What are companies doing with regards to 'My Company'

At Southpaw personal development is at the heart of the agency and in April 2016 the company won their industry body's gold standard in all things related to personal development. Southpaw take a unique approach to performance management by tailoring training to individual needs rather than a one size fits all method. They see inspiration as critical to people's development and as such run internal inspiration sessions alongside a platform where people can share thoughts, ideas or stuff they have found inspirational. Southpaw also encourage learning to be shared across the agency, as everyone has a talent or knowledge that can be shared to help develop others. Everyone commits to at least 24 hours of development per year, which can be learning something new themselves or helping to develop other people.

Part of the Southpaw culture is to be open and honest with every member of staff. As part of this ideology the company hold a quarterly company meeting that welcomes new joiners to the agency, celebrates the best strategic and creative work, rewards individuals who have represented their BOB values most consistently and also explains how the business is performing commercially. Southpaw celebrate the highs and lows together in order to stay united as a pack and to progress forward. They are very transparent on gross income generated, performance against budget, profit generated to date and forecasted profit. They feel this transparency gives their talent a real sense of ownership and empowers them to make a significant difference to their commercial, creative and cultural development. All employees are also given laptops, which allows them to work collaboratively and to not be tied to a specific spot within the building, which really helps promote team interaction for effective working and relationship building.

All Managers receive monthly supervision from their Manager, as supervision is a critical tool in developing and supporting Managers. Managers attend regular Managers' meetings, which have a learning/development feel as well as a business focus. Operational Managers also attend Managers' Days between one and four times a year depending on the division. Managers may be given/take on additional responsibilities to further develop skills. Managers can attend external conferences and training to meet identified needs and internal training. Southdown Housing arrange external or internal mentoring/coaching for Managers with identified needs and also provide one-to-one support internally to help them develop skills or deal with particular challenges. Each year the organisation identify the current needs for specific groups of Managers and provide a programme of input to meet these. The input may be provided by external or internal trainers. In 2015-16 this included input on facilitating reflective practice, the impact of trauma and promoting diversity post-Brexit. Community Services Managers participate in reflective practice sessions for Managers. All managers have 10 and 20 week probationary appraisals and then an annual Performance Development Review. In some operational contracts, contract monitoring measures the performance of managers with senior managers having a dashboard with outcome measures for each team. A monthly ‘Balanced scorecard' and other Quality and Performance monitoring processes/tools within Southdown track a variety of measures, which helps to identify issues for individual teams, their Managers and the Managers' development needs. Finally all teams have their own annual action plans for the Manager to implement, which are updated each quarter to note progress and are reviewed by a more Senior Manager.

In addition to the support that Southdown provide to thousands of local vulnerable people, they also make additional and discretionary contributions. The organisation are accredited as a Disability Confident Employer and provide advice to other employers in promoting opportunities and providing support for employees who have a disability or other long-term health conditions. 21% of employees have a declared disability or a long-term health condition. Each year staff choose a charity to support together. In 2015 staff raised over £2,400 through a range of activities, including a live music event to support ‘Caring (therapeutic) Pets'. They have also been providing a food bank staff donation point for three years. For 2016 staff chose The Centrepoint Charity Relief Fund and have already donated over £1,000 from their fundraising. In East Sussex Southdown are providing free training to help local people who use mental health services and their carers so they can have their say and actively influence the services being provided. They are passionate about helping vulnerable people to overcome barriers that can prevent them from accessing work opportunities. As a specialist provider of supported employment and vocational advice they support over 1,200 people with mental health challenges each year to secure or retain paid work. Southdown are recognised as one of 14 ‘Centres of Excellence' in the UK by the Centre for Mental Health for delivering Individual Placement and Support employment services. They also provide a dedicated vocational support service for carers. Called Ambitions, the service works with carers to support them to identify and pursue their vocational aspirations.

