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 help with living costs, a staff travel loan allows staff to borrow up to £250 at a time to cover costs such as new tyres, repair costs or a multi-trip travel ticket. It allows staff to spread big costs over six months. A season-ticket loan scheme of up to £3,000 is also available.
The trust launched its first management development programme last year. It also piloted a line-manager induction and development scheme. The training introduces key processes line managers are accountable for, as well as developing capabilities in the areas of coaching, feedback and development.
To further its aim of reaching net zero by 2030, the trust carried out energy audits of venues and provided energy-management training sessions to help staff build the skills and knowledge to implement energy reduction. It also undertook a biodiversity study to identify opportunities to manage sites with green space in a nature-positive way.
To help create a more open and balanced workplace, staff were enrolled in resilience trainer Tough Cookie’s Mixed Mental Arts Programme, a series of virtual classes offering practical techniques to manage thoughts and emotions, helping to build resilience through long-lasting behaviour change. Private healthcare and Headspace, the stress-reducing app, is available to all staff.
Regional managing directors have the autonomy to create inclusive climates for their teams, which are tailored to the needs of that team and based on regular feedback from staff. The company runs a high-performing leaders' training programme to expand the capability of the leadership team and a future leaders' programme for aspiring managers.
The company is keen to promote gender diversity and is launching a series of interviews with women who are at the top of their field in its "spotlight on" podcast. The interviews aim to elevate female voices by exploring the challenges they face.
Annual awards recognise team members who exemplify the charity's values of "empowerment, respect, collaboration, compassion and passion". They are announced at an awards ceremony at the organisation's annual conference.
In July, Medaille gave all staff who were earning less than £30,000 a year, a 10% pay rise to reflect the rate of inflation at the time. The charity has also reviewed its job descriptions and pay structure to ensure they are fair and transparent.
At the Mersey service, an area of wasteland has been turned into an allotment, where residents plant and grow vegetables. Gardening is known to be good for mental and physical wellbeing, so it benefits residents but, on top of that, excess produce is donated to the local food bank.
Employees can access face-to-face counselling or mental health support through the charity’s Employee Assistance Programme, and there are always trained mental health first aiders on hand. Staff can decide when to begin their working day, allowing for caring or childcare needs and, depending on role, opportunities to split time between home, office and the community.
Barnwood Trust doesn't want anybody to be disadvantaged in the recruitment process. A variety of application methods are available which makes the recruitment process more accessible for disabled people and people with mental health conditions. For example, applicants can submit video or audio content as part of their application and receive helpful information in advance.
The whole team has a learning plan to underpin the goals of the Trust, including a wide range of disability, mental health awareness and neurodiversity training. Skills, such as emotional intelligence and managing difficult conversations, are also key to underpinning their work. And all employees have access to a personal development plan.
AppLearn always ensures the team has something to look forward to, from free on-site yoga and HIIT sessions to breakfast and healthy snacks. There's also a lunchtime walking club, regular competitions like monthly step count challenges, and a Tuesday night football team.
A dedicated talent acquisition partner has helped re-focus the hiring process. This has included a better understanding of unconscious bias, communicating with candidates in a structured way to reduce stress and anxiety and launching schemes and internships to boost workplace diversity, including women in tech roles.
Each department has a training budget for staff to build skills, attend courses and achieve qualifications. For employees keen to gain experience and skills in certain areas, there's the opportunity to get involved with wider business projects. For instance, staff wanting to build confidence in public speaking can present to the company.
The foundation makes sure that its values, which include "striving for excellence", "inclusive" and "trustworthy", are visible to all staff and it sets out to articulate a clear vision. Staff away-days and meetings are used to convey that vision and inform employees on how the charity is performing.
There is a learning-management system containing training resources to support staff development. Learning hours, which offer bite-sized training sessions, are delivered by internal and external trainers. A dedicated group discusses how learning can be promoted within the organisation and it was responsible for creating learning champions. The foundation also has a leadership development programme.
Benefits include 30 days' annual holiday, plus compassionate leave, generous maternity and paternity leave and sick pay, as well as time off for moving home or study. It offers a life assurance scheme, season ticket loans and a cycle-to-work scheme. Staff are also given three paid days off a year for voluntary work.
New starters get an induction session and ‘welcome box’ related to their new role, including a notepad, gloves, travel mug… and a sweet treat! They also get a buddy to support them while learning their new position. There are also plans for an ‘onboarding’ portal, bringing together helpful documents and FAQs.
The Group promotes internally whenever it can, supporting its people with training to gain the skills and confidence to go for the next level up. There are apprenticeship schemes and a graduate scheme giving individuals experience in the departments they want to work in. And the organisation will fund professional and degree-level qualifications.
Jigsaw Homes Group aims to be carbon neutral by 2050 through its ‘Be Zero’ sustainability plan. It has a sustainability coordinator who will deliver training to all employees during 2023 on how to be more environmentally responsible, such as through carbon literacy training, so they can channel this into their roles.
At the monthly breakfast club, staff get together and chat about non work-related subjects. They are asked to talk to someone new and offer topics of conversation as ice-breakers. It means people socialise outside of their circles and it's a great way to introduce new starters.
Senior management believe it is important that staff feel empowered and trusted. They are given the autonomy to make decisions. The leadership team has a "door always open" policy, meaning they are on hand for advice and support whenever it is required. That gives staff the confidence to challenge themselves while feeling supported.
Every year, top performers take part in the annual Disney trip which showcases the company's top-selling products. They stay in luxury accommodation throughout their two-week stay and enjoy the experiences that clients would have, such as meals from a private chef, a Disney firework cruise or a glass-bottomed kayak tour.
The agency’s values are fundamental to every activity. One of the key ones, “to leave the world in a better place than we found it,” can be seen in the Christmas party planning, where meals were donated to Crisis for every company one purchased. Agency profits have also supported a school build in Ethiopia.
The company takes a flexible, hybrid approach to office and home working. At the same time, it also recognises that more junior team members learn best from physically being around those with greater skills. As a result, staff at Account Manager level or below generally spend four days a week in the office.
Some employees have been with the business for more than 20 years, and others just a few months. This diversity creates a willingness to teach, train and share. With four of the five-strong management team promoted from within, there are plenty of opportunities to progress.