyone got into the spirit of the day, proving they've got healthy hearts and minds. The AmicusHorizon band provided the entertainment and BBQ refreshments kept everyone's strength up! Thanks went to everyone who attended the AH games and made it such a success – especially Claire. And incidentally, they have now promoted Claire to Customer Services Manager!

AmicusHorizon launched their new talent management programme – ‘Shooting Stars'. The scheme is designed to develop and challenge the organisation's best performing and high potential staff. They put the applicants through their paces at a high energy, challenging assessment centre and recruited the best performers to join the programme. Their Shooting Stars have access to a fantastic range of development activities, networking opportunities, and resources. They get an external coach and an internal mentor from the Executive Management Team. The Shooting Stars get priority on the organisation's Professional Qualification scheme, if there's a certificated programme they want to do. They also get a personal development allowance of £1000 to spend on training events, seminars or conferences of their choice. As if that isn't enough, they're involved in an organisation-wide and/or strategic project! This has exposed them to other areas of the business and more strategic thinking.

Employees have bespoke training programmes devised for their specific job role requirements. These are in various formats, however but follow the ethos of career and personal development. Top Talent is a programme for Consultants to apply for who wish to be promoted to the next level up and devised programme will allow them to gain experience and on the job training and be mentored by colleagues within the organisation to experience what the reality of Branch Managers role is. This development programme is a course to enhance the knowledge and skills of Consultants who based on their current experience and achievements against target are provided guidance and enrichment in their current role whether this leads to promotion to Branch Manager or elsewhere within the Company. Career Ladders is a document provided to all employees to advise them of the expectations in the current role and how they can be supported and what they need to do to get to the next role.

Adecco Scotland contingent hold an awards night each year, this year marking a social event to build team spirit. As well as being a fantastic team building morale night with 95% attendance of the region the team were able to share success with the event being talked about for weeks after. The awards are a mixture of serious and fun events. This was paid for by the company with a budget of £1000 given to each zone.

Add People have various social events throughout the year. One memorable event was in November 2011 a team went Paint Balling. Ideas for the various social events are fed back via consultation with the employee reps committee. It was extremely enjoyable as most of the group had never taken part in paint balling previously, and again working in two teams which were mixed from all the different business areas, it allowed individuals to put a name to a face and get to know others from other departments, which ultimately breaks down barriers and aids communication within the business.

Add People have various social events throughout the year. One memorable event was in November 2011 a team went Paint Balling. Ideas for the various social events are fed back via consultation with the employee reps committee. It was extremely enjoyable as most of the group had never taken part in paint balling previously, and again working in two teams which were mixed from all the different business areas, it allowed individuals to put a name to a face and get to know others from other departments, which ultimately breaks down barriers and aids communication within the business.

Acclaim Housing Group state that due to the dispersed nature of their workforce, often social events are combined with work events. Last year during the Olympics, a number of sport themed events were held, one example being a Family Fun Day in Harborough and Lutterworth. Members of the team took part in traditional sports day activities such as family tug of war, football and sack races. Colleagues really enjoyed spending time together and as this event was combined with a customer event, they valued the opportunity to meet and talk with customers. The organisation's customer services team, who often are at the end of the phone but don't meet customers face to face, really found the experience to be valuable.

Acclaim Housing Group state that due to the dispersed nature of their workforce, often social events are combined with work events. Last year during the Olympics, a number of sport themed events were held, one example being a Family Fun Day in Harborough and Lutterworth. Members of the team took part in traditional sports day activities such as family tug of war, football and sack races. Colleagues really enjoyed spending time together and as this event was combined with a customer event, they valued the opportunity to meet and talk with customers. The organisation's customer services team, who often are at the end of the phone but don't meet customers face to face, really found the experience to be valuable.

Absoft continue to commit to graduate recruitment and development. They have taken on 10 graduates over the course of this year and as a management team devoted considerable time and energy into a development programme to support this.

Absoft continue to commit to graduate recruitment and development. They have taken on 10 graduates over the course of this year and as a management team devoted considerable time and energy into a development programme to support this.

Staff have quarterly goals and are rewarded based on their achievement. They consistently receive feedback on their progress and status against goal. Agents are recognised for being "star performers" based on their output and quality. They receive early access to the rota, Amazon gift certificates and publicity on the Forum when they receive "star status."

Everyone is encouraged to take on as much responsibility as they desire and to be accountable for activities within their control. Staff are given flexibility and autonomy and although guided toward reaching agreed goals, are encouraged to find their own way, asking for assistance when needed. Recognise and reward a job well done. Monthly scorecard to provide metric to Agents and allows them to understand their performance against set and attainable goals

3 Monkeys often have fun and memorable social events. Every Friday afternoon, they finish work at around 4.30pm and meet in the kitchen area for drinks and nibbles. It's called TMIF - Thank Monkey It's Friday! It's usually themed and it's a chance to catch-up on what's been happening around the business over the past week. 3 Monkeys welcome all new starters, discuss new business wins and talk through any briefs they are working on to allow anyone to get involved if they so wish. TMIF usually ends up with a group of people moving on to the local downstairs! The Christmas party in December 2012 was an amazing day out. Everyone exchanged their Secret Santa presents, then headed out to Hyde Park to Winter Wonderland. Around lunchtime when everyone all started to get hungry, they were wined and dined at a beautiful restaurant in Covent Garden, had entertainment and then went on to more bars and ended up in a Karaoke bar in Soho!

Angie Moxham, founder of 3 Monkeys, set out to create a culture where people can be themselves. Creativity was free to be expressed and everyone was treated as an individual, not just an employee. Nine years on, those sentiments still guide everything Angie does and this permeates the culture from top to bottom. Angie is accessible to all staff and continues to encourage, inspire and guide the team every day to do the best work, with the best brands and with the best people. Her humanity and humour are as valued as her big brain and her even bigger contacts book.

Sally Hutfield, Director of Operations, was invited to do a 'back to the floor' shift in one of their Direct Access Hostels. Although Sally has 'worked her way up' through the ranks, it's been some time since she's done a night shift as a support worker. When she was invited to 'give it a go' however, she jumped at the chance, booked herself in and rolled up her sleeves. In the end it proved to be a challenging night but a valuable one. Working with vulnerable young people at night in a homeless hostel presents any number of stories and scenarios but Sally rose to the occasion and used the chance to link in with staff there to hear what their issues were, ideas they had and to talk about how things were going or what the wider organisation was doing. Sally keeps a blog on the staff intranet and used the opportunity to write about what she'd been up to. It was brilliantly received and people loved the fact that people 'at the top' were prepared to roll up their sleeves and 'give it a go'. It showed that the senior managers were far from out of touch, knew what challenges were being faced by support staff and still had the skills and understanding to do the shop floor work. It had quite a significant impact on staff as they were able to read about and comment on Sally's experiences.

Manager's main way of monitoring a job well done is through the clients being happy and having good support plans and risk assessments in place. Managers will then recognise this by praising staff, giving recognition at team meetings, through the Talent Reviews and by nominating staff for staff excellence awards. Managers take people's needs and desires into consideration when setting up rotas. For example, if possible they don't roster people on duty on nights they may have regular social activities or ask team members to swap shifts in order to be as accommodating as possible. Managers ensure that staff abide by the Code of Conduct and lay down what is expected in specific services at team meetings and through supervision. They ensure staff understand how they impact on the bigger picture at the Talent Review, where their objectives link to the organisational business plan and their Key Performance Indicators link to the organisational ones.

The provision of a Quiet Room has helped the wellbeing of employees. This is now provided in the Headquarters and the Greenwood Road Centre which contains 90% of the employees. This environment provides a tranquil space for staff to use anytime during their work time to reflect or have some time away from any stressful situations. The Trust has also provided excellent rest facilities for staff which provides free drinks and a place away from desks where they can eat in pleasant surroundings. The Trust has also introduced a no eating lunch at desk policy. This is to encourage staff to take a break away from their work to refuel and re-energise ready for work in the afternoon. The Trust also provides an employee assistance programme and talks on health subjects throughout the year.

The Trust has launched the Willow Futures Academy which provides training and work opportunities for local school leavers and unemployed people. This was set up in response to the withdrawal of the Future Job Funds programme and an organisational need for succession planning especially within the Property Services Department. The academy provides trainee ships, apprenticeships and work opportunities. The Trust with its partners Parkway Green Housing Trust and Job Centre plus provides opportunities for unemployed local people to increase their skills and experience, offer entry to a talent pool whereby they can apply for the work opportunities and placements within the organisation. The Trust has funded this by savings elsewhere in the organisation.