South Oxon have an annualised hours scheme for the majority of their employees. This gives them greater flexibility to manage their workloads and to balance work and domestic responsibilities. They can start work earlier or finish later than in a traditional working pattern and potentially vary their hours each week. Both the organisation and the employee can benefit from individuals being able to increase their hours during busy periods and lower them during quieter times. The organisation have a budget per member of staff for each service area to facilitate team activities, such as away day visits to The Shard or The Houses of Parliament. Sport activities include archery, punting and team cricket matches, whilst the annual quiz night raises money for charity as well as improving team working across service areas in a fun way.

South Oxon have an annualised hours scheme for the majority of their employees. This gives them greater flexibility to manage their workloads and to balance work and domestic responsibilities. They can start work earlier or finish later than in a traditional working pattern and potentially vary their hours each week. Both the organisation and the employee can benefit from individuals being able to increase their hours during busy periods and lower them during quieter times. The organisation have a budget per member of staff for each service area to facilitate team activities, such as away day visits to The Shard or The Houses of Parliament. Sport activities include archery, punting and team cricket matches, whilst the annual quiz night raises money for charity as well as improving team working across service areas in a fun way.

The SLH Group believe that wellbeing is personal to each individual, so every colleague receives a £200 wellbeing allowance to be put towards things like sports memberships, equipment and sports clothing. This is the second year the company have run the wellbeing allowance scheme, with 97% receiving full allowance in 2016. Once a year the business closes and all colleagues are invited to attend a Wellbeing Day, which is held at a local leisure centre. At this event SLH Group provide a number of initiatives to support physical and mental wellbeing, as well as nutritional advice and resilience workshops. Colleagues are offered the opportunity to meet with a life coach individually to discuss their concerns and to help them adopt a healthier attitude to life and work. The Living Room at the office is divided into different zones, including relaxation, craft and activities. The relaxation zone has massage chairs and bean bags, as well as a television with some comfy coaches. The craft zone has mindfulness colouring in books, as well as the facility to make your own Christmas and birthday cards, very thrifty! The activities zone has a pool, fuzz ball and ping pong tables, as well as a dartboard, all of which have led to a league of activities being set up!

The SLH Group believe that wellbeing is personal to each individual, so every colleague receives a £200 wellbeing allowance to be put towards things like sports memberships, equipment and sports clothing. This is the second year the company have run the wellbeing allowance scheme, with 97% receiving full allowance in 2016. Once a year the business closes and all colleagues are invited to attend a Wellbeing Day, which is held at a local leisure centre. At this event SLH Group provide a number of initiatives to support physical and mental wellbeing, as well as nutritional advice and resilience workshops. Colleagues are offered the opportunity to meet with a life coach individually to discuss their concerns and to help them adopt a healthier attitude to life and work. The Living Room at the office is divided into different zones, including relaxation, craft and activities. The relaxation zone has massage chairs and bean bags, as well as a television with some comfy coaches. The craft zone has mindfulness colouring in books, as well as the facility to make your own Christmas and birthday cards, very thrifty! The activities zone has a pool, fuzz ball and ping pong tables, as well as a dartboard, all of which have led to a league of activities being set up!

SVHS run a staff recognition scheme called the Lovies (Living our Values), which was created as a fun way to encourage recognition and appreciation of behaviour aligned to the values - caring, creative, purposeful, professional and trustworthy. There are 15 Lovies, three for each value, which are awarded from one colleague to another. Recipients of a Lovie are passed a trophy to display and also a pin badge. Staff will also get recognition of their award on the staff intranet. So far 86 different colleagues have been recognised in varying categories. A total of 135 badges have been handed out. 35 of the 86 colleagues have actually picked up a Lovie for two different values and four colleagues have earned three varying badges. In total 67% of SVHS staff have a Lovie. Separate from the Lovies, staff also use the intranet to recognise and thank staff for going the extra mile. Over the past 12 months these have included helping out at an event, staying late to support colleagues in an event, solving a tricky excel problem and even changing a tyre! SVHS also host an annual awards ceremony allowing staff to nominate one another for awards, together with a CEO special recognition award. Staff are awarded during this special event, attended by all employees and including a three course meal and networking opportunities.

