People Managers Matter

Due to the nature of the business there is an inherent flexibility in shifts and shift patterns immediately allowing for an effective work/life balance. There is also a work hard, play hard culture which is clearly evident with Nando's focus being on work being fun and enjoyable with social activities highly encouraged. Restaurant managers are called patraos, which translates from Portugese as ‘the head of the household', in this way the emphasis is placed on ensuring the Nando's value of family is present in each and every team.

Nando's have a learning and development team within the business providing a wide variety of internally organised and run courses that include various themes such as inductions, coaching and practical courses on restaurant management. They also have two external coaches and mentors who work with the regional managers providing specialist support and development on an ad hoc basis as and when the need arises.

Managers have a great deal of support through an onsite extensive reference library for staff and managers at all levels. Many of these theories are then expanded on in practical projects and team exercises. They ask all management to confirm what courses they wish to undertake to ensure they are included in the budget for the following year. All members of staff also have access to a coach of mentor and external coaching has been provided to the senior management team for some years.

Managers and team leaders interact with employees on a day to day basis through team meetings, one-to-ones, coaching and team building. All senior managers are located within the open plan office and the door is always open unless dealing with something of a confidential nature. Senior managers also join in with all social events. The Leader, Andrew, is passionate about team working and the importance of preserving and growing the company greatest resource, its people. The senior management team, departmental managers and teams operate cohesively within a culture of openness, transparency and trust. Strategy is clearly communicated and cascaded to all levels, with a real sense of where the mission is heading and where each individual plays a part.

Employees well being is considered very important. The dairy works four days a week, with employees working a slightly longer shift over four days rather than five, with an early shift only which was chosen by staff, many of whom are parents wanting to get home for return of children from school. The importance of family is also recognised at the annual events, for example, a farm Christmas party where partners are invited and an annual party for children of all employees.

Employees well being is considered very important. The dairy works four days a week, with employees working a slightly longer shift over four days rather than five, with an early shift only which was chosen by staff, many of whom are parents wanting to get home for return of children from school. The importance of family is also recognised at the annual events, for example, a farm Christmas party where partners are invited and an annual party for children of all employees.

There is a Management Development Programme in place at Kids Allowed, giving people managers the training and support they need to look after their teams effectively. Managers also undertake Coaching Skills Training which encourages teams to coach each other internally and an external training facilitator supplies her contact details enabling managers to contact her directly.

There is a Management Development Programme in place at Kids Allowed, giving people managers the training and support they need to look after their teams effectively. Managers also undertake Coaching Skills Training which encourages teams to coach each other internally and an external training facilitator supplies her contact details enabling managers to contact her directly.

Kid Ease adopt a team approach which allows staff to take ownership of their nurseries in order for continuous improvement to be made both in practices and staff development. The company organise a number of fun and social events to encourage interaction between employees. Examples of events are fun days out at Chessington, meals and overnight stays in luxury hotels.

Many of the skills are learned 'on the job' so there is a buddy system in place for any new managers and a lot of skills are transferred via internal coaching. Support is given to all people managers as they move up the career ladder and they are provided with toolkits on sickness and absence, performance management and recruitment. Managers looking to pursue external qualifications are financially supported by the company and attend twice yearly management meetings to share knowledge.

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.

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.

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.

Hyndurn Borough Council recognise and reward high performance teams and individuals in various ways such as Local Heroes in their newsletter, the Great Big Thank You event, Hyndsight, personal letters of congratulation from the Managing Director and token payments in recognition of staff who go the extra mile. Job evaluations are conducted regularly to ensure that salaries are paid equally for jobs across the organisation.

Hyndurn Borough Council recognise and reward high performance teams and individuals in various ways such as Local Heroes in their newsletter, the Great Big Thank You event, Hyndsight, personal letters of congratulation from the Managing Director and token payments in recognition of staff who go the extra mile. Job evaluations are conducted regularly to ensure that salaries are paid equally for jobs across the organisation.

Teams are rewarded and recognised in many ways. These include Bar3 events, which are themed events designed for all employees to come together, relax and have fun. There are Christmas party's held in Maidenhead and Glasgow and all employees are invited. For the employees working in retail stores and unable to attend, they provide £30 per head for local arrangements to be made. Individual teams also run annual events which are about connecting as a group as well as focussed on work. There are also team celebrations, for example, the retail team has monthly store team incentives to celebrate successes in different campaigns and successful teams are rewarded and recognised via their 3 Cheers scheme, where they will receive both a thank you and voucher or points to be spent in the online prize store. Formal team building also takes place. For example, they recently ran a two day event for an HR team. It started off with an icebreaker and a session from the manager describing her view of the challenges the business and the team faced. There were development exercises focused on being more influential in the business and with each other as well as how to make effective requests and commitments in this team.

