What are companies doing with regards to 'My Team'

Collectively Needlers respect and treat everyone fairly; they hold team meetings which encourages working together and provide opportunities for people to put forward their ideas. In these sessions they also provide performance feedback, recognise individual efforts and those who are ‘going the extra mile', for example, they will send congratulatory emails highlighting which value the individual has demonstrated. They invest in people by providing training courses, such as NVQ's, excel courses etc. They also like to check-in on each team, just spending time just asking how they are, what they've been up to etc. so that it creates an open and approachable culture. Alistair has a very visible presence within the organisation and is central to the positive culture, plus the organisation is small enough that he is able to speak to each member of staff on a daily basis.

Collectively Needlers respect and treat everyone fairly; they hold team meetings which encourages working together and provide opportunities for people to put forward their ideas. In these sessions they also provide performance feedback, recognise individual efforts and those who are ‘going the extra mile', for example, they will send congratulatory emails highlighting which value the individual has demonstrated. They invest in people by providing training courses, such as NVQ's, excel courses etc. They also like to check-in on each team, just spending time just asking how they are, what they've been up to etc. so that it creates an open and approachable culture. Alistair has a very visible presence within the organisation and is central to the positive culture, plus the organisation is small enough that he is able to speak to each member of staff on a daily basis.

My Vet Ltd monitor all cases referred to specialists and then encourage staff to develop areas of expertise in-house to ensure that pets can be treated within the hospital. More experienced vets arrange a regular informal meeting to discuss cases and learn from them to help the more recently qualified vets. Vets and nurses attend regular in-house meetings with suppliers and specialists to learn about new products and treatments.

The company runs a branch Quality of Service award every quarter based on scores from client feedback forms, a mystery caller and spot checks for cleanliness and tidiness. The winning branches in each region are recognised with awards which are closely followed and create healthy competition between branches in each region.

MHM's Leadership and Management Development Programme is an on-going strategy for developing key people across the business. It is continuous and focuses on specific individual needs during the year. The initial programme consists of sessions delivered as a Bite-Size programme, all endorsed by the ILM. Sessions are delivered by internal experts from across all business areas to increase exposure to all functions. Ongoing development and continuous improvement after the programme has been provided through an in-house mentoring programme with Senior Leaders. This is a vital component of the leadership development and is an effective way of sharing knowledge and experience. There are also positive psychology sessions delivered to all members of the Senior Leadership Team to enhance leadership styles and encourage positive outcomes both in work and at home. Managers also receive monthly one-to-one feedback and performance assessment, in addition to regular coaching from the Board Directors and Heads of Site.

My Home Move's social responsibility scheme, ‘Do the Right Thing' (DTRT), encourages its employees to raise money for the good causes supported by the My Home Move Charitable Trust. Each of the causes support people dealing with the issue of homelessness and are located in the areas in which My Home Move operates. Charity fundraising events take place at least once a month, as well as annual charity events such as the My Home Move Charity Trek, which regularly involves over 40 My Home Move employees giving up their spare time to take on hiking challenges. My Home Move's employees have donated over £43,000 since the launch of DTRT in 2011, which has been raised predominantly through employee events. The company undertake not to discriminate unfairly against any subject of a disclosure on the basis of a conviction or other information revealed, including past addictions or periods of personal uncertainty including being outside of employment or homeless.

The Møller Centre are committed to the health and wellbeing of their team and have several practices in place designed to support staff wellbeing. They offer onsite workplace massage for all staff at the end of the year. The HR and Training Manager is booked on to the Mental Health First Aid course to offer further support to those suffering with mental health issues. They offer a free counselling service as part of their health care plan and the HR and Training Manager has access to a number of other resources and Counsellor's if required. They have run and will continue to run resilience training. They have run a series of Pilates classes in house. They also include a wellbeing tip in the monthly newsletter, which is always well received. They try to link the message to something topical such as National No Smoking Day, Stress Awareness Day or Mental Health Awareness Day. As above but in addition to this they have run a mental health first aid lite course for Manager's to enable them to spot the signs of mental health issues. Each month the HR and Training Manager also offers an open 2 hour drop in session which is available to all staff to discuss any issues which are personal or work related.

