What are companies doing with regards to 'My Manager'

Every employee is included in CIL's generous company bonus scheme. A bonus is paid three times per year, in September, March, and a smaller Christmas bonus in December. The amount received is a function of company performance, the individual's grade and the individual's own performance. People are told about their bonuses personally by one of the Partners, and everyone receives a personalised letter summing up the key projects and achievements from the last six months. Through the bonus scheme, employees receive an uplift on their salary ranging from 20% of base (at Analyst level) to 100% (senior managers).

CC have an open air lounge area, which provides a quiet and tranquil environment for their employees to relax in, either at lunchtime or during other quiet times. The company also host free weekly yoga sessions after work. To ensure that mental health is looked after as much as physical, CC have a free and confidential counselling line available to all their employees 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. CC actively encourage employees to use this service if they are experiencing stress or other difficulties, whether work related or personal. Cycling is very popular and to ensure CC employees are safe whilst cycling to and from work the company provide reflective cycling jackets so they can be seen easily by other road users. They also provide them with drying facilities, showers and freshly laundered towels. CC organise for the bicycle ambulance to visit the site and undertake work on employee's bikes to ensure they are maintained properly and roadworthy. The company also pays for their time and the employees pay for any parts they use. They even provide a cycle workshop for staff to undertake minor repairs during the day and provide spare bulbs and other small items. CC also offer to pay £100 towards new glassed if needed for VDU work, which is in addition to paying for the eyesight test.

CMBC are using the 70:20:10 model of learning to provide a base for employees to shape their learning. The organisation is just about to publish a revised Learning and Development Policy for the first time in several years, which they will use to underpin the development of a culture of self-directed learning. The emphasis is on seeking out learning instead of relying on paid for structured programmes of learning. CMBC also have a coaching and mentoring programme which has been in place for three years. They have built their own pool of workplace coaches and mentors that anyone in the council can request to have time with. They also run a ‘Day in Your Shoes' campaign, which aims to get employees connecting with one another across teams and learning from others about what their services do. This is promoting cross-council networks and helps employees to understand what goes when it comes to delivering CMBC services to the public.

Cadline's vision, mission and values were agreed upon seven years ago. It was decided not to agree upon these solely at a leadership level, so instead the company organised an offsite company event where they had a primary business objective of letting the team develop their ideas. The morning was spent developing the vision and mission statements and in the afternoon the team decided which core values best represented what the company embodies. As well as this the team went further and developed a set of behaviours, ensuring it was clear to every member of staff how to demonstrate these values in day to day interactions with one another and with customers alike. In order to maintain the team's enthusiasm and commitment Cadline decided to embed the values in the performance management system. Every year within each employee's objectives there is a ‘Values' objective, which requests that at each appraisal point the individual submits evidence of how they have ‘lived' the Cadline values of Integrity, Teamwork, Expertise or Passion. Through this process they reinforce the business statements and values to all. Furthermore new employees have a leadership induction scheduled where they spend a morning with one of the Leadership Team. During this induction the bourness statements and values are presented and discussed. This is then reinforced throughout the wider company induction with the HR Manager and Line Manager.

The ‘Make it Happen' attitude is seen in all areas of the business and it is never just one stakeholder taking priority. The Stool model is lived by everyone and engages the team to have a full understanding of what is expected of them. Any decisions the management team make need to be for the good of all three legs of the stool. Through this the management have created a caring and engaged team that deliver great service whilst having fun and making money. This is reflected in the great feedback Brooklands receive from guests regarding the team, low staff turnover for the industry and reaching management budget five years in a row. The management are very hands on and offer an open door policy to all staff. This year Brooklands even went against the industry trend and budgeted to pay all of their team players the National Living Wage, regardless of if they met the criteria. The team are quite often heard saying 'we are the Brooklands Family' and this is great to hear. Marco also meets every prospective employee before they start by leading the daily dash meeting, doing an introduction at the team player monthly induction and running the ‘Make it Happen' workshops for all new starters. He walks the property on a daily basis and even cooked the BBQ with chef for the team event. He also judged the Brooklands Bake off, but felt quite sick after tasting over 30 cakes! He'll even do weekend cover, where he can be found serving behind the bar and doing the pass in 1907, demonstrating to all of the team that they're are in this together and that leadership can take on various different forms to be successful.