Most of the management and leadership development is about how to manage relationships with others. They have a micro-site that supports managers on the Fearless programme which contains pre and post course materials as well as discussion boards and additional content. They also provide a managers tool kit to support managers with the performance management process. They have internal management and leadership programmes, Aspire and Inspire, which includes coaching and a 360 degree feedback element. Should managers wish to take external qualifications they offer sponsorship, funding of fees, contribution towards the costs of core texts and materials, travel costs and they also provide study leave and time off for exams.

There is a great deal of support available for managers. The organisation uses online support such as XpertHR and they also have external legal support in place. Training includes the ILM Management Development Scheme and managers also receive support towards external qualifications such as CIM, CIPD and NVQ's. Feedback is given through regular mentoring with Human Resources, succession planning for key employees and they currently run a 360 degree performance appraisal system.

There are various events organised to ensure that teams spend time together outside of the workplace including the annual dinner and dance, educationals and theme park visits. There is also a fund in place which can be used at the team's discretion to arrange such events. Formal teambuilding events are also held several times a year. The most recent involved the senior management team and directors spending an away day brainstorming new ideas and discussing the progress of the company in the future. This ended with a social meal.

Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council provide dedicated sessions for people who want to quit smoking. They have a health improvement officer who promotes healthy lifestyles to staff. They help to manage stress within the workforce by working with a union to provide 1-2-1 sessions and they support paid OCC health counselling for stress and other mental health issues. The company also hold staff walks and yoga sessions.

Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council provide dedicated sessions for people who want to quit smoking. They have a health improvement officer who promotes healthy lifestyles to staff. They help to manage stress within the workforce by working with a union to provide 1-2-1 sessions and they support paid OCC health counselling for stress and other mental health issues. The company also hold staff walks and yoga sessions.

Employees are rewarded and recognised for their efforts in various ways. They are financially rewarded through bonus payments and salary increases and recognised in meetings to say thank you and invited to drinks and nibbles sessions after staff meetings.

Managers receive leadership and supervisory skills training, coaching and mentoring. There is also a buddy system for new employees to give them additional support. Those wishing to undertake external qualifications, such as the MBA or MA receive pay and support. Managers are encouraged to mix with their teams, for example by having lunch with employees to develop better relationships.

Hays unique culture and environment utilises the strength of teams as a way of delivering excellence in recruitment and customer service to their clients, temporary workers and applicants. All teams are encouraged to meet together weekly to cascade messages, share issues and build knowledge. Managers are encouraged to manage teams as well as individuals and to ensure team events occur on a regular basis in order to strengthen the bond; this often includes a social element as well as business focussed activity. Office based incentives promote the strength of the team and awards enable the team to celebrate together both in a social context and on sports and experience events for example a paintballing day. Management conferences seek to encourage team building across specialist business functions and areas. These events often feature team events and utilise teams to solve problems and generate ideas and discussion.

Hays unique culture and environment utilises the strength of teams as a way of delivering excellence in recruitment and customer service to their clients, temporary workers and applicants. All teams are encouraged to meet together weekly to cascade messages, share issues and build knowledge. Managers are encouraged to manage teams as well as individuals and to ensure team events occur on a regular basis in order to strengthen the bond; this often includes a social element as well as business focussed activity. Office based incentives promote the strength of the team and awards enable the team to celebrate together both in a social context and on sports and experience events for example a paintballing day. Management conferences seek to encourage team building across specialist business functions and areas. These events often feature team events and utilise teams to solve problems and generate ideas and discussion.

There is a variety of training opportunities available for employees including Leadership Programme, Management Development Programme and NVQs. Employees share information and knowledge through many means. Every quarter they have a Group Wider Management Team where they encourage teams to take the floor and share their successes and learning points; involving motivational speakers from time to time. There is also an annual staff event which provides a forum for sharing ideas across the group and the intranet is a constant source for knowledge sharing. Employees are also encouraged to have involvement in local community projects, work experience initiatives and skills festivals with local schools, colleges and universities and to maintain a continuous professional development log to help their progression.

Futures Housing have a strategy and various policies and procedures to support their commitment to the environment. They monitor energy usage and waste and have recycling points at all offices and sites. They have also have introduced video and telephone conferencing to reduce car travel and promote car sharing, cycling to work, providing secure bicycle bins and shower facilities. They do a great deal for their communities including holding yearly community events and providing financial support to local sports teams and music groups. They raise money for a wide variety of charities throughout the year, including Comic Relief, Wear it Pink Day for Breast Cancer and Children in Need and annually board directors match monies raised by team members up to limit.

If someone within the management team expressed interest in a workshop for more formal qualifications it would be supported within the business. eSpares operate an open door policy and it would always be their standard to support and mentor a colleague who needs it.

As a small company eSpares encourage everyone to get involved in the areas of the business that are of interest to them and where they can add value. No one is pigeonholed into a job description and the organisation do their best to accommodate employee requests for flexible working hours and the ability to work from home.

