After a period of huge growth and success in the last two years, Pegasus held a Vision Day in July this year. This day began with staff entering work to find an office filled with balloons and a gift of a new branded Moleskine notebook for each employee. Pegasus then decamped from the office to a local venue near the seafront for a half-day session, the purpose of which was to recommunicate the company's shared purpose, values and vision. Whilst there staff were asked to contribute ideas and suggestions to the new company value ‘Take Pride'. The day ended with a champagne address from the Managing Director, followed by an enjoyable evening out!

Two-way dialogue and transparent interaction is openly encouraged at Pegasus. In fact, some of their pivotal changes in recent years have been the result of staff feedback, such as the creation of the five Pegasus behaviours and the company's move to Brighton. The company have established countless regular channels for people to feed in their suggestions, from contributing at internal peer group meetings, being invited to provide formal feedback on new initiatives or simply meeting Simon the MD for lunch and a chat. To strengthen staff insights further, Pegasus have recently invested in a formal online engagement tool called ‘HIVE'. HIVE sends bi-weekly micro surveys to all staff, providing real-time data and acting as a barometer for the overall engagement of people on a range of workplace matters. The company also run an internal group called Culture Club, which acts as a working group focusing on staff wellbeing, social and charity events.

Parkdean Resorts host multiple conferences each year to allow networking between employees across the business in order to encourage integration and a sense of community. The company Intranet page allows employees to communicate consistently and share company news and information. Posters are displayed around the business to advertise and implement the company values.

Parkdean are extremely fortunate to have some amazing people in their business so they show their appreciation for all their hard work during the 'Recognition Cafés', which provide an opportunity for them to reward people who have demonstrated the right behaviours in line with the company values to make a positive difference to the business. Recognition Cafés celebrate success in a fun and creative way. Personal Impact Reviews also help support and focus Parkdean Resorts employees on the business objectives and these take place three times a year. Within the PI Reviews Managers are empowered to identify successors through their talent matrix.

By using animals to represent the PANDORA values, the company provide employees with something tangible to help demonstrate them. They have a figurine called Winnpier who is an amalgamation of all three values: the strong legs and tail from the lion, the large heart and long neck from the giraffe and the wings from the bumble bee. Winniper represents PANDORA's values and the behaviours that they require all their employees to demonstrate. The company launched their values called ‘PANDORA Life' in 2011 through large events within each region of PANDORA. Employees were taken out of the office to a beautiful location where the history of the company and the relevance and importance of its values were explained. PANDORA award prizes to employees for demonstrating the PANDORA Life values in their daily work and also at company events and parties. The values also have been incorporated into the company's Personal Development Reviews and employees must think about how they relate to their particular position. Objectives are then set incorporating the values.

By using animals to represent the PANDORA values, the company provide employees with something tangible to help demonstrate them. They have a figurine called Winnpier who is an amalgamation of all three values: the strong legs and tail from the lion, the large heart and long neck from the giraffe and the wings from the bumble bee. Winniper represents PANDORA's values and the behaviours that they require all their employees to demonstrate. The company launched their values called ‘PANDORA Life' in 2011 through large events within each region of PANDORA. Employees were taken out of the office to a beautiful location where the history of the company and the relevance and importance of its values were explained. PANDORA award prizes to employees for demonstrating the PANDORA Life values in their daily work and also at company events and parties. The values also have been incorporated into the company's Personal Development Reviews and employees must think about how they relate to their particular position. Objectives are then set incorporating the values.

Oxford City Council offer Partnership Payments, which are paid based on Appraisal rating and Sickness absence during the year. As a result of organisational negotiations in 2013 a ‘Pay Deal' was agreed through Unions which encompassed several key employee benefits. One of these was to introduce a bonus scheme where, providing Council financial performance was met, any employee who attained certain annual performance criteria would receive a bonus payment. The amount depended on the level of performance and an additional amount was provided for staff who had a level attendance below a set figure.

