Through their Citygate academy, they have a structured development path for managers to show clearly how they can progress to the next level in their career. They are coached and supported by their managers and are put through structured development modules. There are many examples of employees who have progress and taken the next step in their career with Citygate.

They have created their own City Gate Sales Academy. The Academy of Excellence will help ensure they promote a consistent message and best practice across the entire group while creating and maintaining the best possible standards in customer service. In doing this, they will unlock their people's potential, giving them the best tools to succeed and positively influence and shape their careers. With an emphasis on accuracy and quality, the aim of their academy is to deliver a “world class” customer experience, training their teams in such a way that they can also display their own individual personalities. Every sales person in the company has been enrolled into their academy. They have been issued with their own academy learning folder which contains all of the relevant information and the modules they are required to complete to progress in their careers with Citygate. All new starters are issue with the Academy folder on their first day and their file will grow with them as they attend and complete each of the modules / stages contained within the academy. The modules are designed to allow career progress from sales executive to sales management. The learning journey is a mixture of on e-learning, on job coaching, classroom style training and off site training at the national learning centre.

CGL implements a number of initiatives to support managers, and to provide development opportunities in the context of the CGL Career Paths. At project junior management level, implementation of formal team structures and clarity of roles and expectations have been set out, and allow the managers to operate within a common framework. They are supported by guidance from senior managers and through the company's quality management procedures. For newly chartered staff, CGL has developed a Management Training Programme, in conjunction with the Chartered Management Institute, which gives these aspiring middle managers an in-depth insight into the practice of management in a live environment. This is a cross office initiative, which has benefits in enhancing communications at this mid-level. The outcome of the programme is a Certificate in Management and Leadership. Line managers from each of the offices gather on a quarterly basis for formal competence training interventions from an external trainer. This is also a forum for peer discussion and mutual support. Senior staff similarly undergoes competence training, and are encouraged to gain accreditation of their management experience through application for Chartered Manager status. Board members participate in formal IoD training programmes for their roles. The Board has a programme of inviting senior managers to participate in meetings. All of this development is set within an environment of twice yearly appraisals, regular updates, mentoring and coaching relationships and feedback surveys which allow a culture of continuous improvement.

From staff surveys there is a clear belief by staff that the SMT are committed to CGL values. The repeated checking each year is a strong message reinforcement. The commitment to openness, honesty and integrity is perhaps best illustrated by the CGL Pulse poster placed each month in public areas in each office which allows every member of staff to see trading performance, recruitment, training key knowledge indicators. Health and Safety is clearly of paramount importance in the work and near miss/incident reporting in a weekly engineers meeting together with new joiner tool box talks and the buddy system all led by the SMT are also a clear messages. CGL invests in technology and people to give them the edge. CGL are committed to listening to one another, whether face to face in regular appraisals, at road shows and team days or via annual questionnaires where we test the feedback from all. Staff is involved with both sustainability and environmental issues and CGL SMT lead from the front in this as final arbiters of the technical consulting output and within the operation of individual offices. Finally, CGL is very aware that to bring in and retain staff it has to provide a fulfilling experience. In this SMT both lead by example and mentor colleagues to progress on the CGL Career Pathway. The 2015 successes in professional exams, the promotions that resulted, and the development of team structures that give aspiring staff a taste of business responsibility have all been crucial.

Communication Day On the first Wednesday of each month the company hold “communications day”, led on each site by Senior Managers, these sessions are held to ensure all colleagues are fully aware of the Company's performance, are up to date with the latest projects and most importantly have the opportunity to ask any questions they may have and give timely feedback. Technology Roadshow, the technology division is diverse, both in terms of roles and geography. As such they hold bi-annual technology roadshows, giving members of the team an opportunity to hear about what all the areas have been working on, what the focus for the future is, demo new products, hear from subject matter experts, but also have the opportunity to network with their peers face to face. Fun@Work and PayBack The company is enthusiastic about colleagues enjoying their time at work – they do lots of things to encourage teamwork and teamplay, including sport days, Halloween fancy dress and even a 50th birthday party.

