Team Cohesion = Performance

The three founders personify the company values. They're hands-on, working closely with staff at all levels. They sit in the open-plan office and foster an open, honest, collegiate, entrepreneurial, ambitious and fun working environment through their approach.

The three founders personify the company values. They're hands-on, working closely with staff at all levels. They sit in the open-plan office and foster an open, honest, collegiate, entrepreneurial, ambitious and fun working environment through their approach.

In 2016, the firm launched the Epic University of WoW, a comprehensive development programme equipping lawyers with the technical knowledge and business skills they need to perform at the highest level and provide excellent client service.

In 2016, the firm launched the Epic University of WoW, a comprehensive development programme equipping lawyers with the technical knowledge and business skills they need to perform at the highest level and provide excellent client service.

Kantar provide coaching, mentoring and support for all managers, plus a range of drop-in sessions each week for bitesize learning opportunities. The Accelerator programme rotates talented employees across five areas for five months, one week at a time.

CEO Will Galgey is a genuinely very accessible and present leader in the office. He's improved the business' culture, with a more open structure, town-hall meetings, welcome meetings for new staff, and lunches with newly promoted staff. He personally mentors high-potential employees.

Monthly socials include events such as bowling, skiing, barbecues with the Chief Executive Officer and attending the Comedy Club, with food and drinks provided. There are monthly happy hours, fresh fruit provided and beer on tap.

Monthly socials include events such as bowling, skiing, barbecues with the Chief Executive Officer and attending the Comedy Club, with food and drinks provided. There are monthly happy hours, fresh fruit provided and beer on tap.

The firm has a range of recognition tools. These include the gift of time for people's birthdays and the annual star awards where any team member can become involved and get nominated employee of the year. A range of prizes match the awards.

There's a monthly wellbeing magazine, reduced membership to local gyms, flexible working and the possibility of job shares and reduced hours. They can alter shift patterns or exempt people from certain hours if they have caring responsibilities.

The company recently researched how supported employees feel in relation to mental wellbeing. This research was a dissertation project that was part of an ICS-sponsored Masters qualification in HR. It produced a statistically valid tool to show what the firm does well and what it could do better.

An annual sales and management conference communicates business strategy and future plans, recognises performance, and shares success stories and best practice. Last year, 270 employees attended, developing ideas around the 'extreme focus' theme, which were widely cascaded.

Ideaworks have negotiated offers with local firms including restaurants, gyms and Go Ape. A comprehensive welcome programme includes buddy schemes and an occupational health provider is on hand for counselling and immunisation.

Ideaworks spend time understanding client needs, so that the end result is simple and reliable. Ideaworks set the bar very high, striving for excellence, respecting clients and being innovative to the point that they don't stop until they win.

Client/brand values are: approachable, commercial, professional, responsive, excellent value. An engagement group prioritised three areas: leadership, my team and giving something back. A monthly drinks 'trolley' encourages people to talk to each other more.

Points are awarded for going above and beyond, through Cottrills Reward, with prizes including days out, domestic appliances, luxury goods and technology. Once a month, staff have a drink and chat with their colleagues. Staff can take one day's leave to volunteer.

Holiday Extras buy from farmers and retailers to support the local economy. Many teams are now entirely paperless. They encourage car shares and promote the cycle-to-work scheme. The firm supports the Travel Foundation, promoting responsible tourism.

Holiday Extras buy from farmers and retailers to support the local economy. Many teams are now entirely paperless. They encourage car shares and promote the cycle-to-work scheme. The firm supports the Travel Foundation, promoting responsible tourism.

For Heritage Parts Centre, it is about small gestures. Free fruit is provided everyday and a complimentary team breakfast is offered every Friday. The office is a relaxed area to work with lots of plants and desks that are height adjustable for staff to work standing up.

Employees are rewarded for the hard work that goes into meeting specific achievements or milestones. Also, if a sales target is met, lunch is paid for by the company - and it's usually pizza shaped.

An annual staff conference gives all staff the chance to work together, engage with senior management and participate and contribute to corporate activities. The event features a number of different activities showcasing current policy initiatives, while sharing current thinking on the vision of the organisation.

All staff have been assigned a minimum of three personal development days, during which they are invited to identify training needs. This has been supported through a new online learning system, which allows employees to complete training courses and record development.

The mission, values and vision are regularly communicated at quarterly company updates, ‘State of the Company' presentations and team away days. The ‘Kapow Awards' also communicate the values.

Informal business updates take place weekly on the open floor. More structured company updates take place every quarter. Senior leaders have an ‘open door' policy, with employees able to discuss any topic.

Everyone is encouraged to exceed their potential with an array of learning and development opportunities. They get a thorough, tailored induction, a mentor/buddy, and ongoing personal and professional development. Apprenticeship programmes are available to all.

Hallmark Care Homes installed a biomass boiler in one home and others have energy-saving bulbs, solar panels and effective heat-recirculating systems. They encourage team members to drive hybrid or electric cars through a car salary sacrifice scheme.

