Growth Fuels Engagement

All staff are contractually obliged to participate in the annual appraisal process and are required as part of peformance review to undertake a minimum of 30 hours of CPD each year. This continues to develop the individual and maintain their subject or relevant area currency. The college appraisal scheme is designed to encourage the member of staff to reflect on their personal contribution each year, to set measurable objectives linked to the development of their area and future business objectives and to identify their training needs which enable the achievement of the objectives. This ensures currency for staff, improves the individual's market worth whilst meeting organisational objectives. Subject and Operational Managers identify the development needs for their areas based on their objectives for the operating cycle. As part of induction, individual training needs are identified for new members of staff. Core competencies are set by the college and new staff are assessed against these to identify early needs.

All staff are contractually obliged to participate in the annual appraisal process and are required as part of peformance review to undertake a minimum of 30 hours of CPD each year. This continues to develop the individual and maintain their subject or relevant area currency. The college appraisal scheme is designed to encourage the member of staff to reflect on their personal contribution each year, to set measurable objectives linked to the development of their area and future business objectives and to identify their training needs which enable the achievement of the objectives. This ensures currency for staff, improves the individual's market worth whilst meeting organisational objectives. Subject and Operational Managers identify the development needs for their areas based on their objectives for the operating cycle. As part of induction, individual training needs are identified for new members of staff. Core competencies are set by the college and new staff are assessed against these to identify early needs.

The company have undertaken a number of opportunities to provide face to face contact and the opportunity for colleagues to ask questions and get answers as well as providing general feedback and input. One example of this is the lunch bag sessions run by the Chief Executive to involve all colleagues in the future direction of the Group. A number of departments have also run drop in sessions, such as ICT and Learning and Development to encourage individuals to resolve queries and get to know internal colleagues, other teams such as Finance are planning to follow suit. The company find that by offering flexible opportunities to come and ask questions in a local setting will encourage more colleagues to get involved with Group activities. In addition for those colleagues who may not want to contribute in a face to face setting they carry out a number of ad hoc surveys internally throughout the year on a variety of topics.

The company provide a wide range of learning opportunities to suit different people's needs from e-learning to work shadowing and from external seminars and conferences to a comprehensive internal training programme. In addition to this they have a range of Leadership programmes that aim to take someone through basic management skills through to Senior Management development through the development of key leadership competencies. They have recently started running career coaching sessions and Learning and Development drop in sessions to provide more guidance and support to people on which of the available opportunities are the most appropriate for them.

Kaizen works towards high expectations of both adults and children. To ensure the team is driving towards success they carefully recognise and reward individual's efforts. An example of where this is most effective is their extending schools provision - after school clubs. Adults who take on the responsibility of running an after school club are expected to organise, plan, manage the resources, including a small budget and run the club out of their normal working hours. Adults who take up this opportunity have professional support with planning and organisation if needed. This additional responsibility is rewarded by one day's paid leave which can be taken at any point throughout the school year. By introducing this reward Kaizen have found that it encourages more adults to step up and lead an after school provision which in turn means that they can offer a wide variety of out of hours learning opportunities to the children.

The best example of how the organisation supports employee development is through Kaizen's ‘Professional Learning Framework'. This document was created collaboratively to establish ways of working, for all staff, at all levels, in order to take ownership of and direct their own learning through the support and coaching of their line manager. A key part of Kaizen's support comes from utilising staff skills and strengths to support those who need help in particular areas. This often takes the form of observing other staff members at work, work shadowing or team teaching, with reflection taking a vital role between the two members. They carefully plan the outcomes of their partnership and evaluate the impact of their work together to shape future learning. Kaizen develop coaching skills with all staff, as well as having allocated staff members as designated coaches. Staff attend a range of external courses for a range of purposes in order to develop the individual and the school. This has seen staff training internationally in the USA, France and China, which they then used to impact the organisation. Courses closer to home have also proved beneficial. Kaizen find other organisations that have strengths to match their areas of development or to stimulate their thinking and visit, observe and share learning with them. By using the self directed nature of the ‘Professional Learning Framework', staff not only feel they are supported in their development, but it creates a positive environment for staff to be a part of.

Jewish Care is doing a piece of work called the strategy review. The aim of the project is to hear from everyone, especially staff about what they think Jewish Care should do in the future and develop a strategy. Staff know what works and what doesn't, as well as what might be missing and what else could be done. Simon Morris, the Leader, is passionate about the rights and respects that should be afforded to people less able than themselves and their ability to make a real difference to people's lives. He is a principled, kind and hardworking individual who leads by example. The complexity of leading an organisation like Jewish Care that works in so many different areas and includes 1000 staff, 2500 volunteers and has a budget of £46m a year, should not be underestimated. Simon however remains approachable, honest and down to earth. He leads the organisation in a transparent way with total commitment to the values, while staying in touch with his roots and retaining his humility, sense of humour and open-mindedness.