A key message from Jack, the Managing Director shortly follows the fortnightly Senior Management Team meetings to share with employee discussions and decisions made. This promotes transparency and the cascade of important information throughout the Council. He demonstrates through his actions how he wishes to be fairly treated alongside all employees; for example, when the Council tightened up entitlements to payments of car allowances for budget pressures, he relinquished his entitlement to an essential user car allowance and also wrote to the Leader of the Council indicating that because of the economic climate he will not accept any increase in salary for the next 2 years and that, even then, any increase would be subject to the Council achieving its programmed savings for the next 2 financial years.

A key message from Jack, the Managing Director shortly follows the fortnightly Senior Management Team meetings to share with employee discussions and decisions made. This promotes transparency and the cascade of important information throughout the Council. He demonstrates through his actions how he wishes to be fairly treated alongside all employees; for example, when the Council tightened up entitlements to payments of car allowances for budget pressures, he relinquished his entitlement to an essential user car allowance and also wrote to the Leader of the Council indicating that because of the economic climate he will not accept any increase in salary for the next 2 years and that, even then, any increase would be subject to the Council achieving its programmed savings for the next 2 financial years.

At WWF-UK they strive to create an open culture and people are actively encouraged to put forward ideas, suggestions, proposals or problems. As well as having an open door policy where people feel comfortable talking through their views with colleagues, managers and senior managers, people get the opportunity to attend all employee talks at least six times a year where they can ask questions of the senior managers, directors and others in the organisation. They run drop-in sessions with project teams and directors so people can go along and chat through their thoughts and ideas on particular areas of work and/or topical issues. They recently ran a ‘Question Time' event where members of the Management Team answered questions as a panel. They also seek feedback through facilitated workshops and informal networks on key events and issues.

To give back to the wider world, aside from the work that they do as an organisation, they have a wood chip burning boiler installed in their Scottish office which burns FSC wood chip pellets sourced locally to provide hot water and heat. They also have compost caddies at all tea points which are emptied into the wormery to reduce waste sent to land fill.

In addition, RCHL internal trainers make arrangements to customise workshops for individual staff teams and groups to best reflect their needs. Staff may also identify specific external courses that meet a particular need and arrangements are made for individuals to attend for example, National Assistive Technology/Telecare training, Developing Outcome monitoring. They are currently piloting a number of e-learning programmes focusing on core mandatory training, to ensure staff are regularly updated, for example Fire safety, Food Hygiene, Manual Handling Staff that wish to undertake an NVQ qualification in Care must have completed all the relevant induction and developmental training before they will be considered to undertake an NVQ with RCHL. The delivery of NVQs to staff is subject to funds received from the external providers. However, funding the Leadership & Management in Care (LMC) (formerly known as the Registered Managers Award) and NVQ4 in Care will be a priority for the organisation. RCHL also supports and funds the Learning Disability Qualification accredited via the Open College Network, the Leadership in Management and NVQ4 in Care qualifications. For staff who already hold an NVQ Level 2 in Care and wish to progress onto the Level 3. This will be subject to the scheme manager's approval in line with the service development plan. All successful applicants will be given support and guidance for attainment of their care qualification from their approved LSC training provider. Senior Management Team continue to source funding opportunities, with the support of external providers and are committed to staff gaining an appropriate qualification that will meet the organisation's core values and CQC requirements. RCHL are also a recognised training Centre with the Open College Network and have reached the highest standards enabling reassessment to be every two years.

In addition, RCHL internal trainers make arrangements to customise workshops for individual staff teams and groups to best reflect their needs. Staff may also identify specific external courses that meet a particular need and arrangements are made for individuals to attend for example, National Assistive Technology/Telecare training, Developing Outcome monitoring. They are currently piloting a number of e-learning programmes focusing on core mandatory training, to ensure staff are regularly updated, for example Fire safety, Food Hygiene, Manual Handling Staff that wish to undertake an NVQ qualification in Care must have completed all the relevant induction and developmental training before they will be considered to undertake an NVQ with RCHL. The delivery of NVQs to staff is subject to funds received from the external providers. However, funding the Leadership & Management in Care (LMC) (formerly known as the Registered Managers Award) and NVQ4 in Care will be a priority for the organisation. RCHL also supports and funds the Learning Disability Qualification accredited via the Open College Network, the Leadership in Management and NVQ4 in Care qualifications. For staff who already hold an NVQ Level 2 in Care and wish to progress onto the Level 3. This will be subject to the scheme manager's approval in line with the service development plan. All successful applicants will be given support and guidance for attainment of their care qualification from their approved LSC training provider. Senior Management Team continue to source funding opportunities, with the support of external providers and are committed to staff gaining an appropriate qualification that will meet the organisation's core values and CQC requirements. RCHL are also a recognised training Centre with the Open College Network and have reached the highest standards enabling reassessment to be every two years.

We held a staff BBQ on 9th September 2011 that all staff, family and friends were invited to attend. Locally sourced food proved a hit with many coming back for extra helpings. Games and other fun actives were arranged proving for a very enjoyable evening.

We held a staff BBQ on 9th September 2011 that all staff, family and friends were invited to attend. Locally sourced food proved a hit with many coming back for extra helpings. Games and other fun actives were arranged proving for a very enjoyable evening.

Supporting local residents to transform their neighbourhoods through environmental projects such as multi award winning Kingfisher trail project. In the 1960's this 1.75 mile area, known as ‘The Brook' was a place of beauty, where local people would often go to escape the bustle of urban life. Over the last few decades, the area was neglected and it became overgrown and a dumping ground for rubbish. The stream clogged up and became filthy and foul smelling. Four years ago, a group of local residents decided they would bring the area back to the place of beauty it once was. Working with the local community, Trent & Dove Housing, the Heart of Burton Partnership, East Staffordshire Council and Staffordshire County Council, they have achieved a tremendous amount. The area has now been transformed, and is once more a place where local people can come to relax, enjoy and escape from the stresses of urban life.

Supporting local residents to transform their neighbourhoods through environmental projects such as multi award winning Kingfisher trail project. In the 1960's this 1.75 mile area, known as ‘The Brook' was a place of beauty, where local people would often go to escape the bustle of urban life. Over the last few decades, the area was neglected and it became overgrown and a dumping ground for rubbish. The stream clogged up and became filthy and foul smelling. Four years ago, a group of local residents decided they would bring the area back to the place of beauty it once was. Working with the local community, Trent & Dove Housing, the Heart of Burton Partnership, East Staffordshire Council and Staffordshire County Council, they have achieved a tremendous amount. The area has now been transformed, and is once more a place where local people can come to relax, enjoy and escape from the stresses of urban life.

The theme of this October's Senior Management Team Roadshows was the 2020 Strategy, providing staff with the opportunity to hear as well as contribute to the goals and vision of the organisation. Senior Management asked staff what their involvement means to them giving them the chance to be more involved in preparing plans with colleagues on operational delivery. Nine roadshows took place across England in six locations; London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Exeter and Southampton. A survey was also sent out to staff to directly feed into the strategy. After staff consultation over childcare costs, The Children's Society has now implemented childcare vouchers for working parents. They can save parents up to £933 a year. The vouchers are a scheme where staff exchange part of their salary for tax and NI-free childcare. Staff have fed into organisational wellbeing and set out their requirements for good occupational health initiatives. The Children's Society has demonstrated its ongoing commitment to the health of its staff and now offers a confidential, free counselling service available to all staff, volunteers and their families. Many factors, including outside work may increase stress. Help has been arranged for free access to a specialist DAS Counselling Helpline. A voluntary employee discount scheme, Xtras has been introduced with offers spanning everyday essentials such as groceries, fuel, clothing and holidays that could make a big difference to staff's bank balance. Xtras is part of the UK's biggest and most generous employee discount scheme.

The theme of this October's Senior Management Team Roadshows was the 2020 Strategy, providing staff with the opportunity to hear as well as contribute to the goals and vision of the organisation. Senior Management asked staff what their involvement means to them giving them the chance to be more involved in preparing plans with colleagues on operational delivery. Nine roadshows took place across England in six locations; London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Exeter and Southampton. A survey was also sent out to staff to directly feed into the strategy. After staff consultation over childcare costs, The Children's Society has now implemented childcare vouchers for working parents. They can save parents up to £933 a year. The vouchers are a scheme where staff exchange part of their salary for tax and NI-free childcare. Staff have fed into organisational wellbeing and set out their requirements for good occupational health initiatives. The Children's Society has demonstrated its ongoing commitment to the health of its staff and now offers a confidential, free counselling service available to all staff, volunteers and their families. Many factors, including outside work may increase stress. Help has been arranged for free access to a specialist DAS Counselling Helpline. A voluntary employee discount scheme, Xtras has been introduced with offers spanning everyday essentials such as groceries, fuel, clothing and holidays that could make a big difference to staff's bank balance. Xtras is part of the UK's biggest and most generous employee discount scheme.