SVHS have 11 trained facilitators across the organisation available to help focus and drive meetings/training sessions to improve communication flow. The company have a number of break-out spaces available to staff who can use the areas to chat to colleagues and have informal meetings. The Creative Room, with bright furniture including a sofa and bean bags, encourages staff to use the space to brain storm, share ideas and be creative in problem solving. SVHS also have large screens in meeting rooms with Apple TV's to allow easy use of video conferencing software, including staff who are unable to physically attend the meeting with team discussions. Earlier in the year SVHS hosted an all staff event called Future Focus. One of the main objectives of the event was to focus staff on understanding the future direction of the organisation; however the event also aimed to ensure staff were aware and understood the new ways of working and also focused on collaboration. The benefits of the event were highlighting the progress of the organisation to date, re-confirming leadership aims and goals for the organisation. The event allowed SVHS to run a number of activities aimed at encouraging cross-organisational collaboration and team building. These included asking each team to produce a ‘team board' in advance, being creative to display team success over the past 12 months and also areas which they felt could be improved.

The Council's Staff Social Club coordinates a range of activities throughout the year to support the work of national and local charities. The Council always supports McMillan Coffee Mornings, Jeans for Genes, Children in Need, Comic Relief and Sports Aid. Activities are arranged for the whole office to take part in, including a bingo competition with the numbers shared over Email during the working day, cake sales and fancy dress. The Council are proud to have raised over £1,000 each year in support of these causes. The organisation's male staff come to the fore each November to support Movember. In 2015 the Council's team of Movember Men raised an incredible £1,200. Additionally the Social Club aims to run each of the events it holds to cover its costs. Where excess funds are generated through raffles and cake sales that money is always passed to a local charity. Many local organisations have benefited in the past, including Hospice in the Weald & Porchlight. Through the Volunteering Policy they aim to offer over 100 volunteering days annually to support organisations working in local communities. Staff are gifted a day's additional volunteering leave to take part in the cause that matters most to them. The Council provides a HERO Scheme in its local community. The scheme aims to provide support to residents that need assistance with Housing, Energy Costs, Retraining and Employment and other family and budgeting issues.

The Senior Management Team is absolutely dedicated to the organisations values and go out of their way to ensure there is a continual focus on them in their actions and in the way they communicate across the organisation. The Chief Executive is the first to ask to be involved and is pictured holding a "no blame culture". It's what matters most to him. Things may not go well but the focus is always on how it can be done better next time. The Senior Team make themselves available and have an open door policy. Nobody will be turned away if they have something they need to ask. The Chief Executive meets regularly with all staff and is always available to attend team meetings. Success is always celebrated informally by a quick thank you or a letter to staff. Investors in People made Sevenoaks the first public sector organisation worldwide to reach their new Platinum Standard. Whenever there is news that needs to be shared with the whole organisation there is no hesitation in sending a communication, often by email, that gives an honest assessment of the situation and clarity about what steps the organisation are taking. The Chief Executive ensures that each of the Chief Officers in his team operate in the same way and if he cannot be available there is always someone in the Leadership Team available to engage with staff. Staff Briefings are exceptionally popular with staff. Attendance exceeds 80% and they provide not just an opportunity for the Chief Executive to talk directly to staff but an opportunity for them to give their feedback and seek answers to any questions they may have. A simple but effective post-it session at each briefing means staff can give their opinions anonymously if they choose and it has seen engagement levels improve dramatically.

At Seven Technologies Group they have created an environment of Empowerment and Innovation. As an employer within the engineering sector, one of their best attributes as an organisation is that employees have the opportunity to not only be part of an innovation culture, but are also empowered to make decisions and ultimately make a difference. The most commonly used phrase in Seven Technologies Group is 'crack on', as empowerment of the individual is an ingrained value in their business. The company see continual development as one of the key elements within our Performance Management System. Through technical, functional and management training they hope to give their people the skills and knowledge they need to be the best they can be, creating and delivering market leading products and service alongside formal training. Informal mentoring 'buddy systems' have also been a great way to share past experiences on what staff have learned and encourage those taking on new challenges to handle whatever's thrown at them in the best possible way.