The Chief Executive Officer directly engages with every team member through quarterly one-on-one meetings. This continues throughout the year through communication platforms such as WhatsApp, on which all directors are available 24/7, and the Basecamp platform.

Managers' performance is held to an exacting standard, measured across a number of different factors including practice profit growth and team member satisfaction. They're peer-reviewed every quarter and annually, while team members are asked about management through internal surveys.

Gravitas have a bespoke training system that was designed in-house. It is supported by a team of dedicated trainers, external consultants, providers and managers. The program is modular and caters to different learnings styles through a very wide variety of methods.

Gravitas have a bespoke training system that was designed in-house. It is supported by a team of dedicated trainers, external consultants, providers and managers. The program is modular and caters to different learnings styles through a very wide variety of methods.

Gilo believes in making individuals leaders. Rather than micro-managing employees, the company asks staff what the problem is, what the ideal goal or solution is, and how to get there. They are then trusted to solve problems using their own initiative.

Teams have an annual company BBQ, complete with a summer olympics games. Gilo also offer employees the chance to try their hand at paramotoring, which often leads to employees participating in the company's fly-to-work scheme.

Gain Theory offers aninnovative Training Academy to employees. Every new starter takes part in amonth-long training programme where they receive £25,000 worth of training,delivered by internal experts over a three-week period.

Every month, the company finances a social event to get all the teams together. Past trips have included: Shakespeare in the park, outdoor cinema, trampolining, pub quizzes, darts, ping pong, Oktoberfest, Go Ape, ice skating, softball, mixed football matches and much more.

CEO Samir is willing to take all ideas seriously regardless of who they come from - whether from another manager or a team member. He is also incredibly approachable and sits in the main office with the rest of the company.

CEO Samir is willing to take all ideas seriously regardless of who they come from - whether from another manager or a team member. He is also incredibly approachable and sits in the main office with the rest of the company.

Members of the team are invited to bi-monthly People Briefings, which bring colleagues together to share success stories. In addition, the creation of a Drop-in Zone allows colleagues to meet, share ideas and be involved in key projects in different areas.

Members of the team are invited to bi-monthly People Briefings, which bring colleagues together to share success stories. In addition, the creation of a Drop-in Zone allows colleagues to meet, share ideas and be involved in key projects in different areas.

All of the line managers are able to 'job shadow' in other departments and this is particularly encouraged with its Care Department, as this enables our people to have a greater understanding of the care services that are offered to the children and families that the organisation supports.

All of the line managers are able to 'job shadow' in other departments and this is particularly encouraged with its Care Department, as this enables our people to have a greater understanding of the care services that are offered to the children and families that the organisation supports.

All staff have their birthday off work - if a birthday falls at a weekend, they can simply take a day off in one of the weeks before or after the weekend.

All staff have their birthday off work - if a birthday falls at a weekend, they can simply take a day off in one of the weeks before or after the weekend.

All candidates that receive external training are mentored within the business. This access to the senior leadership team is extremely powerful and helps to build relationships and raise the profile of candidates.

All company waste is sorted so nothing goes to landfill. As well as this, the kitchens use free range chicken, free range eggs, sustainable fish and free range pork and beef. The use of plastic straws has also been eradicated.

A flat management style ensures that employees are comfortable in quizzing the directors about the business in general. Upper management employ walkabout techniques to involve themselves in group conversation and to be on-hand to answer any questions.

A flat management style ensures that employees are comfortable in quizzing the directors about the business in general. Upper management employ walkabout techniques to involve themselves in group conversation and to be on-hand to answer any questions.

Each year the company provides at least two events that are open to all employees to attend. The events are great opportunities for employees to mix and catch up with colleagues that they haven't seen for some time and receive company-wide updates.

Fidessa have a peer-to-peer reward scheme whereby employees are nominated to receive a £100 voucher for going the extra mile. Winners are chosen by comparing their performance to the company's values.

Just some of the events they have supported recently include sending a team to build a sensory garden at a local primary school, taking part in Women In Engineering day with Wolverhampton University and working with a primary school to design a new advert for the company.

CEO Kim understands the need to engage with the employees and goes out of her way to ensure she is communicating well. Importantly, she meets all new starters in their first week and checks back in with them after a few months to ensure they are happy at work.

Leaders of the company aim to improve clarity in terms of structure, promotions and salary increases. This, in addition to a robust recruiting and retention policy, has demonstrated that the progression within the company is clear, open and merit based.

Fashion-uk have teamed up with Alex's Wish to promote awareness of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The company also seeks individuals for work experience placements from local schools, offering young people the opportunity to experience the work environment.

Over 2017, the company rolled out training to everyone in the organisation on the importance of sharing feedback and creating a culture of healthy, honest, timely dialogue. The training provided staff with tools and techniques to deliver effective feedback.

Each area of the business uses a combination of 360-degree feedback, appraisals, performance reviews and objective setting to measure and review the performance of its managers and leaders.

