What are companies doing with regards to 'My Team'

The Consortium offers everyone a core health care provision, which includes dental and optical cover. As part of a wider group, the company also offer an employee assistance programme, a free phone advisory service offering 24 hour, 365-day support and guidance on a range of areas including bereavement, money trouble, addictions and relationship breakdown. There is an open minded approach to work flexibly, a cycle to work scheme, healthy food options in the canteen and an outdoor green space with garden furniture for colleagues to enjoy their breaks. The organisation believes that good management practices can help reduce work-related stress. Examples of practices The Consortium use include making sure employees understand what they have to do and how to do it by meeting training needs, involving employees in the way work is carried out and having clear procedures for handling misconduct and poor performance.

The Consortium recognise employees for their efforts by awarding 'a Value Champion' of the month. Each winner is then entered into a draw to win Employee of the Year. This is voted for by all staff and the winner is announced at the annual End of Year presentation. The company also offer an All Staff discretionary bonus scheme, with payment based on company performance.

Quarterly town hall meetings are held for all Line Managers and round table meetings for all employees in order to discuss issues and recognise successes which have proven to be particularly effective given that the business is growing so quickly. The Car Finance Company have previously put on workshops where everyone participated in deciding the priorities for the following quarter, as well as one that focused on what Managers would do to make sure they had great communication across the business. In order to communicate the company mission, vision and values they are printed on posters and mugs so they are always present within the office. Performance is also reviewed against the values.

The Car Finance Company use the 70:20:10 model as the basis of their learning and development strategy in order to focus development on topics that Managers have the opportunity to put into practice immediately in order to be the most effective. Their Leadership and Development Manager has facilitated meetings being held by the Leadership Team as part of their development programme. A group of Team Leaders are presenting at their departments conference for the first time, so they have been supported to develop their presentation and to deliver it building their confidence. A group of Managers took part in a workshop on performance management ahead of the company's quarterly review process. They believe this is a more practical approach and allows delegates to put changes into practice more effectively. Employees can also get involved in coaching and mentoring programmes, which the company find to be more useful as short technical training sessions. Finally performance is always measured against quarterly objectives.

Every year The Access Group runs Big Break, where all staff are given the choice of two days extra holiday or a long weekend in Spain with their colleagues as a reward for their efforts. The Spain trip is more popular than ever and this year over 200 staff members went on the company holiday, which offered an all-inclusive hotel and a range of activities and nights out. If you were to ask anyone in the company what is unique about this company their first answer would definitely be Spain.

Every year The Access Group runs Big Break, where all staff are given the choice of two days extra holiday or a long weekend in Spain with their colleagues as a reward for their efforts. The Spain trip is more popular than ever and this year over 200 staff members went on the company holiday, which offered an all-inclusive hotel and a range of activities and nights out. If you were to ask anyone in the company what is unique about this company their first answer would definitely be Spain.

At Test Direct all new starters undergo a one-week induction course outlining all of the company's tools and processes, as well as an overview of how Test Direct work as consultants. This is followed up with regular four week reviews during Probation. Following probation quarterly performance reviews then take place. Everyone has an Individual Development plan that is reviewed regularly by their Manager and the People and Talent Director. In addition to external certification courses, Test Direct have their own Training Database where there are 100s of documents, courses and templates for employees to read when they need them. Test Direct have an annual Company Training Plan focusing on the needs of their consultants, remaining at the forefront of technology and tools. Courses are arranged to meet the needs and skills required by both individuals and the business and the company offer external and online courses that lead to certifications and accreditations.

At Test Direct all new starters undergo a one-week induction course outlining all of the company's tools and processes, as well as an overview of how Test Direct work as consultants. This is followed up with regular four week reviews during Probation. Following probation quarterly performance reviews then take place. Everyone has an Individual Development plan that is reviewed regularly by their Manager and the People and Talent Director. In addition to external certification courses, Test Direct have their own Training Database where there are 100s of documents, courses and templates for employees to read when they need them. Test Direct have an annual Company Training Plan focusing on the needs of their consultants, remaining at the forefront of technology and tools. Courses are arranged to meet the needs and skills required by both individuals and the business and the company offer external and online courses that lead to certifications and accreditations.