The Møller Centre are committed to the health and wellbeing of their team and have several practices in place designed to support staff wellbeing. They offer onsite workplace massage for all staff at the end of the year. The HR and Training Manager is booked on to the Mental Health First Aid course to offer further support to those suffering with mental health issues. They offer a free counselling service as part of their health care plan and the HR and Training Manager has access to a number of other resources and Counsellor's if required. They have run and will continue to run resilience training. They have run a series of Pilates classes in house. They also include a wellbeing tip in the monthly newsletter, which is always well received. They try to link the message to something topical such as National No Smoking Day, Stress Awareness Day or Mental Health Awareness Day. As above but in addition to this they have run a mental health first aid lite course for Manager's to enable them to spot the signs of mental health issues. Each month the HR and Training Manager also offers an open 2 hour drop in session which is available to all staff to discuss any issues which are personal or work related.

In 2016 Michael Page launched a brand new internal communications strategy, moving from a reactive to a proactive approach. An audit looked at the number of messages being distributed, the channels used and the percentage of messages that pertained to the EVP. As a result, they devised a strategy and implemented new communications channels, including SMS and a brand new Leadership Pack, which is sent monthly to managers of people. These managers are then responsible with sharing the information with their teams. They also increased the use of their creative studio and implemented a quarterly update from the UK MD, which is distributed via the Leadership Pack. Earlier in the year, they provided all employees with branded headphones, giving them the tools they need in order to listen to video and audio communications. They are also launching an internal communications radio show in November 2016, which will showcase real people and real stories from across the business. This will replace wordy communications, which were not previously engaging. They are also planning a campaign to re-introduce PageConnect (Yammer) to the business in 2017, where they will host and signpost to key content. The objective is to increase engagement around important business messages and encourage the use of the platform as a key communication platform.

Michael Page employ a blended learning approach in line with the 70/20/10 principle. They utilise new technologies such as online business simulations, videos and Phone Coach. At-desk coaching, mentoring and shadowing are ingrained in the way they on-board and develop people to maximise the efficacy of their classroom training. Michael Page's online performance management system incorporates behavioural review and development, in line with their behavioural framework, as well as the normal goal and KPI metrics. They utilise the Myers Briggs Type Indicator for personal development purposes and increasing self-awareness. The manager and leadership training reflects current trends such as the importance of trust, authentic leadership, unconscious bias and engagement. They have also developed an in-house diagnostic tool which enables the Talent Development team to help managers and directors identify training needs and motivational challenges. This process then results in advice and guidance on providing additional training or support or an at-desk coaching session with a member of the TD team. Michael Page have always utilised e-learning as part of their training and development offering and this year they have scoped, researched and invested in a new digital learning platform which gives employees the opportunity to learn in a way that suits them. The platform is agile and dynamic with social learning, gamification, video and mobile device capability. They are currently designing and creating learning pathways and digital content for their launch in early 2017.

Merlin run various team building events throughout the year, but the highlight on the Merlin Events Calendar is the annual Cricket Day hosted by the company's very own children's charity Merlin's Magic Wand (MMW) at Chessington World of Adventures Resort (CWOAR). In its 7th year, this event brings together Merlin employees from the company's attractions all over the UK for a day full of fun, food and cricket! Four cricket teams from Merlin take on four teams representing their sponsors and business partners in a titanic battle to take home the coveted trophy, fondly nicknamed ‘the Plastic Plate'. Umpires are dressed in ‘inappropriate costume' and spectators cheer on their favourite teams. The local CWOAR team also puts on an amazing spread of food and drink throughout the day to keep the teams fuelled for all the games of cricket played. As well as a great opportunity to build great team relationships both within employees own team but also with those from other attractions, it's an amazing fundraising opportunity for Merlin employees to ensure even more children will be able to enjoy magical and life-changing spaces. MMW creates hospitals and schools for those with special needs. This year they have raised a staggering £22,000 thanks to the generous contribution and excellent support from all of Merlin's teams, volunteers and suppliers.

