Best Companies Factors: My Team

Health & Social Care

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Home Instead

The online Home Instead Academy allows employees to upskill on a range of topics including diversity and inclusion, and how to communicate effectively. Each new joiner has five days of training with franchise owners and there is funding available for external coaching. The company also offers a four-week exchange programme with the US office.

The company's Home Instead Charities UK arm has a mission to reduce loneliness and isolation in the UK’s ageing population. In 2021 the organisation distributed over £50,000 for 55 community groups benefiting more than 22,000 ageing adults, with activities including memory cafes, singing groups for people with dementia, art classes and yoga sessions.

Bringing teams together was a vital part of Home Instead's focus in 2021, not least for the several new recruits that joined the team. A 'collaboration week' was held by the company, filled with team building exercises, social events and strategic business updates - something the organisation plans to continue on a regular basis.

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Technology

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Graphnet Health

There is no shortage of opportunities to get together and talk work or otherwise. These include twice-yearly company events to share business updates and strategy plans, team away days, virtual lunch breaks, workshop sessions and social outings. Many have looked to build on the camaraderie created by virtual sessions, like 'Friday Night Drinks,' during lockdown.

A monthly company-wide recognition incentive, 'Cheera,' lets employees nominate colleagues for exemplary work they've done to benefit customers, their colleagues or the wider community. A winning name is pulled from a hat, with the employee giving their £500 to a charity of their choice.

In the past 12 months, 95% of employees have completed some work-relating training. Through the Enterprise Initiative Scheme, the company partners with Microsoft, giving staff access to industry-leading accreditations and learning pathways. The company covers the cost of work-related training and offers five days of paid study leave.

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Technology

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Gearset

At Gearset's virtual tearoom — a continuous video call — staff can join at any time. Channels on the communication app Slack are dedicated to departments, teams, projects and shared hobbies. Last year, the company staged a summer party for staff and their families. Meanwhile, there are drink-and-learn events and beers on Fridays.

Feedback from staff shows that the improved methods of communicating organisational clarity used over the past 18 months have been welcomed because employees feel more connected to what Gearset is trying to achieve. A week-long company strategy event enabled cross-team collaboration and the chance to share.

For the annual Christmas Jumper Day, Gearset supported Shirtforce, by buying jumpers from the company for staff and raising more than £500 for charity. The company also took part in the Cambridge Half Marathon to aid two local charities, Romsey Mill, which helps disadvantage children and families, and homeless charity Jimmy's Night Shelter.

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Leisure & Hospitality

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Everton Football Club

Social wellbeing is vitally important at Everton and staff are given the chance to get together through staff networks. The club has invested in a new social interaction tool, Your Everton, which connects staff across the different sites.

Staff who demonstrate outstanding commitment to the club's values are nominated by colleagues for the NSNO (Nil Satis Nisi Optimum) staff awards. Staff networks and project groups focus on making positive change and shaping what the club does. The organisation says: "Keeping our people central to that gives them a stake in what we do."

Everton is leading the charge for equity and inclusion within the football and sports sector and corporate business operations through its 'All Together Now' campaign. The Club has partnered with initiatives such as Liverpool Against Racism, Women In Football and the Rainbow Toffees, its LGBTQ+ supporters' group.

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Recruitment

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Eton Bridge Partners

Eton Bridge's wellbeing team, which was launched two years ago, has driven a range of initiatives. Eight social clubs have been set up, including those for HIIT training, cycling, recipe sharing, walking and a book club. It has also hosted group conversations around mental health and sponsored three mental health first-aiders.

Walkie-talkie meetings, which were set up during the pandemic, have continued, as the company found that they enhanced its culture and the wellbeing of staff. It has also increased the number of team-building days. One team took part in dragon boat racing on the Thames.

Last year, a team used one of their charity days to transform the overgrown sensory garden at the Riverside Children’s Centre, in Maidenhead. They worked hard to turn it into an area that could be enjoyed by the families using the centre's services.

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Marketing & Media Agencies

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Cyber-Duck

Cyber-Duck supports Goods for Good, a Hertfordshire charity that sends goods donated by businesses and individuals to vulnerable communities around the world. Its services have been needed more than ever, in Afghanistan and Ukraine, and Cyber-Duck donated technology and set up digital platforms for the charity. Staff also helped with packing goods and ran fundraisers.

Staff can meet up at the Duck and Crisp virtual pub and there's space for team chat during quizzes. Leaders run weekly team meetings to share project status, trends, techniques and have a catch-up. A Meeting Owl camera swivels around to film meetings and bridge the gap between staff at home and in the office.

The company is developing Cyber-Duck Academies, in both of the open-source technologies it specialises in, Laravel and Drupal. Research and development time is set aside during working hours to give the company's developers cutting-edge, challenging work and community recognition.

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Recruitment

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Cook Recruitment Group

Staff are experiencing less stress at work and greater job satisfaction thanks to various fatigue-busting initiatives. These include journals for more effective planning, duvet days and more regular breaks away from the desk. Employees can use the on-site gym or enjoy discounted rates at local fitness centres.

Initiatives are bringing staff together across the divisions, promoting team cohesion, interaction and a sharing of interests. The Employee of The Month scheme now sees staff voting for the winners. And a newly-built patio has encouraged staff to chat, socialise and build stronger working relationships.

All staff can take advantage of training and mentoring schemes. The company's trainee academy focuses on giving employment and development opportunities to people new to the recruitment industry. It wants to establish home-grown talent grounded in the agency's values that can then go on to coach others.

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Financial Services

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Assetz Capital

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Recruitment

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Annapurna Recruitment

The company says it invests heavily in team morale and offers incentives to staff. Every team has monthly targets to aim for and when they hit them they are given a team night out, such as a meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant, a trip to the Crystal Maze, or sporting events.

All directors sit on the sales floor and are as approachable as anyone else in the organisation. The directors lead the Friday stand-up session, which brings together all staff to celebrate achievements at the end of the week.

Annapurna Giving, the company's charity arm, has been raising money for Parkinson's Disease organisations. Charlie Appleyard, the company's co-founder and a director, was diagnosed with the disease three years ago. He captained the UK team at the Ray Kennedy Cup, a football tournament in Copenhagen for those living with Parkinson's.

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Technology

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AND Digital

ANDis are given 15 extra days of paid leave. Two are for volunteering for anything that an ANDi chooses to support, 13 are "upskilling and innovation" days. Staff can participate in formal courses or do something more informal, such as catching up on reading or carrying out another activity to increase their skills.

Agile ways of working are designed to foster effective collaboration and communication. Through daily stand-up meetings, regular planning, reviews and retrospectives, teams create an appropriate rhythm for themselves to be able to problem-solve collaboratively and achieve quality results.

An incentive share plan provides the opportunity for ANDis to own a part of the company and see a growing reward for participating in its expansion. Unusually in the industry, the scheme gives "growth shares" to ANDis at all levels, not just those near the top.

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Team Cohesion = Performance

Home Instead

Graphnet Health

Gearset

Everton Football Club

Eton Bridge Partners

Cyber-Duck

Cook Recruitment Group

Assetz Capital

Annapurna Recruitment

AND Digital

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