Oxford City Council is very conscious of its corporate social responsibility and recognises that there is a significant level of deprivation in the city. Many initiatives have and are being taken to tackle this, such as additional funding for education and support/mentoring for certain age groups in city schools. The has also been the redevelopment of community centres, a new swimming pool at Blackbirdleys, the Barton housing development and the new Westgate shopping centre. A team was also set up specifically to respond to the implications of welfare reform that impacted on several areas of the city. The Welfare Reform Team was specifically set up to respond to the implications of Welfare Reform on certain groups which included the homeless. The Council also works closely with charities such as Crisis to support homelessness and similar issues. Oxford City Council's apprenticeship scheme has been running for five years and has had a significant impact on ensuring vulnerable young people have a chance of employment and becoming ‘work ready'. One part of the organisation's Community Team has worked with a group of young people who were having difficulties at school and through various initiatives have changed lives for the better. One example of this has been the city garden, where these young people are responsible for managing and growing crops.

OVO invested over £600,000 in their Customer Service department with their new reward initiative, OVO Reward Steps. OVO Reward Steps is a way of rewarding great performance and recognising people's commitment to OVO within the Customer Service and back office teams. OVO Reward Steps has introduced significant salary milestones alongside clearly defined knowledge and experience criteria, giving people clear career progression in this crucial part of the business. Addressing attrition, sickness and a perception that people were not getting a ‘fair deal', OVO Reward Steps resulted in a 4% decrease in sickness, 52% decrease in attrition and 39.8% increase in the company's eNPS score for ‘Reward'. The success of this project in its first four months represents savings to the business of £409,762.

OVO invested over £600,000 in their Customer Service department with their new reward initiative, OVO Reward Steps. OVO Reward Steps is a way of rewarding great performance and recognising people's commitment to OVO within the Customer Service and back office teams. OVO Reward Steps has introduced significant salary milestones alongside clearly defined knowledge and experience criteria, giving people clear career progression in this crucial part of the business. Addressing attrition, sickness and a perception that people were not getting a ‘fair deal', OVO Reward Steps resulted in a 4% decrease in sickness, 52% decrease in attrition and 39.8% increase in the company's eNPS score for ‘Reward'. The success of this project in its first four months represents savings to the business of £409,762.

One Way is a respected and rapidly growing recruitment company for the construction industry, with specialist expertise in the built environment, rail, civil engineering and heavy plant. They place top quality construction professionals, technical and management staff, and trades and labour roles right across the UK. They are building an enviable reputation for uncompromising professionalism and integrity, setting new standards for the industry. Their strength is their ability to match the right people to the right jobs. They take the time to understand thoroughly what they are looking for, and then use the extensive database and industry knowledge to find exactly the right combination of skills, experience and accreditations. They are known in the construction industry for being thorough, well prepared and professional. Every candidate is carefully vetted for their eligibility to work and compliance with required standards. Each Team Member is given a Welcome Folder when they join the One Way Team which includes details of the company's Unique Selling Points, Core Values and Cultural Values.

One Way have an induction training programme, progressive career path, regular one to ones, annual appraisals, internal training workshops and external training which are organised as appropriate relevant to role, an online HR system with logbook detailing training and development for each team member.

A local charity of the year is chosen by the Ombudsman Services employees. The local charity the organisation is supporting this year is the Shannon Bradshaw Trust. Events in aid of the charity that have taken place in 2016 include a football fun day, a walking challenge and dress down days. Ombudsman Services also encourage staff to take individual leadership roles in the community, such as being a school governor. Teams have supported local charities such as a RSPCA site that needed some outside maintenance and decorating. Ombudsman Services is also committed to fair treatment of its employees, potential employees and service users. They actively promote equal opportunity for all with the right mix of skills, knowledge and talent and welcomes applications from a wide range of candidates, including those with criminal records.

Ombudsman Services employees are invited annually to vote for a local charity and have the opportunity to volunteer to be part of the charity crew with all areas of the business represented. One of the activities for the crew in 2016 was to organise a group to take part in the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge. Later in the year the crew organised a Christmas fair. Throughout the year they encourage friendly team competition by running desk decorating challenges, with prizes including a meal out for the whole team. Also, Ombudsman Services foster team spirit through initiatives like ‘Women in the Workplace', taking part in Pride and running informal ‘Meet the Exec' sessions. Their employee voice group Novus works across the organisation with business leaders to support the cascade of information and gain consensus on key topics. The group played a pivotal role in the engagement of colleagues with the 2014/15 office move and are now working on consultation about supporting better attendance management and a wellbeing programme. Finally, there is the sports and social team who coordinate activities, including regular football sessions and an annual Halloween quiz.

