What are companies doing with regards to 'My Manager'

Managers at Personnel & Care Bank are given the autonomy to manage their branches ensuring that their teams are included in decision making, gaining buy in at every level. They are supported with both external and internal coaching and training in Neuro Linguistic Programming via an external practitioner.

Orange run an employee recognition scheme called Brilliant to recognise people that go above and beyond. Anyone who works for the company can nominate someone else for a Brilliant award on their intranet. The panel meets to review all nominations and they award up to twenty people a month. Winners get a day's holiday and a Brilliant star paperweight. The Sales and Loyalty directorate launched its own scheme this year, Sales Legends. Every month, the top 50 performers across all sales channels are listed in the online league table and the top Sales Legends every six months are invited to a superb gala event with their partners. In July this year, the event took place at BAFTA House. Employees are also recognised via the Orange Community, where there are certificates for fundraisers, a profile on the volunteer wall with photos and reports for all volunteers and Orange News coverage on volunteering and fundraising activity.

NHS West Essex provides detailed management toolkits for each of their people managers to give them support in their day to day role. Further support is offered through the provision of internal and external training if ever the need is identified whilst managers occasionally get together for away days where they can meet up and share knowledge and experience.

Formal team building is held a couple of times a year to encourage employees to build strong relationships and have fun outside of the office environment. For example, they held an organisation away day last year with the theme of ‘Old World – New World'. Every member of staff was invited to attend and arrangements were put in place to provide adequate cover for the office to remain open to enquiries. At this event they explored, with full participation of all present, the behaviours that they wanted to see within the organisation. In addition members of staff participated in presentations which looked at how they work and ways of working more efficiently. One theme that resonated with lots of staff was the ‘time thief' who stops to ask you a quick question that then turns into a detailed conversation or the other time thief who leaves everything to the last minute and then expects others to be able to meet their own timeline.

Being a small organisation everybody knows one another and the staff are very caring toward each other. Once the gym was set up several staff were embarrassed to join but with peer support and encouragement many of the staff enjoy their new found exercise regimes and say it helps in many ways. The gym is open all day and there are no restrictions when it can be used. They provide bicycles for people to use to cycle to work or to go on rides around the local area.

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 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.