Team Cohesion = Performance

Xceed offer a Line Managers Toolkit in the form of on-going coaching from an external Hogan Assessor and an informal Mentorship programme that is run internally. The Line Managers' Toolkit provides templates, guide-notes, best practices and policies for each step of a Line Manager's role. The Mentoring scheme matches mentors and mentees based on interests, personality and priorities. Line Manager performance is measured inline with the overall company objectives and performance framework. This requires a minimum of Quarterly reviews, with Objectives and PDPs being updated, Performance and Potential ratings being submitted and 360 feedback being solicited, reviewed, analysed and stored. Additionally, the People Function and Leadership Team review results and trends from Xceed's six weekly ‘Pulse Poll', which can highlight areas for focus. Finally, on a quarterly basis, the Board and Leadership team reviews data on attrition, churn and promotion and progress by team and Managers, all with the goal of highlighting and remediating any issues that relate to one team or Line Manager.

Perhaps the strongest indication from the Xceed Leadership Team is that 50% of their bonuses are related to ‘Demonstrating Values'. For many years the company have had Spirit Awards which are now Value Awards. These are ‘surprise' and personalised ‘awards' or prizes for ‘catching someone doing something great' that are always tied to the company values. Xceed's Founders, CEO and Board are actively involved in the business. The CEO hosts a ‘welcome' meeting or call with all new joiners within their first week. The Leadership Team also has a schedule of internal communications so that each area of the business is heard from regularly, as well as a weekly ‘Friday Five' that provides an overview of events and headlines for each week. Xceed also have both Town Halls and Open Forums. The CEO chairs the Future Leaders Programme and has an active role in leading people initiatives and working groups. This is in addition to a strong ‘open door policy', whereby anyone and everyone is encouraged to come straight to the CEO with any concerns or issues.

Rewarding their employees for their efforts is at the heart of X4 Group and something they pride themselves on. They have a strong sales team who are all highly motivated as a result of incentives such as four annual holiday targets including Vegas and Marbella, monthly lunch clubs at some of London's top restaurants, free gym and spa membership for every employee, highly competitive commission structure, monthly massages and frequent company events such as annual boat party. These name only a few of the company's amazing incentives. One that is particularly unique to X4 is the 4 holiday targets, they have a number of Director 'Wild Cards' for every trip. This means that the individuals who didn't quite meet the financial or deals target but in other areas really stood out are rewarded also. This is effective as it encourages everyone to work extremely hard in all areas even when they may not be as close to hitting target as they had hoped.

Employee engagement and interaction is critically important to the day to day competitiveness and the culture of our business. X4 Group understands that positive interaction between all members of staff boosts morale and improves performance. They have a digital leader board visible to all teams in the office to share every team's performance and showcase their position on the leader board with updated deals. This information system provides employees with instant updates of the whole company's performance, allowing a transparent working environment which they have found greatly improves efficiency and competitiveness between teams. The company encourage weekly competitions among different teams in different markets and have monthly nominations for Team, Deal & Consultant of the month where each winner gets a prize. Prizes include team lunch, night out, West End show, champagne etc. Every team in the company is eligible to win every month so it encourages team members to support each other. They are highly focused on attracting and hiring the right people so have a very collaborative approach, involving employees in the hiring process. Under this process candidates interact with future teammates improving team interaction from the very beginning. They have several team building days out annually to encourage company interaction. Recently the company did a Mud Run Assault Course followed by an all paid for company party. They also do things like go-karting, charity sports days etc. In addition to this they have several sports teams and play competitively in tournaments against other companies!

This year White Stuff relaunched its benefit offer on a new online platform called ‘The Biscuit Tin'. The site went live in June 2016 for the annual benefit selection window and was a huge success, seeing a 65% increase in total logins compared to the same time last year. The Biscuit Tin offers a complete information hub with easy navigation to benefits. Employees can select their benefits whenever they wish, giving them the power to control when and how they access their rewards. The site is fully interactive, containing videos and help guides to enable their family to make choices that are right for their lifestyle. Employees can use The Biscuit Tin to claim on their insurances, access discounts and review their Total Reward Statement. They re-designed the Total Reward Statement for the June 2016 launch and employees can now see the value and split of their package at-a-glance. Staff can drill down on each element of their Reward to explore how the building blocks of their package. There is also access to historical reward statements for detailed comparison of individual's pay and benefits over time. This year they have also used The Biscuit Tin to build awareness of retirement planning and pension savings amongst their family. There is an interactive pension-modelling tool where employees can adjust their contributions, pension fund and retirement projections to get the most out of their investments. The site gives access to the annual Pension Newsletter that explains the performance of the Default Pension Fund, where 90% of the White Stuff family is invested.