Each year, Elvis holds a summer event, which is attended by the whole company. The build-up to the event includes a month-long theme selection process that encourages cross-departmental collaboration and creative thinking across all levels.

Last year, staff participated in 1,500 hours of training spread out over 50 sessions, 70% of which were externally run. Training now takes place every month across every department in the agency.

The company believe that the average, the safe, the familiar - it never makes a difference. A key principle is that if they really want to create change, if they want people to share, to participate and advocate, then staff need to be bold.

The ‘Knights of the Elm' award recognises individuals who go above and beyond in their commitment and demonstration of values. Each winner is ‘knighted' in a ceremony with tea and buns, and their prize is a gift to the value of £250 of their choice.

EE operates an internal social networking site, Splash. Splash is accessible by all employees and acts as a central communication channel. There are frequent posts from the CEO, as well as internal competitions with great prizes.

‘The Best Recognition Scheme' is an opportunity to recognise and reward colleagues who have done something brilliant. This can be in the form of an e-card, or a nomination for the monthly recognition award where winners receive a token of thanks and a voucher.

EWY provide several wellbeing opportunities for staff, including: promoting healthy nutrition, subsidised gym membership and organised weekly sporting events. Staff are encouraged to take regular breaks and there is a communal kitchen where they can have lunch away from their desks.

EWY provide several wellbeing opportunities for staff, including: promoting healthy nutrition, subsidised gym membership and organised weekly sporting events. Staff are encouraged to take regular breaks and there is a communal kitchen where they can have lunch away from their desks.

The company offers group and individual support and development for managers. In some cases, short placements are offered in management roles as ‘trials', along with training and mentoring prior to individuals being offered permanent roles.

September is wellness month, with initiatives and competitions all aimed to get people healthy both physically and mentally.

‘Extra mile' awards are given to employees for going above and beyond the call of duty. Nominations can come from peers, managers or clients for either personal or professional reasons.

‘Extra mile' awards are given to employees for going above and beyond the call of duty. Nominations can come from peers, managers or clients for either personal or professional reasons.

Managing Director Steve Turner takes an active role in getting to know employees in the business. When an employee joins, Steve ensures he meets every one of them on their corporate induction journey. Then, at the end of each month, all new starters join Steve for a lunch out.

Managing Director Steve Turner takes an active role in getting to know employees in the business. When an employee joins, Steve ensures he meets every one of them on their corporate induction journey. Then, at the end of each month, all new starters join Steve for a lunch out.

All managers are given annual performance reviews, including 360-degree reviews for senior leadership. The leaders also have regular one-on-one meetings with their direct manager at least bi-weekly to discuss ongoing performance and address any issues.

All managers are given annual performance reviews, including 360-degree reviews for senior leadership. The leaders also have regular one-on-one meetings with their direct manager at least bi-weekly to discuss ongoing performance and address any issues.

Defaqto run their Animal Awards, where each director can rewards one or more people in their department each quarter with vouchers, a cuddly animal on their desk and a reserved parking space right by the building.

Defaqto run their Animal Awards, where each director can rewards one or more people in their department each quarter with vouchers, a cuddly animal on their desk and a reserved parking space right by the building.

Managers are offered regular tutoring and coaching so that they can continue their development, and performance is reviewed on a monthly basis.

Various exercise groups have formed within the organisation and the staff lead a ‘Biggest Loser' competition, which is always well-subscribed to on a quarterly basis. The company also offers free massages to employees.

Lunch and Learn sessions are run not just by the in-house formal trainers, but by anybody who has had success with a particular client, initiative, campaign or activity - they are invited to run a short, ten-minute overview session for the rest of the business to promote best practice.

Lunch and Learn sessions are run not just by the in-house formal trainers, but by anybody who has had success with a particular client, initiative, campaign or activity - they are invited to run a short, ten-minute overview session for the rest of the business to promote best practice.

Progression is key and Champneys support and encourage this. Therapists can become general managers and kitchen porters can train to become sous chefs and so on. This development and change is actively supported through training.

Progression is key and Champneys support and encourage this. Therapists can become general managers and kitchen porters can train to become sous chefs and so on. This development and change is actively supported through training.

Ceviche are focused on supporting hospitality industry charities, local charities and Peruvian charities. In 2017, they held an event to raise money for the communities affected by the floods in Peru, raising over £6,000.

Every year, Ceviche holds an awards ceremony in which staff nominate each other. This involves a champagne and canapé reception that all employees are invited to attend. Winners are announced and awarded with a trophy, champagne and £100 cash.

Managers are monitored against their ability to continuously learn and develop. This could be through reviewing their progress in achieving formal qualifications or informally in terms of how they are embracing and working within the company's agile principles.

