What are companies doing with regards to 'My Team'

The second Wellbeing Event organised by YourCash was held in October 2014 for all employees. The company invited a number of guest speakers from various companies to talk to staff about their wellbeing needs. The event ran over three days with different topics and guests attending each day. The topics included; blood pressure checks, general lifestyle advice, stress management and counselling, nutrition advice, health coaching, holistic health coaching, Confidence with colours advice and belly dancing sessions. Healthy breakfast snacks were available throughout the three day event to all staff. The feedback received from employees regarding this event was very positive. Following on from our Wellbeing Event held in October 2014 the employee feedback gathered was that staff would like to have a series of sessions. Therefore, we engaged the services of a Life and Fitness Coach for a 12 week period earlier this year to provide weekly talks twice a week, on site, on a range of life and fitness issues. The topics covered included: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner ideas, Goal setting, Desk Exercises, The importance of Protein, Natural Living, Office Nutrition, Stress Management, Positive Thinking, To do Lists, Top Apps, Gadets and Tools, Why Core is important, Why it is important to move while at work, The importance of sleep, The Importance of calories and How to deal with things when they are not going well. Overall feedback received from those employees who attended the sessions was very positive with a number of people deciding to sign up with the coach to continue their fitness and lifestyle programme in their own time.

The second Wellbeing Event organised by YourCash was held in October 2014 for all employees. The company invited a number of guest speakers from various companies to talk to staff about their wellbeing needs. The event ran over three days with different topics and guests attending each day. The topics included; blood pressure checks, general lifestyle advice, stress management and counselling, nutrition advice, health coaching, holistic health coaching, Confidence with colours advice and belly dancing sessions. Healthy breakfast snacks were available throughout the three day event to all staff. The feedback received from employees regarding this event was very positive. Following on from our Wellbeing Event held in October 2014 the employee feedback gathered was that staff would like to have a series of sessions. Therefore, we engaged the services of a Life and Fitness Coach for a 12 week period earlier this year to provide weekly talks twice a week, on site, on a range of life and fitness issues. The topics covered included: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner ideas, Goal setting, Desk Exercises, The importance of Protein, Natural Living, Office Nutrition, Stress Management, Positive Thinking, To do Lists, Top Apps, Gadets and Tools, Why Core is important, Why it is important to move while at work, The importance of sleep, The Importance of calories and How to deal with things when they are not going well. Overall feedback received from those employees who attended the sessions was very positive with a number of people deciding to sign up with the coach to continue their fitness and lifestyle programme in their own time.

YCH' commitment to employee development is reflected in the amount of budget allocated to a variety of learning and development activities. Over £280,000 is allocated to professional training, ad hoc training, management development and conferences. Some 707 days were invested in training for the last financial year ranging from ad hoc one day events to degree and master level studies. YCH is in the middle of a 3 year leadership and management training programme which on completion will have seen 48 senior officers and managers attend. The programme modules support the manager's competency framework which aims to align the performance of managers across the company. HR take responsibility for arranging and promoting learning events on a corporate level (i.e. Health and Safety, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion). All training events are evaluated and reported to HR Committee on an annual basis. YCH try to employ a variety of learning methods to be able to engage as many people as possible. The most popular has been the delivery of EDI training by a theatre company.

In June this year YCH took part in a #ChallengeYCH scheme. In support of the charity, Mencap, a 5 day challenge of soil clearing, wall mending, tree cutting, fence erecting and flagstone laying commenced to create a new area for the children and adults who use the centre. Over 30 staff were involved at some stage of the project often working way beyond their contracted hours to ensure the challenge was successfully completed. Mencap have congratulated YCH on having improved the lives of those who attend the centre. The YCH Sports Bursary Scheme has been launched this year to provide funding support for people within our communities who may be excluded from sporting activities for reasons of cost. Potential beneficiaries may include individuals who are wishing to engage in a sporting activity for the first time, or those who are already established within their sport but are hoping to progress to a higher level. The objective of the Bursary Scheme is to provide support to those who are prevented from achieving these objectives, due to their personal financial limitations. Most recently a member of staff has asked members of YCH to support the charity, Young Epilepsy. The staff member has a personal connection to the charity and his request has been fully embraced by the CEO who is personally promoting the work of the charity and selling the charities goods to raise funds. The CEO has selected this this charity for his next marathon.