Fishbowl reward scheme - The purpose of this scheme is to instantly reward behaviour that demonstrates their core CII values and /or shows development of personal competencies. It acts as an incentive as well as a form of recognition. Each department has a 'fishbowl' (lucky dip) containing tokens for a number of rewards such as; cinema tickets, lunch out, half day leave, shopping vouchers etc. A total of 10 rewards are placed in the bowl for each department (and are refreshed as used). When a member of staff is considered, by their manager or department head, to have excelled in demonstrating one of the values through their work, the staff member is invited to pick a reward. This reward scheme runs in addition to the regular bonus scheme and instant recognition (monetary) reward scheme. The scheme has proved popular with both staff and managers being well used with 63 rewards given since the scheme was launched in August 2010. The instant nature of the scheme and the fun and social nature of the rewards marks this scheme out from other rewards on offer in the organisation. It encourages staff to do their best every day and in every part of their work, not just when working on high profile or lengthy projects, and realise that this is recognised and valued.

Fishbowl reward scheme - The purpose of this scheme is to instantly reward behaviour that demonstrates their core CII values and /or shows development of personal competencies. It acts as an incentive as well as a form of recognition. Each department has a 'fishbowl' (lucky dip) containing tokens for a number of rewards such as; cinema tickets, lunch out, half day leave, shopping vouchers etc. A total of 10 rewards are placed in the bowl for each department (and are refreshed as used). When a member of staff is considered, by their manager or department head, to have excelled in demonstrating one of the values through their work, the staff member is invited to pick a reward. This reward scheme runs in addition to the regular bonus scheme and instant recognition (monetary) reward scheme. The scheme has proved popular with both staff and managers being well used with 63 rewards given since the scheme was launched in August 2010. The instant nature of the scheme and the fun and social nature of the rewards marks this scheme out from other rewards on offer in the organisation. It encourages staff to do their best every day and in every part of their work, not just when working on high profile or lengthy projects, and realise that this is recognised and valued.

Taunton School hold an end of year barbecue and farewell drinks. There is also The Armed man Concert at Wells Cathedral for everyone to attend.

John Newton leads with enthusiasm, energy and belief in what Tauanton School do.

St Wilfrids participate in activities promoted by the Dying Matters coalition which aims to promote increased awareness of the need to discuss issues relating to end of life and encourage everyone to plan for this and discuss their wishes and plans with their loved ones. An additional campaign was launched by Help the Hospices this October and Hospice Awareness Week was marked here by an open afternoon with the theme 'Be Surprised'. This event was held to promote better understanding of hospice care as well as encourage members of the public to discuss end of life issues.

St Wilfrids' education department provides an excellent programme of training and development that has a strong reputation for providing end of life care education. All courses here are offered to the external market but are available to employees of the Hospice to attend at no cost to the individual. Each member of staff has an annual performance review meeting with their line manager and training and development will be discussed as part of that meeting and on an ongoing basis through the year. External courses are supported where budget allows and they are also able to apply to Help the Hospices (National membership body for hospices) for professional development grants to support the costs of external courses. All employees attend an annual in house training session and other training is set up in response to identified needs e.g. shop managers have recently been trained in dealing with conflict.

At St Oswalds they believe wellbeing begins with the line manager/staff member relationship, underpinned by a range of support tools that can be accessed by either the line manager or member of staff. Contact and dialogue through one to one sessions and team meetings means that staff wellbeing is monitored on a regular basis. To support this the St Oswalds Staff Support leaflet is issued personally to each new member of staff by the HR Director when they join St Oswalds. She talks through in detail the range of support mechansisms in place to support them during their employment. Two examples are access to complementary therapies delivered by volunteer therapists at very low cost, appointments at end of day to fit in with working patterns, making use of the skills of volunteers. St Oswalds also offer referrals to external counselling with no questions asked about reason for referral so they remain highly confidential. Up to six sessions are offered but can be extended.

Claud Regnard, one of Consultants has just received a Lifetime Achievement award from Help the Hospices - the national umbrella organisation representing the hospice sector. Claud is renowned regionally, nationally and internationally for his expertise in specialist palliative care. He is also known for sharing his knowledge and learning with colleagues within palliative care. Claud has devised A Guide to Symptom Relief in Palliative Medicine, which is used by professionals aross the world, as a bedside textbook. Claud helped establish the UK's first Macmillan Nursing post for people with Learning Difficulty and they pioneered the development of DisDAT (Disability Distress Assessment Tool). It has been validated by Northumbria University and is now used by over 15 LD and mental health trusts, as well as by university research teams. It is included in the Mencap website and has its own website – www.disdat.co.uk In 1999 Claud developed CLiP. CLiP - Current Learning in Palliative Care – is a flexible education programme aimed at healthcare professionals. CLiP is now widely used in palliative care settings. It is available free online at www.helpthehospices.org and has been formally evaluated by Open University, which showed that it is an effective means of delivering learning and improving learning outcomes. Finally, Claud also devised a clinical response to the potential threat of ‘Pandemic Flu', which was shared with other hospices and and subsequently shaped Help the Hospice advice, as his paper was made available online to all members during the Swine Flu crisis in 2009.

St Nicholas Hospice are a charity and many of their social events are linked to fundraising. These activities do bring staff from all disciplines together in either participating in the event or helping or organising. They also hold an annual Christmas review where different departments including the Trustees secretly prepare acts. These are then performed to the whole organisation, patients and volunteers and this year's was another hilarious success.

St Nicholas sets an annual operational plan with clear objectives for each department which should then link to team and personal objectives. Budget setting for the year is done collaboratively with managers e.g. fundraising targets are set by what the team believe they can achieve.

St David's seek to enhance the wellbeing of their employees by offering Occupational Health.

St David's provides free hospice at home care for people with life threatening illnesses in the care of their own home.

The Leadership and Management Development Programme (L&MDP) supports managers to develop their skills and knowledge. This programme provides first line and aspiring middle managers and more experienced managers with the necessary skills to progress within the organisation. This programme has provided the skills and knowledge for managers to move into senior management roles when opportunities arise.

The Leadership and Management Development Programme (L&MDP) supports managers to develop their skills and knowledge. This programme provides first line and aspiring middle managers and more experienced managers with the necessary skills to progress within the organisation. This programme has provided the skills and knowledge for managers to move into senior management roles when opportunities arise.

At RHP they believe true leadership happens in the moment between people and there is no one way of leading. Leadership is about ‘making sense of things' in a memorable way to gain commitment rather than compliance where employees follow willingly with energy, enthusiasm, passion and a sense of ownership. Exceptional managers work hard to bring collective intelligence and develop leaders at all levels within the organisation. Their EMT recognise the importance of ‘keeping it real', being connected and getting help from others. Their egos don't lead the organisation, their sense of perspective, clarity of thought, supporting others by providing a great place to work and creating the environment for people to be successful is what makes the real difference at RHP. This works because they have shared values, openness, trust and respect for other's opinions.

At RHP they believe true leadership happens in the moment between people and there is no one way of leading. Leadership is about ‘making sense of things' in a memorable way to gain commitment rather than compliance where employees follow willingly with energy, enthusiasm, passion and a sense of ownership. Exceptional managers work hard to bring collective intelligence and develop leaders at all levels within the organisation. Their EMT recognise the importance of ‘keeping it real', being connected and getting help from others. Their egos don't lead the organisation, their sense of perspective, clarity of thought, supporting others by providing a great place to work and creating the environment for people to be successful is what makes the real difference at RHP. This works because they have shared values, openness, trust and respect for other's opinions.

Live Your Dream was introduced in 2009 in response to staff survey that indicated people felt there was not enough career development support in place. It encompasses a number of career progression workshops on completing applications, interview skills or managing your career, along with bitesize briefings and work shadowing opportunities and Colleague Swaps to increase cross team working and knowledge sharing. Plus Dane introduced Countdown to Success to offer particular support to those on short term contracts (e.g. an apprentice, maternity leave cover) and it gives the skills and confidence to take the next step in job search whether it is with Plus Dane or another organisations. It is a stretching but supportive programme where participants spend two days building their confidence and appreciation of their own skills and then Plus Dane invite local employers to come to a presentation event where they have the chance to pitch themselves to another employer, gathering feedback on the impression they make. Some apprentices were able to take volunteer work that has led on to new career opportunities.

