What are companies doing with regards to 'My Team'

Last Christmas The Children's Society had a carol singing initiative in their London office where they attempted to raise funds for their charity amongst the local community and shoppers.

The theme of this October's Senior Management Team Roadshows was the 2020 Strategy, providing staff with the opportunity to hear as well as contribute to the goals and vision of the organisation. Senior Management asked staff what their involvement means to them giving them the chance to be more involved in preparing plans with colleagues on operational delivery. Nine roadshows took place across England in six locations; London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Exeter and Southampton. A survey was also sent out to staff to directly feed into the strategy. After staff consultation over childcare costs, The Children's Society has now implemented childcare vouchers for working parents. They can save parents up to £933 a year. The vouchers are a scheme where staff exchange part of their salary for tax and NI-free childcare. Staff have fed into organisational wellbeing and set out their requirements for good occupational health initiatives. The Children's Society has demonstrated its ongoing commitment to the health of its staff and now offers a confidential, free counselling service available to all staff, volunteers and their families. Many factors, including outside work may increase stress. Help has been arranged for free access to a specialist DAS Counselling Helpline. A voluntary employee discount scheme, Xtras has been introduced with offers spanning everyday essentials such as groceries, fuel, clothing and holidays that could make a big difference to staff's bank balance. Xtras is part of the UK's biggest and most generous employee discount scheme.

Fishbowl reward scheme - The purpose of this scheme is to instantly reward behaviour that demonstrates their core CII values and /or shows development of personal competencies. It acts as an incentive as well as a form of recognition. Each department has a 'fishbowl' (lucky dip) containing tokens for a number of rewards such as; cinema tickets, lunch out, half day leave, shopping vouchers etc. A total of 10 rewards are placed in the bowl for each department (and are refreshed as used). When a member of staff is considered, by their manager or department head, to have excelled in demonstrating one of the values through their work, the staff member is invited to pick a reward. This reward scheme runs in addition to the regular bonus scheme and instant recognition (monetary) reward scheme. The scheme has proved popular with both staff and managers being well used with 63 rewards given since the scheme was launched in August 2010. The instant nature of the scheme and the fun and social nature of the rewards marks this scheme out from other rewards on offer in the organisation. It encourages staff to do their best every day and in every part of their work, not just when working on high profile or lengthy projects, and realise that this is recognised and valued.

Fishbowl reward scheme - The purpose of this scheme is to instantly reward behaviour that demonstrates their core CII values and /or shows development of personal competencies. It acts as an incentive as well as a form of recognition. Each department has a 'fishbowl' (lucky dip) containing tokens for a number of rewards such as; cinema tickets, lunch out, half day leave, shopping vouchers etc. A total of 10 rewards are placed in the bowl for each department (and are refreshed as used). When a member of staff is considered, by their manager or department head, to have excelled in demonstrating one of the values through their work, the staff member is invited to pick a reward. This reward scheme runs in addition to the regular bonus scheme and instant recognition (monetary) reward scheme. The scheme has proved popular with both staff and managers being well used with 63 rewards given since the scheme was launched in August 2010. The instant nature of the scheme and the fun and social nature of the rewards marks this scheme out from other rewards on offer in the organisation. It encourages staff to do their best every day and in every part of their work, not just when working on high profile or lengthy projects, and realise that this is recognised and valued.

Taunton School hold an end of year barbecue and farewell drinks. There is also The Armed man Concert at Wells Cathedral for everyone to attend.

John Newton leads with enthusiasm, energy and belief in what Tauanton School do.

Claud Regnard, one of Consultants has just received a Lifetime Achievement award from Help the Hospices - the national umbrella organisation representing the hospice sector. Claud is renowned regionally, nationally and internationally for his expertise in specialist palliative care. He is also known for sharing his knowledge and learning with colleagues within palliative care. Claud has devised A Guide to Symptom Relief in Palliative Medicine, which is used by professionals aross the world, as a bedside textbook. Claud helped establish the UK's first Macmillan Nursing post for people with Learning Difficulty and they pioneered the development of DisDAT (Disability Distress Assessment Tool). It has been validated by Northumbria University and is now used by over 15 LD and mental health trusts, as well as by university research teams. It is included in the Mencap website and has its own website – www.disdat.co.uk In 1999 Claud developed CLiP. CLiP - Current Learning in Palliative Care – is a flexible education programme aimed at healthcare professionals. CLiP is now widely used in palliative care settings. It is available free online at www.helpthehospices.org and has been formally evaluated by Open University, which showed that it is an effective means of delivering learning and improving learning outcomes. Finally, Claud also devised a clinical response to the potential threat of ‘Pandemic Flu', which was shared with other hospices and and subsequently shaped Help the Hospice advice, as his paper was made available online to all members during the Swine Flu crisis in 2009.

