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My Team - Employees' feelings towards their immediate colleagues and how well they work together
My team benefits from a high scoring My Manager factor as the manager is key to creating and sustaining a productive and positive work environment.
An employee’s perceived team will be those they work with on a daily basis.
Kaizen works towards high expectations of both adults and children. To ensure the team is driving towards success they carefully recognise and reward individual's efforts. An example of where this is most effective is their extending schools provision - after school clubs. Adults who take on the responsibility of running an after school club are expected to organise, plan, manage the resources, including a small budget and run the club out of their normal working hours. Adults who take up this opportunity have professional support with planning and organisation if needed. This additional responsibility is rewarded by one day's paid leave which can be taken at any point throughout the school year. By introducing this reward Kaizen have found that it encourages more adults to step up and lead an after school provision which in turn means that they can offer a wide variety of out of hours learning opportunities to the children.
The best example of how the organisation supports employee development is through Kaizen's ‘Professional Learning Framework'. This document was created collaboratively to establish ways of working, for all staff, at all levels, in order to take ownership of and direct their own learning through the support and coaching of their line manager. A key part of Kaizen's support comes from utilising staff skills and strengths to support those who need help in particular areas. This often takes the form of observing other staff members at work, work shadowing or team teaching, with reflection taking a vital role between the two members. They carefully plan the outcomes of their partnership and evaluate the impact of their work together to shape future learning. Kaizen develop coaching skills with all staff, as well as having allocated staff members as designated coaches. Staff attend a range of external courses for a range of purposes in order to develop the individual and the school. This has seen staff training internationally in the USA, France and China, which they then used to impact the organisation. Courses closer to home have also proved beneficial. Kaizen find other organisations that have strengths to match their areas of development or to stimulate their thinking and visit, observe and share learning with them. By using the self directed nature of the ‘Professional Learning Framework', staff not only feel they are supported in their development, but it creates a positive environment for staff to be a part of.
Kaizen works towards high expectations of both adults and children. To ensure the team is driving towards success they carefully recognise and reward individual's efforts. An example of where this is most effective is their extending schools provision - after school clubs. Adults who take on the responsibility of running an after school club are expected to organise, plan, manage the resources, including a small budget and run the club out of their normal working hours. Adults who take up this opportunity have professional support with planning and organisation if needed. This additional responsibility is rewarded by one day's paid leave which can be taken at any point throughout the school year. By introducing this reward Kaizen have found that it encourages more adults to step up and lead an after school provision which in turn means that they can offer a wide variety of out of hours learning opportunities to the children.
Senior Management frequently recognise success in a variety of ways e.g. through celebration events, awards at weekly staff briefing, letters of thanks, certificates on the college website and intranet.
Employee development is fully supported here. All training directly related to an employees' role is fully funded, including fees and time for external qualifications such as NVQs, professional qualifications, teacher training and other postgraduate courses. There is also a fund to contribute to personal development activities not directly related to job roles.
A particularly memorable event was when they held a Mission and Ethos Day in July 2011 where different activities were organised for staff to take part in. There was for example, a barge trip around Salford, a trip to the Lake District, visits to museums and a day of indoor skiing.
Holycross Sixth Form College educate young people in order that they have the opportunity to develop spiritually, morally and intellectually. Holycross have an environmental group comprising staff and students which works in the local community doing conservation work, for example tree planting.
Holycross Sixth Form College educate young people in order that they have the opportunity to develop spiritually, morally and intellectually. Holycross have an environmental group comprising staff and students which works in the local community doing conservation work, for example tree planting.
The organisation is a charitable housing association providing a wide range of housing and support services for the families and single people including those with special needs. They are a well-established provider of support to people with complex needs, both in the community and living in their own supported housing schemes, supporting people with learning difficulties, mental health issues, young people, women and the homeless. Their aim is to provide appropriate support to each person living in their own home to enable them to develop independent living skills, be involved in decisions regarding their life and participate in their local community. They also run charity shops.
