People Managers Matter

The company provides Wellness testing for cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes and also provides free Flu jabs.

The company frequently celebrate successes.

On December 10 2010, the company held their annual Christmas Party and put on a stunning Venetian-style Masquerade Ball and invited everyone at Albany Software to buy or create a mask for the occasion. On the night, there were awards for the most spectacular mask, the most creative mask, the most striking male and the most dazzling female. The Ball was well attended by 40 staff and 21 of their partners and everyone there enjoyed themselves, seeming to relish the occasion to let their hair down at the end of a challenging year. As always, these events are a great opportunity for staff at all levels including the Senior Management team to communicate and interact.

On December 10 2010, the company held their annual Christmas Party and put on a stunning Venetian-style Masquerade Ball and invited everyone at Albany Software to buy or create a mask for the occasion. On the night, there were awards for the most spectacular mask, the most creative mask, the most striking male and the most dazzling female. The Ball was well attended by 40 staff and 21 of their partners and everyone there enjoyed themselves, seeming to relish the occasion to let their hair down at the end of a challenging year. As always, these events are a great opportunity for staff at all levels including the Senior Management team to communicate and interact.

Keith Abel and Ted Bell, the leaders of the organisation, make regular ‘pilgrimages' to every sight in the company and meet with every single employee either as an individual or in small groups for a Q&A session. Managers are not present at the employees' meetings. This sometimes involves visits to the drivers' depots at 3.00 am and a lot of travelling around. These meetings have a huge impact on employee engagement as they cut out the middle-man and allow employees from all levels to sit down with those at the top of the company. Employees are invited to ask questions and give feedback and often the sessions can be quite intense and challenging from the directors. Afterwards, lists of actions are produced for each department and all employees are regularly updated on the progress of these actions.

Keith Abel and Ted Bell, the leaders of the organisation, make regular ‘pilgrimages' to every sight in the company and meet with every single employee either as an individual or in small groups for a Q&A session. Managers are not present at the employees' meetings. This sometimes involves visits to the drivers' depots at 3.00 am and a lot of travelling around. These meetings have a huge impact on employee engagement as they cut out the middle-man and allow employees from all levels to sit down with those at the top of the company. Employees are invited to ask questions and give feedback and often the sessions can be quite intense and challenging from the directors. Afterwards, lists of actions are produced for each department and all employees are regularly updated on the progress of these actions.

Salary is split between base salary and a discretionary bonus which is made up of three elements, company revenue, cash and personal objectives, so when the company is doing well, everyone benefits and there is an additional element of personal performance which contributes towards bonus payments.

Zeus have quarterly CEO awards, one to an individual in each team in the business, in recognition of outstanding achievement or efforts. The most recent awards in one department were i-Pads.

At QC Supplies a selection of fruit is available to all staff, free of charge to encourage healthy eating and Employees are given paid leave, when required for mental health issues. QC Supplies encourage staff to get more exercise and regularly have Inter-departmental team sports events. They also offer a Debt Counselling service and provide interest-free loans upon request.

Staff at QC Supplies are given the opportunity to earn bonuses and commission by achieving agreed goals. Also, staff are frequently taken to events involving refreshments, entertainment and meals as a 'Thank you' for their whole-hearted committment to the company to ensure that they feel they are rewarded for their efforts.

To ensure employees feel rewarded they send Thank you letters and hard work is always acknowledged .

To ensure employees feel rewarded they send Thank you letters and hard work is always acknowledged .

There is internal support counselling and recommendations for external providers to assist employees if required through Andover Mind and other counselling services. These can also be part or full funded by the company. Vitacress have a professional therapeutic massage consultant that comes in weekly and conducts 15 minutes head and shoulder massages for any employee that would like to participate. The employee pays for this service but Vitacress pay the employee whist they receive their massage.

There are many courses that employees can take part in: Manual Handling, HACCP Auditor courses, IOSH NEBOSH Environment Awareness, Forklift Training, HR Workshops, Management Programmes, Finance for non Finance Managers, NVQ's in Warehousing, iTQ,Business Skills, Business Improvement Techniques, ESOL Skills for Life, Food Hygiene, Diversity.

