State of Engagement 2026 Report |
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Bringing teams together is a big part of the Quint Group ethos. Two annual company-wide events bringing everyone together are the summer BBQ and the Christmas Party. In addition to this, the organisation also hosts smaller inter-team events such as pool and table tennis competitions, a fantasy football league, a Mario Kart competition, and more.
Quint Group’s overall strategy and objectives are clearly communicated to everyone during the annual group-wide strategy update. This is further broken down from group to team and individual objectives, and OKRs are then created. These OKRs are regularly reviewed and reinforced during weekly and monthly meetings, stand-ups and performance appraisals.
Quint Group has created a Compensation Committee that is responsible for ensuring pay and reward equity across the organisation. Every year, the organisation goes through a robust salary benchmarking exercise using external and internal data to ensure that its salaries are competitive, and in line with the market and the organisation’s reward and compensation philosophy.
All staff are encouraged to stay in touch with each other as much as possible though Teams calls, regular team catch up meetings, and coffee meetings. Each team has a budget they can use to come together and participate in non-work related activities of their choice. There is also coffee mornings for those learning Welsh!
To combat the cost of living crisis, the Board at Keep Wales Tidy quickly approved 4%+ pay increase across all employees, as well as an additional one-off payment to all staff. The organisation has also undertaken a salary benchmarking survey to ensure that all employee salaries remain competitive in the market.
Senior leaders commit to the values of "Bold, Responsible, Passionate, Inspiring and Together" and collaborate to ensure they are involved in, and aware of, the day-to-day running of the charity. They also work alongside team members to make sure deadlines are met. An open-door policy means they embrace honest conversations with staff.
One way Cornelius has brought its teams together is through its giving fund (charity committee) and wellbeing events. One event held by the giving fund was Meat Free May, where everyone brought in a vegetarian meal for the team. This helped build strong working relationships.
The senior management team lives the company’s values of We Lead, We Care, We Deliver in order to drive the organisation forward together. The senior managers also ensure that all their actions reflect the values, through the complete employee lifecycle, leading effectively, and delivering the results needed to drive the business forward.
Cornelius utilises both monetary and non-monetary efforts to reward its employees uniquely and effectively. An example of this is its yearly appraisal scheme, which is used to give employees objectives and to add check-in points throughout the year. The appraisal scheme also links to the annual bonus, which financially rewards staff for their achievements.
During induction with Burger & Lobster, new starters across different restaurants collaborate and work together as part of their onboarding. The organisation has designated training locations which may be different from the employee's working location, which in turn provides an opportunity for employees from different sites to interact and engage with each other.
Burger & Lobster has made strides to communicate the vision, purpose mission and strategy across the business. This has been implemented at all stages of the employee lifecycle beginning at onboarding with the company handbook, Cracking the Code. All employees also attend the company induction which covers all things Burger & Lobster in detail.
The organisation promotes the development and growth of its employees. 100% of its Head Chefs, 70% of its GMs and 50% of its Assistant Managers are internally promoted. It has in place a talent review programme where all employees have one-to-one meetings with their line managers to discuss their professional development goals.
The company uses a platform called Fourth as a way to communicate rota and employees can check their payslips and other relevant information. It uploads any new benefits, policies and procedures, and communicates good news stories and general updates. Fourth has been used for less than a year but has been well received.
‘Time doesn’t stand still and neither do we’. This is why Rudding Park Hotels approaches talent with an emphasis on ROI - Return on Individuals. People are the key ingredient to the company; people collaborate to create timeless memories, empathise with those around them, and trust others to do what they say will do.
Rudding Park takes its social responsibility seriously and is keen to support the local community. Spa therapists undertake qualifications with the NHS Natural Health School in cancer care and work closely with The Sir Robert Ogden Centre in Harrogate, providing voluntary complementary therapies and make-up lessons to patients living with and beyond cancer treatments.
Seed introduced a 'buddy system', where every month employees would be buddied up with a colleague and have 20/30-minute weekly calls where they could catch up about anything non-work related. It introduced this as a way of imitating the 'water-cooler chats' that would happen in the office.
One of its recent employee engagement surveys identified how Seed should support the team with progression; the organisation created a clear development guide which gave staff a clear view of how to develop. The structure gave focus on development in the areas employees wanted without being restricted by a single job title.
Community work is something that is very important to Seed and as such, there are many ways in which it gives back. It currently donates monthly to several charities such as Great Ormand Street Hospital and Forest Carbon. It also has a dedicated charity committee that arranges regular charity events for the team to attend.
Employees already benefit from retail discounts and medical cashback, and there is now additional cost-of-living support. All staff can apply for up to £500 from The Stowe Helping Hand Fund if they find themselves with an unexpected bill they’re struggling to pay, such as a broken boiler or car breakdown.
Stowefest is the annual get-together for all the firm’s legal teams. There are opportunities for training and development and to hear from inspirational external speakers. And 2022 saw the first ‘Best in Stowe’ awards gala dinner. There were more than 100 nominations, with peer-nominated categories including Best Newcomer and Most Valuable Player.
New starters benefit from an enhanced induction process. They get IT equipment and access to the firm’s people system before they start. They’re also allocated a buddy and have a virtual meet and greet with the CEO. An extended settling-in period has replaced the probation period, and they can access benefits from day one.
Partners at Schillings are encouraged to attend business development meetings with a colleague from another part of the organisation – this could be a Partner or another senior fee earner. Its wellbeing, EDI, and social committees work together to ensure the work they are doing is complementary to and enhances the work of the others.
Schillings runs a bespoke leadership skills development programme in development that reflects its values of culture and purpose. This develops its leaders to find their authentic leadership style and voice, alongside their ability to flex and deploy other relevant leadership styles as needed in different situations.
Schillings listens to its employees and has teams called Partner Engagement Teams. These are small teams of ten people, led by a partner. These teams are cross discipline and a mix of grades and roles. They provide the firm with a 2-way feedback loop and allow them to address and consult new ideas and changes.
The organisation provides gym membership for its employees which includes access to the flagship Fitness First gym in the basement of the building. It also launched the Listening Squad to offer support and guidance to employees in need. They are available for regular support and promoted the Time to Talk Week.
All teams have morning meetings to get them motivated. Activities include spinning a wheel to win a prize. Team nights out aren’t just about drinking, but also doing competitive activities or games such as bowling, escape room and shuffleboard. On a Friday each month it holds a fun activity within the office like ‘X-Factor Friday’.
The Charity Champions team organises a programme of fundraising events throughout the year and last year the organisation raised £18,000. Fundraising activities included The Royal Parks Half Marathon, The Queen’s Jubilee Bake sale, World Cup events in the office, Football Jumper Day, sponsored a music evening, Christmas Jumper Day donations, and Halloween dress-up day.
The organisation encourages and supports any team building activities and clubs, from the four teams in the GA Pet Food Partners’ Football League to the Go Karting and Fishing clubs. This allows them to socialise and grow closer with their teammates and colleagues from other departments.
The organisation has a strong engagement with apprenticeships across various business areas. Currently, there are ten apprentices employed at different stages of their study programmes. These courses are conducted in collaboration with Runshaw College, Preston College, Southport College and St Helens College.
GA Pet Food Partners has established an Employee of the Quarter scheme, enabling colleagues to nominate their peers who have demonstrated dedication and exceeded expectations in their roles. This award serves as a means to celebrate colleagues’ accomplishments and rewards them with a £500 prize, to be used for a weekend getaway of their choosing.
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