Employee development is fully supported and the Association has become an accredited City and Guilds Centre and has a dedicated Learning and Development Team to ensure that qualifications are offered for most roles within the association. It is also an approved centre for the Institute of Leadership and Management, offering a variety of levels of management qualifications for staff wanting to go into management or improve their management skills.
The organisation is a charitable housing association providing a wide range of housing and support services for the families and single people including those with special needs. They are a well-established provider of support to people with complex needs, both in the community and living in their own supported housing schemes, supporting people with learning difficulties, mental health issues, young people, women and the homeless. Their aim is to provide appropriate support to each person living in their own home to enable them to develop independent living skills, be involved in decisions regarding their life and participate in their local community. They also run charity shops.
New starters and all colleagues have access to the Leadership Team. There is an open door style of support and there are many mechanisms to ensure colleagues feel listened to and their feedback is taken on board. Flexible working ensures and enables an equalitarian style of working which enables both formal and informal messages to be relayed and is a two-way opportunity. Their Performance Screens at each site ensure clarity and consistency of messages, incorporating competitions on the screens, sharing good news as well as updates on the balanced scorecard, health and wellbeing initiatives to ensure a consistent approach to communicating effectively. The monthly brief is an employee briefing which seeks feedback with answers to questions and comments provided the following month. They also have a staff magazine, GRAPEVINE, which includes information and competitions and involves a cross section of colleagues to ensure a mix of attractive articles for everyone.
In the last 12 months there has been the formation of a Senior Managers' Group which means there is a core group of managers responsible for key aspects such as managing attendance and working together to support the Leadership Team as well as managers and colleagues within their teams. It enables idea sharing and a cohesive approach to guiding and supporting colleagues across the Trust, as well as an additional forum for sharing ideas and listening and learning from experiences. Nick Atkin the Chief Executive is an exceptional leader who is the driving force behind the performance, direction and success of the organisation. What makes him distinctive is his approach to business, to the customers; to colleagues and to the working environment he has created. In business, he is very driven and extremely determined. He leads by example, is very well respected and strives for excellence and success. He is innovative, encourages new ideas and radical thinking and embraces change. On a personal level, he is extremely personable and supportive, accessible and takes a personal interest in all colleagues.
In the last 12 months there has been the formation of a Senior Managers' Group which means there is a core group of managers responsible for key aspects such as managing attendance and working together to support the Leadership Team as well as managers and colleagues within their teams. It enables idea sharing and a cohesive approach to guiding and supporting colleagues across the Trust, as well as an additional forum for sharing ideas and listening and learning from experiences. Nick Atkin the Chief Executive is an exceptional leader who is the driving force behind the performance, direction and success of the organisation. What makes him distinctive is his approach to business, to the customers; to colleagues and to the working environment he has created. In business, he is very driven and extremely determined. He leads by example, is very well respected and strives for excellence and success. He is innovative, encourages new ideas and radical thinking and embraces change. On a personal level, he is extremely personable and supportive, accessible and takes a personal interest in all colleagues.
Managers provide tea and coffee at morning break in order to encourage staff into the staff room where they can meet and chat and get away from the pressures of the classroom. They socialise with staff during morning and lunch breaks and have an open door policy. They hold regular departmental meetings and encourage six monthly progress reviews, reviewing training and development opportunities for staff. It is also their job to listen and respond in a timely fashion. Managers are confident in seeking advice from senior managers in more difficult or challenging circumstances. They also lead from the front and promote active consultation, communicating issues which will affect staff.
The organisation seeks to reward employees for their efforts. The Principal handwrites letters of congratulations on exam performance to all Heads of Department and subject departments in September and follows up with handwritten Christmas Cards to all teams and departments.
They plan to share the outcomes of the survey with staff, celebrate the things that they do well, and address issues of concern summarised in an appropriate action plan. This will form an important part of the Staff development Self-Assessment Report (SAR). The SAR is reviewed and validated every year and a new action plan developed in response to the results of the previous action plan and any developments in education and government policies.