The company have dedicated internal communications specialists who work with their services to ensure that key messages are communicated to staff in ways that are suited to the various job roles in the organisation. Their intranet is updated on a weekly basis and followed up with weekly news alerts to staff to let them know what's going on. Their Chief Executive sends out a monthly brief with her key updates, also directors sends out their own brief to share updates at a local level. They have television screens displayed within all their office buildings and these show key messages and updates of what's going on at Wigan Council. They also have a text messaging service staff can sign up to receive key updates.

As the company aren't able to give local pay rises they have implemented an online benefits platform named my rewards. The platform is home to all of their local and national discounts and it helps to make their employees money go further. They reward staff that achieve 100% attendance through their attendance reward scheme. The rewards that are available include quarterly and accumulative cash prize draws, recognition letters and an additional paid leave. In addition the council runs an annual staff recognition award scheme named the 'Confident Council Awards' All nominees for the awards are made by other colleagues within the organisation. They have nine award categories this year that support their core behaviours. The awards are: - Apprentice of the Year - Customer Excellence - Giving Something Back - Innovation and Improvement - Manager of the Year - One Team, One Council - Positive Partnership - Staff Deal Ambassador of the Year – Wellbeing.

Since 2014, every existing and new Whitespacer is given a copy of the ‘You Rule Book'. Written and designed by Whitespacers, it covers the company's mission, vision, aims and values and it received a commendation at the Scottish Design Awards. Topics at the bi-monthly agency wide meeting are regularly linked back to the mission, vision and values and all briefs for any internal project or proposal must evidence how they relate to these three things. The values are embedded in the appraisal and 360-degree feedback process. It's not enough for colleagues just to succeed. It's how they succeed that is collated in feedback. Whitespace share their values with potential new clients upfront, and prior to pitches and tenders, they aim to arrange chemistry meetings to assess potential cultural fit. If Whitespace think a client will require them to work against their core values, regardless of potential financial value, they won't proceed, and they have a poster in the bar meaning even on Friday nights, everyone is reminded they need to ‘work hard and be nice to people'!

This Christmas will be Whitespace's third charity fundraising campaign. In their first year, the team of Whitespace Elves sourced an arcade grabber machine, and worked out how their clients could control it from their own desks to program the claw to grab and deliver presents. For everyone who had a go, the company donated £1 to charity, but for skilled operators who grabbed and delivered a present, Whitespace donated £5. This all helped deliver real presents to kids who might not have received anything else. With thousands of site visitors and hundreds of participants, in only two days, Whitespace were able to donate £1,670 to Forth 1's Cash for Kids charity appeal. In 2014, Whitespace started working with global charity Mary's Meals and they realised that by joining forces, they could increase the impact of their Christmas fundraiser. The company gave Whitespace time for free and some Whitespacers also donated their own personal time out of hours. The result was the ‘One More for Christmas campaign'. The cost of a typical Christmas dinner is £16 per person. But for just £12.20, Mary's Meals can provide food for a poverty stricken child in a place of education for an entire year. So Whitespace created a virtual Christmas dinner table and invited people to set a place for £12.20. In a month the company raised over £47,000 - enough to provide 3,300 children with a daily meal for a year. For Christmas 2015 Whitespace are planning to build on this success and reach a higher target.