Castleoak's Chief Executive Officer recognises that having an 'open door policy' is somewhat cliché, but the company actively encourages a non-hierarchical structure whereby colleagues are always welcome to drop by his office and discuss any matters of interest.

carwow have partnered with mental health company Sanctus who provide regular mental health coaching sessions and lunch learns with their staff. They have recently signed the Sanctus mental health pledge, promising to treat mental health in the same way as physical health.

As a result of last year's survey, carwow broadened their social events. They now run a film club and board game night and host a regular carwow quiz night with company-centric questions, improving relationships within the company.

The company has trained in-house assessors and are now able to provide an apprenticeship to anyone within Carbon60 who would like to work towards a qualification within recruitment, business administration, customer service or management.

The company has trained in-house assessors and are now able to provide an apprenticeship to anyone within Carbon60 who would like to work towards a qualification within recruitment, business administration, customer service or management.

Cambscuisine have recently partnered with Greener Growth, who have re-designed the restaurant gardens to enable the growing of produce on site. Ingredients such as rhubarb, redcurrants, herbs, spring onions, spinach, peas and fennel are now hand-picked every day.

The company has been trialling aluminium straws at their restaurants and look to roll this out so they can be 100% plastic free across all sites. Most recently, one site has started producing its own herbs and vegetables, helping to reduce carbon emissions.

In 2017, they introduced Special Thanks and Recognition (STAR) Awards across the group. The awards are designed to recognise and reward individuals who demonstrate one-off, above-and-beyond performance while modelling Cambridge Assessment values. Award winners receive a £50 voucher.

Their ‘Inspiring Leaders' development programme uses scenario-based simulation activity to give participants the opportunity to undertake a lifelike business challenge. As part of this, they spend half a day giving and receiving feedback.

In 2017, the company introduced 'Chris100', a 100-second vlog for staff created by Chief Commercial Officer Chris Green. The vlog communicates everything the staff need to know that month, including team updates and company news.

In 2017, the company introduced 'Chris100', a 100-second vlog for staff created by Chief Commercial Officer Chris Green. The vlog communicates everything the staff need to know that month, including team updates and company news.

Broomfield & Alexander have a helpline for staff should they require any counselling support. They also have an income protection plan should people be off sick long term.

Employee development is key and the company support all employees with training throughout their employment from graduate training to continued professional training (CPD). Each year, they support a number of graduates to achieve either the ACCA or ICAEW qualification.

The Brooks Macdonald Foundation was established in 2011 as a charitable trust. Funds are generated from corporate donations, an employee Give as You Earn Scheme, fundraising events and donations from friends, family and clients.

The company have also introduced 'Thirsty Thursday', which occurs monthly to improve interaction between teams in the ever expanding London office and general socialising in the regions.

To support their vision to enable remarkable places to perform, Broadgate believe in giving something back to their community. Their chosen charities for 2017/18 are Coram and LandAid and they will financially support individual's endeavours to raise money for charities.

Broadgate Estates recognise the importance of health and happiness at work, and the Wellbeing Committee has come together with the purpose of providing an internal network to promote a workplace that encourages health, happiness and fulfilment.

They have made a commitment to supporting as many groups as possible and have a ‘Community Development Fund' of £12,000 per annum that community groups and charitable organisations with a local link can apply to for funding.

The organisation seeks to reward individuals going above and beyond their role. To encourage this, they have introduced performance-based remuneration to motivate and reward consistent high performance.

Nick is very down to earth, humble and an authentic leader. He knows practically everybody's name in the business and is knowledgeable on their roles and what they bring to the organisation.

The BHA organises staff roadshows to encourage their London staff to attend regional roadshows to meet and socialise with colleagues. Their goal in 2018 is to have all employees attend one of three regional events.

All management undergo a rigorous supervision and appraisal process. Performance reviews are overseen by line managers, but in some service areas - for example, retail - performance is measured by results.

They offer staff a comprehensive training plan with a range of mandatory and developmental programmes available. Break Charity has its own vocational accreditation centre so they can deliver work-based qualifications at levels 3 and 5.

In addition to performance related bonuses and incentives, the company are strong advocates of recognising the uniqueness of the individual. A variety of rewards are given from time off, to bubble baths and chocolates to dinner vouchers for yourself and a partner or large cash sums.

Each team has a Christmas celebration paid for by the company that provides free transport or accommodation to all employees that wish it. They have a Santa's Grotto at the head office for employees with younger families.

Boden really values employee development, supporting this with resource and budget. As well as the learning team in London, the company also have two warehouse trainers in Leicester and four call centre trainers in London, Leicester and the US.

Boden hold summer parties for all employees. Last summer, the London and Leicester teams got together at a county house in Oxfordshire for a day of fun and activities, including raft racing, rounders, food tasting and driving bumper cars.

The charity runs bespoke team development days where their training manager meets with the service manager to identify key needs of the team. Together, they develop a day-long session to focus on improving the team's development.

All frontline services have monthly externally-facilitated group supervision with a trained supervisor focusing on team dynamics and some of the issues that arise from their work with vulnerable people.

