My Manager
My Team

Team Cohesion = Performance

Our research shows strong team relationships boost productivity, decision-making and innovation. The My Team factor measures what matters most.
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Technology
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BigChange

An online communication channel is used to share company information and engage staff in a new way. At regular company huddles, news is shared and success celebrated. Staff also share successes through the Green Flag scheme, which improves interaction and communication. Meanwhile, a BigChange Book Club brings avid readers together.
The business plans to launch a BigChange Talent Academy to attract staff by offering outstanding development and progression opportunities. It will provide learning for new starters, those who are developing their careers, and new managers and aspiring leaders. There will be a mixture of internal and external trainers.
Once a quarter, the business has a BigRecharge day where all staff take a paid day off to focus on whatever energises them. It also encourages staff to have a wellbeing objective that they work towards throughout the year, whether that be work-life balance, reading or starting a meditation class.
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Retail
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Modern Milkman

Teams communicate regularly via the messaging system Slack which enables them to chat and interact with colleagues in real time, as well as share updates and information as it happens within the organisation. Meetings take place virtually, cutting down on the time spent travelling to different locations.
Annual and quarterly goals have been set across the company and within departments. A monthly all-hands Zoom call updates staff on company performance. It includes an opportunity to ask the senior leadership team questions. Digital platforms have been consolidated across the business to simplify processes.
The company's philosophy is to review salaries continually and reward staff, based on their efforts and commitment to the business. It means that while there is an annual pay review to assess everyone across the business, salaries are reviewed against performance and staff are rewarded more frequently.
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Housing Associations
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Newydd Housing Association

A helping-hands scheme encourages staff to participate in at least one community activity per year to support the tenants and the areas the association covers. One was a litter pick on the Rhydyfelin housing estate, Pontypridd.
Stress-management training, a 12-week mindfulness programme, four all-staff briefings by a wellbeing consultant and three sessions for managers to help them support their staff are part of the measures on offer to look after employees.
Staff take part in activities such as group bike rides and lunch time walks, art classes, knitting and craft sessions, yoga and tap-dancing classes, pepper-growing and pumpkin-carving competitions, and pool, darts and table tennis tournaments.
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Charity's
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YMCA Together

Each service organises regular treat days which could consist of bringing in food for staff to eat together, or organising a therapist to give staff wellbeing treatments.
The Y Leadership management programme covers organisational development, human resources, finance and budget management, health and safety, and looking at environmental impact and marketing. There are in-house courses about working in a psychologically informed environment.
A memorial garden has been set up at YMCA Together's Dutch Farm, in Liverpool, for those who have died in homelessness or homeless services. It has been welcomed by friends and family of those who have lost their lives, often at an age well below the average life span.
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Housing Associations
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Hexagon Housing Association

Instant recognition awards are the means by which colleagues can thank staff members who have gone above and beyond to help them or a customer. Nominees are sent a "thank you" message and gift voucher and the awards are publicised on the intranet, where colleagues can comment and add their congratulations.
During Black History Month, staff are encouraged to share their family stories on the intranet. Workshops raise awareness of issues faced by LGBTQ+ customers and staff. The office has recently been refurbished and a new multi-faith room, offering a quiet space for prayer and reflection has been added.
The leadership team has increased the use of the intranet to ensure staff members remain up to date, including opportunities to provide feedback on corporate objectives. Staff conferences include discussion sessions on the organisation's values, led by the directors.
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Business Services
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Spica Technologies

Staff were allowed to carry over holidays during the pandemic to enable them to save their time off until restrictions were withdrawn. They were also encouraged to take regular breaks to prevent burnout.
Staff are split into squads, and new ways for teams to work and innovate together are constantly explored. New product features are shared at clinics, when ideas can be presented and suggestions made. Informal social activities across the squads improve team collaboration and build relationships within them and the company as a whole.
Funding support to gain professional qualifications is offered to managers — the company is helping its finance manager to gain professional accountancy accreditations. New line managers are coached in people-management skills.
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Law
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Hall Brown Family Law

Staff take part in the cycle-to-work day and the firm funded every person entering the End to End challenge, for which they had to walk or run the distance between Land's End and John O'Groats in a year.
At the annual Christmas party, every member of staff receives an award to celebrate something they have done that year. Other yearly events are an away weekend for staff and their partners and a summer party based around a fun activity, such as an all-firm darts tournament.
All big company decisions require the approval of every member of the firm. For example, no new member of staff is taken on without everyone approving it. This allows less commercially experienced staff to be part of the commercial decision-making process.
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Utilities
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Octopus Energy Group

A steel drum band was invited into the London office for a Rum and Drums night. The Brighton office has a Pride party before taking to the streets for the parade and, in Leicester, an annual Christmas Lights party celebrates Octopus being part of the city "switch-on" celebration.
Staff can move around the business. This has led to someone who started in customer service as a graduate going on to lead the launch of the customer service in Texas, a smart-meter specialist consulting as an ecologist for tree-planting schemes and a billing specialist heading its green marketing strategy.
If team members want to raise an issue they can approach any one of the senior management team directly, including the chief executive. An important aspect of the company's culture is that it is open, transparent and accessible, so that anyone can speak up if they have problems or ideas they would like to discuss.
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Consultancy
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Proxima

The charity and wellbeing committees often join together to create events, such as the Wellness Fortnight in July, when everyone was encouraged to join in wellbeing initiatives, such as a "lunch and learn" on the benefits of physical exercise, a company-wide "plank" challenge or a 24-hour team charity row.
Chief executive Gareth Evans and the board have daily leadership meetings to ensure there is clarity between them. From these daily meetings, there are regular video updates from Gareth that are posted on our company’s Workplace platform so staff can watch these video updates at a time that works best for them.
The X Fund is run by a committee of six employees, who manage a budget for non-essential training needs. Throughout the year, staff can submit applications to the X Fund to request funding. Paid study leave is given to attend the course.
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Leisure & Hospitality
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Hickory's Smokehouse

Hickory's continue to talk openly about mental health and mental wellbeing on The HUB, providing resources and support to any team members who need it. It also has an Employee Assistance Helpline available to all team members, and any team member facing financial hardship can apply for financial support through its Adversity Fund.
Hickory's uses reclaimed and recycled materials when building new restaurants, including heater batteries on the roof. Its napkins, blue roll and straws are made from recyclable materials and, in the kitchens, energy-saving technology captures waste heat and converts it into free hot water.
In 2021 Hickory's introduced its 'Spring Break' WhatsApp Groups, so that communication and updates could be sent directly to each venue. The groups also gave the team a platform to voice any questions, comments or ideas they had directly to their line managers and the People Team.
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