My Company - The level of engagement employees feel with their job and organisation
My Company is what we call an ‘output’ factor, it focuses on people’s ‘love’ and ‘pride’ in working for your organisation.
Now unfortunately you can’t directly make people feel these emotions, but when all of the other seven factors are doing well, people will be far more likely to experience that love and pride ultimately improving the My Company factor as a result.
To mark Ultima's 30th anniversary in business in 2020, the company hosted a virtual get-together and sent every employee a bottle of Champagne celebrate. At Christmas everyone received a hamper and got together for an escape room challenge.
Ultima has put a huge focus on mindfulness, hosting drop-in sessions with an industry-leading practitioner. Each session has taught managers and employees how to live in the present, turn negative situations into positive ones, and how to cope with stress.
When its charity partner, Alexander Devine Children's Hospice, had to close to visitors, Ultima donated 30 tablet devices for its care team to use during home visits. The company also supports its local food bank, ReadiFood, with monthly donations and employees raised funds with a sponsored 100km challenge and a 5km Santa Dash.
UK Flooring incorporates its values – customer, family, professional and driven – into all stages of its recruitment and training process. The company values were reviewed and re-established in 2019 and staff members who best demonstrate the values are recognised with annual awards.
The company's Wellbeing programme covers mental, emotional, financial and physical health. The senior management team is focused on looking after its people and will continue to be flexible about home working in future. UK Flooring has launched a step challenge for staff members and is setting up a book club.
UK Flooring sponsors Burbage Rugby Club and Barwell FC, based nearby on the outskirts of Leicester. The company donated £6,000 to local food banks in the run-up to Christmas 2020 after hearing that more people were turning to them for help. Branches used the funds to give out festive hampers.
Employees at all levels are passionate about what they do. They are committed to helping people reach their goals and expanding career opportunities through learning, and nurture the company's ethos – achieving excellence, inspiring, developing talent and collaborating for success – through every project.
With access to The Skills Network's portfolio of more than 100 distance learning courses, employees have plenty of opportunities to learn and grow. All staff are encouraged to work towards a qualification relevant to their post and some take further courses for professional and personal development.
A Pilates instructor delivered sessions to employees via Zoom to help people improve their posture while sitting at a desk for long periods due to home working. The Skills Network has sent out a Wellbeing newsletter to remind people of their entitlements under the employee assistance programme, and courses about mental health.
Team leaders at the Hanley are measured against the six characteristics the society believes define good people management: to engage, motivate, develop, empower, coach and drive. Manager – and staff – behaviour is rated during the annual appraisal process that links into performance-related pay reviews.
The Hanley, which enjoys a low rate of staff turnover, says it is small enough to ensure everyone is treated as individuals, equally and without discrimination. It utilises blind recruitment, which eliminates personal identification details, but this year nonetheless refocused to start attracting future candidates from more diverse backgrounds.
Employees have individual development plans that are reviewed on a regular basis to ensure the relevant training and support is provided. The society assesses high potential by way of an in-house High Potential Trait Indicator tool, and it has succession plans in place as people move up the ladder.
The Grand Recognition Incentive Scheme rewards those exceptional effort with Grands which can be exchanged for 35 different treats including cinema tickets, champagne, afternoon tea and dinner. Every six months those earning 50 Grands are entered into a draw to win an all-expenses paid two night break, normally abroad.
The Grand has introduced an apprenticeship programme across the business and has also launched a range of other development schemes including a Management Academy and a Food and Beverage Academy. More than 50 staff have moved into new roles or been promoted each year for the last four years.
The hotel's Green & Grand philosophy is driven by the hotel's Think Green team. Eco friendly initiatives include sustainably sourced coffee beans and using recycled products from bed throws made from old bottles to balcony furniture made from ice cream and milk cartons diverted from landfill sites.
Star performers are nominated by the partners for quarterly care packages. This could be a foodie treat, a trip to the theatre or a night in a hotel with their spouse and is always accompanied by a personalised thank you from the manager who put them forward for recognition.
Employees' health and happiness is paramount and every member of staff is entitled to a £300 annual wellness benefit to spend on anything they think will enhance their wellbeing. Berkeley also pays for staff to order plants or seeds to grow at home.
Even before Covid, Berkeley promoted the use of video and tele-conferencing – reducing face-to-face meetings with clients and the subsequent carbon footprint. Other green credentials include a local suppliers first policy and the provision of ‘real' crockery and cutlery in the office, to discourage the use of plastic items.
Teamspirit's culture of collaboration allowed the senior leaders to implement decisions quickly and effectively under high-stress, chaotic conditions as the coronavirus crisis developed last year. They road-tested a pandemic disaster recovery plan with all employees in February and implemented flexible working.
After a survey showed that 59% of staff feared that remote working might slow their career and personal development, the agency raised the visibility of its extensive training programme and celebrated promotions (19% of the 70-strong team were promoted last year). In the next survey, 59% shrank to 19%.
Staff vote anonymously in the quarterly peer group rewards scheme, which honours team members who have made a difference through living the company values. The six people with the highest number of nominations receive a £600 voucher and get to hear the often moving comments of colleagues who nominated them.
Open and honest communication is key at TCS. This is illustrated by the way pay rises were handled during the pandemic. While the increases were initially put on hold, managers announced they were reinstated at the first possible opportunity – creating huge trust among employees.
Staff are paid to learn. Under the Elevate Wings 1 initiative, which was launched during Covid, junior to mid-level employees who complete specific training packages will not only upskill – they will also qualify for a salary increase of up to 25 per cent.
The Tata Group, TCS's parent company, has pledged over $200million to protect and empower communities during the pandemic. Working with the World Economic Forum, it made its remote learning software free to schools and colleges, to help some of the estimated 1.37billion children that risk having their education interrupted.
A monthly recognition and reward scheme, Appreci8, allows employees to highlight good work by a team member, who is rewarded with a £25 gift voucher. During the pandemic, when morale was low, boxes of chocolates were delivered to hard-working employees.
Flexible working patterns and webinar tips were introduced for working parents who were homeschooling their children during the pandemic. The Restorative Café series also included mindfulness techniques.
Tai Calon's Green Earth team helped council staff and volunteers to create a butterfly garden at the Blaina Community hub, with native plants and shrubs to attract and sustain a wide array of pollinators.
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