Better Places have a High Flyers incentive running every six months, offering the opportunity for a maximum of three people to win an all expenses paid trip to New York. This has been brilliantly received and has seen six employees and their partners visit New York in 2017.

Better Places have a High Flyers incentive running every six months, offering the opportunity for a maximum of three people to win an all expenses paid trip to New York. This has been brilliantly received and has seen six employees and their partners visit New York in 2017.

From the outset, employees are made aware of career flow opportunities, either at a ‘fast-track' rate or a ‘slower burn' progression, to harness the power of individuals and enable the bespoke pursuit of personal interests linked to the profession.

Graham visits each of the three schools every week, ensuring he is visible to all staff. The rest of the leadership team also have the same attitude, attending meetings across the schools and promoting a very friendly organisation.

In 2017, the annual conference was held at Center Parcs. All staff were involved in the three-day event and got to take part in activities such as falconry, archery, quad biking, clay pigeon shooting and golf.

Bel UK believe that a happy workplace is critical to success, and the basis of intellectual activity is a healthy body. They have a number of activities to promote health and wellbeing, including stress awareness sessions, lunchtime pilates, and lessons with in-house nutritionists.

They support a different local charity every year and use it as an opportunity to create or contribute to their own events while raising money. Some examples include running the Manchester 10k and organising a charity pub quiz. Last year, employees raised around £6,000 for the Reclaim Project.

Beech Holdings have a social committee that works hard to ensure that employees spend some time together in a relaxed environment. They organise impromptu Friday drinks in the office if management feel the overall office atmosphere feels a little ‘heavy' - for example, at the end of a construction project or during tenant check-in season.

The AXA Research Fund is responsible for research into environmental risks. Since 2007, AXA have awarded £8 million to research into climate change and natural hazards in the UK to better understand and mitigate the effects of environmental catastrophes.

From wellbeing blog posts to their LGBTQ+ allies network, AXA run events and promote inclusion and diversity, which is a strong part of their culture and key to positive team interactions. Employees are also encouraged to raise issues and ideas at regularly held forums.

Aspire provide job shadowing for talent consultants in Birmingham as well as new starters, whereby they sit in on interviews for training purposes. In addition, new starters visit the London office in the first three months to learn and train on the job.

In 2017 they hosted a company conference for the London and Birmingham teams to help staff to get to know their colleagues better. Employees took part in the Enigma challenge, which consisted of 250 tasks covering all elements from mental skills to agility.

The company enjoyed a team-bonding day out when the lettings team visited Bristol Zoo to celebrate Andrew & Partner's sponsoring a dinosaur. Meanwhile, all employees in the South West had their entry paid into Bath racecourse to build relationships across the region.

On becoming a manager, all employees have an in-depth probationary training period ensuring all legal and regulatory knowledge is present. After that, business management and people skills are assessed through their performance management process.

ACS Office Solutions collect all used printer toners and have their pallets collected and stored by local charities for them to reuse or recycle. They are Trustees of the HOPS Charity and award and distribute funds to nominated charities.

ACS Office Solutions collect all used printer toners and have their pallets collected and stored by local charities for them to reuse or recycle. They are Trustees of the HOPS Charity and award and distribute funds to nominated charities.

Employees are encouraged to volunteer at Lucy Brown House, a sheltered accommodation centre for older people. Each Christmas, they take part in the Better Bankside scheme ‘Together at Christmas', where staff donate gifts that are then given out to local homeless, elderly and vulnerable people.

Employees are encouraged to volunteer at Lucy Brown House, a sheltered accommodation centre for older people. Each Christmas, they take part in the Better Bankside scheme ‘Together at Christmas', where staff donate gifts that are then given out to local homeless, elderly and vulnerable people.

The business operate a staff discount scheme, pension scheme, life assurance, and a charities and communities fund. They also run motivational-speaking sessions. There's a quarterly employee review scheme focusing on contributions to the overall success of the business.

The business operate a staff discount scheme, pension scheme, life assurance, and a charities and communities fund. They also run motivational-speaking sessions. There's a quarterly employee review scheme focusing on contributions to the overall success of the business.

Yarlington are constantly rethinking and reinvigorating how they can help their team learn more and develop their approach. A recent example of this is when the company delivered a series of three half day workshops to five different management teams across the business, helping them explore the new Investors in people framework so that they could take ownership of it and use it to improve their approach to leadership, performance management and continuous improvement. Yarlington also offer bespoke workshops for individuals and teams with specific learning needs and believe that investing in face to face learning allows people to interact with colleagues and their L&D Adviser in a safe and learning orientated environment. The staff are now working in a more agile way through the ELearning Academy, a web based application which gives everyone access to the Infinity Library of courses, covering everything from IT Skills and Finance to Personal Development and Written English. For those who wish to continue their professional development, the Yarlington Bursary enables people to access the best academic courses available to them and then apply what they learn at work on a daily basis.