Anyone wishing to take part in relevant further training through recognised formal qualifications are fully funded and supported with paid study leave. The average spend that the company invests in training is £2,500 per employee each year with approximately 200 hours allocated on average per person.

Anyone wishing to take part in relevant further training through recognised formal qualifications are fully funded and supported with paid study leave. The average spend that the company invests in training is £2,500 per employee each year with approximately 200 hours allocated on average per person.

The organisation makes a big effort to put fun into raising money for charity. On the recent Children in Need Event they dressed up for work in outfits from the 60s, 70s and 80s. They also assist with arranging work placements for tenants on their Home2Work Scheme. They have two people in their dedicated energy team who are responsible for all of the organisation's energy management and recycling issues. They have installed energy monitors at headquarters and are investigating energy management systems for main office and all associated offices and buildings. Facilities exist for recycling glass, plastic, cardboard, paper, toner and printer cartridges and batteries. As an organisation they plant a number of trees to help off-set their carbon footprint.

The organisation makes a big effort to put fun into raising money for charity. On the recent Children in Need Event they dressed up for work in outfits from the 60s, 70s and 80s. They also assist with arranging work placements for tenants on their Home2Work Scheme. They have two people in their dedicated energy team who are responsible for all of the organisation's energy management and recycling issues. They have installed energy monitors at headquarters and are investigating energy management systems for main office and all associated offices and buildings. Facilities exist for recycling glass, plastic, cardboard, paper, toner and printer cartridges and batteries. As an organisation they plant a number of trees to help off-set their carbon footprint.

The council was shortlisted for an award for its wellbeing programme by the PPMA in 2009 and won the employee benefits best absence management strategy in 2009. They have held regular wellbeing weeks to promote a range of activities that promote healthy practices in the workplace including nutrition classes, meditation sessions, healthy food in the staff canteen, the launch of a cycle to work scheme and encouraging staff to become more active during the working day. The nutrition sessions are the most popular events with 20 staff attending an 8 week programme looking at healthy eating and exercise. They continue to offer neck and shoulder massages, Tai Chi classes, flu jabs, sports activities and health screenings.

The council was shortlisted for an award for its wellbeing programme by the PPMA in 2009 and won the employee benefits best absence management strategy in 2009. They have held regular wellbeing weeks to promote a range of activities that promote healthy practices in the workplace including nutrition classes, meditation sessions, healthy food in the staff canteen, the launch of a cycle to work scheme and encouraging staff to become more active during the working day. The nutrition sessions are the most popular events with 20 staff attending an 8 week programme looking at healthy eating and exercise. They continue to offer neck and shoulder massages, Tai Chi classes, flu jabs, sports activities and health screenings.

Staff are encouraged to keep fit and healthy. The company pay for gym memberships for all employees who would like to join a local gym, breakfast is provided free of charge and there is fresh fruit twice a week. The work life balance is addressed by changing business opening hours to help employees with their journey to work. They provide employees with the opportunity to work flexible working hours and working from home where possible. They realise how important family is and employee's families are invited to certain social events for example trips to Thorpe Park and Royal Ascot.

Staff are encouraged to keep fit and healthy. The company pay for gym memberships for all employees who would like to join a local gym, breakfast is provided free of charge and there is fresh fruit twice a week. The work life balance is addressed by changing business opening hours to help employees with their journey to work. They provide employees with the opportunity to work flexible working hours and working from home where possible. They realise how important family is and employee's families are invited to certain social events for example trips to Thorpe Park and Royal Ascot.

Comstor has an absolute open door policy and most managers work with employees in open plan areas. They interact with employees through day to day availability and during one to ones. Communication is through quarterly staff updates, in newsletters and via the intranet. The Leader is very open, approachable and inclusive.

Comstor support their employees by allowing flexibility to work from home where possible and accommodate personal and medical appointments. They also give access to qualified external counselling. They recognise that family life is important and employee's families are invited to events.

The Commission for Rural Communities uses action learning sets to support the management development programme. Managers will also receive external support from third party coaches or mentors should it be deemed beneficial for the individual. If a manager's personal development plan outlines a need for it then the CRC will support them in achieving extra qualifications to develop them within the role.

The Commission for Rural Communities uses action learning sets to support the management development programme. Managers will also receive external support from third party coaches or mentors should it be deemed beneficial for the individual. If a manager's personal development plan outlines a need for it then the CRC will support them in achieving extra qualifications to develop them within the role.

The Central Office of Information have their own welfare officer who can offer advice on topics such as stress management whilst annual health checks help employees to monitor their overall health. Employees are encouraged to maintain a fit and active lifestyle through cycle to work schemes, gym memberships and free fitness sessions.

The pay system is very transparent throughout the organisation and everyone knows what they need to do achieve certain levels within the appraisal process which is directly linked with the pay each year. There are plenty of great schemes and benefits in place to reward employees for the work they do including fitness sessions, language sessions, a pension fund, childcare vouchers and various clubs and societies.