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.
On the Slack platform there are social channels for specific interests, ranging from recipes and reading — to cats. There’s also a working-from-home channel that provides a social space for sharing tips, anecdotes and news. The optional Slack Donut app pairs people randomly for a weekly chat.
Glean knows that wellbeing and work-life balance go hand-in-hand, so it makes sure staff protect theirs by providing flexible hours, muting notifications from 6pm-8am and giving them three days’ holiday to recharge at Christmas, on top of their 33 days’ annual leave. The company also offers a cash-back healthcare scheme.
The company donated £10,000 to charities, including education bodies and those nominated by staff. A one-off contribution was made in response to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and Glean supported its staff Pride group by paying for its entry to the Pride parade in Leeds.
Weekly team huddles focus on employee wellbeing, rather than performance or information sharing. Team away-days, which take place in neutral community venues, are supportive events where people feel valued. Cross-service training and working groups facilitate the mixing of staff across the charity, so that they can share experiences.
The charity operates a buy-and-sell policy for annual leave. It offers flexible working, such as compressed hours, as well as hybrid working, to promote a good work-life balance. There is an employee assistance programme, a probate helpline and health cash plan. Bereavement counselling is also on offer.
As well as charity fund-raising, n-Compass works with community organisations, taking part in forums, such as Rochdale and District Disability Action Group, to address local issues. It also collaborates on projects, including Bury Stepping Out, and engages with hard-to-reach groups such as local mosques and Bury Asian Women’s Women’s Centre.
The Group has created a mental wellness booklet specifically to meet and address the needs of its 'Purple People'. The flip book offers guidance and tips and gives access to support. Staff have received it positively, reporting that it's given them more confidence in interacting with colleagues who may be suffering from poor mental health.
The yearly staff conference creates a buzz. It includes the staff awards, where the highly-anticipated 'Purple Person' award is up for grabs. The nominations are staff-led, based on who they think has demonstrated the Group's values. It also includes workshops and learner case studies to highlight how employees are making a positive difference every day.
The Purple People Academy gives a structured and focused four-step approach to employee development. It starts with mandatory and compliance training, progressing to 'Learn & Lead' higher level training for managers. Staff at every level are supported to identify their development point, whether for personal growth or promotion.
As well as promoting regular team meetings, the firm hosts events that are designed to get staff communicating and energised, such as summer and Christmas parties, quizzes, pizza lunches and coffee mornings. The events help to promote a friendly culture and environment.
The firm encourages staff to live by its values by celebrating those who set good examples regularly. It includes testimonials in the weekly update or rewards individuals directly. Senior leaders provide role models by acting on the values when dealing with colleagues and clients.
Staff are given an extra day's leave that can be used to support their wellbeing. Fisher Jones Greenwood has also developed a wellbeing programme that focuses on mental, physical and financial wellness, lifestyle and work behaviour.
They have a Moving on Together Group, a group of staff from across the organisation who champion team interaction and communications. They group new leads on the annual staff event and have developed a communications framework based on staff feedback.
They work closely with Mencap by providing garden space for their service users to build and establish a vegetable garden. The produce they grow is used in the hospice kitchen and food waste from the kitchen and cafe is composted for use in the garden.
To improve employee engagement they introduced a monthly 'ideas hub' to generate discussion and feedback on what is going well and what is not going so well within the organisation. During these hubs, staff were encouraged to identify and introduce the topics for discussion.
At monthly “feed the 50(00) events”, one team has to cook for the rest of the office. The events give staff the opportunity to interact with others during a long lunch. Updates, business trends, and so on, are discussed at fortnightly barstool meetings. Monday morning “launches” start the week, while 3pm Friday “wraps” end it.
Managers have been undertaking a six-month programme based on six core leadership competencies: self-awareness; agility; sales; data; coaching and digital skills. The company has also introduced a “future managers” programme.
Deverellsmith has an ambassador for sustainability, who volunteers to lead initiatives that ensure the business and its staff have a more positive impact on the environment. He has organised events to promote environmental responsibility, such as tree planting and a beach clean, and is working on waste-management within the company.
There's an extensive social calendar! An awards ceremony celebrates colleagues who've gone the extra mile. There are Christmas parties and summer BBQs paid for by the firm, and each team has an 'away day,' anything from pasta making to go-karting. The wine club enjoyed a trip to Champagne, and there are regular fundraising events.
There's an 'open door' policy led from the top by Managing Partner Peter Winter. He leads bi-monthly all-employee meetings, personally welcomes new recruits, introducing the firm's vision and strategy, and attends all departmental away days. And partners sit amongst employees, so they're readily available and to strengthen the company's 'family feel'.
The firm is doing its bit to help young people become more financially literate by creating content for all school leavers that come through its doors. This includes articles and podcasts on topics including what payslips are, why National Insurance numbers are so important, and student loans, savings and pensions.
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