Team Cohesion = Performance

In 2014 Blue Cross will be introducing 'well doneness' awards where their people will be awarded a certificate for doing something which is outstanding and they want to recognise, then people will be entered into an end of year award process with organisation-wide recognition.

Blue Cross run a psychometric called ‘insights' and using this for a full day's event. They have also had two off-site full team days looking at their directorate and their business issues. Executive team have had two full day events and a long weekend team building intervention. The team building weekend for the executive team was an exceptional event. People were put in several scenarios which meant they were under huge pressure and out of their comfort zones entirely. It has made everyone a tighter team, more respectful and caring to each other, as well as focussed everyone more on their relationships with each other rather than simply getting the job done!

The Company engages the services of an Occupational Health provider who offers a confidential helpline to staff. Additionally, there is Permanent Health Insurance cover for eligible staff and the premium includes a confidential staff helpline covering medical issues. BUPA cover is provided for certain categories of employee and the Company has, on a discretionary basis, paid for private medical treatment in circumstances where staff are in need of urgent treatment/appointments and do not have health insurance. There is a gym available in the fire station which all staff are eligible to use. The Company encourages staff to travel to work by bicycle through a bike purchase scheme. All staff have received training on Bullying and Harassment to ensure that everyone understands the need to respect others and act appropriately. Further ongoing training will be arranged for new employees.

Biggin Hills sponsor the Bromley and Blackheath Harriers athletic club. They give an annual financial contribution to the local residents' association. A range of events are hosted throughout the year which are of interest to their staff and the local community and, in some cases, are designed to raise money for charity. Recent events have been: October 2013 Heritage Hangar Open Day September 2013, Sit in a Spit - Spitfire experience, August 2013 Musical Salute to the Few. The MD is invited as a key local member of the Biggin Hill community to switch on the Christmas lights.

BEN's commitment to employee learning and development is demonstrated through their development pathway which begins with a full induction programme relevant to each individual's area of work. All new care colleagues complete the refreshed common induction standards which, along with all induction programmes, are completed within the first twelve weeks of joining BEN. This is followed by a robust supervision and appraisal programme which includes the setting of challenging objectives and a full training needs analysis to highlight further personal or professional training needs. This process is reinforced by regular mandatory updates and CPD training which is offered to everyone. All colleagues are given time during their normal working hours to allow for assessor visits/attending training and for attendance at external training/conferences and other CPD activity. BEN are currently very fortunate in receiving some workforce development funding primarily for QCF level 2, dementia and end of life qualification and therefore, our actual expenditure does not accurately reflect the current level of training and development being undertaken. Also, for the fact that they utilise internal trainers for many topics including dementia, moving and handling and first aid. BEN's success in promoting the importance of training and development can be illustrated by the fact that over 75% of their care colleagues are qualified to QCF level 2 or 3 in Health and Social Care. Alongside this, management, line-management, supervisory and non-care colleagues are also encouraged to work towards similar awards in their own role. BEN's colleagues' training achievements are recognised through the Annual BEN Training Awards, a series of awards presentation ceremonies which are held at BEN locations across the country. Here, individual and group achievements are recognised in the presence of invited guests e.g. commissioning bodies, training partners, BEN Management Board Members with BEN certificates presented by local mayors or dignitaries.

BEN runs appraisal and supervision training sessions to ensure that Managers feel confident with the appraisal process and understand the value of it. This ensures they appraise fairly and effectively, agreeing SMART objectives with their team members and reviewing these regularly by means of follow-up meetings and annual appraisals. They also review their appraisal forms and guidance regularly, taking into account feedback from both managers and appraisees, to ensure the process stays effective and relevant. BEN encourages its managers to manage on a personal level, operating an open-door policy to cultivate a culture of open communication and trust.

Through Bedfordia's Striving for Excellence, performance and development framework, learning and development is discussed on a regular basis - minimum quarterly and an individual training plan is agreed. This can include on the job training, coaching, job shadowing through to external training courses on specific topics and funding to complete a professional qualification. One of Bedfordia's key values is Striving for Excellence, which encompasses always striving to achieve their best in whatever they do - they could not achieve this without a real focus on developing their people.