Brooklands Operations Ltd very much believe in retaining and progressing their managers through the business by offering opportunities, training and coaching to allow them to develop from team players to junior managers and eventually onto departmental managers. They do this through management development courses which are run by an external tutor, one to one mentoring with Senior Managers and further external courses to enhance their development. The company has had the same management team in place for four years and many of these managers came up from team players to managers. As a hotel the business works very closely together on a daily basis, meaning discussion with Senior Managers happens throughout the days and any advice on performance is dealt with on an ongoing basis, with tasks and projects allocated over the months being monitored for their progression and completion. The management team also have offsite meetings a few times a year where they work through an agenda, covering commercial, people and guest feedback, all of which ensures their stool model is fulfilled and the team is focused. Having a close management team helps Brooklands Operations Ltd to understand how to work to their strengths and also how to complement each other when a great job has been done. Another huge positive is that most staff members have worked in other hotel groups, meaning they can bring their knowledge and experience to the table in every decision made.

Blue Chip Holidays actively support the RNLI as a charity that means a lot to their team, owners and guests. The majority of their properties are in a coastal location so Blue Chip Holidays support them both locally and nationally. They have put RNLI water safety information in the welcome packs in each coastal property and they also go out to help in their annual yellow welly collection campaign. Blue Chip Holidays also maintain regular contact with PLUSS and St Loyes Foundation, helping those with disabilities to get into employment. They have just hosted a 6 month paid temporary contract in their Finance department via the St. Loyes foundation. Also, the company have provided several apprenticeships over the last 5 years to enable young unemployed people to gain work experience and in most cases full time permanent employment with them.

The senior management team sits with the recruitment teams in the open plan office. They do not shut themselves away in private offices. They are extremely visible and have an “open door” management policy. The whole of the senior management team, including the CEO, handle recruitment assignments and are client facing so they genuinely lead by example and thereby actively demonstrate their hands on commitment to the values of the organisation. The senior management team jointly present to the business on a quarterly and bi-annually basis to update employees on company performance, initiatives and objectives, linking all activity back to the vision, mission and values of the organisation. By so doing, they are able to demonstrate their commitment to the values of the organisation by showing trust, sharing insight, demonstrating their talent, celebrating the talent and results of the employees and proving their agility. The CEO is extremely approachable and committed to retaining Argyll Scott's talented employees. He participates in the selection process of all UK based employees and senior international employees, taking a personal interest in ensuring they can attract, hire, train, promote and retain the best talent for the business. The CEO participates in the corporate induction programme, personally explaining the mission, vision and values of the company and thereby demonstrating his commitment to them. On a daily basis, the CEO walks the floor, talking to employees, listening to their suggestions, achievements and feedback on initiatives and advising them on how to handle challenges and obstacles. The CEO hosts monthly lunches with a group of employees from across the business which provides an informal opportunity for him to gauge internal sentiment.

The senior leadership have increased their visibility through top down communications. Their Chief Executive and the leader of the council deliver regular listening sessions throughout the year. This provides staff with an opportunity to share their views and hear directly from the senior leadership team. In addition each director holds similar sessions and shares key messages with staff based in their directorate.

Wellingborough Homes hold Annual Star Awards. At the annual staff away day, there is the Star Awards ceremony. Which is where staff can nominate their colleagues for awards that are chosen by Senior Managers. Some examples of the awards are: Rookie of The Year, Best Team Player and First Responder. All nominees receive a certificate and a congratulations from the leadership team, and the employee with the most nominations within each category, receives a prize at the ceremony during the away day and a photo with the Chief Executive, just like real award ceremonies! This is particularly effective because team member employees as well as managers, can nominate anyone within the Organisation. Plus, having the Executive Management Team presenting the awards at the away day, then shows the most recognition in front of all staff.

The company have Achieve More Together Award which is a quarterly cash bonus of £500 net to reward an employee or team who best display the company values. Nominations are invited from all employees.