Yarlington are constantly rethinking and reinvigorating how they can help their team learn more and develop their approach. A recent example of this is when the company delivered a series of three half day workshops to five different management teams across the business, helping them explore the new Investors in people framework so that they could take ownership of it and use it to improve their approach to leadership, performance management and continuous improvement. Yarlington also offer bespoke workshops for individuals and teams with specific learning needs and believe that investing in face to face learning allows people to interact with colleagues and their L&D Adviser in a safe and learning orientated environment. The staff are now working in a more agile way through the ELearning Academy, a web based application which gives everyone access to the Infinity Library of courses, covering everything from IT Skills and Finance to Personal Development and Written English. For those who wish to continue their professional development, the Yarlington Bursary enables people to access the best academic courses available to them and then apply what they learn at work on a daily basis.

Xoserve charity partners all represent a business theme or consideration, rather than supporting a random selection of charities. Activities are planned, based around an events calendar, involving internal and external events. The themes are, addressing the future workforce's needs by fundraising for The Prince's Trust who are supporting young people with life skills, specifically mathematics and technology. Promoting a healthy workplace by fundraising for Mind. Supporting the local community by fundraising for Birmingham St Mary's Hospice. And Xoserve's very own grant making charity, the Xoserve Foundation Activities includes an Office Olympic Games and Christmas Jumper Day to 5k runs and a skydive. The company have an active employee volunteering programme that focusses on skill-development. Colleagues can volunteer as a team or individually. They partner a school in a disadvantaged part of Solihull and provide a range of enterprise and careers advise, including a work experience programme for A-level students and a Customer Services workshop to Year 9. They also have an apprenticeship scheme, where they take on 3 apprentices each year for an 18 month paid placement.

Xoserve have a reward toolbox where colleagues, team leaders and managers can recommend a reward as immediate recognition for employees in relation to a piece of work, consistent behaviours and such. The toolbox offers managers the choice of rewards such as, gift vouchers, team meals, meals for up to 4 people and Additional Annual Leave. Managers are also able to offer an Ex-gratia payments. The company also utilises their internal social network, Yammer, to acknowledge successes both individual and team related. They hold an Annual Christmas party for all staff and a summer event, this year's summer event was a family fun day where employees could bring guests and children or relatives to the event which included, It's a knock out, food, bouncy castles, entertainment and face painting. Xoserve host Customer Service awards where employees have the opportunity to nominate a colleague for good service, if successful they are awarded a voucher. Donut and cupcake deliveries to thank staff for supporting various initiatives. Various awards are given for employees for the following length of service, from just a year to up to 50 years! The level of award differs for each milestone.

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.

The ‘Pennies from Heaven' scheme allows employees to donate the pennies from their salary to charity. Monthly salaries are rounded down and the most anyone can give a month is £0.99. VocaLink also ask employees to vote for a new charity each year, with the current charity being Cancer Research UK. One Friday per month is allocated to charity fundraising. The company also allocate a number of colleague days per year for employees to book and fundraise for a charity of their choice. VocaLink is committed to helping to strengthen its surrounding communities and encourage their employees to get involved in their communities through volunteering. All permanent and fixed term contractors are entitled to one volunteering day per year. VocaLink have also formed a partnership with Pilotlight, a not for profit organisation who match directors from charities and social enterprises with teams of senior business people to plan for sustainability, development and growth. The company have nine members of their Executive and Senior Leadership Team who are working as mentors and coaches with charities across the UK, providing their business and personal experience to develop strategic and business plans.

In addition to their extensive pay and benefits package, performance related bonuses and intangible benefits such as flexible working and a great working environment, VocaLink also have an employee recognition scheme that seeks to reward employees for efforts that are over and above their usual role. The recognition award scheme is directly linked to the company behaviours of commercial, courageous, collaborative, transparent and respectful. Anyone across the business can nominate their colleagues against one or more of these behaviours through the recognition portal. As each nomination is made with supporting information, a post is made on the intranet which contains all the details of the nomination and is available to 'like' and comment on. All the nominations are then assessed by a panel made up of colleagues from across the business. Three nominations per month are crowned 'winners' and in addition to the immediate recognition from the nomination itself, these employees are awarded £100, which can be redeemed at a range of shops and restaurants. In addition, teams of people that are nominated could win a quarterly prize of up to £500 towards a team celebration. Each year three 'overall' winners are selected by a panel to receive £1,500. The scheme is regularly reviewed and refreshed to ensure that it is in line with our behaviours and the needs of all employees.

This year for Vertex's annual day of service, they supported a number of local causes. These included SmartWorks who provide business attire for those interviewing to return to work, the Hammersmith Garden project to maintain a local school nature garden, and the Selby Trust community hub, helping them to repaint areas of the centre and maintain their fencing. This year they supported SmartWorks, who provide appropriate business clothing to people in need so that they can look smart for interview to help them gain employment. Support involved donating, sorting and ironing clothes ready for when they are required.