Out of Old Mill's total head count of 243, over 70 are currently training to be Accountants, Tax Advisers or Financial Planners. This represents a huge investment in the future of Old Mill and is all supported by the company's Coaching and Mentoring programme. Trainees are also rotated around Old Mill so that they can appreciate the different parts of the business when advising clients in the future. The Leadership Programme covers all employees from Trainee through to Partner level and increases self-awareness of how they impact on others. This programme has been designed in conjunction with the Centre for Leadership Studies at the University of Exeter.

Old Mill's Leadership Programme has made a big difference with the Managers. It focuses on how people impact on others and has been specifically designed to align with Old Mill's values and goals. The company have also had specific developmental issues with one or two Managers. The company culture encourages Managers and employees alike to want to change and develop. Old Mill have had some great results through individual coaching, all by using a mixture of both internal and external Coaches. The performance of the Managers is measured in financial terms on a month by month basis. The company's appraisal system also measures performance against specific objectives and organisational values. Finally, a very comprehensive psychometric and 360 evaluation of the Managers is repeatedly completed.

In addition to NNT Data offering occupational health and the Employee Assistance Programme, the company promotes the sabbatical and flexible working policy and also encourages employees to utilise these benefits. The business also encourages employees to take all annual leave throughout the holiday calendar year. The company recognises that in unfortunate circumstances an employee may need to take up to five days paid leave, which is another benefit used to assist employees with wellness and their return back to work.

NTT Data's Reward and Recognition Programme is designed to recognise and celebrate the valuable contributions of all the company's employees across the UK. This recognition can be for anything, from daily achievements that deliver greater value to clients to the implementation of ground-breaking innovation. To be selected for a Recognition Award, employees must demonstrate outstanding commitment and achievement. For a bronze Award staff receive £250, for silver Award's £500 and for the Gold Award it is £1,000. In addition there is the Team Award Team event, where rewarded individuals and teams are recognised in Town Hall meetings and presented with a glass trophy.

No1 Lounges reward their operational staff with a ‘Performance Bonus' of up to 15% of gross salary each month. The bonus is awarded in two parts, one of 5% and one of 10%. Performance is linked directly to guests' experiences, which they receive in the lounge each day with a feedback questionnaire. 5% is attributed to each team achieving the target Net Promoter Score within the lounge and 10% is awarded based on how guests score certain aspects of their experience which are relevant to each role. The Performance Bonus scheme is free of any management bias and is not connected to the company's financial performance, which No1 Lounges believe to be unique in the world of hospitality. In addition to the Performance Bonus scheme the company also operate ‘on-the-spot' rewards for extra-special service moments, all in recognition of people going above and beyond in the delivery of the lounge experiences. These include tickets to the cinema and theatre, spa days, extra holiday time and high street vouchers.

It's integral to the successful running of No1 Lounges that every employee has a comprehensive understanding of the broader workings and objectives of the business. That's why ‘Tray Days' and ‘Desk Days' take place regularly and are open to all employees, from Heads of Department to housekeepers. Desk Days allow operational employees to spend time with each department in Head Office (referred to as the London Office to avoid hierarchy) and Tray Days give the London Office valuable exposure to the workings of lounges. The CEO Phil Cameron is extremely hands on. Phil, Joe (Head of Operations and Jamie (Head of People) spend at least two days a week in the operations, supporting the Managers, Supervisors and Team Members. They also have a weekly call with each lounge Manager, which takes place every Monday morning. The running of the operations is complex and Phil believes high pressured situations need to be handled calmly, while keeping the businesses objectives front of mind. He aims to inspire his teams by ensuring he's personable, passionate and present. One distinctive initiative that demonstrates the way the Phil engages colleagues in the organisation is ‘Grill Phil'. These take place every six weeks at each airport and allow him to communicate any business updates and new ideas directly. Staff can then ‘grill' him on any topics and raise any issues, which the company believe is key to engagement. The majority of actions to come out of a Grill Phil are implemented or responded to within a month of the meeting to ensure employees feel listened to, supported and an integral part of No1 Lounges development.