A raft race and fun day was organised by staff from Plus Dane's Youth Engagement Team and members of Plus Dane's Cheshire Youth Forum. The event took place on 26 August 2011 at Astbury Mere in Congleton, Cheshire. Members of staff also attended as volunteers and also took part in the raft race, including Ken Perry Plus Dane's Chief Executive. The raft race involved teams battling against the clock to build a raft and sail it across the lake as the main event of the day. The race was supervised by water-sports instructors and full safety equipment was provided on the day. As well as the raft race the day included a wide range of family-fun activities, sports and promotions of interest to young people, the event was also opened up to all staff to attend and get involved. The event ended with a BBQ for all those who took part in the raft race, organisers and staff that attended. This is the first time an event such as the raft race has been organised within Plus Dane and proved to be a great success. This allowed staff to take part in something a bit different and engage with members of the Cheshire Youth Forum.

Pembrokeshire Housing Association has held IIP status for over 10 years, and despite growing considerably over the past 3 years, they continue to meet this standard. They are active supporters of L&D and took the decision to appoint two apprentices in 2010. In addition to this they recruited a Trainee Accountant and are committed to supporting them through their ACCA accreditation. Pembrokeshire Housing Association provides support in terms of time off, payment of professional subscription fees, course materials, travel expenses and exam fees. In addition to this, the organisation has study leave for assignments/exams. Pembrokeshire Housing Association have recently been awarded Platinum status by the ACCA due to their commitment and support for learning and development. For those staff who show commitment to their personal development, the Housing Association pay a Learning and Development supplement if they are successful in obtaining a qualification that is not an essential requirement of their role.

Staff are able to access corporate membership of the local leisure centre and this is very popular with individuals. The increased flexibility around working hours helps staff use these leisure facilities and a number of staff exercise, before, during and after work. The organisation pays for level one of the Simply Health scheme, a cash back health savings scheme. They have also introduced a counselling service for staff which provides for up to six free counselling sessions for staff. Pembrokeshire Housing Association have entered into a contract with a local Occupational Health service which provides valuable advice to help support staff remain in, and return to work during illness.

All teams within the business hold regular team meetings to communicate and share information. To combat silo working, teams often invite colleagues from other teams to carry out training and provide updates at team meetings. In addition, managers are required to carry out regular 1:1 meetings with their employees to provide feedback and support. Managers within the Trust also encourage social events such as team lunches, birthday meals and evenings out to celebrate achievements and for fun!

All teams within the business hold regular team meetings to communicate and share information. To combat silo working, teams often invite colleagues from other teams to carry out training and provide updates at team meetings. In addition, managers are required to carry out regular 1:1 meetings with their employees to provide feedback and support. Managers within the Trust also encourage social events such as team lunches, birthday meals and evenings out to celebrate achievements and for fun!

P3's annual management conference had a really beneficial impact on employee engagement last year, impacting not only on the managers and supervisory staff who attended, but this also filtered through to all employees. This annual two day event runs on a theme of all levels of managerial staff being involved in updating and reviewing P3's strategic plan. This ensures that all staff are engaged in the plan and understand its purpose and aims. It also means that their plan is relevant to each team and department on a local level as they have been involved in it from the very beginning. This then follows through to teams through team meetings, feedback events and the JCC so staff are aware of where their service fits in to the plan, and how they can impact, both as a team and as individuals.

P3's annual management conference had a really beneficial impact on employee engagement last year, impacting not only on the managers and supervisory staff who attended, but this also filtered through to all employees. This annual two day event runs on a theme of all levels of managerial staff being involved in updating and reviewing P3's strategic plan. This ensures that all staff are engaged in the plan and understand its purpose and aims. It also means that their plan is relevant to each team and department on a local level as they have been involved in it from the very beginning. This then follows through to teams through team meetings, feedback events and the JCC so staff are aware of where their service fits in to the plan, and how they can impact, both as a team and as individuals.

Octavia Housing set up Octavia Foundation - an independent charity which has been running for many years. The aim of the Foundation is to improve the lives of individuals and communities where Octavia Housing operates. The Foundation operates numerous projects and grant programmes that help to meet one of 5 aims: to engage with young people and children i.e. through award winning media projects, to help with training and jobs i.e. they run an in-house employment and training programme, to involve the community i.e. organise a community festival and Christmas parties for the elderly, to advise on money and debt providing debt advice workshops and welfare benefits advice and support. The Foundation also operates 21 charity shops across London, which takes on volunteers and funds the projects of the charity.

The leadership programme is a very significant move to develop the Directors group and the senior management team. This commenced in May 2011 and is scheduled for completion in April 2012. Broadly, it started with the organisation's vision to ‘create an organisation that tenants really value', provide workshops which have been considering how to live the vision and has included for the first time at Octavia, training on and setting up Action Learning Sets for all participants. Other areas being covered include exploring ways in which to unlock passion, enthusiasm and energy and identifying ways to develop the skills to make it happen. All participants have developed plans for individual projects which they will lead and which are scheduled for completion by April 2012. These should all add value to the organisation but the key objective is to develop leadership skills in tandem with external coaching, which is available from our external facilitator and coach.

The organisation recently won Student Union of the Year and Northumbria Student Union rewarded their staff with a celebration party. This celebration party highlights the hard work that has been put in by their officers, staff and volunteers alike over many years and how exceptional their Student Union really is. This celebration party recognised Northumbria Student Union's ability to deliver for their members and renewed excitement about how they will excel in the future.

We will issue this survey to bench mark oursleves against like for like organisations, looking at the things we do well and areas of improvement.

Norcare Limited has a staff forum and a communication group meeting which allows employees to share ideas and best practice. Norcare also provides staff with the opportunity to raise issues through a confidential blog. Points are noted by the Senior Management Team and the Chief Executive and where required action will be taken.

During the past 12 months, Norcare have held 3 'Big Team Events attended by all Norcare employees. They were: October 2010 - The Big Team Event, June 2011 - Securing our Future, October 2011 - Our People Making A Difference.

As a publically funded organisation NHS Improvement is not permitted to spend taxpayers' money on the provision of social events for staff.

NHS Improvement offers up to nine staff per annum the opportunity to attend and (if selected to present a poster) a major international healthcare improvement conference - this includes funding for travel and accommodation. Staff are required to make a presentation to share their learning to colleagues following their return thereby sharing international news and developments in the field of healthcare. In addition, news and updates of successful initiatives and staff achievements are communicated via the fortnightly staff bulletin, monthly national team meetings and the website in order to recognise staff, to celebrate their success and to share learning.

All staff are contractually obliged to participate in the annual appraisal process and are required as part of peformance review to undertake a minimum of 30 hours of CPD each year. This continues to develop the individual and maintain their subject or relevant area currency. The college appraisal scheme is designed to encourage the member of staff to reflect on their personal contribution each year, to set measurable objectives linked to the development of their area and future business objectives and to identify their training needs which enable the achievement of the objectives. This ensures currency for staff, improves the individual's market worth whilst meeting organisational objectives. Subject and Operational Managers identify the development needs for their areas based on their objectives for the operating cycle. As part of induction, individual training needs are identified for new members of staff. Core competencies are set by the college and new staff are assessed against these to identify early needs.

All staff are contractually obliged to participate in the annual appraisal process and are required as part of peformance review to undertake a minimum of 30 hours of CPD each year. This continues to develop the individual and maintain their subject or relevant area currency. The college appraisal scheme is designed to encourage the member of staff to reflect on their personal contribution each year, to set measurable objectives linked to the development of their area and future business objectives and to identify their training needs which enable the achievement of the objectives. This ensures currency for staff, improves the individual's market worth whilst meeting organisational objectives. Subject and Operational Managers identify the development needs for their areas based on their objectives for the operating cycle. As part of induction, individual training needs are identified for new members of staff. Core competencies are set by the college and new staff are assessed against these to identify early needs.

Mosscare's culture and approach to staff engagement is to: - Consult - Listen - Respond - Act. Following this approach develops the trust of staff and gives them confidence to come forward with ideas and suggestions. Mosscare provide three examples of where this approach to engagement has led to positive change: - in the consultation on their 2011-16 Corporate Plan, a staff member encapsulated the approach of Mosscare with the suggested phrase "Pride in our past and passion for our future". These words resonated with the wider staff group and the boards of Mosscare and Mossbank. They were embraced within one of their strategic challenges and featured as the title to the 2010/11 Annual Report; - Their Mosscare in the Community Day, described later in this submission reflected the innovative ideas and suggestions provided by a range of staff from within the group. The success of the day was to a large extent, due to the belief of staff that their ideas had been taken seriously and were making a real difference and impact bringing benefit to local residents and neighbourhoods; - In 2010-11 a proposed staffing re-structure of the organisation was changed significantly following consultation with staff who responded with positive and constructive ideas for a revised structure which was embraced by the organisation as the best way forward. Success has been achieved through the revised structure.