This year for Vertex's annual day of service, they supported a number of local causes. These included SmartWorks who provide business attire for those interviewing to return to work, the Hammersmith Garden project to maintain a local school nature garden, and the Selby Trust community hub, helping them to repaint areas of the centre and maintain their fencing. This year they supported SmartWorks, who provide appropriate business clothing to people in need so that they can look smart for interview to help them gain employment. Support involved donating, sorting and ironing clothes ready for when they are required.

Twice a year companywide training events on employment law are provided, as well as managerial skills sessions for all Managers. Urgo also give 360 assessments for people Managers. As part of the annual appraisal process, Managers are assessed versus the Urgo Managerial competencies. A talent review day also takes place each year, where each Manager is presented by their line Manager to the Leadership Team in order to identify high potential people and to also create development plans.

Twice a year companywide training events on employment law are provided, as well as managerial skills sessions for all Managers. Urgo also give 360 assessments for people Managers. As part of the annual appraisal process, Managers are assessed versus the Urgo Managerial competencies. A talent review day also takes place each year, where each Manager is presented by their line Manager to the Leadership Team in order to identify high potential people and to also create development plans.

As part of their total reward framework, UCAS operate employee-led recognition schemes known as Shining Stars and Shining Teams to both recognise and celebrate the hard work and achievements of their people on a regular basis. Often team members can see the day to day effort and hard work that individuals put in and this is their opportunity to acknowledge it. A large proportion of the success of this scheme can be attributed to what people can be rewarded for because the scheme nomination criteria is directly linked to their core values – Customer, Commitment, Agility, Team, Outcomes and Extraordinary. Colleagues are acknowledged for their outstanding work, achievements, ideas and teamwork on a quarterly basis and are made a fuss of at a celebratory drinks reception and by having their name and nomination displayed in the UCAS restaurant for all to see. Winners also receive retail vouchers for them to select a gift that is personal to them and that they will really value.

UCAS support a number of community and charitable initiatives as part of their Wellbeing Strategy. There is a wide range of activities that have been organised or sponsored, as well as hosting awareness days, event sponsorship (e.g. Cheltenham Science Festival, sporting events), sustainable travel activities and events to support the personal health and wellbeing of employees. UCAS employees also participate in a number of charitable events using three paid volunteering days each year, as well as some doing these in their own time. Activities include paired reading at local schools, young persons' mentoring, practice interviews for Year 10 & 11 students and participating in local education provider sporting tournaments. UCAS also opens its grounds to local schools for allotment development and pond-dipping, all to support local educational programmes and curriculums. Furthermore UCAS recently hosted the Cheltenham Qualifying Round of Debating Matters, which is a national debating competition for sixth form students. UCAS is also a proud sponsor of the competition and a number of employees commit their time to serve as judges at various levels of the competition.

Consistent messaging is at the heart of everything that Tusker do. The Senior Management Team ensure that all information which is distributed throughout the organisation is in accordance with the company's goals and objectives, while remaining accessible and engaging for the teams. The CEO and Senior Leadership Team embody most of the values which have been incorporated within the vision and objectives of the organisation. Committed to a familial approach to the organisation, the Senior Leadership Team have an open door policy where employees are encouraged to share ideas to maximise the success of the company. The leadership team are unafraid of change and are willing to review ideas from all levels of the company at various opportunities. The CEO and CFO have both been recognised for their commitment to the business and its development with awards from a prestigious publication. David Hosking, CEO has in 2016 been awarded the "CEO of the Year" and David Brockwell, CFO has been awarded "CFO of the Year" by Finance Monthly. Tusker itself has been recognised as a whole for its ethical and sustainable development practices. Each Director personally meets new starters in order to welcome them into the company in order to foster good relationships from the outset, while also sharing key information about working practices and company policies. The Senior Management Team all attend the communications meeting on a quarterly basis in order to be available to answer queries and respond to questions which might arise from the information being shared. The CEO has just agreed to lead a team of 20 in a charity fundraising event, tough mudder, which is a muddy assault course over 12km.

Tusker have several "break-out" areas which are equipped with comfortable seating, food preparation equipment and drinks machines which enable employees to switch off from work during their breaks. Additionally, they have televisions available for employees to watch in these spaces, as well as activities including darts and table tennis available for staff to participate in. Tusker also run a bike hire scheme for employees to enhance fitness levels and a greener form of transport. Each team member has the ability to turn their phone to "do not disturb" in order to aid focus on their roles or to complete tasks without interruption. Tusker actively encourages this practice. Tusker carefully monitors the skill sets of individuals and ensures staff are in appropriate roles. Further training is provided for those who require support, as is a change of role for those who find their current skillset isn't matched to their existing role.

As a rapidly growing company, Total Assist runs a regular and dedicated internal recruitment academy for new staff. This gives new team members a fully supported environment to learn their new role amongst their peers before they progress to a consultant desk of their own. The company have also found this is a great way for new starters to mix with existing employees and promotes a family feel within the company.

