Minimising their impact on the environment is a core part of the company's culture and new employees are informed from their first days within the company through their environmental induction presentation which is further emphasised in the group chairman's presentation. They have a dedicated engagement manager who is responsible for managing and promoting corporate social responsibility issues. They are committed to reducing their impact on the environment by minimising energy consumption, recycling as much as possible and reducing business travel wherever possible through conference calls, encouraging use of public transport and car sharing. They have light sensors in all common areas to ensure lights are not left on unnecessarily. Water filters on all taps discourage people from buying bottled water and there are clearly labelled recycling bins for paper, cardboard and glass. They are committed to becoming carbon neutral by the end of 2010. They also support the local community through a number of industry and education links with local schools, colleges and universities as well as relationships with other local organisations.

There is a budget in place specifically in place for fun and social events. These have included a team photography competition, wear it pink day for breast cancer and a Eurovision lunch. As an organisation they also hold formal team building events. The most recent was an externally facilitated two day event with their client services and business development teams. Such events allow employees to relax and have fun outside of the work place and gain new skills.

Through the company's sports and social foundation, they offer a range of activities that staff and their families can participate in. Some examples of activities that have been organised are a trip to Colchester Zoo, spooky night and a pamper evening. There are also specific team events to recognise team work such as ten pin bowling, Go-Karting and meals in restaurants. There are also formal team building events held a couple of times of year. For example, last year there was the consolidation of the RVI and NDT product groups and as a result, a team building event brought together the respective product and sales management groups, where an evening of competitive go-karting was arranged at a venue local to Southend. After six hotly contested heats, the top ten drivers entered a ten lap final all aiming for the ultimate position on the top of the winner's podium. With trophies awarded, the teams departed. There was only one winner on the night - the newly combined and fully integrated and committed sales team.

Olympus KeyMed has a dedicated Environmental Team and an Environmental Committee and Steering Group. Both groups have specific terms of reference created to enable them to set policies and monitor environmental procedures in relation to operational conditions, environmental aspects and impacts and best practice. The company has an altruistic approach to supporting the community and operates an open-door policy to all charities, where every request received is reviewed on an individual basis and responded to accordingly. An example of their charity work was a project in aid of MildMay, a charity which aims to improve the quality of life for men, women and children living with, or affected by, HIV and AIDS. This was an all staff overseas aid appeal which ran for three consecutive years, where the company utilised its extensive logistics expertise to coordinate the purchase and shipment of containers to Africa. These were filled with hundreds of items of clothing, toys and other equipment, all donated by staff, which would help those who literally have nothing, lead happier and more fulfilled lives.

There are regular events organised by the new Sports and Social Committee to promote a fun environment, including a Sports Day in the summer when teams from each department compete against each other; Christmas Pudding classes where staff can learn how to make a traditional pudding; children's carol concert with Father Christmas; a fun talent competition and subsidised outings such as ice skating, concerts and sports events. Kellogg run a variety of team building events and has run over 20 in the last year. Each event is designed to meet the specific needs of a team and has a clear set of objectives. The team has participated in a variety of exercises using tools such as MBTI to understand each other better, feedback exercises to encourage open and honest feedback and exercises to agree and improve ways of working. All of these sessions have been highly participative and have had a fun element to them.

Kellogg's offers employees a range of choices to create an individual work life balance that works for them. These include part-time working, flexible working hours for all employees, career breaks, home working and flexible benefits. Kellogg's understands all employees are different and have different personal commitments and aspirations which is why they operate a benefit system called ‘CornFlex'. CornFlex can be tailored by each employee to suit their needs and includes a range of benefits such as: childcare vouchers, cycle to work scheme, life insurance, discount on high street stores and the opportunity to buy and sell holidays. Kellogg's believes that creating an environment where work and life commitments can be properly balanced is vital to its success. They continuously monitor the market to ensure the company remains a leader in employee benefits, setting the standards for others to follow.

There is a budget in place for teams to socialise outside of work. The West Wales catchments have held events such as ten pin bowling and kayaking and many retirement evenings with a pub meal in a relaxing sociable environment. Teams are involved in sponsored community events such as events such as beach cleans and undertaking projects such as creating a garden for a school. There are also two formal team building ‘away days' per team each year. This involves activities chosen by the team and involves every member of the team.

There is a budget in place for teams to socialise outside of work. The West Wales catchments have held events such as ten pin bowling and kayaking and many retirement evenings with a pub meal in a relaxing sociable environment. Teams are involved in sponsored community events such as events such as beach cleans and undertaking projects such as creating a garden for a school. There are also two formal team building ‘away days' per team each year. This involves activities chosen by the team and involves every member of the team.

The leaders of the organisation are very hands on with the recruitment and training of all employees ensuring that all staff know and can talk to them at any time. Both the Managing Director and Chief Executive have 'glassed off' areas in an open plan office as well as an open door policy.

Jobsite take the health and wellbeing of their employees very seriously and as such free flu vaccinations are offered to all employees as well as Tamiflu tablets, free healthcare is also provided as well as eye tests and a substantial contribution to new spectacles if required. Employees also have the benefit of enviormentally friendly office surroundings and flexi working is available in some areas. Ladies returning from maternity leave are encouraged to return to work on a part-time basis and several remain on these hours which Jobsite are happy to accommodate. Some departments work on a staggered start and finish time and they are quite flexible about people working from home in some areas.

