Instant recognition is given for the contribution of any person or group among their 3,500+ employee-partners on an ad hoc basis and usually occurs in the confines of a single department. For example, business unit heads and/or the CEO have been known to send an email to a given business unit to "call-out" the outstanding performance by a person or group.

Emails from the CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee to all employees to keep them up to date with the firm's developments and to ensure that they were the first to hear about any key decisions made by management.

The company carry out their own staff survey every April as well as the Best Companies in October. Each dealership has a staff group that work with managers to improve staff satisfaction. All dealership staff receive an update presentation every three months regarding the company. This is usually followed by food, drinks and socialising.

The company carry out their own staff survey every April as well as the Best Companies in October. Each dealership has a staff group that work with managers to improve staff satisfaction. All dealership staff receive an update presentation every three months regarding the company. This is usually followed by food, drinks and socialising.

As a company they have a "giving back committee" who work with the HR team to bring fund raising ideas to fruition, supporting events such as Children In Need and Red Nose Day. In the last financial year they have donated £156,944 to various charities. The company have also rolled out ‘just giving' which is where employees can donate to any charity they want to via payroll which comes from their gross salary, they save on PAYE deductions.

As a company they have a "giving back committee" who work with the HR team to bring fund raising ideas to fruition, supporting events such as Children In Need and Red Nose Day. In the last financial year they have donated £156,944 to various charities. The company have also rolled out ‘just giving' which is where employees can donate to any charity they want to via payroll which comes from their gross salary, they save on PAYE deductions.

A recent memorable social event was the New Year Kick Off which launched the New Year in May, introducing their new V2MOM's for the Company. All employees attended and there was a Gala Dinner and Dance in the evening. Team working at IRIS is one of their highest priorities and they recognise everyone's individual contribution towards team achievement which they believe helps them create the optimum environment to help achieve success.

Managers recognise and reward employees. They recognise over achievers and consider the level of support individuals will need to achieve their tasks. They review this regularly asking for feedback on how they feel things are going and also make communication a priority through regular team meetings and 1-2-1's and Personal Career Discussions are offered to all their direct reports. They are open to receiving information from others, asking questions and responding to feedback and have an open door policy. They also organise team events and nights out to enable team members to socialise.

A particularly memorable and enjoyable social event held by Integralis, was the Olympics on Ice event in May 2011. 46 employees, from different divisions of the business, came together at a local ice-rink, for a number of team-building exercises. Without knowing what they were getting themselves into, Integralis employees turned up ready and willing to enjoy the event. There were a number of games that took place on the ice, all of which were based on creating trust and confidence in team members. Employees were linked up with other people that they may not have normally interacted with on a daily basis. Trust was a real necessity, especially as employees wore shoes (and not ice-skates), so were even more likely to slip and fall without their colleagues' help. This was a totally different event, something that had never been done before. It was great fun, and everyone talked about it for a long time afterwards.

The Social and Charity Committee nominates a local and national charity for the company to support each year. Often, Integralis purchase a table at an event or ball, usually for the national charity, and they invite all employees to nominate someone to attend the ball who they believe has gone above and beyond the call of duty in their work. Nominations must be backed up with examples and then the 10 employees who receive the most nominations are invited to the ball. In November 2010, 10 employees attended the Enchanted Ball at the Savoy for Macmillan cancer support.

Instant has a variety of ways in which they communicate with employees, and how ideas and feedback are collected. Best Company Ideas Lunches – two of these take place each year (one with all new starters in the past 6 months, another with a random selection of more). The goal is to get new ideas for making Instant a better place to work. HR Surgery – every month the People & Culture Manager runs an HR Surgery where staff can talk in confidence, be listened to, give their feedback and share ideas. Ideas Box – Anyone in the company can submit a new idea for innovation at Instant. Employees can submit as many ideas as they wish, the best idea is put into practise and the winner receives a cash prize, an extra day of holiday and two return flights to a European City of their choice! Active Listening – Instant has run master classes for managers on active listening and coaching.

As part of POPs across the business, Managers will hold informal monthly and more formal quarterly and annual reviews with their team members. During these meetings Managers ask what support their team member would like - what do they find tricky? Are they confident? Can more support be provided? Informally Instant has a very open plan environment, everyone has the same equipment and is visible and totally approachable in the office. Instant genuinely cares about employees wellbeing and want success for each other.

InHealth Group has an Employee Assisted Programme where staff are encouraged to take advantage of a range of facilities available to them, which include Medical Referrals and Stress Related Counselling services. Line Managers can also apply for performance coaching, which is available from an external resource.

InHealth Group has an Employee Assisted Programme where staff are encouraged to take advantage of a range of facilities available to them, which include Medical Referrals and Stress Related Counselling services. Line Managers can also apply for performance coaching, which is available from an external resource.

ING Direct provides Lifeworks which is an employee Assistance Programme; they also offer counselling services and alternative therapies every quarter for their employees.

At Incisive Media each team meets at least once a week, the company also has peer group meetings with managers to share expertise and best practice.

Incisive Media values the wellbeing of its employees and they have a category in their flexible benefits programme dedicated to Health & Wellbeing to prove it! The company has fortnightly Chair Massages that are on offer to all staff. This has proved to be a very popular benefit and Incisive Media have received great feedback from employees. On top of the ‘ordinary' benefits that most companies offer, such as gym membership, private medical insurance and health cash plan, Incisive Media has gone one step further and has introduced a variety of Health Screenings which are available to all employees. The types of screenings on offer range from a wide selection of BUPA Wellness screenings to Skin Screenings and the newly introduced Breast Screenings which are on offer to all staff and their partners. Everyone knows that prevention is better than cure.

Inchcape's CEO encourages empowerment and colleagues' acceptance of responsibility for the creation of solutions to business challenges. He also encourages a commercial attitude with the willingness to take acceptable risks in decision-making.

Inchcape's CEO encourages empowerment and colleagues' acceptance of responsibility for the creation of solutions to business challenges. He also encourages a commercial attitude with the willingness to take acceptable risks in decision-making.