Senior Management operate an open door policy and actively spend their time amongst floor staff to support and provide assistance, promoting a feeling of all employees being on the same level and encouraging team members to talk to Senior Managers about any concerns that they may have. Senior Management perpetually seek ways to recognise and reward outstanding achievement, for example floor walking, taking the time to get to know every team member personally and taking an active interest in team members' well-being and personal development.

A key goal for 2016 was to make the learning and development within The Perfume Shop accessible to everyone. By creating the Learning Ladder for stores the company have been able to map out a very clear four step development plan. The Ladder looks at store based employees, Sales Assistants, Supervisors, Deputy Managers and Store Managers. It identifies both required training and external qualifications. There are also programmes that promote talent within each role, such as The Perfume Masters and TMA. The company have also provided every Head Office and Operations team member a £200 GROW account. This is to spend on their own development and encourages the individual to take ownership of learning. Every store employee who joins the business receives a Perfume School box. The box contains ‘Foundation,' the first of their modular learning. Once completed the business provide a chance for the individual to increase their knowledge with the Diploma Level. For those who have demonstrated a real passion for product and expertise The Perfume Shop will then provide sponsorship to an external qualification, The Fragrance Foundation.

In order to effectively develop both newly recruited and internally promoted Managers, The Perfume Shop offer a programme called The Management Academy. It starts with a period of job shadowing in an established store, followed by a week long face to face training session. The face to face session is a blended experience and includes assessments, presentations, interactive quizzes and a practical experience in the ‘Mock Shop'. Store Managers are measured on business KPIs, including but not limited to sales, average selling price and compliance. These are weekly measures. The Perfume Shop also measures development needs by "Me Plans" and plot results onto a skills wheel. This score is then averaged to provide a talent score and is used as part of talent development. The FISH philosophy is always used at daily team huddles to set standards for performance. Head Office Managers' performance is also measured twice a year through formal reviews and objectives, which are then captured on a system. All Managers are expected to have formal performance conversations with members of their team at least twice per year, as well as regular one to one's.

At the Girls' Day School Trust, the Senior Management Team refer to their values when presenting or participating in workshops. They are also used as a framework when difficult decisions need to be taken. They have appointed subject champions to promote collaboration between their staff and have also increased the range of events for students to allow them more opportunities to collaborate and compete. The CEO's stated aim is that 10% of staff in every school will spend one day a year in one of their other schools or academies. Putting girls first guides their approach to key investments in their estate, as they want the teaching and learning environment to be first-rate for all the pupils in their care. The Girls' Day School Trust's Leader engages with employees on a day to day basis through regular email updates, vlogs, regular school visits, annual school reviews with Heads and their Senior Leadership Team. She will always attend results day and prize giving in the schools and regularly speaks at school events.

At the Girls' Day School Trust, the Senior Management Team refer to their values when presenting or participating in workshops. They are also used as a framework when difficult decisions need to be taken. They have appointed subject champions to promote collaboration between their staff and have also increased the range of events for students to allow them more opportunities to collaborate and compete. The CEO's stated aim is that 10% of staff in every school will spend one day a year in one of their other schools or academies. Putting girls first guides their approach to key investments in their estate, as they want the teaching and learning environment to be first-rate for all the pupils in their care. The Girls' Day School Trust's Leader engages with employees on a day to day basis through regular email updates, vlogs, regular school visits, annual school reviews with Heads and their Senior Leadership Team. She will always attend results day and prize giving in the schools and regularly speaks at school events.

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.

Stevens and Bolton encourages its employees to join several charitable and community initiatives. One example of such an initiative is the Tour de Law, in which every employee rode static bikes to help raise money for charity. Other examples include the company's Give & Gain initiative, work for Sports Relief, the Guildford Legal Walk and the Surrey Hills Challenge. These events occur alongside many other initiatives that take place more regularly in the workplace, such as Macmillan's World's Biggest Coffee Morning, a charity day for Phyllis Tuckwell in the office and managing members of the firm being put in stocks and having sponges thrown at them for money. Stevens and Bolton is a member of PRIME, an alliance of law firms and legal departments across the UK that has made a commitment to broadening access to the legal profession. As a PRIME member since 2015, the firm is committed to providing work experience placements for students from less privileged backgrounds and, by using the firm's resources and expertise, help them gain important employability skills.

Stevens and Bolton currently operates the 'Thx!' scheme. One of the key strategic objectives for the firm is to make this a great place to work for all their people and an important part of that is acknowledging and showing gratitude for the help their colleagues give day to day. Often a simple ‘thank you' will suffice, but sometimes it would be nice to acknowledge people in a more public way. This can be done via the 'Thx' online system, which allows staff to allocate Thx points to their colleagues for exemplary work. Each staff member is allocated 25 Thx points for the year and can award single or multiple points via the profile of a certain staff member on the online 'Sandbox' platform. At the end of the year, the top five employees at the top of the leader board are then given a budget to use on a joint treat day or experience.