The main social events that SJD hold at the organisation in which all employees get involved in are Charity events. These include; Breast Cancer Care Pink Friday; Children in Need; Jeans for Genes day, Sport Relief and the Macmillan Coffee Morning. Lots of employees bake cakes to help raise money and our Receptionists organise games such as; "Guess the Number of Sweets in the Tub" and "Bingo". At lunch time all employees come together to take part in the cake sale and the games that are available. In the last 6 months alone they have raised over £1000 for charity.

SJD support employee development through their internal campaign titled ‘How did I IMPRESS my client today?'. IMPRESS is an anagram that employees can easily remember to use as part of their day to day interaction with clients: INFORMATION – Ensure all information is clear, concise and informative. MANAGEMENT – Manage and maintain a good client relationship. PROMISE – Never break the SJD Promise – Put yourself in the client's shoes! REASSURANCE – Reassurance is key to referrals. EMPATHY – Clients will not always remember what you said but they will remember how you made them feel. SPEECH – How well you communicate is as important as the service itself. SUCCESS – The key to success is clients going away feeling that they've made the right decision. This campaign was supported by internal merchandise, leaflets and posters. This campaign forms part of internal training, training programmes and material, merchandise, employee objectives and reviews.

Shropshire Housing Group use their Leadership Group and Performance Management Group as an opportunity for junior managers and more junior staff members to develop presentation skills. This is seen as a useful platform for them to have a go at "practicing" in front of critical friends and is a great development opportunity. In addition they permit a cross range of staff to become champions in their own right and use their abilities to train work colleagues e.g. IT software champions, lean ways of working champions and E&D champions are just a few examples. They have also put together a CMI L 3/5/7 for staff/ managers and directors. They are looking to introduce a Career Development Plan for each job role within the orgnaisation.

Shropshire Housing Group use their Leadership Group and Performance Management Group as an opportunity for junior managers and more junior staff members to develop presentation skills. This is seen as a useful platform for them to have a go at "practicing" in front of critical friends and is a great development opportunity. In addition they permit a cross range of staff to become champions in their own right and use their abilities to train work colleagues e.g. IT software champions, lean ways of working champions and E&D champions are just a few examples. They have also put together a CMI L 3/5/7 for staff/ managers and directors. They are looking to introduce a Career Development Plan for each job role within the orgnaisation.

Staff within the sales room spend alot of their day on the telephone making and receiving calls. It was decided that as they have headsets it was encouraged for them to leave their desks and walk round the building. They were provided with pedometers to show just how far they had walked. Rewards were given for distance as the longer you walked should equate to time on the phone. This was received well by all.

The recent sales conference, involved almost all staff from ShP. A BBQ was backed up by a range of wine, PIMMS and beers and all enjoyed the evening to the early hours. Staff based at home, office based and warehouse all had a great time together and many chatted and conversed with people that they do not on a daily basis due to work requirements. All agreed it was great to find out things about people that you would not know outside of these events. This culminated in the presentation of iPads to staff for that sales period.

2011 was a challenging yet rewarding year and across the whole Group success has been celebrated and recognised: Staying First has a new identity, Domus has won new business, they're officially Guinness World Record holders and also Gold Investors in People Champions.

2011 was a challenging yet rewarding year and across the whole Group success has been celebrated and recognised: Staying First has a new identity, Domus has won new business, they're officially Guinness World Record holders and also Gold Investors in People Champions.

The Principal and Senior Management Team get out and about and ‘walk the floor' a symbolic act that conveys their philosophy,of employee engagement rather than hiding themselves away. The above generates immense respect and employee engagement to the highest level, as staff are listened to and ideas and feedback, which gives credence to the ethos that Selby College staff are valued.

The Principal and Senior Management Team get out and about and ‘walk the floor' a symbolic act that conveys their philosophy,of employee engagement rather than hiding themselves away. The above generates immense respect and employee engagement to the highest level, as staff are listened to and ideas and feedback, which gives credence to the ethos that Selby College staff are valued.