Through Bedfordia's Striving for Excellence, performance and development framework, learning and development is discussed on a regular basis - minimum quarterly and an individual training plan is agreed. This can include on the job training, coaching, job shadowing through to external training courses on specific topics and funding to complete a professional qualification. One of Bedfordia's key values is Striving for Excellence, which encompasses always striving to achieve their best in whatever they do - they could not achieve this without a real focus on developing their people.

The organisation provides free fruit for employees and also have a free counselling service which is provided by BCW's Health Care Providers which allows staff to have up to six counselling sessions which are in total confidence.

Employees are rewarded for excellent performance by providing incentives for high achievers. Bonus payments and Salary Reviews are also given on an ad hoc basis.

Flexible working arrangements are key plus regular communication and providing a safe and comfortable working environment. This year B P Collins have implemented health checks for all staff. They pay for eye tests and subsidise gym membership.

B P Collins places considerable importance on building and strengthening their relationships with their local community and each year they donate to and support a number of national and local charitable organisations and activity based events as part of their charitable giving programme.

Aspire Outsourcing encourages its people to have a healthy lifestyle and diet, and promotes fitness and general wellbeing within the workforce. People certainly don't feel that their health is suffering because of their work. Work deadlines are realistic, and people rarely feel that the organisation takes advantage of them. Recruitment might sometimes be viewed as a high-pressure industry, but at Aspire Outsourcing, people don't feel under too much pressure to perform well either.

Aspire Outsourcing encourages its people to have a healthy lifestyle and diet, and promotes fitness and general wellbeing within the workforce. People certainly don't feel that their health is suffering because of their work. Work deadlines are realistic, and people rarely feel that the organisation takes advantage of them. Recruitment might sometimes be viewed as a high-pressure industry, but at Aspire Outsourcing, people don't feel under too much pressure to perform well either.

Shirin Dehghan awarded 'Top Woman in Mobile' by Real Business; Shirin Dehghan wins inaugural ‘Women in Business' Award. This year saw Shirin Dehgan of Arieso win Female Entrepreneur of the Year. She has drive, commercial acumen, customer focus and communicates and lives values including the importance of execution and delivery.

Several technical staff with ambition to move into commercial/sales roles have been supported including relocation where required. Managers make it very clear how specific projects and deadlines are connected back to meaningful business objectives that contribute to entire teams bonus. There is a general open culture, anybody can talk to the senior managers about anything and regularly do.

The Leader of the organisation provides an open door to anyone in the business. He is extremely accessible and is genuinely interested in the views and opinions of every member of staff. Perhaps more importantly, he is prepared to act on these views and opinions and always provides feedback.

The most important aspect in this respect is the maintenance of staffing levels. At a time when many organisations have been asking staff to do considerably more, Arena have continued to increase staff counts across the organisation. This means that pressure on individuals is minimised, the likelihood of work related stress is reduced and employees are able to keep a healthy work/life balance. Arena have also moved their North West operation into brand new premises, refurbished major parts of the headquarters building, extended and refreshed the Derbyshire base and drastically improved the North Leeds logistics base. The result is a more spacious, modern and enjoyable working space and atmosphere for the bulk of their employees.

The Aquarius annual conference took place in December 2013, providing an opportunity for all staff to come together, share their experiences and participate in workshops, individual / team awards activities which included laughter yoga, a quiz. In March 2013 we sent six of our staff on a learning trip to Rome where they visited a substance misuse service. They learnt about the services on offer, recieved training, visited local communities and took in the sites of the city.

Aquarius offer a comprehesive range of developmental training throughout the year to support staff in their roles. They have recently invited employees to participate in an NVQ training programme and their first cohort have now commenced work on their qualification through Birmingham Metropolitan College. Aquarius have secured external funding to support this opportunity and staff are able to utilise work time for completion of the required elements.