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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Employees can take up to three paid days a year for voluntary work. This was extended to up to two hours a week during the pandemic to allow them to volunteer in their local community. The company does pro bono legal work and raised over £30,000 for charity this year.

Team leaders have received virtual training on how to manage a team remotely. Rising stars can complete a professional development programme which consists of modules to furnish them with the skills to grow and develop. Topics covered include brand, culture, business development and marketing, finance, public speaking and networking.

Splash Damage ditched canned and bottled drinks in favour of drinks dispensers as part of its efforts to be kinder to the environment. This simple change saved more than 21,000 cans and bottles in the first three months alone. Recycling is encouraged as much as possible, including coffee grounds.

The new and improved version of the company's 12-month leadership development programme, first launched in 2017, is based on three main targets: more relevant, more flexible, more bite-sized. The lessons will contain skills and concepts immediately applicable to day-to-day work.

During 2020 staff raised more than £45,000 for charity partner Macmillan Cancer Support through virtual fundraising including a day-long Coffee Morning, with escape rooms, bake-alongs, live quizzes and online bingo. Employees did skills based volunteering throughout the pandemic working with social enterprises and charities.

The senior management team launched their Inclusion Pledge and initiatives including a quarterly inclusion survey. A Leadership Mentoring Scheme has also been introduced. This scheme invites applications from everyone, however, it particularly encourages them from employees from underrepresented groups and those who struggle to be heard or who think differently.

The business created a wellbeing information pack, which contains practical advice to help colleagues manage all aspects of their health. It also gave each colleague £50 to spend on their own or their family's wellbeing and will be introducing a £150 annual wellbeing allowance.

Silva Homes manages a six-acre community garden. It provides an environment to grow produce and engage in activities to support biodiversity and the natural environment. The garden features an orchard, vineyard, polytunnel and three acres of cultivated ground. There are plans for a sensory garden.

Salix has an unusually high number of female employees: the chief executive and 60% of the managers throughout the organisation are women. Just over a quarter of staff are from BAME backgrounds, with the workforce including staff from all over the world.

Staff were allowed to spend at least one day a week volunteering to help local individuals and community groups during the pandemic. The chief executive clocked up 280 hours of being available to shop and collect medicines for vulnerable adults who were sheltering.

SafetyCulture usually holds an annual event called ShipIt, flying all employees off to an international location for a week of collaboration, innovation and learning. It was in New Zealand in 2018. Last year, the Manchester team created its own mini ShipIt hackathon with workshops, speakers, barbecues and activities.

SafetyCulture created a virtual pub called Wolfpack Inn with various rooms for people to join every Friday night to mimic the feeling of going to different bars. It also sent staff monthly gifts, including hampers with champagne and home-baked goods, wellness boxes during Wellness month and Christmas sweaters.