At St Oswalds they believe wellbeing begins with the line manager/staff member relationship, underpinned by a range of support tools that can be accessed by either the line manager or member of staff. Contact and dialogue through one to one sessions and team meetings means that staff wellbeing is monitored on a regular basis. To support this the St Oswalds Staff Support leaflet is issued personally to each new member of staff by the HR Director when they join St Oswalds. She talks through in detail the range of support mechansisms in place to support them during their employment. Two examples are access to complementary therapies delivered by volunteer therapists at very low cost, appointments at end of day to fit in with working patterns, making use of the skills of volunteers. St Oswalds also offer referrals to external counselling with no questions asked about reason for referral so they remain highly confidential. Up to six sessions are offered but can be extended.

There is an open door policy by managers and a robust staff forum chaired by the CEO who can initiate meetings with management. Last year, St Nicholas delegated response identification to the various directorate groups. Results are displayed in chart format around the building. Actions became an agenda item on Staff Forum and Management Meetings.

St Nicholas Hospice are a charity and many of their social events are linked to fundraising. These activities do bring staff from all disciplines together in either participating in the event or helping or organising. They also hold an annual Christmas review where different departments including the Trustees secretly prepare acts. These are then performed to the whole organisation, patients and volunteers and this year's was another hilarious success.

The Leadership and Management Development Programme (L&MDP) supports managers to develop their skills and knowledge. This programme provides first line and aspiring middle managers and more experienced managers with the necessary skills to progress within the organisation. This programme has provided the skills and knowledge for managers to move into senior management roles when opportunities arise.

To re-open the town centre following a programme of extensive improvements, a Pancake Race was held to raise funds for Sport Relief and Red Nose Day. Over 30 teams from the Council, outsourced services, partnership organisations and local businesses competed for the winners frying pan trophy. Teams forged new friendships, strengthened existing ones, honed their competitive rivalry and had great fun on their way to the podium. It was a great day for all the competitors and spectators.

At RHP they believe true leadership happens in the moment between people and there is no one way of leading. Leadership is about ‘making sense of things' in a memorable way to gain commitment rather than compliance where employees follow willingly with energy, enthusiasm, passion and a sense of ownership. Exceptional managers work hard to bring collective intelligence and develop leaders at all levels within the organisation. Their EMT recognise the importance of ‘keeping it real', being connected and getting help from others. Their egos don't lead the organisation, their sense of perspective, clarity of thought, supporting others by providing a great place to work and creating the environment for people to be successful is what makes the real difference at RHP. This works because they have shared values, openness, trust and respect for other's opinions.

At RHP they believe true leadership happens in the moment between people and there is no one way of leading. Leadership is about ‘making sense of things' in a memorable way to gain commitment rather than compliance where employees follow willingly with energy, enthusiasm, passion and a sense of ownership. Exceptional managers work hard to bring collective intelligence and develop leaders at all levels within the organisation. Their EMT recognise the importance of ‘keeping it real', being connected and getting help from others. Their egos don't lead the organisation, their sense of perspective, clarity of thought, supporting others by providing a great place to work and creating the environment for people to be successful is what makes the real difference at RHP. This works because they have shared values, openness, trust and respect for other's opinions.

For the past two years all staff have received the same amount of pay award irrespective of their level within the organisation. Plus Dane also operate a 'Neighbourhood Hero Award' which staff and managers nominate a staff member to receive. Along with a Neighbourhood Hero card, they receive Marks and Spencers vouchers thanking them for their involvement in a particular piece of work or for them going the extra mile.

Live Your Dream was introduced in 2009 in response to staff survey that indicated people felt there was not enough career development support in place. It encompasses a number of career progression workshops on completing applications, interview skills or managing your career, along with bitesize briefings and work shadowing opportunities and Colleague Swaps to increase cross team working and knowledge sharing. Plus Dane introduced Countdown to Success to offer particular support to those on short term contracts (e.g. an apprentice, maternity leave cover) and it gives the skills and confidence to take the next step in job search whether it is with Plus Dane or another organisations. It is a stretching but supportive programme where participants spend two days building their confidence and appreciation of their own skills and then Plus Dane invite local employers to come to a presentation event where they have the chance to pitch themselves to another employer, gathering feedback on the impression they make. Some apprentices were able to take volunteer work that has led on to new career opportunities.

Staff are able to access corporate membership of the local leisure centre and this is very popular with individuals. The increased flexibility around working hours helps staff use these leisure facilities and a number of staff exercise, before, during and after work. The organisation pays for level one of the Simply Health scheme, a cash back health savings scheme. They have also introduced a counselling service for staff which provides for up to six free counselling sessions for staff. Pembrokeshire Housing Association have entered into a contract with a local Occupational Health service which provides valuable advice to help support staff remain in, and return to work during illness.

Staff are able to access corporate membership of the local leisure centre and this is very popular with individuals. The increased flexibility around working hours helps staff use these leisure facilities and a number of staff exercise, before, during and after work. The organisation pays for level one of the Simply Health scheme, a cash back health savings scheme. They have also introduced a counselling service for staff which provides for up to six free counselling sessions for staff. Pembrokeshire Housing Association have entered into a contract with a local Occupational Health service which provides valuable advice to help support staff remain in, and return to work during illness.