The PayBack Foundation Ceridian UK established their own registered charity, The PayBack Foundation, in 1997. Colleagues are passionate about the Charity, as they know that 100% of all donations go directly to PayBack grant recipients. They feel a connection with the charity as the company share the details of where all of the donations go to. The company help local disabled and disadvantaged children! Colleagues are always thinking of bigger, better and more unusual ways of raising funds. In 2015 the company participated in 3 Tough Mudder events, 2 10k runs, a half marathon, Adare to Survive, a 12 hour Boogie4PayBack as well as the more usual cake bakes, small change donations and more. MacMillan Coffee Morning as well as supporting PayBack, Ceridian also supports a number of nationally recognised charitable events. Each year the offices bake cakes for MacMillan coffee morning, with all donations going to this worthy cause.

CDI AndersElite is fully committed to the provision of quality training and development to enable all staff to meet the business goals and objectives. The job mapping templates is a great example of how the organisation supports employee development; they currently have this in place for recruiting / sales function and are in the process of developing for other areas of this business. This enables staff to easily identify where they fall within the job mapping with regards to experience, performance, qualifications and training and where their development areas are which may be requirements for promotion. These ‘gaps' then becomes the basis of their development plan. A huge part of the employee development is through the undertaking and achievement of professional qualifications. The company believe they offer a "Best in Class" training offering as all of their training is delivered by industry leading organisation who are deemed to be the market leaders in their respective field. Year to date over 70 members of staff have undertaken a professional qualification and it is anticipated this figure to grow over the next 12 months. Finally, the company have recently introduced an apprenticeship scheme and have targeted every office with taking on two apprentices. Apprenticeships are a tried and tested way to recruit new staff and provide the company with a future workforce. It encourages a culture of learning and provides a strong foundation to the staff base whilst demonstrating our commitment to employee development at all levels.

Small, simple changes to lifestyle in the workplace and at home represent a huge opportunity to reduce sickness absence and related costs, improve performance, increase engagement and attract top talent therefore The company endeavour to support their employee's health and wellbeing in a number of ways - encompassing physical, emotional and financial wellbeing: Working Parent Support includes savings on childcare through salary sacrifice as well as Advantages and Parent Hub through Eden Red which is a combination of household expenditure savings and an online resource of information and advice on all things parenting. "MyWorkOffers" helps staff fend off the stress of financial pressures through thousands of savings on household expenditure. Ride to Work Scheme which has health, environmental and financial benefits for all employees who wish to enter the scheme. Eye care Vouchers offer eye health support as well as a tool for managing expenses efficiently. Quite Smoking, the company are also looking at initiatives to help staff quite smoking. ‘Lunchtime learning' sessions encourage employees to participate in their office weekly session which is geared around learning a new skills, a language, or fitness etc. One of the company's goals for 2016 is to invest in wellbeing programme for staff whereby they can teach them how to lead a healthier lifestyle and promote wellbeing within their lives personally and at work.

As a carers' charity, the organisation have made particular efforts to ensure the wellbeing of carers that they employ. They have developed, in consultation with staff, a policy that sets out how they will support the carers that they employ – including up to 5 days paid leave in any 12 month period if needed to deal with caring responsibilities. Carers Trust are also very open to requests to work flexibly / change working hours temporarily or permanently in order to help staff to cope with their caring responsibilities. These types of approaches are particularly important as carers are often under a great deal of pressure outside of work. They also have a regular feature in their monthly staff newsletter on various aspects of health and wellbeing - for example on topics such as back pain.

As a carers' charity, the organisation have made particular efforts to ensure the wellbeing of carers that they employ. They have developed, in consultation with staff, a policy that sets out how they will support the carers that they employ – including up to 5 days paid leave in any 12 month period if needed to deal with caring responsibilities. Carers Trust are also very open to requests to work flexibly / change working hours temporarily or permanently in order to help staff to cope with their caring responsibilities. These types of approaches are particularly important as carers are often under a great deal of pressure outside of work. They also have a regular feature in their monthly staff newsletter on various aspects of health and wellbeing - for example on topics such as back pain.

