As well as having an employee assistance programme in place, employees are able to have massages during their working day. The firm also offer access to a doctor and occupational health specialists. A full workstation assessment programme is also in place.

Birketts has an ad-hoc reward system where individuals or teams are rewarded for achievement, outstanding work or going the extra mile. Rewards vary and can be money for a meal out or weekend away or vouchers. In addition, Birketts also has a published profit share scheme.

In 2010, Barlows entered and won the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce Business Awards Invest in Skills category. To celebrate their sucess all employees were invited to attend an awards ceremony.

To initiate employee engagement, new employees will be given a structured induction over two weeks from arrival at Barlows. Their personal development process provides a two-way framework that balances a structured approach with flexibility and informality. It is also intended to integrate a process of employee and company improvement into the everyday running of the business by improving hard and soft skills, addressing behaviour and liking roles to the company mission. The company also share their knowledge and skills in the workplace through coaching and mentoring, workplace secondments and collaborative planning. All have an immediate impact on business results.

Europ Assistance held a free Family Fun day at Warden Park School. The event also raised money for their two staff charities, Hurstwood Park Neurological Centre and St Peter & St James Hospice. All members of staff at Europ Assistance were invited and encouraged to bring along their friends and family. The day started with traditional races; egg & spoon race, sack race, three legged race etc. This was enjoyed by both the children and adults! There were various prizes for the winners but the adults were definitely more competitive which provided good entertainment for all those spectating. Other events included; face painting, balloon modelling, a bouncy castle for the children, giant jenga, rounders and table tennis. Food was laid on with a fish and chip van followed by ice creams for all from an ice cream van. Raffle tickets were sold on the day and prior to the event with donated prizes including; Champagne, Family Portrait and Cinema voucher, plus many more. Everyone enjoyed the day whether they were taking part in the events or simply relaxing and soaking up the sun. The Social and Charity Committee members put a great deal of effort into organising the event and feedback from members of staff was extremely positive!

Europ Assistance Holdings Limited provides intranet wellbeing, charity work and a discounted gym. The organisation also has a ride to work scheme and provides flu jabs.

Argos believes the wellbeing of all their colleagues is vitally important and something they are widening over the next year. At their distribution centres, the company are currently trialling a wellbeing programme which will potentially be rolled out to other distribution sites and the rest of Argos. This trial aims to prevent and/or incorporate early detection, therefore maintaining and improving the health and wellbeing of the workforce. A regular monthly calendar of events incorporates health awareness campaigns including mental health, diet & exercise, cancer, stopping smoking and flu vaccinations, corporate benefits promotion, managing money and fun/team building events. Across the whole business the company offers the below, under the umbrella of wellbeing: All colleagues have access to a confidential telephone line to support facilities that provide guidance on health, financial and legal advice. In addition to the actual health of their colleagues, other elements of wellbeing including financial help.

Across the business, employees have the opportunity to develop through different training schemes. The Raising the Bar programme is more than the run of the mill training programme. It is based around changing the mind-set of the company's senior store colleagues, and giving them the tools to inspire and lead their teams to be the best they can be and enhance service to customers. STEPS is a tool that helps Argos' non-management employees achieve desired levels of performance, it is used for stores to develop their teams, whilst delivering exceptional customer service. Idevelop is used in Argos' Head Office and is an online development tool which facilitates learning. Distribution: Connecting You, is designed for the senior team, to give them the tools to understand the needs of their teams. SkillPac – includes the distribution induction, and specific training including H&S/manual handling and department role training. Professional training: Across the whole business, any employee can opt to do a funded professional course related to their role including paid study leave.

Arena Media have their very own social team who organise all their social events during the year. Every quarter, they have an all staff party to get together outside of work to mingle and socialise. A particular memorable occasion was the Summer Party last year which was held in July. It was a pirate/treasure hunt theme which consisted of staff getting into coloured teams to follow a twitter treasure map to find the 'treasure' - the party venue! The night was a great success and staff had a wonderful time. It allowed everyone to interact and especially allowed new staff members to meet people in the company.

