Team Cohesion = Performance

Employees are be invited to pitch a creative idea to a 'Dragon's Den' style panel encompassing the senior management with the incentive of winning £10,000 worth of investment in the idea which can be split between several employees or ideas.

A recent team building event at MCBD was an all agency meeting where changes to staff policies and agency life were communicated along with the management restructure, office refurbishment and their new branding and mission statement. The event was followed with a party.

The leader and senior management team participate in all company social functions and these gatherings and events provide a valuable opportunity to chat with staff informally. There are quarterly company update meetings that take place off site for all employees. All managers also work alongside their teams in an open plan office and the directors have an open door policy. They also encourage and support staff development, provide open and honest communication, and drive a culture of delivering outstanding service and ambition for future success and prosperity.

The leader and senior management team participate in all company social functions and these gatherings and events provide a valuable opportunity to chat with staff informally. There are quarterly company update meetings that take place off site for all employees. All managers also work alongside their teams in an open plan office and the directors have an open door policy. They also encourage and support staff development, provide open and honest communication, and drive a culture of delivering outstanding service and ambition for future success and prosperity.

Microsoft provide employees a career development framework with tools and guidance to understand the range of opportunities available. Employees are encouraged to have a development plan comprised of 70% growth activities relating to current job responsibilities, 20% coaching, mentoring and feedback and 10% reading, CDs, classes and seminars.

Microsoft encourages a culture of continuous feedback and recognition. Each department is able to implement awards as they see fit. Recognition currently in place includes star awards (thank you cards) and the ability to recognise colleagues through peer awards.

Managers have a great deal of support through an onsite extensive reference library for staff and managers at all levels. Many of these theories are then expanded on in practical projects and team exercises. They ask all management to confirm what courses they wish to undertake to ensure they are included in the budget for the following year. All members of staff also have access to a coach of mentor and external coaching has been provided to the senior management team for some years.

Managers and team leaders interact with employees on a day to day basis through team meetings, one-to-ones, coaching and team building. All senior managers are located within the open plan office and the door is always open unless dealing with something of a confidential nature. Senior managers also join in with all social events. The Leader, Andrew, is passionate about team working and the importance of preserving and growing the company greatest resource, its people. The senior management team, departmental managers and teams operate cohesively within a culture of openness, transparency and trust. Strategy is clearly communicated and cascaded to all levels, with a real sense of where the mission is heading and where each individual plays a part.

The organisation supports their employee's wellbeing in various ways. The company provides a free breakfast twice a week for all employees which include healthy eating options. There is also a flexible approach to working from home or flexible hours and they are not strict about exact hours staff must be in the office to do their work. They also include employee's families at many occasions, for example, the Matrix Friends & Family Golf Day once a year and partners often invited to charitable dinners and events.

The company organises various events for employee's to socialise and have fun outside of the workplace. Such events have included the annual party, quarterly quiz nights and an annual golf day. On a smaller level, teams will often celebrate with team drinks or lunch in recognition of a successful client engagement. They also offer formal team building a couple of times a year. For example, they took 165 of the company to Venice for three days and two nights teambuilding. This included a three part treasure hunt around Venice and a masked ball, as well as other more informal group events and dinners.

Employees within Maracom are recognised for their efforts in many ways including verbal recognition, letters, salary increases and lunches. Their 2008 apprentice of the year was rewarded with vouchers for a tool kit and a thank you letter was recently sent to a new supervisor advising that their performance so far was exceeding expectations.

Maracom offer employees the services of an occupational health nurse, as well as this they have recently introduced a private health care scheme, all employees are also free to take time off work to attend medical or hospital appointments and working hours are tracked in the form of timesheets to ensure no employee is working extended hours.

Staff and managers at Manning Stainton work together in small teams. This encourages open discussion through daily "morning huddles" and weekly team meetings which enhances collaboration within the teams.

Interaction between directors and staff has always been conducted on a first name basis to encourage an ethos of trust and mutual support. All sales offices and sites receive visits from directors a minimum of three times a month during which they continue to personally involve themselves in the everyday work within the branches.

Employees well being is supported in various ways. Two of their sites have on-site fitness facilities for use by all staff. A number of the occupational health teams have also engaged physiotherapists and alternative therapists, to offer for example, reiki, Indian head massage and reflexology. This has been extremely well received by employees on sites. Wherever possible people's personal appointments are dealt with through the use of lieu hours or flexible working and they operate a time booking system with all employees responsible for logging their working hours during the week to ensure that the work/life balance is met.

Magnox North feels that their key resource is its people and they treat them as such. They feel that the terms and conditions are among the best in the sector and compare very favourably with private sector companies. The new Company Agreement has ensured that the organisation is fairer, with employees rewarded for performance rather than years of service. In addition there are generous bonus arrangements in place with employees rewarded for performance on an annual basis. Their reward and recognition policy covers a wide range of initiatives to try to ensure people feel rewarded.

Employees well being is considered very important. The dairy works four days a week, with employees working a slightly longer shift over four days rather than five, with an early shift only which was chosen by staff, many of whom are parents wanting to get home for return of children from school. The importance of family is also recognised at the annual events, for example, a farm Christmas party where partners are invited and an annual party for children of all employees.

Employees well being is considered very important. The dairy works four days a week, with employees working a slightly longer shift over four days rather than five, with an early shift only which was chosen by staff, many of whom are parents wanting to get home for return of children from school. The importance of family is also recognised at the annual events, for example, a farm Christmas party where partners are invited and an annual party for children of all employees.

There is formal in-house and external training, workshops, conferences and self-directed learning provided, which includes such topics as mandatory training to meet compliancy standards, learning disability qualifications and all levels of NVQ and training that enhances practice for example, person centred thinking and communication. Additionally, MacIntyre has an e-learning system where employees can work through induction training, policies and technical training at their own pace, without the need for time away from the service. Their road shows are important knowledge sharing events for the organisation. They are organised and led by staff so always have an up-to-date, relevant agenda. Any member of staff can suggest ideas or run a workshop or stand. They encourage line managers to 'flag up' high potential staff members in their teams. Employees are also encouraged to undertake secondments to different areas of the organisation, 'act up' to more senior roles and apply for promotion opportunities as they arise.

MacIntyre recognises the importance of taking a proactive approach to environmental management and considers it to be an integral part of risk management procedures. They are committed to operating in an environmentally responsible manner and to improving their environmental performance across all areas of the organisation. They have engaged a consultant from the Carbon Trust to work with them in developing the strategies and policies to underpin this commitment. They ensure that all corporate and operational offices are environmentally friendly and also raise awareness with the people they support to ensure that their overall 'footprint' is as small as it can be. They encourage all employees to make use of recycling facilities and to use public transport wherever possible.