At Seven Technologies Group they have created an environment of Empowerment and Innovation. As an employer within the engineering sector, one of their best attributes as an organisation is that employees have the opportunity to not only be part of an innovation culture, but are also empowered to make decisions and ultimately make a difference. The most commonly used phrase in Seven Technologies Group is 'crack on', as empowerment of the individual is an ingrained value in their business. The company see continual development as one of the key elements within our Performance Management System. Through technical, functional and management training they hope to give their people the skills and knowledge they need to be the best they can be, creating and delivering market leading products and service alongside formal training. Informal mentoring 'buddy systems' have also been a great way to share past experiences on what staff have learned and encourage those taking on new challenges to handle whatever's thrown at them in the best possible way.

Selwood Housing Group support dual roles to encourage job enrichment, strengthen skills and experience and as a consequence benefit from a more multi-skilled and engaged workforce, as well as enabling a direct impact on the lives of their beneficiaries. The success of the organisation's apprenticeship scheme has recently been recognised as one of their apprentices won a national award of 'Apprentice of the Year' and another was 'Highly Commended' at a national awards ceremony earlier this year.

Selwood Housing Groups Senior Management Team demonstrate their commitment to the values of the organisation by ensuring they communicate regularly with members of staff within the organisation. This consists of monthly updates through staff briefs that employees attend to gain further knowledge of the organisation. Other forms of involvement and communication with staff include the staff forum, which is chaired by the Group CEO. Communication channels are also kept open with the company magazine and through tenant representation on the board. Leadership days also take place regularly to shape the strategy and reinforce the values of the organisation. Selwood Housing's CEO is very approachable and he works from an open plan office. New employees of the organisation meet with Selwood's leader on starting their employment, where the Group CEO goes through the company corporate plan. Acknowledgement of success and achievement are carried out by both leaders of the organisation. Extra efforts by staff do not go unnoticed and recognition is always given.

Salix Homes uses a performance management system, which manages all service action plans under the Corporate Plan. Managers are responsible for reporting on their service areas within the system and are required to attend quarterly performance clinics to report their performance to the Executive Team. On an annual basis each service area/team has an externally led audit carried out and the outcome is then reported to the internal audit committee. Once the actions have been agreed at the committee, the Manager is responsible for providing bi-monthly update reports to the committee. Managers are subject to monthly one to one and annual appraisals with their Managers, where both their performance against objectives and the competency framework are measured.

Salix Homes uses a performance management system, which manages all service action plans under the Corporate Plan. Managers are responsible for reporting on their service areas within the system and are required to attend quarterly performance clinics to report their performance to the Executive Team. On an annual basis each service area/team has an externally led audit carried out and the outcome is then reported to the internal audit committee. Once the actions have been agreed at the committee, the Manager is responsible for providing bi-monthly update reports to the committee. Managers are subject to monthly one to one and annual appraisals with their Managers, where both their performance against objectives and the competency framework are measured.

RD actively promotes team interaction and working together. Everyone is encouraged to work together both within their own teams and across the organisation. RD has a set of Core Values that they expect staff to demonstrate and these are also to be incorporated within the staff appraisal process. New starters are bought biscuits so they can be used to 'bribe' colleagues to help them out. They feel that this is an innovative way to get new employees to mix with existing ones.

RD actively encourages and supports a wide range of activities under its "Sport and Social Committee", which includes organising regular social activities and also backing the participation in a range of sports including football, cricket, hockey and running. In addition, the company have introduced a "random acts of kindness" budget that allows for Managers to do small things like buy snacks, lunches, flowers and so on to recognise the contributions of their team or lift spirits at times of unusual stress. Staff throughout the group are managed closely and due to the company's size staff related problems and issues can be quickly identified and addressed. RD is always extremely supportive and flexible in its approach to assisting staff. As well as this, Management Development specifically includes time spent looking at staff wellbeing.