Wessanen UK encourage everyone at their Beaminster and Camberley sites to take part in our local community. At both locations the company have developed strong links with local schools. With Hawley Primary School, (Camberley), Wessanen UK link in with the school curriculum to run a variety of interactive classes for up to 90 children, teaching them about the importance of nutrition and where different foods come from and what they look like. The class where they learnt and tasted the difference between cow, soya, rice and almond milk was hugely successful! At Beaminster, the company regularly visit local schools and colleges to excite pupils about the world of food manufacturing, talking to them about what we do, the roles and types of careers available. Wessanen UK also take part in IGD's (a food and consumer goods-focused research and training charity) annual “Feeding Britain's Future” initiative, helping 16-24 year olds to find careers in food production. Other community initiatives include supporting local farmers by buying fruit for the offices, and taking part in local fairs. Wessanen UK respond to a wide range of requests and fund-raising activities, including the Bridport First Responder Unit, Scouts, and Cancer Research UK - our Company Charity 2015. The company's community reach extends beyond the UK. As a Fairtrade company they support charities work across the world; in particular on tea estates from where the company's raw materials are sourced. Wessanen UK are RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) accredited and they support three CarbonNeutral projects in Madagascar, India and Brazil, sharing regular updates with employees.

Wessanen UK encourage everyone at their Beaminster and Camberley sites to take part in our local community. At both locations the company have developed strong links with local schools. With Hawley Primary School, (Camberley), Wessanen UK link in with the school curriculum to run a variety of interactive classes for up to 90 children, teaching them about the importance of nutrition and where different foods come from and what they look like. The class where they learnt and tasted the difference between cow, soya, rice and almond milk was hugely successful! At Beaminster, the company regularly visit local schools and colleges to excite pupils about the world of food manufacturing, talking to them about what we do, the roles and types of careers available. Wessanen UK also take part in IGD's (a food and consumer goods-focused research and training charity) annual “Feeding Britain's Future” initiative, helping 16-24 year olds to find careers in food production. Other community initiatives include supporting local farmers by buying fruit for the offices, and taking part in local fairs. Wessanen UK respond to a wide range of requests and fund-raising activities, including the Bridport First Responder Unit, Scouts, and Cancer Research UK - our Company Charity 2015. The company's community reach extends beyond the UK. As a Fairtrade company they support charities work across the world; in particular on tea estates from where the company's raw materials are sourced. Wessanen UK are RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) accredited and they support three CarbonNeutral projects in Madagascar, India and Brazil, sharing regular updates with employees.

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.

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.

Weber Shandwick have provided a comprehensive learning and development program via a blended learning approach comprising classroom instruction, webinars and online delivery, self-directed learning, on-the-job training and external development support. As an integral part of their Employee Value Proposition, they are providing a variety of training in more flexible ways to meet the unique needs of employees, with 24/7 availability. This year Weber Shandwick launched the Digital University – where Digital experts host training, with curriculums to teach employees at all levels community management skills, content development, social crisis management etc. In addition, weekly updates keep employees up to date with trends and developments in the Digital arena, whilst weekly picks from the company's e-learning platform advises their people on pertinent up-to-the minute training ideas. In addition, the company host fortnightly talks. Weber Shandwick also launched podcasts with inspirational speakers from well-known digital leading companies. In addition, there are workshops on pitching, creativity, digital, strategy, analytics and communications, along with the company's rolling ‘key skills' training covering subjects such as line management, negotiation and writing skills, project management and a suite of finance/commercial skills courses, open to all employees.

All new joiners at Weber Shandwick are invited to attend a bi-monthly CEO breakfast which provides a full overview on the company including its history, details on the vision, mission and values, the company future goals, leadership team, clients and global network. The CEO gives all attendees the opportunity to ask any questions they wish. There is a company induction too, where HR take all new joiners through the company's approach to people encompassing Weber Shandwick's learning and development ethos and programmes, appraisals, career paths and how to get career support.