Mosscare's culture and approach to staff engagement is to: - Consult - Listen - Respond - Act. Following this approach develops the trust of staff and gives them confidence to come forward with ideas and suggestions. Mosscare provide three examples of where this approach to engagement has led to positive change: - in the consultation on their 2011-16 Corporate Plan, a staff member encapsulated the approach of Mosscare with the suggested phrase "Pride in our past and passion for our future". These words resonated with the wider staff group and the boards of Mosscare and Mossbank. They were embraced within one of their strategic challenges and featured as the title to the 2010/11 Annual Report; - Their Mosscare in the Community Day, described later in this submission reflected the innovative ideas and suggestions provided by a range of staff from within the group. The success of the day was to a large extent, due to the belief of staff that their ideas had been taken seriously and were making a real difference and impact bringing benefit to local residents and neighbourhoods; - In 2010-11 a proposed staffing re-structure of the organisation was changed significantly following consultation with staff who responded with positive and constructive ideas for a revised structure which was embraced by the organisation as the best way forward. Success has been achieved through the revised structure.

Luminus encourages all employees to be healthy. Their impressive suite of health and wellbeing benefits include an online personal health management system, subsidised gym membership, pension and non-contributory health plan (recently expanded to employees' children). The company believe the most effective wellbeing tool they have is their flexible working policy. Whether it is offering bank workers term-time contracts, or enabling full-time employees to work around rush hour traffic, everyone benefits from this approach. It also ensures that managers are able to monitor their employees' working hours, ensuring a healthy work-life balance. Employees can accrue time and take up to an extra 13 days leave a year, on top of their already generous leave allowance. For some employees, i.e. those with more than five years service, this can amount to up to 43 days (excluding public holidays). Staff are keen to stay with Luminus because of the interest they take in their health and wellbeing, resulting in: an increase in staff retention level to 96.1% (2009: 88.8%), a 40% reduction in sickness absence to 3.4% (8.3% in 2009), and increased staff satisfaction and motivation as evidenced through their 2010 employee survey results.

Luminus encourages all employees to be healthy. Their impressive suite of health and wellbeing benefits include an online personal health management system, subsidised gym membership, pension and non-contributory health plan (recently expanded to employees' children). The company believe the most effective wellbeing tool they have is their flexible working policy. Whether it is offering bank workers term-time contracts, or enabling full-time employees to work around rush hour traffic, everyone benefits from this approach. It also ensures that managers are able to monitor their employees' working hours, ensuring a healthy work-life balance. Employees can accrue time and take up to an extra 13 days leave a year, on top of their already generous leave allowance. For some employees, i.e. those with more than five years service, this can amount to up to 43 days (excluding public holidays). Staff are keen to stay with Luminus because of the interest they take in their health and wellbeing, resulting in: an increase in staff retention level to 96.1% (2009: 88.8%), a 40% reduction in sickness absence to 3.4% (8.3% in 2009), and increased staff satisfaction and motivation as evidenced through their 2010 employee survey results.

The company's vision statement really sums up what they do - 'No young person or woman, whatever their problems and background, will be without a comprehensive and holistic package of support, until they are truly capable of sustaining an independent and acceptable lifestyle within their chosen community.' Llamau works hard at realising this vision with each and every service user it comes in to contact with. Often service users are referred to Llamau when no other agency will support them due to varying reasons. Their belief is that they can work with almost anyone and will go that extra mile to finding their worth in society. Research: To ensure Llamau continues to develop the most effective services, they are proud to be participating in several research projects. Two of the projects are part of the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme with two Welsh Universities. The organisations are working together in order to improve services at Llamau by transferring research into practice. Developing housing services which reduce reoffending. Llamau has recently undertaken a two year research, strategy and lobbying project to develop effective accommodation services for young people involved in the Youth Justice System.

Llamau operates a core competency training matrix. Clearly listed is the employer's position with regards to employee development. In the last BEST Company survey they won an award based on the principles of how they operate this development programme throughout Llamau.

The company currently have an annual staff focus awards whereby all staff are able to vote for staff and tenants for specific awards including Employee of the Year and Team Manager of the Year. Some of LMH's tenants and partners are also invited to attend these events and there are specific awards that staff can vote for tenants/partners. The Focus Awards are an important part of LMH's approach to recognising and celebrating the achievements of their staff.

LMH arranged an It's a Knock Out Competition against other Housing Associations. This was held on a Sunday and all staff attended bringing their families along for a fun packed day. The employees were put into teams and competed against other Housing Associations through a variety of assault courses and team tasks. Activities for children and those staff who came to support the event were also put on including hook a duck and other prize winning games. The event also raised a significant amount of money for our local charities.

The company's managers are well respected within their individual team which is testimony to their fair but supportive outlook with colleagues. Managers consider succession within their teams and encourage individuals to make the most of development opportunities and support provided to get the best from the individuals and to keep them motivated. Through the appraisals and also the applications for the Leadership programme managers will indicate the next likely career move for the individual and will work things into the appraisal to support these ambitions.

The company provide a wide range of learning opportunities to suit different people's needs from e-learning to work shadowing and from external seminars and conferences to a comprehensive internal training programme. In addition to this they have a range of Leadership programmes that aim to take someone through basic management skills through to Senior Management development through the development of key leadership competencies. They have recently started running career coaching sessions and Learning and Development drop in sessions to provide more guidance and support to people on which of the available opportunities are the most appropriate for them.

The best example of how the organisation supports employee development is through Kaizen's ‘Professional Learning Framework'. This document was created collaboratively to establish ways of working, for all staff, at all levels, in order to take ownership of and direct their own learning through the support and coaching of their line manager. A key part of Kaizen's support comes from utilising staff skills and strengths to support those who need help in particular areas. This often takes the form of observing other staff members at work, work shadowing or team teaching, with reflection taking a vital role between the two members. They carefully plan the outcomes of their partnership and evaluate the impact of their work together to shape future learning. Kaizen develop coaching skills with all staff, as well as having allocated staff members as designated coaches. Staff attend a range of external courses for a range of purposes in order to develop the individual and the school. This has seen staff training internationally in the USA, France and China, which they then used to impact the organisation. Courses closer to home have also proved beneficial. Kaizen find other organisations that have strengths to match their areas of development or to stimulate their thinking and visit, observe and share learning with them. By using the self directed nature of the ‘Professional Learning Framework', staff not only feel they are supported in their development, but it creates a positive environment for staff to be a part of.

Kaizen works towards high expectations of both adults and children. To ensure the team is driving towards success they carefully recognise and reward individual's efforts. An example of where this is most effective is their extending schools provision - after school clubs. Adults who take on the responsibility of running an after school club are expected to organise, plan, manage the resources, including a small budget and run the club out of their normal working hours. Adults who take up this opportunity have professional support with planning and organisation if needed. This additional responsibility is rewarded by one day's paid leave which can be taken at any point throughout the school year. By introducing this reward Kaizen have found that it encourages more adults to step up and lead an after school provision which in turn means that they can offer a wide variety of out of hours learning opportunities to the children.

Their rebranding has revitalised the organisation as the new logo and name reflect their true identity. This rebranding has contributed and coincided with the winning of new bids and has acted as a re-launch and staff have found this exciting. The rebranding exercise involved many staff working as a project group and this engagement has ensured that the new branding has been well received. The Leader works in an inclusive way sharing issues with managers and discussing solutions to challenges. They have an open, transparent and direct approach and are always available to discuss the way the organisation works. This friendly and open style encourages staff to talk through concerns at an early stage and this often influences final decisions. The 'free lunches' that are run by the Chief Executive also encourages a range of discussions on all aspects on how the organisation is run.

Managers operate a Business Meeting and Leadership Forum, both of which keep managers up to date with changing needs of the organisation and this commitment is reared by informal praise and internal promotions. Many groups of managers are grouped for projects which have been successful in changing how the organisation works. Managers encourage flexibility in working hours and work areas so that wherever possible the needs of individuals can be accommodated. Their friendly working policies also support the culture of the organisation and managers have discretion in applying requests for flexibility. Managers know that a strong team is created by being open about issues so that dialogue takes place to encourage early resolution. By using their appraisal system managers set objectives which are both personal and organisational. Staff are regularly seen through 1 to 1's and supervision so that they can see how their achievements fit into the business plan.

They organise a quarterly new staff lunch where the CEO seeks feedback and ideas from staff who have joined Jewish Care recently. There are also Ask Simon postcards where staff can get in touch with the CEO to make suggestions, give feedback or ask questions. There are also tea and chat sessions where the CEO visits care homes and community centres to chat to staff and volunteers about issues they may have. Since the last survey they have implemented many changes. They have launched their Benefits You booklet giving details of the benefits they offer to all staff, together with their 2011 Reward Statement and have communicated information about bench marked salaries. They have shared results with teams and managers and launched a new leadership award for the manager with the best ‘My Manager' scores - the winner received £500 to use towards their own career development. They are also currently planning a 'not so new' staff lunch for longer serving employees to have lunch with the CEO.