Winning the Scottish Award for Business Excellence, Scotland's top business award, was a tremendous achievement for GHA in 2011. The Chief Executive was keen to show all staff his recognition of their hard work that made this happen. He wrote to all staff and personally thanked them for their hard work, passion and commitment and he decided to reward staff with an extra day's holiday. His personal address and the extra day off made every member of staff feel their part in the organisation was recognised right from the top.
GHA knows face-to-face communication is the best way to get staff involved. During periods of change or when new initiatives are launching, the Chief Executive Martin Armstrong takes time out to go round local offices having face-to-face meetings with staff. He talks to them in an honest, open and inspirational way, challenging staff to give their views and listening to their feedback. Teamtalk, their internal communications strategy, ensures information is cascaded to every member of staff to facilitate team discussion sessions and staff are encouraged to give feedback to managers. They have a strong culture of listening to feedback from all surveys and external assessments, celebrating successes and putting in place improvement plans to address all issues highlighted. Their journey to deliver excellent services for their customers has been hugely influenced by survey feedback and external assessment. Staff are involved in shaping the improvements they put in place, through their teams and in joint forums.
Winning the Scottish Award for Business Excellence, Scotland's top business award, was a tremendous achievement for GHA in 2011. The Chief Executive was keen to show all staff his recognition of their hard work that made this happen. He wrote to all staff and personally thanked them for their hard work, passion and commitment and he decided to reward staff with an extra day's holiday. His personal address and the extra day off made every member of staff feel their part in the organisation was recognised right from the top.
Gallions have been working with Bexley Council since 2009 to deliver REGULAR Well@work programmes to staff. These programmes invite staff to take part in a free 10 week programme of activity and (optional) education. Activities vary from week to week (e.g. circuits, aerobics, zumba, salsa, yoga, body pump) and are held in the Association's offices. Gallions' Well@work champion works closely with the council to promote and deliver the programme of events and has already arranged additional activities for staff in addition to the scheduled programme (e.g. Badminton classes as subsidised rates).
GHA runs a contribution based pay scheme which is quite unique to the sector in which they operate. This was introduced for the 2010-2011 performance year following an extensive review of their reward strategy practices. The Association's new Reward Strategy aims to pay upper quartile salaries for upper quartile performance, ensuring that pay is aligned with the market and internal relativities ensuring that the Association's salary bill is affordable and rewards the achievement of objectives in the year of performance via the bonus. As part of this strategy the Association introduced the contribution based pay scheme.
Gallions offer an excellent foundation for all new members of staff. On the first day with the Association they undertake an introductory meeting with HR and are presented with an Induction Plan and Induction Guide, which includes background information about the growth of the Association, their structure, aims, values, purpose and how they fit into this. The organisation helps employees develop a better awareness of their stock and challenges managing it. They offer a Neighbourhood Warden Tour where employees spend an afternoon with their Wardens, walking and driving round the estate, again gaining an understanding of their stock, residents and the challenges. They also do CCT Awareness so employees listen to the variety of calls that come into Gallions' Customer Contact Centre to understand the issues from their residents and how Gallions deal with them.
Staff Networking Day which was the first opportunity for all staff to step away from the day job and hear about the strategic direction of the organisation and share their views on shaping the future. It was also an opportunity for staff to work in groups looking at specific areas of the business and make suggestions for improvements. There was also some time to kick back and have some fun.
Managers give time during appraisal to ensure that the individual is heard and follow through on needs. They promote each tool and encourage staff to provide feedback reassured there is no reprisal for honestly and openness. They set and manage expectations of the organisation and are able to articulate the vision of the organisation and how people fit into it. They share best practice through their own teams and the wider organisation. Wellbeing is important and managers monitor employees working hours, ensuring individuals are encouraged to go home on time. They hear and commit to the principles outlined in management development regarding duty of care and understanding the importance of empathy.
Staff Networking Day which was the first opportunity for all staff to step away from the day job and hear about the strategic direction of the organisation and share their views on shaping the future. It was also an opportunity for staff to work in groups looking at specific areas of the business and make suggestions for improvements. There was also some time to kick back and have some fun.
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