Senior Managers demonstrate commitment to a professional and open environment though their day to day actions. They have a constant presence in the office, are approachable and actively engage with staff at all levels. In addition to leadership responsibilities, they are involved directly with technical delivery of project work and also have direct contact with junior staff frequently. They attend staff socials and take part in fund raising activities. They'll always help out with mundane tasks if there is a need for more resources, for example you will often find the MD making tea for junior colleagues. They also participate in a variety of other meetings, some of which are led by more junior team members. They invite staff at all levels to participate, both formally and informally, in staff briefings. The Managing Director Chris Fry regularly joins the staff on social events and is known to wear red socks for Red Nose day and silly jumpers for the Christmas Jumper competition.

Knowledge Hubs allow employees who have an interest in a particular area of the company. They are encouraged to get involved with specialist knowledge hubs and also draw upon information shared through Temple's document management system. Work shadowing is also used throughout the company to assist other colleagues with their work and to help them gain further knowledge of different areas. There are regular secondments to other positions, both internally and externally, in order to gain additional skills and experience. For example, Temple have recently opened two secondment positions in their business development team to give consultants experience in this aspect of consultancy. The company also pay for training costs and provide paid study leave for employees seeking to up skill or obtain additional qualification like a Master's Degree or Diploma. Junior employees are given the opportunity to line manage work experience students and interns as a means of giving them the experience in people management. On top of all this a structured 12-month programme of educational sessions on business and core technical services is provided by Temple, as well as Leadership masterclasses where Senior managers run a course of 1 to 2 hour discussion groups that focus on aspects of business leadership and behaviours, for example collaborative behaviours, risk and opportunity analysis. This is open to managers and other staff in management positions across the organisation.

Telstra have a Social Committee formed of a good cross-representation of people from around the business. This year the Social Committee have introduced a team-based points scoring system, which really gets different people together who would not usually work with one another. Every member of staff is allocated to one of the teams. At the end of the financial year, the team with the most accrued points win a team event of their choice, which will be funded by Telstra and will be in work-time, for example a meal out, drinks or an activity of their choice. Over the course of the year there are many different and varied activities where people can score points for their team. Activities include a Rugby World Cup challenge, a Step Challenge, a Bake-Off Competition and a Pub Quiz. In addition, the competition between teams has increased banter and helped foster a more competitive, collaborative but fun approach to socialising. Telstra also have a newly formed Brilliantly Connected Women's group for their ladies, including guest speakers, social events and walking groups.

At Telstra, all of those new to management attend an external training course. This year the company have a new internally run leadership programme, which is run for all Telstra's leaders around the world. All Senior Executives attend a three day residential “Connected Leadership” course in Australia. All leaders then attend a three day “Business Leader Programme” and all aspiring leaders attend a two day “Emerging Leaders Programme”. Leaders are encouraged to have a Mentor somewhere around the Telstra globe. At least once a year every employee sits down with their Manager to talk about what development they need and would like in order to do their job well. Conversations are recorded onto individual success plans and any requirements for external development are therefore captured. Telstra also have People Leader forums, where leaders are invited to discuss issues and share opinions and advice. The company also encourage their leaders to go through a 360° feedback exercise, as the feedback can raise issues which may or may not need formal development or coaching.

In many businesses the contributions of 'backroom staff' can be forgotten; however at Swansway they do things differently. On a regular basis the company celebrate the 'backroom staff' by asking the Managers to nominate a colleague who they believe has made an outstanding contribution to the business, is not expecting an extra reward and who is a shining example of company culture and values. The awards are given every quarter and the number of winners is not limited. Wherever there is a nomination and the Unsung Hero board considers it be valid, the nominee will receive a trophy to keep, is treated to afternoon tea and even a £50 voucher to treat themselves to a gift.

