Senior Managers and Directors are available and accessible, listening to ideas and feedback and genuinely doing something about it. Face to face feedback and collation of more ideas via the we are ASK Italian engagement tour. You can never over communicate, continuing to evolve their communication processes, checking how to reach all employees by testing new communication channels and asking what works and what doesn't for their teams. Striving to increase their green credentials and sustainability and telling everyone what they have achieved. Focussing on what they do well including team events, team and individual development, non hierarchical inclusive culture personal contact in restaurants, making time for everyone. They have a clear career path, they continue to make it as visual as possible. Adding in new elements regularly to the ASK Italian journey, to keep it fresh and providing opportunities for promotion.

The ASK Italian Journey has had a major impact on our business results and HR metrics as well as employee development and engagement. The Journey is open to everyone and it provides an opportunity for self-driven learning and career progression from waiter to operations manager and from kitchen assistant to chef trainer. The journey provides clarity around the responsibilities, knowledge and skills required for every role, with training before graduating into a role or taking up a promotion. This year they have added further development modules to the journey for managers to develop as area support trainers and a special programme called Spotlight that prepares managers for high volume sites and managing large teams. The journey is enhanced by a bespoke 12 month leadership development programme for high potential head chefs, a bespoke 12 month leadership programme for high potential restaurant managers, and leadership development for their operations managers and senior department heads. In addition they use Myers Briggs for team building and developing collaborative working across all functions.

The most distinctive way Asidua's leader engages colleagues in their organisation is through empowerment, encouragement and open communication. Asidua management team have a focus on empowering and engaging employees hence highlighting commitment to the values of the organisation.

Asidua works closely with the Simon Community in order to help the homeless. This includes raising funds and also providing gifts such as scarves, hats, gloves etc. for distribution. The company promotes a 'switch-off' policy for all electrical equipment not in use and energy efficient practices are included in all employee induction programmes. Equipment such as the photocopier, printers etc. have low power stand-by or sleep features enabled. The purchase of energy efficient equipment is kept under ongoing review and considered at the time of purchase in line with business needs. Asidua has also undertaken a server consolidation programme to switch off servers which are either older and inefficient or no longer required.

Building the leadership capacity and capability within the organisation. This has been a key priority for the last two years. The organisation is in the process of developing a leadership competency framework for managers and this will be used to assess all managers to identify key strengths and development areas. Each manager will then receive a development plan for the next 12 months. Directors will be working closely with managers to ensure that development activities are undertaken.

The leader of the organisation attends each directorates team meeting to talk about the delivery plan. The leader has an open door policy. The leader attends all Corporate Induction Training sessions to talk about the key objectives of the organisation. The leaders meets with all new staff individually for half an hour. The leader takes a keen interest in staff and presents certificates to staff who have undertaken training or achieved a qualification, and most recently presented the winners of the fitness challenge. The leader delivers breakfast briefings.

The last Friday of every month is a dress down day for charity when all staff donate £1 to that month's nominated charity. Employees are able to make nominations for a charity of their choice. The Group match whatever money is raised across each of the Group's locations. No upper limit has been placed on this initiative. The Group have also matched money being raised by individuals for various charities of their choice outside of work.

The senior management team actively look for ways to embrace and show their dedication and commitment to the staff and Group as a whole. The Executive Team have an open door policy and many chose to regularly work out in the open plan space so they are visible and approachable to staff. Further the Executive Team meet monthly to discuss the business and the current big topics, following these meetings the Executive communicate to all staff via e-newsletter and in team meetings on what was discussed, celebrating the successes as well as advising any actions being taken to address issues. Further, the Executive supports the Best Companies initiatives by getting involved/participating in the desk hops, email free days and meeting free week. Recently a ‘Meet the Directors' induction day took place in October. All new entrants who joined the Group this financial year were invited to the all-day event in Head Office. The initiative was hosted by the CEO and involved a number of presentations by the Directors and Executive Team. The aim of the day was for the Directors to meet the new entrants and for the new starters to gain more information about the different Director's roles and responsibilities and the parts of the business that they are responsible for. It is an initiative that the Group are keen to undertake twice a year so that new starters get the opportunity to let the Directors know what it feels like to be a new entrant.

Arrow Global has a multi-tiered learning and development framework, which starts at core skill training, progresses through tailored training and top talent development, and peaks with executive development. In addition, internal knowledge sharing is key, the company runs a series of lunchtime master classes where leaders from different teams across the business give an overview of their area of responsibility to employees from other areas. The free lunch provided is a bonus. They also offer team specific breakfasts, mini master classes where technical skills/best practice is shared.