This year White Stuff relaunched its benefit offer on a new online platform called ‘The Biscuit Tin'. The site went live in June 2016 for the annual benefit selection window and was a huge success, seeing a 65% increase in total logins compared to the same time last year. The Biscuit Tin offers a complete information hub with easy navigation to benefits. Employees can select their benefits whenever they wish, giving them the power to control when and how they access their rewards. The site is fully interactive, containing videos and help guides to enable their family to make choices that are right for their lifestyle. Employees can use The Biscuit Tin to claim on their insurances, access discounts and review their Total Reward Statement. They re-designed the Total Reward Statement for the June 2016 launch and employees can now see the value and split of their package at-a-glance. Staff can drill down on each element of their Reward to explore how the building blocks of their package. There is also access to historical reward statements for detailed comparison of individual's pay and benefits over time. This year they have also used The Biscuit Tin to build awareness of retirement planning and pension savings amongst their family. There is an interactive pension-modelling tool where employees can adjust their contributions, pension fund and retirement projections to get the most out of their investments. The site gives access to the annual Pension Newsletter that explains the performance of the Default Pension Fund, where 90% of the White Stuff family is invested.

Whitbread strive to support and encourage development within their Management populations. When Managers are appointed to a new role they are assigned a mentor who will be an experienced and high performing operator at the same level. In Premier Inn the ‘Shooting Stars' programme supports team members as they progress into their first management role all the way through to being an experienced multi-site manager. Whitbread also have Apprenticeships programmes to develop and support team members, starting from an Intermediate level 2 through to an MSC level 7 in Multi Site Management. Across Premier Inn 398 Apprentices have been promoted, 102 to Operations Manager, 58 to Assistant Operations Manager, 166 to a Premier Inn Host, 58 to Head Housekeeper and 14 to Head Chef. Health & Safety also features heavily, with bi-annual audits conducted by an external provider to ensure that all sites and Managers are compliant with health & safety laws and internal targets relating to the safety of team members. Across Whitbread they measure management performance through their Whitbread in numbers card or ‘WINcards', which is split into four central measures: Winning Teams, Customer Heartbeat, Profitable Growth and Good Together.

Whitbread strive to support and encourage development within their Management populations. When Managers are appointed to a new role they are assigned a mentor who will be an experienced and high performing operator at the same level. In Premier Inn the ‘Shooting Stars' programme supports team members as they progress into their first management role all the way through to being an experienced multi-site manager. Whitbread also have Apprenticeships programmes to develop and support team members, starting from an Intermediate level 2 through to an MSC level 7 in Multi Site Management. Across Premier Inn 398 Apprentices have been promoted, 102 to Operations Manager, 58 to Assistant Operations Manager, 166 to a Premier Inn Host, 58 to Head Housekeeper and 14 to Head Chef. Health & Safety also features heavily, with bi-annual audits conducted by an external provider to ensure that all sites and Managers are compliant with health & safety laws and internal targets relating to the safety of team members. Across Whitbread they measure management performance through their Whitbread in numbers card or ‘WINcards', which is split into four central measures: Winning Teams, Customer Heartbeat, Profitable Growth and Good Together.

The Senior Management Team promote excellence, community, trust and ambition in everything they do. They empower and encourage staff to raise the bar for customers and deliver excellence through team meetings, speaking at Managers' forums and other staff events, as well as by talking informally to staff. When it comes to community, they regularly visit Wheatley's communities to engage with staff and residents, particularly when they hold events to celebrate improvements in neighbourhoods, such as the launch of new homes or a programme to upgrade existing homes. They are always ambitious to do more for their communities and they lead this activity both strategically and by encouraging staff to focus on designing and delivering excellent services for customers. The senior team have been instrumental in setting up the Wheatley Foundation, a new charitable trust which distributes grant funding to community, employability and digital inclusion projects. They also led on the successful campaign to attract £300m new funding on the public bond markets to enable the organisation to build thousands of new and affordable homes in their communities. Additionally Wheatley Group has developed a new environmental training programme – the Changing Lives programme - aimed at unemployed customers who are experiencing difficulty securing employment due to lack of work history, offending background, disability etc. The Wheatley Group Apprenticeship programme targets young people from communities who have been disadvantaged, are less likely to be engaged in schools and are furthest away from the job market. In 2016 they have taken on 86 split into business admin, housing, horticulture, sustainable resource management (environmental) and for the first time this year they have created care apprenticeships, as they see this as a growing opportunity for jobs.

Wessex Water Enterprises recognises the hard work from all of their employees and is committed to ensuring staff members have a comfortable work life balance. As a result, employees are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the company's exclusive staff discount portal, Rewards4u, which offers a host of discounts for a variety of retailers. The portal is accessible at any time through the intranet ‘Source', where offers can help employees save money or even earn cash back. To suit the needs of every employee across the divisions, there are local offers available for restaurants, sports activities such as Bristol Sport tickets and even automotive services. In addition, employees are able to earn cash back when booking holidays through specific websites and can claim childcare vouchers or save on adventure days out. The company also have an ongoing feedback scheme 'Eureka', which encourages innovative thinking across the employee structure. A reward of £100 is given if an idea is implemented and the scheme has proven to open interdepartmental working opportunities and promotions in specific business areas.