An internal and external communication strategy has been developed over the last 4 years, which includes: Nine staff conferences which have been used to good effect to foster the creation of a positive and supportive culture where all staff work closely and effectively together in the best interests of learners and employers. One to one and team meetings which are used to reinforce key messages, along with electronic communication tools. A PDR and 360 process which has been embedded into the staff development process, and provides support and progression to all staff. A weekly bulletin which is emailed to all staff giving updates on activity from managers around the business. Facebook and Twitter pages which are used to detail current vacancies, industry and company information. The Facebook page is full of useful information and resources such as electronic versions of company leaflets, videos, and a national vacancy map.

Self assessment is an essential part of their continuous improvement. This process allows all departments and teams to analyse their strengths, areas for improvements and their satisfactory areas, through effective monitoring and on-going self assessment. All staff are fully engaged in this process and the outcome helps to focus on improvement across the business and to raise the standard and quality of training provision. A full self assessment process is completed once every year, with a formal review every 6 months, which is documented in a full report. This is also supported by a Quality Improvement Plan, which details all key improvement areas and documents the progress of key activities and actions. This plan is reviewed on a monthly basis and updated accordingly. Self assessment is a key part of their business culture and everyday approach.

Managers listen to employees' needs and concerns and contact HR for guidance when necessary. An example would be a manager asking for the company to pay for a taxi for a member of staff to be able to come to work whilst using crutches, thus making the individual's travelling a lot easier. Managers develop an understanding of the individual's ambitions by discussions during appraisals and can then help to set appropriate objectives. Managers at Punter Southall Group are encouraged to be receptive to employees - to be open and approachable in an open plan office. HR helps managers understand the sickness absence management policy and other wellbeing at work policies.

Punter Southall Group grant an increase to salary following exam passes in various professional courses. They believe this is effective as it encourages their staff to develop themselves professionally and thereby enhance their future career prospects, but it is also valuable to the business as it can indicate to its clients that its staff are professionally trained and qualified.

Managers at PPHE Hotel Group have a clear strategy and plan for the year of what needs to be achieved, for this to be effective the team are involved and are briefed in regards to the strategy of the department.

PPHE Hotel Group operates an Inspirational Service Programme. The overall aims of the programme are to give all the company's employees the skills and confidence to consistently create the desired guest experience, as defined by PPHE Hotel Group's Context. The training consists of three modules directly linked to the three elements of the PPHE Hotel Group's Context desired guest experience of feeling welcome, surprise and passion. This programme engages the team and gives them the tools to excel in their job.

In retail Pets at Home have a structured training programme which will take colleagues from part time roles through to Store Manager and beyond! The company's success at internal promotions is very strong. Using the Area Manager population as an example, 20 out of 22 Area Managers were promoted from Store Manager. Pets at Home have the advantage of being able to offer an alternative career path to their colleagues who want to become qualified pet groomers. The company takes their retail colleagues through Pets at Home's 'Power to your Paws' programme, that gives them all of the required technical skills they need to become professional pet groomers. Pets at Home's development programmes play a vital part in the company's commercial growth, as they would not be able to continue to expand at the rapid rate they are without the internal candidates coming up through the ranks to become Store, Deputy and Assistant Managers, full time colleagues, Grooming Salon Managers and Stylists.

In retail Pets at Home have a structured training programme which will take colleagues from part time roles through to Store Manager and beyond! The company's success at internal promotions is very strong. Using the Area Manager population as an example, 20 out of 22 Area Managers were promoted from Store Manager. Pets at Home have the advantage of being able to offer an alternative career path to their colleagues who want to become qualified pet groomers. The company takes their retail colleagues through Pets at Home's 'Power to your Paws' programme, that gives them all of the required technical skills they need to become professional pet groomers. Pets at Home's development programmes play a vital part in the company's commercial growth, as they would not be able to continue to expand at the rapid rate they are without the internal candidates coming up through the ranks to become Store, Deputy and Assistant Managers, full time colleagues, Grooming Salon Managers and Stylists.