Teletext Holidays have Milestone Recognition by giving additional holiday for long servers and Instant Recognition is given which is usually drinks in the pub!!! Individuals at Teletext Holidays with great performance are recognised by the full company at monthly meetings.

Teletext Holidays have a budget specifically for fun and social events. Some examples of these events are: Bowling, Quizzes and Nights Out. Team celebrations are held with regular monthly meets and specific milestones are always celebrated in various styles. Staff at Teletext Holidays recently celebrated Stag and Hen do's for two team members.

Quitting smoking, Eating healthily, Losing weight, Managing stress, Healthy heart/ cholesterol and Getting more exercise all form part of TD Waterhouse's calendar of well being events. They offer support for other mental health issues through their employee assistance programme, Validium. TD Waterhouse believe the investment they give to employee well being is above and beyond what other companies offer and clearly demonstrates their commitment. In 2010 they were awarded with the Investors in People Good Practice Award for Health & Well-being.

TD Waterhouse match funds raised by their employees for charity pound for pound with no upper limit. Their HR Director is chair of the Leeds and Bradford Cares Advisory Board. - In the past 12 months they have won the CARES North West Community Impact award and more than 48% of employees have so far taken part in one or more CSR activity this year. They also achieved a Gold Award for their Investors in People Application. They use CSR as a development tool and have a CSR module on their Management Development Programme. They have a mix of volunteers across all of the business areas at all levels, from the CEO and beyond and their CSR strategy adopts a community based approach to ensure that they are giving back consistently to the communities in which they operate.

Talkington Bates have training programmes on the intranet for their managers and offer pay/ support for external management qualifications through NLP and external training facilitators. Individual training plans are set and 360 feedback is given at 6 monthly appraisals. All managers have a mentor as well as external coaching/ mentoring through Skills south east. Managers regularly attend seminars on employment law as well as field trips to other sites, suppliers and high street organisations.

Talkington Bates have training programmes on the intranet for their managers and offer pay/ support for external management qualifications through NLP and external training facilitators. Individual training plans are set and 360 feedback is given at 6 monthly appraisals. All managers have a mentor as well as external coaching/ mentoring through Skills south east. Managers regularly attend seminars on employment law as well as field trips to other sites, suppliers and high street organisations.

System C plc ensure that employees feel they are rewarded for their efforts. They have a Competitive benefits package, Annual performance related bonus (based on company performance and indiividual performance), Competitive salaries (internal/external benchmarking to ensure fair and equitable salaries), Comprehensive Appraisal process in place as well as regaular one to one meetings with line managers to discuss progress against set objectives. The Company supports employees through professional qualifications, both financially and with given study leave. There is a dedicated training budget in place for each employee, to ensure continued personal development. Share options are awarded to employees for performance periodically and they have implemented a SAYE for 3 years sharescheme.

System C plc ensure that employees feel they are rewarded for their efforts. They have a Competitive benefits package, Annual performance related bonus (based on company performance and indiividual performance), Competitive salaries (internal/external benchmarking to ensure fair and equitable salaries), Comprehensive Appraisal process in place as well as regaular one to one meetings with line managers to discuss progress against set objectives. The Company supports employees through professional qualifications, both financially and with given study leave. There is a dedicated training budget in place for each employee, to ensure continued personal development. Share options are awarded to employees for performance periodically and they have implemented a SAYE for 3 years sharescheme.

Some examples of the sorts of training activities Steljes employees might undertake are product training event weekends, bespoke training courses written for Managers and employees, Health and Safety Training, Professional Qualifications, Role specific courses, Internal Product Training and Product Certification Training. There are fully funded professional courses, time off work for study leave and exams and fully paid for course materials.