Every quarter the company aim to hold a company-wide activity, BeSocial, which is a way for employees to interact and bond outside of the work environment. The activity is chosen by employees and the company will provide funding for this. BeSocials engage employees and create a positive team spirit throughout the company. For any new employees, the company contributes £20 towards their first lunch – by doing this they are encouraging the new employee to engage with their new team and help them to feel welcome. Every Friday afternoon, the company hosts nibbles and drinks to finish off the week. It allows employees to feel relaxed after their hard work, and also a way for the directors to personally say thank you.

In order to ensure a healthy work/life balance staff is not encouraged to take work home. The company have a range of in-house schemes including, support to help employees stop smoking where the company offer up to £100 to purchase non-smoking aids to help them give up smoking; this can be items such as nicotine patches, gum or self-help books. If the employee is successful after 6 months of no smoking, they are rewarded with a £100 voucher of their choice. This is announced via the company's intranet to congratulate the employee, but also encourage other employees to adopt the healthier lifestyle. On the staff intranet, they have a section dedicated to healthy eating where they provide employees with nutritional tips and new recipes. Each centre provides employees and clients with fresh apples on a daily basis. The company offer free on-site gym facilities which are available for all employees and clients to use at their leisure. This promotes and encourages employees to keep fit and healthy, and the opportunity to lose weight for those that have specific goals in mind. Within the company's Healthcare scheme, they also offer discounted gym memberships.

Many of our staff have worked as recruiters in previous roles, they believe that as a business, they have strong enough networks to recruit to internal vacancies without using agencies. In the last year they re-invigorated their 'Refer a Friend' scheme to offer a generous referral fee for successful referrals, offering £1,000, £2,000 or £3,000 gross dependent on the starting salary of the individual referred. This is payable on successful completion of 3 months service by the new joiner. Additionally, the referrer is entitled to a meal out for 2 on the company at the time the individual joins. The rationale for this is that the cost of the referral fee is outweighed by the savings on agency costs. This has proved to be their most successful means of recruitment this year, with around 17 successful referrals ranging from apprentices to general managers. Staff are clearly motivated to refer as we have a regular supply of candidates coming through this scheme.

Many of our staff have worked as recruiters in previous roles, they believe that as a business, they have strong enough networks to recruit to internal vacancies without using agencies. In the last year they re-invigorated their 'Refer a Friend' scheme to offer a generous referral fee for successful referrals, offering £1,000, £2,000 or £3,000 gross dependent on the starting salary of the individual referred. This is payable on successful completion of 3 months service by the new joiner. Additionally, the referrer is entitled to a meal out for 2 on the company at the time the individual joins. The rationale for this is that the cost of the referral fee is outweighed by the savings on agency costs. This has proved to be their most successful means of recruitment this year, with around 17 successful referrals ranging from apprentices to general managers. Staff are clearly motivated to refer as we have a regular supply of candidates coming through this scheme.

The company offers personal coaching utilising an external coach to develop senior managers - Management Development Coach. This programme supports and develops new managers and assistant managers in stores to deliver in their roles through using existing managers as management development coaches combined with a structured training plan.

They hold a weekly trade meeting where all colleagues from head office and the distribution centre are invited. These are a great way to ensure all colleagues have the opportunity to receive key information directly from the leaders. They are also a great forum to share, and celebrate, successes for example the great charity work colleagues do and contribute to. They also ensure colleagues hear about great new developments in the business, for example new store openings. Key messages are then cascaded to store colleagues via a weekly ‘Trading Post.' This enables Bonmarche to share information with as many people across the company as possible. Annual roadshows are run across the country and include as many of their Colleagues as possible. The 2015 Roadshows were titled ‘Road to Success' and focused on values, strategy, branding and new product development. The aim of the roadshows are to bring colleagues together, share key information, welcome feedback directly from them and have some fun!