In many businesses the contributions of 'backroom staff' can be forgotten; however at Swansway they do things differently. On a regular basis the company celebrate the 'backroom staff' by asking the Managers to nominate a colleague who they believe has made an outstanding contribution to the business, is not expecting an extra reward and who is a shining example of company culture and values. The awards are given every quarter and the number of winners is not limited. Wherever there is a nomination and the Unsung Hero board considers it be valid, the nominee will receive a trophy to keep, is treated to afternoon tea and even a £50 voucher to treat themselves to a gift.

All of the offices have the Core Values printed as large vinyl's onto the wall. Swanstaff promote the company ambition right from the outset at interview stage, through to the induction and this is also spoken about regularly by the CEO and Management team at events andtraining. Swanstaff ‘thank you' badges on the HR system refer to the Core Values so that staff can recognise when someone has met the value. The annual appraisal process, probation reviews and monthly one on one supervisions also refer to the core values and staff are asked to reflect on how well they work to these values and how well they feel these are reflected in the company culture. These are also spoken about in the induction video, showing new employees how these are reflected in every day work. Employees often recite these core values when speaking to clients and candidates - they are also shared with candidates through the Ambassadors programme.

Swanstaff encourage people to share good news or innovative ideas via the ‘All Staff' email thread. This increases communications and opens up visibility of best practice. They run regular team challenges including a "Spaghetti Tower" challenge that took place at a recently quarterly meeting ensuring groups sat with other branch and teams to encourage cross company communication and interaction. They encourage their staff to thank their colleagues, this is done via the system ‘People HR' and notifies the employee when they have received thanks. This has been used over 150 times in the last month alone.

Stott and May launched their Career Progression Scheme this year for both sales and support functions, with the scheme enabling development and progression within the business that is seemingly limitless. The CPS is supported by a blend of internal and external training sessions, as well as useful desk coaching. As well as all this Stott and May have paired up with Andrew Sillitoe, founder of The Strategic Team Coach, who uses a unique method to quantify the health and psychological state of staff, monitor the level of fatigue, observe in real-time the psychological impact of recruitment and enable staff to manage thoughts, feelings and emotions under pressure using biofeedback during phone calls. A mentoring system is also put in place for senior managers using external industry experts, with everything stemming back to the Career Progression Scheme. Managers are measured through the performance of their teams and also engagement across the whole business. The company reviews teams on a monthly basis through the Career Progression Scheme and always takes the temperature of engagement each quarter.

Stott and May launched their Career Progression Scheme this year for both sales and support functions, with the scheme enabling development and progression within the business that is seemingly limitless. The CPS is supported by a blend of internal and external training sessions, as well as useful desk coaching. As well as all this Stott and May have paired up with Andrew Sillitoe, founder of The Strategic Team Coach, who uses a unique method to quantify the health and psychological state of staff, monitor the level of fatigue, observe in real-time the psychological impact of recruitment and enable staff to manage thoughts, feelings and emotions under pressure using biofeedback during phone calls. A mentoring system is also put in place for senior managers using external industry experts, with everything stemming back to the Career Progression Scheme. Managers are measured through the performance of their teams and also engagement across the whole business. The company reviews teams on a monthly basis through the Career Progression Scheme and always takes the temperature of engagement each quarter.

During the year STL removed water machines from each office and one plumbed in machine was installed in the centre of as an alternative. This encourages staff to get up and walk to the machine. They also introduced a Wednesday waddle, where staff had a lunchtime walk together if they wanted around the local canal or village. STL also provide fruit and a smaller number of larger printers to encourage people to get up from their desks. There is a staff room including a Wii, computer, large screen TV, sofas and magazines. STL provide ice cream on hot days, books in the staff room for all staff to use and all staff can book an appointment with any Manager for ten minutes to discuss anything they would like or to chat to HR.

During the year STL removed water machines from each office and one plumbed in machine was installed in the centre of as an alternative. This encourages staff to get up and walk to the machine. They also introduced a Wednesday waddle, where staff had a lunchtime walk together if they wanted around the local canal or village. STL also provide fruit and a smaller number of larger printers to encourage people to get up from their desks. There is a staff room including a Wii, computer, large screen TV, sofas and magazines. STL provide ice cream on hot days, books in the staff room for all staff to use and all staff can book an appointment with any Manager for ten minutes to discuss anything they would like or to chat to HR.