They organise a quarterly new staff lunch where the CEO seeks feedback and ideas from staff who have joined Jewish Care recently. There are also Ask Simon postcards where staff can get in touch with the CEO to make suggestions, give feedback or ask questions. There are also tea and chat sessions where the CEO visits care homes and community centres to chat to staff and volunteers about issues they may have. Since the last survey they have implemented many changes. They have launched their Benefits You booklet giving details of the benefits they offer to all staff, together with their 2011 Reward Statement and have communicated information about bench marked salaries. They have shared results with teams and managers and launched a new leadership award for the manager with the best ‘My Manager' scores - the winner received £500 to use towards their own career development. They are also currently planning a 'not so new' staff lunch for longer serving employees to have lunch with the CEO.

Employee development is fully supported here. All training directly related to an employees' role is fully funded, including fees and time for external qualifications such as NVQs, professional qualifications, teacher training and other postgraduate courses. There is also a fund to contribute to personal development activities not directly related to job roles.

Each year staff including the Senior Management Team organise an 'end of year review' in the style of a sketch show, involving as many people as possible. The Senior Management Team provides refreshments at the end for all to enjoy. They have also hosted two weddings for patients which the staff have worked very hard to organise at the last moment. Both weddings were greatly received by all those involved and this lifted the spirits of the staff involved in the organisation as they were able to do that little bit more for the patients and their families.

Hospiscare supports employee development best through its comprehensive Learning and Development Programme. This in-house programme offers 71 separate training opportunities between April 2011 and March 2012. These range from one hour sessions on a ‘hot topic', to essential updates to support staff in their roles, to four day courses on Bereavement and Loss. The programme is needs-led and responsive, with managers and employees regularly being consulted on their learning needs. This programme is also informed through analysis of appraisals and the training needs identified within them. Needs are responded to quickly either by provision of an in-house course if demand is great enough and there is capacity within the organisation, if the need cannot be met in-house an appropriate external course is sought.

Holycross Sixth Form College educate young people in order that they have the opportunity to develop spiritually, morally and intellectually. Holycross have an environmental group comprising staff and students which works in the local community doing conservation work, for example tree planting.

A particularly memorable event was when they held a Mission and Ethos Day in July 2011 where different activities were organised for staff to take part in. There was for example, a barge trip around Salford, a trip to the Lake District, visits to museums and a day of indoor skiing.

Employee development is fully supported and the Association has become an accredited City and Guilds Centre and has a dedicated Learning and Development Team to ensure that qualifications are offered for most roles within the association. It is also an approved centre for the Institute of Leadership and Management, offering a variety of levels of management qualifications for staff wanting to go into management or improve their management skills.

The organisation is a charitable housing association providing a wide range of housing and support services for the families and single people including those with special needs. They are a well-established provider of support to people with complex needs, both in the community and living in their own supported housing schemes, supporting people with learning difficulties, mental health issues, young people, women and the homeless. Their aim is to provide appropriate support to each person living in their own home to enable them to develop independent living skills, be involved in decisions regarding their life and participate in their local community. They also run charity shops.

In the last 12 months there has been the formation of a Senior Managers' Group which means there is a core group of managers responsible for key aspects such as managing attendance and working together to support the Leadership Team as well as managers and colleagues within their teams. It enables idea sharing and a cohesive approach to guiding and supporting colleagues across the Trust, as well as an additional forum for sharing ideas and listening and learning from experiences. Nick Atkin the Chief Executive is an exceptional leader who is the driving force behind the performance, direction and success of the organisation. What makes him distinctive is his approach to business, to the customers; to colleagues and to the working environment he has created. In business, he is very driven and extremely determined. He leads by example, is very well respected and strives for excellence and success. He is innovative, encourages new ideas and radical thinking and embraces change. On a personal level, he is extremely personable and supportive, accessible and takes a personal interest in all colleagues.

New starters and all colleagues have access to the Leadership Team. There is an open door style of support and there are many mechanisms to ensure colleagues feel listened to and their feedback is taken on board. Flexible working ensures and enables an equalitarian style of working which enables both formal and informal messages to be relayed and is a two-way opportunity. Their Performance Screens at each site ensure clarity and consistency of messages, incorporating competitions on the screens, sharing good news as well as updates on the balanced scorecard, health and wellbeing initiatives to ensure a consistent approach to communicating effectively. The monthly brief is an employee briefing which seeks feedback with answers to questions and comments provided the following month. They also have a staff magazine, GRAPEVINE, which includes information and competitions and involves a cross section of colleagues to ensure a mix of attractive articles for everyone.

As an organisation, they have been looking at a holistic approach to Healthy Workplaces and considering what effect health has on work and work has on health. They plan to run a series of educating campaigns around healthy hearts e.g. eating well, smoking cessation, encouraging 5 minute desk workouts etc. and healthy minds e.g. managing stress and anxiety, challenging behaviours, seeking support, etc. Examples of some of the things they already offer to enhance employee wellbeing are flexible working, independent counselling sessions and a cycle to work scheme. There are also healthy options within the Goodwin Café. They recently conducted a Healthy Workplace Survey to find out what improvements staff felt they could make. One of the suggestions included making it known what the ‘points' values of meals served in the Goodwin Cafe are for those participating in Weightwatchers which has been put in place. Other suggested initiatives included pool bicycles to get to meetings and between sites, a fun group dance and sport leagues which are being considered.

As an organisation, they have been looking at a holistic approach to Healthy Workplaces and considering what effect health has on work and work has on health. They plan to run a series of educating campaigns around healthy hearts e.g. eating well, smoking cessation, encouraging 5 minute desk workouts etc. and healthy minds e.g. managing stress and anxiety, challenging behaviours, seeking support, etc. Examples of some of the things they already offer to enhance employee wellbeing are flexible working, independent counselling sessions and a cycle to work scheme. There are also healthy options within the Goodwin Café. They recently conducted a Healthy Workplace Survey to find out what improvements staff felt they could make. One of the suggestions included making it known what the ‘points' values of meals served in the Goodwin Cafe are for those participating in Weightwatchers which has been put in place. Other suggested initiatives included pool bicycles to get to meetings and between sites, a fun group dance and sport leagues which are being considered.

The organisation seeks to reward employees for their efforts. The Principal handwrites letters of congratulations on exam performance to all Heads of Department and subject departments in September and follows up with handwritten Christmas Cards to all teams and departments.

They plan to share the outcomes of the survey with staff, celebrate the things that they do well, and address issues of concern summarised in an appropriate action plan. This will form an important part of the Staff development Self-Assessment Report (SAR). The SAR is reviewed and validated every year and a new action plan developed in response to the results of the previous action plan and any developments in education and government policies.

GHA knows face-to-face communication is the best way to get staff involved. During periods of change or when new initiatives are launching, the Chief Executive Martin Armstrong takes time out to go round local offices having face-to-face meetings with staff. He talks to them in an honest, open and inspirational way, challenging staff to give their views and listening to their feedback. Teamtalk, their internal communications strategy, ensures information is cascaded to every member of staff to facilitate team discussion sessions and staff are encouraged to give feedback to managers. They have a strong culture of listening to feedback from all surveys and external assessments, celebrating successes and putting in place improvement plans to address all issues highlighted. Their journey to deliver excellent services for their customers has been hugely influenced by survey feedback and external assessment. Staff are involved in shaping the improvements they put in place, through their teams and in joint forums.

Winning the Scottish Award for Business Excellence, Scotland's top business award, was a tremendous achievement for GHA in 2011. The Chief Executive was keen to show all staff his recognition of their hard work that made this happen. He wrote to all staff and personally thanked them for their hard work, passion and commitment and he decided to reward staff with an extra day's holiday. His personal address and the extra day off made every member of staff feel their part in the organisation was recognised right from the top.

GHA runs a contribution based pay scheme which is quite unique to the sector in which they operate. This was introduced for the 2010-2011 performance year following an extensive review of their reward strategy practices. The Association's new Reward Strategy aims to pay upper quartile salaries for upper quartile performance, ensuring that pay is aligned with the market and internal relativities ensuring that the Association's salary bill is affordable and rewards the achievement of objectives in the year of performance via the bonus. As part of this strategy the Association introduced the contribution based pay scheme.

Gallions offer an excellent foundation for all new members of staff. On the first day with the Association they undertake an introductory meeting with HR and are presented with an Induction Plan and Induction Guide, which includes background information about the growth of the Association, their structure, aims, values, purpose and how they fit into this. The organisation helps employees develop a better awareness of their stock and challenges managing it. They offer a Neighbourhood Warden Tour where employees spend an afternoon with their Wardens, walking and driving round the estate, again gaining an understanding of their stock, residents and the challenges. They also do CCT Awareness so employees listen to the variety of calls that come into Gallions' Customer Contact Centre to understand the issues from their residents and how Gallions deal with them.