The company has participation in the Global Corporate Challenge with www.gettheworldmoving.com. Teams of seven from companies globally participate in the 16-week programme. GCC focuses on encouraging people to increase their daily step count from 3,000 steps a day to 10,000 steps per day. There was a marked increase in lunch time walks, weekend hikes and cycling to work over the summer. They have implemented a technology suite which enables extremely easy home working. Employees have a full range of telephony and video conferencing tools (UCOffice, Skype for Business) and webinar facilities (GoToMeeting) to enable them to work together remotely. Their remote access facilities are second to none, with no tokens/cards required, laptops simply link to employees' broadband with a direct link through to Version 1. Microsoft OneDrive and SharePoint tools allow them to share and work together on documents and proposals seamlessly. All of these tools mean that whether an employee is working from home, from a different office or from a hotel, they have the same easy Version 1 technology experience. This considerably reduces stress and time overheads.

The Version 1 Profit Share is paid quarterly to all eligible employees. This is dependent on them achieving quarterly targets on all three sides of the triangle, namely customer satisfaction, profitability and employee engagement. Maintaining the focus and momentum on these quarterly targets has been a key driver of their success. On average 95% of employees meet the eligibility criteria and payments translate into between 20% - 25% of net profit being shared with employees. The profit share scheme remains one of their biggest ways of saying thank you as each employee receives a letter outlining their quarterly profit share and the total for the year to date. In addition, each letter is personally signed by their COO includes some personalised messages. In 2014, they introduced the Version 1 Growth Share Scheme. This is a share scheme which allows managers to share in the company's growth and for them to become real shareholders. This provided them with extra meaning and connection and has led to 25 additional people actively engaged. In addition to paying for employee referrals, they also offer cinema nights, restaurant vouchers and concert tickets to those who refer someone who is interviewed (even if they don't result in a new hire).

The company are approached on a regular basis for overnight stays/dinners for charity raffles & prizes. In the past year, they have supported Hospitality Action, Action Against Hunger, Amar International, NSPCC, CRY, Great Ormond Street, UNICEF and The Royal Hospital for Neuro Disability to name but a few. They currently work with Street Smart at Grain Store and Sleep Smart at the hotels; they add £1 to every bill, which in turns goes to the charity. A MacMillan Cancer Day was held at one of the local hairdressers, they happily provided the cocktails and team to serve them! They work with Global Generation at Grain Store and purchase all the edible plants & herbs through them, this is in line with their sustainability policy.

The company are approached on a regular basis for overnight stays/dinners for charity raffles & prizes. In the past year, they have supported Hospitality Action, Action Against Hunger, Amar International, NSPCC, CRY, Great Ormond Street, UNICEF and The Royal Hospital for Neuro Disability to name but a few. They currently work with Street Smart at Grain Store and Sleep Smart at the hotels; they add £1 to every bill, which in turns goes to the charity. A MacMillan Cancer Day was held at one of the local hairdressers, they happily provided the cocktails and team to serve them! They work with Global Generation at Grain Store and purchase all the edible plants & herbs through them, this is in line with their sustainability policy.

Earlier this year, every team in the company took part in a team building training session called 'Building Incredible Relationships'. The sessions explored team members preferred styles through Myers Briggs profiles in order to help them better understand themselves, others in their teams and how they worked. With a view to helping people better manage their stress levels and maintain optimal personal performance, the sessions also explored which behaviours, situations or interactions might provoke positive and negative responses in people. It encouraged people to share these with colleagues and helped them identify strategies for maintaining positive personal performance. The sessions also introduced a common language for people to use to help colleagues understand and support colleagues when they responded negatively to behaviour, situations or interactions with others.

UKTV's Management Academy is now in its fourth successful year. This is the company's bespoke 12 month programme for colleagues new to people management that gives them the skills, tools and confidence to be great people managers. This extensive programme covers topics such as coaching & feedback, employment law, diversity and developing teams. All participants have a 360 feedback process at the beginning and end of the programme which gives them the chance to reflect on their own progress during the year. There are 14 participants this year, which is the most yet, and the programme has gained real kudos across the company with people very keen to nominate themselves. Each year they celebrate the achievements of the participants with a 'Graduation Ceremony' at all staff meetings where they receive their certificates and a bottle of fizz!