Steljes have a sales Employee of the month award which comprises of a plaque on the wall and a prize awarded by the Sales and Business Development Director. Milestone recognition is awarded with Fortnum and Mason Hampers at the Company Christmas Party by the Chairman for those staff who have reached 5, 10, 15 and 20 years service. There is instant recognition in the form of thank you cards, instant rewards, peer recognition etc. Steljes have Boy and Girl Done Good Awards from the Group Chief Executive of a meal for two at a restaurant of their choice awarded at monthly company meetings for staff nominated by others in the business and customers for things they have done well.

Managers toolkits are available on the intranet at STA Travel as well as formal external management courses. Internal management development training is offered as formal leadership training opportunities and coaching/ mentoring is provided by external leadership specialists. STA Travel have external meetings within peer groups and HR Breakfast meetings provided by Employment Lawyers etc are supported. They support and enhance the development of people managers within their organisation by working alongside the employees providing easy access to decision making and coaching.

Managers toolkits are available on the intranet at STA Travel as well as formal external management courses. Internal management development training is offered as formal leadership training opportunities and coaching/ mentoring is provided by external leadership specialists. STA Travel have external meetings within peer groups and HR Breakfast meetings provided by Employment Lawyers etc are supported. They support and enhance the development of people managers within their organisation by working alongside the employees providing easy access to decision making and coaching.

Full range of tailored HR policies and procedures to enable Managers to get the best of their people including recruitment questionnaires, leadership training etc. Leadership development is given through action learning with secondment to other groups e.g. HR Building Blocks Group, F&B Development group, Health & Safety committee etc. Somerston strive to get Deputy Managers to carry out Maternity Leave cover so that they can get their feet well and truly wet over a six to nine month secondment and they get a real opportunity to handle the rough and tumble of managing people and teams with high expectations of their leaders.

Keith Griffiths, Managing Director and HR Manager have quarterly informal lunch get togethers with employees from three hotels. Usually three colleagues from each hotel are picked up in the MD's and HR Manager's cars and transported to the venue where they have an informal chat about how it is working for Somerston and including a brief business update. Keith Griffiths and Senior Managers make regular, structured visits as well as ad hoc visits to all locations and purposely engage with the front line employees.

The Westfield Scheme is available to all employees for help quitting smoking, eating healthily, losing weight, managing stress, other mental health issues and getting more exercise. They also have regular medicals for partners to support healthy heart/cholesterol, know your numbers. Westfield offers advice and if what was required was not there, they would be able to speak to someone to find out where help could be found. On approval, they have access to Clare Haynes, a life coach. A work life balance is also encouraged.

Robinson Low Francis say "Steve is a strong, visible leader who interacts with his partners and staff on a daily basis. He encourages ideas, he is enthusiastic, he believes in his company and his staff, he is outspoken and approachable and believes in transparency."

Robert Dyas have a No Smoking Policy and Smoking is not permitted inside any premises and a lot of Head Office Colleagues will now offer fruit as well as cakes when buying for their birthday! They promote their Retail Trust Helpline as well as encouraging colleagues to approach their Line Manager or HR if they have an ongoing concern. With regards to other mental health issues they refer all cases to their occupational Health provider for advice and support and any colleague who requests time off for private treatment will be given the time requested. Head Office colleagues have a discounted membership at the local Health Centre and they encourage all Colleagues to take regular breaks.

Robert Dyas have a No Smoking Policy and Smoking is not permitted inside any premises and a lot of Head Office Colleagues will now offer fruit as well as cakes when buying for their birthday! They promote their Retail Trust Helpline as well as encouraging colleagues to approach their Line Manager or HR if they have an ongoing concern. With regards to other mental health issues they refer all cases to their occupational Health provider for advice and support and any colleague who requests time off for private treatment will be given the time requested. Head Office colleagues have a discounted membership at the local Health Centre and they encourage all Colleagues to take regular breaks.

RFIB Group Limited use performance recognition and have an Unsung Hero Award - awarded monthly at the company presentation evening. This is given for excelling in one of the core competencies of Strive for Excellence, Technical Competence, Problem Solving, Working with Others, Working with Others, Communication and Commercial Awareness. They also have a milestone recognition scheme where additional leave is given upon reaching 10 and 15 years of service and after 25 years of service employees are given the gift of a watch.