Merlin's mission, values and vision are a way of life for everyone in the company. Delivering memorable experiences is at the heart of what they do and their values are reflective of how Merlin employees at all levels work towards delivering those experiences to their customers. Consistency of message and regular reinforcement is given to employees to ensure everyone is working to the same goals. Key points are regularly reinforced by daily team huddles for operational teams, regular team briefs and also through the global quarterly newsletter. The ‘Merlin Way Film Competition' is a great way of keeping the Merlin Way front and centre for staff, as every year they get an opportunity to make a short film that brings to life how they and their team live and breathe the ‘Merlin Way'. The company are now in their fourth year of running this competition and the response has been fabulous, with over 100 entries globally each year.

They actively encourage staff to makes friends within the office as this is where they spend a great majority of their time. To aid this process, they have a Social Committee who are responsible for planning internal events which take place every month including a Summer Weekend away and a Christmas Party, as well as Dodgeball, Bowling, Rounders and more. In addition to these out of working hours' activities, Merkle Periscopix have a snooker table and table tennis table in the games room in the office with a league table set up to encourage communication and friendly competition between employees. Monthly 'Food Fridays' and weekly 'Four Thirsty Fridays' provide the perfect opportunity for employees to catch up with one another and wind down from their busy week. The success is proven in the fact that so many employees socialise together outside of work.

They actively encourage staff to makes friends within the office as this is where they spend a great majority of their time. To aid this process, they have a Social Committee who are responsible for planning internal events which take place every month including a Summer Weekend away and a Christmas Party, as well as Dodgeball, Bowling, Rounders and more. In addition to these out of working hours' activities, Merkle Periscopix have a snooker table and table tennis table in the games room in the office with a league table set up to encourage communication and friendly competition between employees. Monthly 'Food Fridays' and weekly 'Four Thirsty Fridays' provide the perfect opportunity for employees to catch up with one another and wind down from their busy week. The success is proven in the fact that so many employees socialise together outside of work.

This year MEC introduced ‘Town Hall' sessions to boost team interaction and communication. As part of the staff survey feedback employees provided the company with, it was clear that they get a great deal of value and enjoyment from the all staff ‘MEC in Motion' company meeting sessions. However, they asked for more regular company updates as the MEC in Motion meetings are 3 months apart and things move quickly around here. The Management Board thought quite hard about the best way to do this, not wanting to resort to email communication as the obvious route. As a result, they introduced Town Hall. This is a new update session held in the open office space covering off any pressing agency, industry, client and people news. No slides or fanfare, just senior people from the management team updating people on important and interesting news, real time. They also introduced Collaboration Coffees as part of their initiative to embed behaviours and improve perceptions of approachability of the Management Board, again responding to staff survey feedback. This is an opportunity for anyone at any level to sit down for a coffee and informally talk about the agency, obtain career advice, tips on leadership or anything else they wish to discuss. MEC ask people to share their Collaboration Coffee time with everyone on the MEC social media channels.

This year MEC introduced ‘Town Hall' sessions to boost team interaction and communication. As part of the staff survey feedback employees provided the company with, it was clear that they get a great deal of value and enjoyment from the all staff ‘MEC in Motion' company meeting sessions. However, they asked for more regular company updates as the MEC in Motion meetings are 3 months apart and things move quickly around here. The Management Board thought quite hard about the best way to do this, not wanting to resort to email communication as the obvious route. As a result, they introduced Town Hall. This is a new update session held in the open office space covering off any pressing agency, industry, client and people news. No slides or fanfare, just senior people from the management team updating people on important and interesting news, real time. They also introduced Collaboration Coffees as part of their initiative to embed behaviours and improve perceptions of approachability of the Management Board, again responding to staff survey feedback. This is an opportunity for anyone at any level to sit down for a coffee and informally talk about the agency, obtain career advice, tips on leadership or anything else they wish to discuss. MEC ask people to share their Collaboration Coffee time with everyone on the MEC social media channels.