Managers give time during appraisal to ensure that the individual is heard and follow through on needs. They promote each tool and encourage staff to provide feedback reassured there is no reprisal for honestly and openness. They set and manage expectations of the organisation and are able to articulate the vision of the organisation and how people fit into it. They share best practice through their own teams and the wider organisation. Wellbeing is important and managers monitor employees working hours, ensuring individuals are encouraged to go home on time. They hear and commit to the principles outlined in management development regarding duty of care and understanding the importance of empathy.

Staff Networking Day which was the first opportunity for all staff to step away from the day job and hear about the strategic direction of the organisation and share their views on shaping the future. It was also an opportunity for staff to work in groups looking at specific areas of the business and make suggestions for improvements. There was also some time to kick back and have some fun.

Communication is the life blood of any organisation and the regular weekly email and termly addresses by the Vice Chancellor are commended by the staff each year in the annual staff survey. During the current year and with the significant amount of uncertainty surrounding the future of the HE sector, the Directorate have made a conscious effort to spend even more time engaging with staff across all levels explaining both the realities of the policy framework within which the University will be conducting its business but also seeking to assuage concerns which should not exist and which were merely developed as a result of inaccurate press reporting. This has involved many hundreds of hours with staff groups both formal and informal. Difficult decisions have never been held back from staff nor have the challenges being faced along with our proposed actions. This open, honest and transparent way of working has undoubtedly positioned the University well to address the challenges of the coming years whilst ensuring everyone employed by the University remains engaged and committed to their core mission.

Communication is the life blood of any organisation and the regular weekly email and termly addresses by the Vice Chancellor are commended by the staff each year in the annual staff survey. During the current year and with the significant amount of uncertainty surrounding the future of the HE sector, the Directorate have made a conscious effort to spend even more time engaging with staff across all levels explaining both the realities of the policy framework within which the University will be conducting its business but also seeking to assuage concerns which should not exist and which were merely developed as a result of inaccurate press reporting. This has involved many hundreds of hours with staff groups both formal and informal. Difficult decisions have never been held back from staff nor have the challenges being faced along with our proposed actions. This open, honest and transparent way of working has undoubtedly positioned the University well to address the challenges of the coming years whilst ensuring everyone employed by the University remains engaged and committed to their core mission.

Managers have an open door policy, which really works and "walk to job”, ensuring that staff see them and are able to talk to them. They set key performance indicators and targets for their staff which are negotiated and closely monitored and amended as necessary. Recognition is therefore given to the work expected of that member of staff. The workloads are negotiated and revisited at least twice a year and are also scrutinised by the Senior Management Team to ensure that there is fairness and transparency. Every manager has 1:1 meetings with the staff in their teams weekly, which provides opportunities for issues to be raised. Following the Communication and Consultation Group Meeting, managers have an "Onward briefing" with their teams which involves open discussion and consultation where staff openly express their views which are then taken back to the Communication and Consultation Group. They express thanks publicly and privately when staff perform well and the Senior Management Team is copied in on these communications. Annually an award is presented to the College Team of the Year and Teacher of the Year which are valued enormously.

Employees are rewarded for their efforts. Those who have shown a dedication and commitment beyond expectation are rewarded through nominations such as Team and Teacher of the Year at the College's Annual Awards Ceremony. This prestigious event acknowledges the award winners for their outstanding commitment to both the customer and organisation as a whole. Their success is fed back to all College staff at both the ceremony and within articles published in the monthly newsletter 'Eastleigh College Matters'.

Directors have consulted heavily with staff during organisational restructures so that all employees were aware of and involved in the new structures and roles being discussed. Employee feedback on service delivery needs contributed to this process and some amendments to initial proposals were evidenced through the consultation process. Paul, the Leader of the organisation, has a very clear vision for the organisation and seeks to make sure that employees know how they can contribute to this. He takes a keen interest in the governance of the organisation and ensures that their residents, as their customer base; are steering the strategic and operational direction of the organisation. This customer focus streams through the organisation, creating a customer focussed culture for employees delivering their services at the front line.

Directors have consulted heavily with staff during organisational restructures so that all employees were aware of and involved in the new structures and roles being discussed. Employee feedback on service delivery needs contributed to this process and some amendments to initial proposals were evidenced through the consultation process. Paul, the Leader of the organisation, has a very clear vision for the organisation and seeks to make sure that employees know how they can contribute to this. He takes a keen interest in the governance of the organisation and ensures that their residents, as their customer base; are steering the strategic and operational direction of the organisation. This customer focus streams through the organisation, creating a customer focussed culture for employees delivering their services at the front line.

A race night was held in January 2011. This was a social event but was also used as an occasion to raise money for the chair's charity. 70 staff attended and £800 was raised for charity. They also held an away day which included staff representatives from their staff forum, union reps and Board Directors. The event was an excellent way of building relationships between the staff and the Board and they received excellent feedback.

To impact employee engagement, in the last 12 months face to face briefings have been provided to staff about the current stock options appraisal process to answer concerns and questions that staff may have. The Chief Executive has personally delivered the briefings and has made an on-going commitment to ensure that regular staff briefings take place during this period of uncertainty.

Employees receives pay reviews and there are clear/transparent pay grades too.

Looking Back, Looking Forward staff presentation days, including ask a Director session. There are Presentations to management executive and all staff teams on the results of the survey and areas for improvement. EACH undertake presentations and discussions with teams on the survey results and ask staff for their ideas on how they can improve as well as the management team taking actions.

At Cunninghame Housing Association staff are rewarded for their efforts in a variety of ways. One good example of this is the staff Christmas shopping days where all staff are given paid time off during December to do their Christmas shopping.

At Cunninghame Housing Association staff are rewarded for their efforts in a variety of ways. One good example of this is the staff Christmas shopping days where all staff are given paid time off during December to do their Christmas shopping.

They have an extensive health and wellbeing programme. The most recent event was the Clyde Valley 10K team. One of the Leaders sought participants in order to raise funds for the chosen charity. He got nominations from all areas of the business and the company paid for entrant's fees and corporate tops. They mixed staff from all areas of the company, who through fun training sessions, became more confident and closer, resulting in improved team working. The team developed a great bond and raised a significant amount of money. The participants were all at different levels of fitness, some ran, some walked, but they all encouraged each other and waited for each other at the finish line. They had a team night out to celebrate and have committed to doing it again next year and encouraging others to join them. The running club has continued and staff now go out for a run once a week. They also did the annual health walk, have an onsite gym, carry out annual health checks for staff and provide advice on general health issues.

They have introduced an annual staff awards ceremony which they call the CRAFTAs (Clyde Valley Recognition Awards for Talent and Achievement). These awards are nominated and judged by staff from all areas of the business. Awards are hosted by their staff members in a mock BAFTA ceremony and are presented to the winners. They keep it fun and light hearted, however the nominations are serious and are well received given that colleagues are nominating and judging. Categories include: Team of the Year, Inspiration Colleague and The Extra Mile Award The DAFTA in recognition of someone who has been particularly daft at some point. Last year the judging panel chose the whole staff team as winner of Team of the Year. This was in response to a number of overall achievements which they felt that everyone had contributed to. Rather than give financial prizes all staff were given a Wish Certificate which they could trade in at any point during the year. Suggestions for some trades included duvet days, having your car valeted by the Chief Executive or a team building event.

The organisation supports employee development and has adopted a ‘coaching for improved performance' approach to people management and development. This approach is understood to be an on-going process, not a series of one-off events and team members record their development journey in the ‘My Personal Development Journal'. Annual Performance Development Reviews focus on individual team members' achievements and development is encouraged by granting people responsibility and authority to take on projects that interest them.

During the past year the CEO, Mark Molden, has held a series of workshops, incorporating all members of staff, examining and considering their organisational values and the behaviours that they want to encourage within Care for the Family that are reflective of these values. These sessions have been enormously valuable and have seen staff engaging thoughtfully and passionately with what it means, in practical terms, to live out the values of the organisation. The leader sets the tone for the rest of the organisation and empowers managers to move from being risk averse to risk taking. He is distinctive in that he shares his personal story and openly acknowledges his own weaknesses, which engenders a culture of honesty and authenticity in the organisation.

During the past year the CEO, Mark Molden, has held a series of workshops, incorporating all members of staff, examining and considering their organisational values and the behaviours that they want to encourage within Care for the Family that are reflective of these values. These sessions have been enormously valuable and have seen staff engaging thoughtfully and passionately with what it means, in practical terms, to live out the values of the organisation. The leader sets the tone for the rest of the organisation and empowers managers to move from being risk averse to risk taking. He is distinctive in that he shares his personal story and openly acknowledges his own weaknesses, which engenders a culture of honesty and authenticity in the organisation.

