What are companies doing with regards to 'My Manager'

There is constant consultation and engagement taking place between the organisation and its people and mechanisms such as the staff and carer consultation forums are used as “temperature checks” to gauge people's views on the way in which the organisation manages and develops them. The results from the survey will initially be understood by the senior team within the organisation and then fed back to the line managers. They will then be assisted and supported in producing a presentation to present to their teams and facilitate a feedback session in order to develop local action plans which can then be co-ordinated into an organisations action plan.

MWH's chosen corporate charity is WaterAid which they chose to support as it is a charity which reflects their vision of Building a Better World through delivering clean water supplies. They have appointed a Steering Group and a network of WaterAid Reps within each MWH office. The steering group and reps organise a diverse range of employee fundraising events within their local offices throughout the year. Fundraising events include activities such as dress down days, cake and sweet sales. MWH also auctioned surplus office furniture with the proceeds being donated to WaterAid. We have an increasing number of individuals and teams who take part in WaterAid National events such as The Great North Run, 6 peaks and other sporting challenges. During 2012/13 they raised £15,660 for WaterAid.

Mike Sunley has been the driving force behind Lexington since establishing the business in 2002. His determination, positivity and motivation have ensured that the company has grown year on year both in terms of turnover and people. From the start Mike wanted to do things differently and this has enabled Lexington to develop a strong culture. It's more than Mike's tireless approach to the very best food, people and service; he's also ensured Lexington is recognised as one of the UK's leading contract caterers, with an enviable reputation as one of the best employers in their sector. In a recent Investors in People audit, where Gold standard was achieved, employees commented that Mike is 'visible, communicative, professional, fun, approachable and recognises people!' Mike was also named the 'Foodservice Caterer of the Year' at the 30th anniversary of the prestigious Catey Awards in July 2013. The Foodservice Caterer award recognises an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the catering and wider hospitality world, who has combined innovation with sound financial performance as well as demonstrating clear business achievements. Mike was praised for driving business innovations across the company and operating Lexington with strong people focused policies at the heart of the business. In a time when many companies were cutting back on investment in their people it was made clear that Mike's continued investment in training and people retention has paid dividends for the company's growth and wider business success.

In Legal and General their drive to create a transparent and straightforward place to work where all employees can perform at their best, is supported by the reward structure which is aligned to the performance management process. Their performance and reward process recognises how employees go about things, as well as what they achieve. A great performance is about delivering results in a way that lives up to the Legal and General goals, brand and demonstrates the six behaviours. An individual's performance influences their salary and bonus. Salary is reviewed each year against how they have performed in their role and the bonus reflects how they have got on against their objectives and how they've gone about achieving them. Their salary and bonus pots always take into account company performance and the economic environment. Salary and bonus are part of the Total Reward package and sit alongside a wide range of financial, wellbeing, community benefits and staff discounts.

The family fun day is a company funded event to say thank you to all staff at ITW and their families. They hire a venue and this year it was a pleasure boat cruise along the Thames. It's a great party, always well organised and it's great for team-building. The inclusion of family members extends the thank you to husbands/wives/partners and children of all hard working and loyal staff. Their team bonus fund is based on target achievements and allocated to an event for all employees as part of continued team building and recognition.

Sports & social teams are in place at each of IRESS' six locations to arrange a variety of events. The company provides funding for each team based on a per head sum of money. All of the sports and social teams work in close liaison with people at their respective locations to determine the type of events people would like to attend. They are then responsible for allocating this money in support of events. These social occasions engender a real sense of team spirit enabling their people to enjoy one another's company and interact with each other outside of the office. Each team organises a summer event and this year these included the previously named Avelo X-Factor night, a Poulton Palooza and a fun day for Cheltenham employees and their families. Smaller events are held throughout the year and in recent months, have included monthly meals, quiz-nights, inter-office cricket, football matches and trips to sporting fixtures, ten-pin bowling and the theatre.

The CEO at Hifx 'walks the floor' every day and takes time to speak to staff and understand how they are getting on within their roles and what challenges they may currently be facing. The CEO, personally leads each staff communciation presentation and takes sigificant time to prepare for these presentations. Their CEO presents in an open/honest manner that is not sugar coated in 'management speak'. He allows people to ask questions without fear and takes time to answer all questions raised, Ensuring any questions not answered in the meeting are answered ASAP after presentations.

The Green Room's most recent team building event took place at their last Vision Day. It involved splitting the teams in cross-functional groups and setting them a task which incorporated elements of each of their roles whilst encapsulating creativity (the focus of our business) at it's core. The aim of the session was: *Embed some of the key themes shared in the morning sessions * Encourage team members to 'think freely' and come up with initiatives that could positively impact the business * bring the teams closer together * enhance individuals' understanding of one another's roles in the business and how to work with one another's strengths to maximise results across the board * develop some competitive spirit in a fun way * Encourage teams to look at issues and opportunties for the business and come up with new solutions & initiatives The event was a complete success in terms of bringing the teams closer together and enhancing understanding and overall working relationships.

At GMCP a staff Working Group has recently been established, to bring staff wellbeing issues to the fore, and create a culture where negative issues are identified, minimised and managed before they affect the health of staff. They are working with a small team of staff (20 volunteers) who are helping through: Attendance at meetings, focus groups in their own teams, highlighting triggers, making suggestions for reducing the negative impact of work, offering ideas and solutions to promote a greater sense of wellbeing and one that everyone enjoys… trying out different approaches to identify what works for them. They have a budget of £1,000 to test out ideas and make recommendations for a programme that will be rolled out by March 2014. Friday afternoon Reiki sessions at thier Head Office are booking up fast! In establishing the group, they were especially keen to include people who understand how work can add to stress levels, through personal experience. They also appealed for volunteers who rarely feel stressed or are more resilient to the pressures work – so that they can better promote a healthy work-life balance. Through this Project Team, thye are designing a programme of support that is relevant and accessible to all staff and helps them reduce the negative impact of work on their lives. They already have a free Medicash scheme, providing access to doctors, counselling / therapies but GMCP want to do more to tailor a bespoke package of support available on site, at the right times for their staff

Line managers are charged with continuing to reinforce including making the link between each employees personal objectives with those of the business in order that all can see their role in delivering the business ambition. Creating a culture of openess where all are encouraged to express their views - in 121's, small groups/teams, functional and all employee sessions. Mechanisms to name the "elephant in the room" so that all conversations are transparent no matter how uncomfortable they might be. Constant ongoing training/workshops; recognition through peers twice yearly Special Achievement Awards, leaders, Breakfast Club, emails, thank you, functional sessions, line manager thank you, performance rating, feedback etc . Coaches/trains line managers re role/expectations; Encourage work/life balance policies/communications.