The Wellbeing programme offers McDonalds employees a variety of support and helpful information to enhance their wellbeing both at work and at home. A dedicated Wellbeing Hub on ourlounge contains handy articles and information about what employees can do to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle. It has advice and support on topics like staying active, eating well, work/life balance and mental health. As part of the Wellbeing Programme, the team research and feature apps of the month, which have included apps like HeadSpace. Every employee receives a ‘How's it Going Chat' with their direct reporting Manager on a regular basis. This provides an ideal opportunity for the employee to have an open and frank discussion with their direct reporting Manager. Employees have the opportunity to discuss any issues that could be causing workplace stress and discuss what support or changes are needed. In recent Senior Leadership Engagement Drop In sessions, workload and workplace stress were some of the discussion topics to enable employees to openly discuss concerns and solutions with Senior Leadership.

The Wellbeing programme offers McDonalds employees a variety of support and helpful information to enhance their wellbeing both at work and at home. A dedicated Wellbeing Hub on ourlounge contains handy articles and information about what employees can do to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle. It has advice and support on topics like staying active, eating well, work/life balance and mental health. As part of the Wellbeing Programme, the team research and feature apps of the month, which have included apps like HeadSpace. Every employee receives a ‘How's it Going Chat' with their direct reporting Manager on a regular basis. This provides an ideal opportunity for the employee to have an open and frank discussion with their direct reporting Manager. Employees have the opportunity to discuss any issues that could be causing workplace stress and discuss what support or changes are needed. In recent Senior Leadership Engagement Drop In sessions, workload and workplace stress were some of the discussion topics to enable employees to openly discuss concerns and solutions with Senior Leadership.

Maxus know that communication and interacting are fundamental to their success. At Maxus they celebrate collaborative working. Their Agile Working policy drives collaboration in their day-to-day operations, encouraging people to move frequently around the office, working with different people. When they designed their new office, they built a Tannoy system into walls of the building. It's so fundamental to their culture that much of the interior design is envisioned around the pipes that power it. Whenever they have an all-staff announcement, rather than sending an impersonal email that clogs up everyone's inbox, they use the tannoy. It ensures that announcements are heard, and immediately triggers a series of conversations about the news, because everyone hears at the same time. To surface to the whole agency all the valuable stuff being talked about daily amongst Maxus' teams, they launched their weekly ‘Maxus Mind' bulletin. Every week they crowd-source from staff all their topics of conversation, and then publish them as a bulletin that is re-circulated to the entire agency. It ensures that no-one misses out on a topic of conversation, and provides an ongoing source of important industry news. And they supplement all of this with their Monthly Agency Meetings, followed by drinks. They find that these forums, compulsory for all staff, are essential for sharing news and creating a sense of community and togetherness. Plus, socialising together afterwards gives everyone a chance to catch up and build strong friendships outside the office.

Maxus believes strongly in professional and personal growth for employees. Their Never Stand Still programme offers a suite of initiatives for their staff under three core pillars; “For Work, For Life and For Growth". As part of the “For Growth” activity, they introduced an annual pot of money called the Growth Fund. The Growth Fund is their commitment to supporting employees in their own professional and personal development, offering sponsorship up to £250. The fund could be used flexibly for personal development and subsidise or pay for anything from a professional qualification to driving lessons or a wine tasting course. In 2016, to help inspire people to take advantage of the fund, Maxus facilitated a number of sessions including hosting language classes and a coding course in their offices. The fund is available on an annual basis for all employees with 12 months' service. Whilst Maxus ensure that the growth fund is ultimately supporting personal or professional growth, it is completely up to the employee to decide how they want to spend it. Maxus also offers professional coaching to all employees - coaching can be used for both personal and professional growth. From a professional development perspective, Maxus offer a suite of learning opportunities. In 2016, the focus has been on creativity and they hosted a number of sessions and events focused on creative excellence. Culminating in a week of activities across the agency, from internal subject matter experts giving talks to external companies showcasing their inspiring stories.