Due to the hazardous nature of some Wessex Water locations, for example the sewage treatment works and the industrial laundry, occupational health surveillance is instituted to all employees to identify and prevent the development of potential causes of harm and to also determine existing health problems. This health surveillance includes a screening questionnaire issued to new all employees, an annual health screening questionnaire that checks up on employee's health in the workplace, a clinical assessment that takes place if issues are raised, including a hearing test, examination of vascular and neurological function, skin assessment, eyesight and blood pressure. As a final stage, a doctor will conduct a medical assessment should chronic problems be discovered. Occupational health professionals are also able to provide support with stresses in the workplace. Wessex Water Enterprises also operates an Employee Assistance Programme which offers free and confidential telephone counselling and free legal signposting for issues that can cause anxiety and stress.

Weleda have a self-managed weekly newsletter called "The Compost Heap" which has been running for two and a half years. Each individual or team submits material to a central email address compost.heap@weleda.co.uk and one of the marketing team then compiles that week's edition. There is no leadership censorship and the newsletter has developed its own "tone of voice" over time. The content is a varied mixture of light-hearted "news", PR, Awards, customer feedback, people news and business updates. They also have a private Facebook page open to all employees where news, photos and links to relevant websites can been shared 24/7. A handful of staff act as administrators and in the 3+ years the page has existed there have been zero instances of content requiring moderation or removal.

Weleda have implemented a refreshed and more professional performance management process this year, consistently applied to all staff. This includes regular informal 1-2-1 catch up meetings (at least monthly) and a formal annual review. Those with people responsibility have a consistent 'people objective'. Failure to deliver against this objective would have consequences for overall performance ratings and potential performance related pay increases. There is a "Lead my Team" objective to follow Weleda UK's performance management calendar and process which involves agreeing SMART objectives & development priorities with each individual's team, holding monthly 1-2-1s, an interim review and a formal, annual PDR. In addition, to support and challenge each person to help them deliver; listen, set a good example and coach each person to learn and grow and to seek feedback from my team at least once a year.

In addition to generous monetary bonuses, all employees at WFAC can earn 'Chorlty Chips' (CCs) for doing everyday things, such as attending work each day or meeting their quality expectations. The company have created an online shop where employees can spend their CCs to get goods such as vouchers, family days out or additional leave. Similar to online banking, each employee also has their own balance, prominent when they log on. Another jewel in WFAC's crown is their ‘Achievements' feature. Appealing to their young workforce, the company ventured outside the box and decided to create a system that mirrors a video game. Agents can ‘unlock' Achievement Points (AP) for completing a range of activities, some that are easily attained, such as logging onto the system for the first time and others which are more challenging, such as the agent's customers receiving over one million pounds worth of offers in a month. These APs can then be exchanged for currency in the internal shop.

WFAC are currently supporting ‘All Creatures Great and Small', a local animal charity that rescues and re-homes animals. They were recently in a dire financial situation, so the company asked employees to dig deep to support the charity through paying to 'dress down'. WFAC don't just ask for monetary donations though, they also support their re-homing efforts by posting the details of available pets on the internal newsletter 'Tintern Times'. There is even a collection bin in the reception area where employees can donate pet food. Another cause the company are currently supporting is a local child named Lily-May, who has a genetic disorder that affects the central nervous system. WFAC are supporting her family to fund the building of a sensory room, all to provide Lilly-May with additional stimulus through donations, a football tournament and other events. The company have also helped a local retirement home by donating radios, so that the elderly residents would be less lonely.

WDP's monthly Line Manager supervision process is very supportive, as well as focused on performance management. Employees Managers conduct a one to one return to work interview after every absence, which includes ensuring that the individual is indeed well enough to be at work and to help identify any underlying issues. The organisation also offers 360 coaching, 360 feedback and an annual appraisal for staff.

Westminster Drug Project (WDP) has in the past had a fully funded internal OCN accredited staff qualification course to help new practitioners evidence their competency. The company's commitment to employee development includes investing in competency, qualifications and also continuing their professional development programmes. The organisation believes in growing talent and approximately 40% of their Managers are home grown. The annual WDP Staff Away Day took place on Monday 21st and Tuesday 22nd November, hosted at the Irish Centre in Camden. Both days were a resounding success, with a number of achievements from the past year discussed and celebrated. Each day began with some introductory words from the Chair Yasmin Batliwala and the joint Chief executives, Arun Dhandayudham and Manish Nanda. The morning and afternoon workshops followed, consisting of Breaking Free Online, Informal Learning at WDP, Teamwork and Change and Working with Young People. All workshops were informative and interactive, highlighting WDP's intention of growing. The SAVA awards further emulated this theme, celebrating the diligence and dedication of WDP staff throughout their various centres.