Arena Media aim to create as many opportunities as possible to share ideas, encourage feedback and most importantly to listen. The company actively encourages each employee to ‘make a difference' as set out in their mission statement. One good example of this is the Arena's Dragon Den, which they introduced last year. Staff were invited to persuade the Dragons, a panel made up of staff at various levels, to part with their cash - a chunk of the charity budget for a charity they felt was most deserving. It was a way for them to ‘make a difference' and 50 employees chose to take part. To ensure they live up to their proposition, Arena Media carried out several workshops to discuss what Further, Faster means to individuals and departments, as well as generating ideas. Keeping the groups small and making it informal has given everyone a voice at all levels. Attendance at the workshops was very high, as people recognised it was their chance to get involved in shaping how the business is run.

Almac's late Founder, Sir Allen McClay, supported by their CEO always considered their employees as an extended family - "the Almac family". That sincere belief in the Almac people is what sets them apart and makes the company a special place to work. Almac's CEO is hugely active and visible in all aspects of the business. He remains on first name terms with everyone regardless of position or stature and his informal manner is highly motivational and encourages an easy flow of communication across the company. Due to his friendly, approachable and flexible attitude he is known, liked and truly respected by everyone. He is involved in every major business decision right throughout the organisation, ensuring all aspects are resourced adequately and their potential is maximised. He is a true leader who relentlessly drives the company forward with confidence and passion.

Almac's late Founder, Sir Allen McClay, supported by their CEO always considered their employees as an extended family - "the Almac family". That sincere belief in the Almac people is what sets them apart and makes the company a special place to work. Almac's CEO is hugely active and visible in all aspects of the business. He remains on first name terms with everyone regardless of position or stature and his informal manner is highly motivational and encourages an easy flow of communication across the company. Due to his friendly, approachable and flexible attitude he is known, liked and truly respected by everyone. He is involved in every major business decision right throughout the organisation, ensuring all aspects are resourced adequately and their potential is maximised. He is a true leader who relentlessly drives the company forward with confidence and passion.

Nutritionist sessions are arranged by the company where staff can discuss their diet and ways to improve it. The company provides flu vaccinations for any staff who want it in the run-up to winter. They have a Dunhill Den - a 5th floor "common room" environment with TV, table football, music, fruit, food and drink available all through the day.

Over the last year, the company have put in place specific additional bonus schemes related to enterprise-critical projects, where all involved staff can obtain a financial reward if the project deadline is hit. This has proved to be a valuable way to focus and motivate the teams involved. They also have access to 8 Wembley stadium tickets, which are given out to different members of different teams by the CEO and ExCo, as a reward for delivery or working successes.

The company frequently celebrate successes.

The company frequently celebrate successes.

On December 10 2010, the company held their annual Christmas Party and put on a stunning Venetian-style Masquerade Ball and invited everyone at Albany Software to buy or create a mask for the occasion. On the night, there were awards for the most spectacular mask, the most creative mask, the most striking male and the most dazzling female. The Ball was well attended by 40 staff and 21 of their partners and everyone there enjoyed themselves, seeming to relish the occasion to let their hair down at the end of a challenging year. As always, these events are a great opportunity for staff at all levels including the Senior Management team to communicate and interact.

On December 10 2010, the company held their annual Christmas Party and put on a stunning Venetian-style Masquerade Ball and invited everyone at Albany Software to buy or create a mask for the occasion. On the night, there were awards for the most spectacular mask, the most creative mask, the most striking male and the most dazzling female. The Ball was well attended by 40 staff and 21 of their partners and everyone there enjoyed themselves, seeming to relish the occasion to let their hair down at the end of a challenging year. As always, these events are a great opportunity for staff at all levels including the Senior Management team to communicate and interact.