RFIB Group Limited have an EAP scheme for Eating healthily, Managing stress and Other mental health issues in addition to medical referral. They take employee wellbeing seriously and once a month they have accupunture massages available as well as holding subsidised in house pilates classes twice weekly.

Renaissance Personnel operates flexible working patterns to enable employees to strike a fair balance between work life and social life. There are free annual medical checks for all employees, free health assessments for Night Workers and staff are allowed time off to attend sponsored walks or the London Marathon. All staff are offered free basic healthcare which comprise of vital signs checks. If there is anything unusual, they are referred to their own GP. The employees are encouraged to take regular exercise which does not only have to be about paying gym membership.

Renaissance Personnel operates flexible working patterns to enable employees to strike a fair balance between work life and social life. There are free annual medical checks for all employees, free health assessments for Night Workers and staff are allowed time off to attend sponsored walks or the London Marathon. All staff are offered free basic healthcare which comprise of vital signs checks. If there is anything unusual, they are referred to their own GP. The employees are encouraged to take regular exercise which does not only have to be about paying gym membership.

Randstad Technologies have a budget specifically for fun and social events. Colleagues take part in Friday drinks, Team lunches, Christmas party, Summer day and a one-day event organised outdoor, (generally parks) between May and June with different activities and a meal organised. It is a great opportunity to gather all members of staff in a social atmosphere before the holidays season kicks off. They also hold an Intra offices 5-a-side football and netball tournament. Lunch or dinner is usually held quarterly for every team to get together. Their last experience of team building was a 15-participants quiz night held in Central London. The night out in itself was a very good way to socialise outside work and get to know each other a bit more.

Randstad Technologies ensure that their employees feel rewarded for their efforts by combining financial rewards and recognition. They have an advantageous commission scheme and they put their efforts into celebrating their employees' good efforts. They also invest in high quality competitions' rewards to ensure all employees feel their efforts will be recognised. Instant recognition is commonly used by sending a company email highliting the efforts of their employees. Lunch and drinks happen to celebrate employee achievements and they also have a monthly company results meeting where champagne is provided to the best performers of the month.

Portico have a formal Thank you Scheme that is an instant recognition scheme across their whole business. Each location has staff noticeboard to share relevant communications such as internal vacancy list, training posters, event posters. Portico also send out regular posters via email communicating training events, Giving Back events and social activities as well as reward and recognition.

Portico have a formal Thank you Scheme that is an instant recognition scheme across their whole business. Each location has staff noticeboard to share relevant communications such as internal vacancy list, training posters, event posters. Portico also send out regular posters via email communicating training events, Giving Back events and social activities as well as reward and recognition.

Places for People have Star Awards to ensure that employees feel they are rewarded for their efforts. The Star Awards include a celebration dinner each year for those who were nominated for the awards. They also hold regular 1 to 1's and appraisals as well as personal thank yous from the CEO.

On average, employees receive 18 hours per year formal training with an average spend per employee on training per year of £80. They provide training activities such as: H&S, Induction, Manual Handling, presentation skills, influencing skills, IT training and leadership development.

The Managing Director delivers a Town Hall communication to all employees once a month to update employees on recent events, progress and what is coming. A live Q&A session follows the monthly Town Hall communication where employees can ask any questions in an open forum. There is an open door policy accross the Company and employees are encouraged to liaise with Senior Managers regularly. The Managing Director and Senior Management team also deliver a quarterly strategic review presentation to all employees to update on progress against business strategy and any developments.

Management Workshops are run for all existing managers and aspiring managers to aquipe them with the skills and knowledge to motivate and manage their teams in line with best practice and Company Policy. Where appropriate external management qualifications are supported through the Company assisted study programme and internal management workshops are run periodically for all people managers. Mentoring is provided by one of their Directors, all of which have been fully trained. Many Managers at Pattonair are members of a proffessional body e.g. CIPD, CQI, CIMA, CIPS and they attend seminars periodically to keep up to date with new initiatives and network with others in their field for support. Others attend formal courses to contribute to their continuous proffessional development.