CAN seek to enhance the wellbeing of their employees. Their Staff Support Service offers staff one to one counselling on a range of issues to support them in their personal and work life. Feedback from staff has been very positive about this service.

By supporting people in making changes to the way they live their lives. This can be powerful and positive, not just for the individual concerned, but for their children, their families, their friends and their communities. CAN's Mission statement ‘Touching lives and changing futures by inspiring people to make positive choices' therefore creates a ripple effect that reaches far beyond their immediate remit to support people with drug, alcohol and homelessness problems.

They operate an Employee Assistance Programme with telephone advice and counselling, face to face counselling and online health and monitoring through Lifeworks for all staff. This is backed up by their policy and breast awareness work which advocates a healthy lifestyle plus a policy relating to their corporate partners and CRM work in the food arena. Staff are encouraged to use the Cycle to Work Scheme and to take part in their sporting events, such as 10k runs and half marathons, plus they have a highly competitive softball team with members from all departments. They do not encourage a long hour's culture and the office is locked before 8 and after 6 to encourage a work life balance. They also encourage people to take proper breaks and not eat at their desk.

Their mission, vision and core purpose as a charity of beating breast cancer is a life changing method of giving back to which all staff buy-in and actively contribute. With this in mind, they recognise the importance of funding medical research, without which the charity would not exist and the key role the supporters play at every level to contribute to this. Staff are encouraged to volunteer at events and to fundraise themselves, for Breast Cancer Campaign and for other charities or causes. This year, all staff were asked to volunteer in October for one event outside the day job, an example set by the Chief Executive and Senior Management Team and recorded on a Wall of Wonder in the Fundraising Department.

As well as the formal processes implemented by the college the managers within the college are tuned into the college culture of recognition and praise for a job well done. The college also has a thank you card system and the Christmas Stars which allow managers to recognise outstanding staff members. Managers meet regularly with staff to ask for feedback both at a team level and on an individual basis. The teams are relatively small which allows line managers to be able to pick up on any issues quickly and discuss these and find workable remedies.

As well as the formal processes implemented by the college the managers within the college are tuned into the college culture of recognition and praise for a job well done. The college also has a thank you card system and the Christmas Stars which allow managers to recognise outstanding staff members. Managers meet regularly with staff to ask for feedback both at a team level and on an individual basis. The teams are relatively small which allows line managers to be able to pick up on any issues quickly and discuss these and find workable remedies.

ASDAN offers one off bonus payments; additional extension in pay scales for exceptional performance, praise and recognition in staff newsletter. The Staff Newsletter is an important communication tool for ASDAN, and ownership is given to staff in which all kinds of good work and achievements are acknowledged and celebrated.

In addition to flexible working opportunities, ASDAN also provides Work Life Balance days for staff to compensate for overnight stays (one day per three nights away). Centrally they have also responded to interest expressed in the Staff Forum and approved a Pilates class which is now available to colleagues on site after work.

Antrim Borough Council are an accredited Employer of Choice and a working group comprising representatives from across the Council meets monthly to ensure that relevant action plans are developed and implemented. The Council survey employees regularly on work life balance issues and incorporate the Health and Safety Executives Stress Management Standards within the survey. The results demonstrate that employees believe Council values staff and that relationships are good in the workplace. They use a 'Talkback' system to enable staff to forward ideas or ask questions but the primary method of listening to employees is through the line manager and their latest survey results showed that 89% of employees confirmed that their manager has an 'open door' approach. Line managers have also been fully trained to adopt a coaching style which focuses on listening to employees and encouraging them to fulfil their potential.

Antrim Borough Council are an accredited Employer of Choice and a working group comprising representatives from across the Council meets monthly to ensure that relevant action plans are developed and implemented. The Council survey employees regularly on work life balance issues and incorporate the Health and Safety Executives Stress Management Standards within the survey. The results demonstrate that employees believe Council values staff and that relationships are good in the workplace. They use a 'Talkback' system to enable staff to forward ideas or ask questions but the primary method of listening to employees is through the line manager and their latest survey results showed that 89% of employees confirmed that their manager has an 'open door' approach. Line managers have also been fully trained to adopt a coaching style which focuses on listening to employees and encouraging them to fulfil their potential.

Employee development is supported at Affinity Sutton and they are committed to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to grow and their learning and development programme reflects that. They are passionate about continuous improvement and seek to ensure their people have the resources and working environment that promotes job satisfaction and employee wellbeing. There is targeted internal training supported by on the job coaching, regular one to ones, annual appraisals, an E-learning provision and ILM management programmes and there is also high level management support and endorsement.

Employee development is supported at Affinity Sutton and they are committed to ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to grow and their learning and development programme reflects that. They are passionate about continuous improvement and seek to ensure their people have the resources and working environment that promotes job satisfaction and employee wellbeing. There is targeted internal training supported by on the job coaching, regular one to ones, annual appraisals, an E-learning provision and ILM management programmes and there is also high level management support and endorsement.

The organisation sets clear restaurant KPI's with General Manager's agreement and rewards through a profit related bonus scheme available to all restaurant employees. Managers cascade targets to their team through team briefs and a daily follow ups, rewarding and recognising achievements. They hold appraisals twice yearly on all staff, reviewing actions and agreeing focus areas for development. They hold coffee chats and one to ones coupled with an open door policy which encourages feedback and two way communication. Managers also motivate staff with daily meetings to encourage and set the scene for every shift. Every manager sees their restaurant as a theatre and the team as the actors when they are open.

In the last 12 months the Senior Management Team have introduced "Back to the floor"; an initiative that sees all Head Office employees go back to work in restaurants for a day, from CEO downwards. The impact has been fantastic and the initiative has improved communication and enhanced understanding of both sides' job roles. The CEO is extremely down to earth, personable and 100% people focused. He will happily listen to any ideas from any member of the YO! Team and implement initiatives quickly if he agrees there is value in doing so.

They take a genuine interest in their people and want to encourage every individual to be the best they can be. If someone has a disability or medical concern they will look as far as is reasonably possible to support that person. They understand it can be daunting to speak out and some people could be worried about how the firm, or their manager, might react if they asked for help. Therefore, last year we introduced Disability Champions who are available to help fellow employees by offering confidential, non-judgmental support and encouragement. This support will vary depending on the individual's situation and wishes but may just be providing a sympathetic ear or offering practical support by knowing where they can get appropriate help and guidance. They also support employees who are going through fertility treatment, which is an exceptionally stressful time, by offering confidential support by way of someone to talk to who has some understanding of what they are going through and time off for treatment and flexibility for appointments.

They take a genuine interest in their people and want to encourage every individual to be the best they can be. If someone has a disability or medical concern they will look as far as is reasonably possible to support that person. They understand it can be daunting to speak out and some people could be worried about how the firm, or their manager, might react if they asked for help. Therefore, last year we introduced Disability Champions who are available to help fellow employees by offering confidential, non-judgmental support and encouragement. This support will vary depending on the individual's situation and wishes but may just be providing a sympathetic ear or offering practical support by knowing where they can get appropriate help and guidance. They also support employees who are going through fertility treatment, which is an exceptionally stressful time, by offering confidential support by way of someone to talk to who has some understanding of what they are going through and time off for treatment and flexibility for appointments.

As well as providing free fruit and reduced cost gym memberships to employees, Wolters Kluwer has launched 'My Benefits'; a flexible benefits programme designed to fit in with employee's lifestyles. Covering Health & Wellbeing, the programme includes Dental Insurance, Health Assessments, Private Medical Insurance, a Medical Cash Plan and a cycle to work scheme. They also provide a free and confidential Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). This service offers expert advice, information, specialist counselling and support for employees and their immediate family. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and can provide wide ranging information and guidance on topics such as buying a new home, having children, relationships, managing money, retirement personal and family crisis and staying healthy to name but a few.

The Executive and Senior Management Team have actively improved communication methods to engage employees with the Company's mission and values. Cathy Wolfe, CEO, and the senior managers deliver regular road shows at the two main head office sites in the UK. At these they give a business update on the different businesses, outline the main priorities for the present and future and offer employees the opportunity to ask questions to the Executive and Senior Management Team. In addition to these employee road shows the organisation has developed monthly newsletters and blogs from senior managers to keep employees up to date with business activity. These newsletters are also used for more informal updates such as introduction to new starters in the business, announcement or marriages or births and so forth. There has also been the recent addition of social media communication tools. Yammer has proven to be a successful way of engaging employees to have informal business conversations with colleagues from across the business. The Senior Management Team proactively encourages these online conversations.