My Manager - How employees feel about and communicate with their direct manager
The quality of direct line management really impacts engagement, after all the latest stats suggest that 7 out of 10 people leave their manager and not their organisation.
Great managers should be selling the direction and vision of the organisation, helping others see how their role impacts the bigger picture, ultimately influencing the factor My Company. Good Managers recognise the importance of growing and developing their people, which means the My Manager factor also has a significant impact on the factor Personal Growth.
When it comes to My Team, great managers build great teams, but world class managers also focus on connecting teams throughout the organisation. Managers can heavily influence the Wellbeing factor by helping to positively restore a work/life balance, managing employee workload and recognising that employees have a life outside of work
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.
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.
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.
There are various events organised to allow employees to socialise with one another and have fun. These have included the staff party, team away days and a staff conference. Teams are recognised with a team reward scheme.
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.
The company's charitable donations policy allows for £3000 to be donated to charity per annum. There is a company lunch held once a month where employees make a £2 donation and all proceeds go to a different charity each month. They also give back to their local community, offering a great deal of support to the Peace Hospice, volunteering over Christmas to fundraise and wrap presents as well as sponsoring the Christmas lights for the annual memorial event. They support the environment by using sustainable sources for their office furniture and having built in recycling points and recycling boxes on all desks.
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.
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.
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.
They recently held an all staff conference. This involved a combination of some site visits, so people can see the results of the policies that they influence have on the ground. Feedback was really positive and the feedback to other groups at the conference unleashed peoples innovative and creative sides. Some groups acted out their feedback, others made creative use of technology and produced a short slide show. The CRC is small, flexible, friendly and fun. It attracts people who are dedicated to the organisations remit who have expert knowledge that others value.
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.
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.
Looking for more information on our solutions? Let us know how we can help and the right member of our team will be in touch shortly.