On the company's recent floatation on the London Stock Exchange, all employees received a grant of free shares in the company, giving them a vested interest in the future success of the organisation.

With 2,300 employees across 60 sites in the UK, Europe, the USA and Asia getting employees physically together is a challenge Arqiva believe is worth taking on. They increasingly think of their employees as belonging to a series of communities looking for ways for employees to develop their knowledge and understanding as well as great working relationships within those communities. Three specific companywide team building events designed around distinct communities in the last 12 months are: Annual leadership conference for 450 employees from first line leaders up to their Management Board. Each has one or more direct reports or contributes to the development of leadership capability across Arqiva. This is a critical event as Arqiva strongly believe that great leadership is a fundamental component of being a Great Place to Work. Annual Sales and Account Management conference for 150 employees from around the world, each of whom supports or develops the relationships with their customers. This included commercial line management up to their Management Board. This key event focuses on inspiring great customer care, collaborative working, maximising opportunities to help customers prosper and succeed, and development of their people through sharing best practice. Safety, health and environment conference with over 100 employees attending from across all levels of the business from field engineers to senior management. This provides an overview of important safety, health and environmental topics related to their SHE strategy. Safety, health and environment is a key element of being a great place to work.

Arqiva believe that each employee should be regularly recognised for their individual contribution and that effective recognition is a key ingredient in creating a great place to work and increasing engagement. They have a range of recognition programmes to help with this including excellence awards and exceptional bonuses - over 20% of the company received at least one of these in the past 12 months, a generous long service award programme. Arqiva recognised 270 employees and 4,455 years of service during the past year and, most recently, introduced a Thank You scheme. They have already advised their employees of their FY15 bonus schemes so they are aware of the targets that they need to meet. The Thank You scheme is an intranet based tool which provides a fun and easy way for all employees and managers to send a personalised electronic thank you card to a colleague - a copy is also sent to the recipient's manager. The scheme has proved extremely successful with over 3,500 Thank Yous being sent in the first 6 months and this rate of usage continues. Arqiva have seen an increase over 14% in their Gallup score on recognition which increased by over 14% between 2013 and 2014 and they continue to look for opportunities to recognise their employees in ways that are meaningful to them.

As a direct result of feedback from staff that they wanted an area where they could go and sit and eat away from their desks and also to take breaks, AKA have invested in additional floor space and turned one of the floors into a 'Diner' where staff can go to prepare lunch, eat and socialise. As a result of staff feedback they have undertaken a significant redecoration operation of the entire office and in some departments have involved a staff committee to lead and make suggestions for the design and feel of their department.

AKA have a full company meeting on a monthly basis where Adam the Group Chief Executive addresses all the staff with updates on new and existing business and also progress on key business objectives and information sharing. At their Annual Management presentation to the full company there is a Q&A session with Adam. Questions are submitted anonymously and asked of him sight unseen, as well as taking questions from the floor. They have an open plan office and Adam frequently walks around the full company, as well as operating an open door policy. Every 3 moths they have a drinks reception for all new staff which is hosted by Adam, where he and the board meet new starters

Adjust Your Set held a company away day which involved all staff spending the day away from the office. People were seated at tables which mixed up different teams and departments and each table worked together on a number of tasks and challenges throughout the day. The company also took part in a Tough Mudder event. It was open to all employees and a team of 14 participated and a similar number coming along to spectate and support the team.

Adjust Your Set have put together a collection of exercises called Deskercise that employees can incorporate into their working day and do at their desk and around the office. They also offer a Stretch and Tone class one lunchtime each week run by one of their employees to allow staff to exercise during their lunch break. They have introduced a couple of standing workstations to encourage standing meetings or to allow employees to work standing up as much of their jobs are very sedentary.

Actavis have an employee reward & recognition scheme that promotes recognition through demonstration of the values and rewards employees with vouchers. Employees can be nominated by colleagues or managers.

Actavis have an employee reward & recognition scheme that promotes recognition through demonstration of the values and rewards employees with vouchers. Employees can be nominated by colleagues or managers.

The senior management team in Academy Insurance Services are empowered to make decisions and lead the company with the support but minimum guidance from the directors, so decisions are made quickly cutting out a lot of red tape.

Academy Insurance Services offer health insurance to all employees and a cycle to work scheme