Jobsite recognise the importance of making sure employees feel rewarded for their efforts within the organisation both individually and as part of a team, the sales employee of the month receives a bottle of champagne whilst team's are able to celebrate successes together with a team night out, as well as this instant recognition is awarded in the form of champagne, thank you cards, dining experiences and company recognition, employees are also rewarded for their loyalty to the organisation and at 10 years of service employees receive a gift and dining experience, communication is an important part of the company ethos and employees are kept up to date with the latest company news via the Jobsite intranet, regular company and marketing newsletter, quarterly company meeting, monthly Director/senior management meetings and monthly management/staff meetings.

Every member of staff benefits from generous annual leave, a final salary pension scheme, bike to work scheme, childcare vouchers, as well as reduced price membership at either the College's own spa & gym or others in the city, as well as a range of discounts at theatres and local shops. Staff are encouraged to have a healthy work / life balance.

This College holds an annual excellence dinner to reward staff and teams nominated by colleagues and managers for their contribution to the College over the course of the year. The leadership of the College also make every effort to make staff aware that their contribution is valued, the following is a passage that the Governors recently passed to the staff "At its meeting on 23 November, while considering the annual report and financial statements for 2008, the Board of Governors unanimously endorsed a vote of thanks to all staff for your contribution and hard work in the course of the last year. Your dedication was clear - not only did you achieve a brilliant performance in meeting targets but you successfully moved from one campus back to the Edinburgh Campus and to the new Midlothian Campus with uninterrupted tuition to students. This was a great achievement. The Governors appreciate all of your efforts. Thank you again! Tom Drake and the Board of Governors".

The Leader of the organisation, Justin, commits a huge amount of his time to communicating and engaging with colleagues. From the face-to-face events that he does every month and his weekly store visits to the regular 'all colleague letters, responses to the Tell Justin suggestions and filming the monthly briefing and column in the Journal. The impact that this has is tangible as colleagues show huge warmth and respect for him and clearly find him very approachable. Every member of the board holds a ‘Start the day with' session every month. These are breakfast listening groups held with a colleague from every store in a region. With no set topic these are a chance for colleagues to say what is on their minds and to ask questions raised by themselves or their colleagues back in store. The operating board and directors tend to spend most Friday's visiting stores or depots to spend time face to face with colleagues and customers to hear first hand what is working well and where the opportunities are to improve the way they work or the way they implement new ideas for their customers.

The Leader of the organisation, Justin, commits a huge amount of his time to communicating and engaging with colleagues. From the face-to-face events that he does every month and his weekly store visits to the regular 'all colleague letters, responses to the Tell Justin suggestions and filming the monthly briefing and column in the Journal. The impact that this has is tangible as colleagues show huge warmth and respect for him and clearly find him very approachable. Every member of the board holds a ‘Start the day with' session every month. These are breakfast listening groups held with a colleague from every store in a region. With no set topic these are a chance for colleagues to say what is on their minds and to ask questions raised by themselves or their colleagues back in store. The operating board and directors tend to spend most Friday's visiting stores or depots to spend time face to face with colleagues and customers to hear first hand what is working well and where the opportunities are to improve the way they work or the way they implement new ideas for their customers.

Colin Forrest, the Chief Executive at ISG Pearce, attends every new employee induction session, is visible sitting along side other employees at the head office and will answer any question posted to him on the "ask Colin" intranet forum. He also holds a Q&A session at each of the twice a year business presentations and is happy to be put on the spot and address any issues or concerns or general comments made by employees within all levels in the company. At least one member of the Executive team will always attend the company social events organised.

Any member of staff can undertake a Performance Development Plan (PDP) to plot their progress through ‘career pathways'. The purpose of the PDP could be for career progression, technical or soft skills development in a current role. They also provide their employees with extensive training such as commercial awareness training for all site staff to improve knowledge of contracts and ISG Pearce commercial processes, equality and diversity training and operational processes training to maximise consistency in the use of ISG Pearce systems and processes across all sites. They also offer training of a variety of soft skills such as assertiveness, conflict avoidance and stress management and avoidance, all of which their delegates have found to be useful at both work and home. The ISG Pearce Graduate Training Scheme includes a structured 2 year programme that develops graduates' technical knowledge and skills and improves their awareness of the company and construction industry in general.

Inventures was established following a management buy out in 2005. The Leader of the organisation, David Lawrence, purchased Inventures with five fellow directors and established it as a consultancy in the private sector. The Leader met with each individual and discussed what opportunities were available for them and recruited people into the new private sector organisation. This entrepreneurial move saved many people's jobs and ensured that the new organisation retained specialist skills and experience that benefited Inventure's unique selling point and enabled its transition into a profit making enterprise. The leader ensures that he meets all new recruits personally to welcome them to the organisation and assure them that his door is open to them. His approach is very personal, taking time to know every single member of staff, to understand their interests inside and outside of work.

The appraisal system incorporates a training plan where any courses/qualifications that will enhance performance are identified. This incorporates management qualifications. Internal management development training is available and whenever possible Inventures recruit internally. Succession planning is supported through mentoring and coaching to develop management. This approach enables knowledge and skill transfer. The appraisal process is 360. Internal coaching/mentoring is facilitated for all new starters and where there are specific requirements for knowledge transfer. Where there are opportunities or specific requirements for knowledge transfer external coaching/mentoring is arranged. In addition, external experts are regularly invited to attend internal meetings to share their knowledge and experience. Inventures also provides mentoring to external organisations. Board meetings are held on a quarterly basis. Other managers forums and seminars are held when there is a business need.