They organise a quarterly new staff lunch where the CEO seeks feedback and ideas from staff who have joined Jewish Care recently. There are also Ask Simon postcards where staff can get in touch with the CEO to make suggestions, give feedback or ask questions. There are also tea and chat sessions where the CEO visits care homes and community centres to chat to staff and volunteers about issues they may have. Since the last survey they have implemented many changes. They have launched their Benefits You booklet giving details of the benefits they offer to all staff, together with their 2011 Reward Statement and have communicated information about bench marked salaries. They have shared results with teams and managers and launched a new leadership award for the manager with the best ‘My Manager' scores - the winner received £500 to use towards their own career development. They are also currently planning a 'not so new' staff lunch for longer serving employees to have lunch with the CEO.

Senior Management frequently recognise success in a variety of ways e.g. through celebration events, awards at weekly staff briefing, letters of thanks, certificates on the college website and intranet.

A particularly memorable event was when they held a Mission and Ethos Day in July 2011 where different activities were organised for staff to take part in. There was for example, a barge trip around Salford, a trip to the Lake District, visits to museums and a day of indoor skiing.

Holycross Sixth Form College educate young people in order that they have the opportunity to develop spiritually, morally and intellectually. Holycross have an environmental group comprising staff and students which works in the local community doing conservation work, for example tree planting.

In addition to regular supervisions, all staff have at least two personal development reviews (PDR) with their line manager per year. At these meetings, along with a review and assessment of objectives, their development needs are also discussed. Development can be in the form of formal training, e.g. training courses, attendance at events or conferences or informal training e.g. mentoring, coaching and shadowing. Staff are encouraged to take responsibility for identifying, planning and fulfilling their own learning and development needs through the appraisal process and highlight any training that would be beneficial in their development, whilst meeting their need for job satisfaction and career progression. Possibly the most successful employee development programme is their mentoring scheme. A number of managers have undergone mentoring and coaching training so that they can mentor new managers, but also any staff wishing to develop particular skills or progress into a management role. Mentoring is a learning and development process which allows a mentee to discuss any issues or development needs they have with a more experienced mentor.

As an organisation, they have been looking at a holistic approach to Healthy Workplaces and considering what effect health has on work and work has on health. They plan to run a series of educating campaigns around healthy hearts e.g. eating well, smoking cessation, encouraging 5 minute desk workouts etc. and healthy minds e.g. managing stress and anxiety, challenging behaviours, seeking support, etc. Examples of some of the things they already offer to enhance employee wellbeing are flexible working, independent counselling sessions and a cycle to work scheme. There are also healthy options within the Goodwin Café. They recently conducted a Healthy Workplace Survey to find out what improvements staff felt they could make. One of the suggestions included making it known what the ‘points' values of meals served in the Goodwin Cafe are for those participating in Weightwatchers which has been put in place. Other suggested initiatives included pool bicycles to get to meetings and between sites, a fun group dance and sport leagues which are being considered.

Managers provide tea and coffee at morning break in order to encourage staff into the staff room where they can meet and chat and get away from the pressures of the classroom. They socialise with staff during morning and lunch breaks and have an open door policy. They hold regular departmental meetings and encourage six monthly progress reviews, reviewing training and development opportunities for staff. It is also their job to listen and respond in a timely fashion. Managers are confident in seeking advice from senior managers in more difficult or challenging circumstances. They also lead from the front and promote active consultation, communicating issues which will affect staff.

They plan to share the outcomes of the survey with staff, celebrate the things that they do well, and address issues of concern summarised in an appropriate action plan. This will form an important part of the Staff development Self-Assessment Report (SAR). The SAR is reviewed and validated every year and a new action plan developed in response to the results of the previous action plan and any developments in education and government policies.

Staff Networking Day which was the first opportunity for all staff to step away from the day job and hear about the strategic direction of the organisation and share their views on shaping the future. It was also an opportunity for staff to work in groups looking at specific areas of the business and make suggestions for improvements. There was also some time to kick back and have some fun.

Staff Networking Day which was the first opportunity for all staff to step away from the day job and hear about the strategic direction of the organisation and share their views on shaping the future. It was also an opportunity for staff to work in groups looking at specific areas of the business and make suggestions for improvements. There was also some time to kick back and have some fun.

Communication is the life blood of any organisation and the regular weekly email and termly addresses by the Vice Chancellor are commended by the staff each year in the annual staff survey. During the current year and with the significant amount of uncertainty surrounding the future of the HE sector, the Directorate have made a conscious effort to spend even more time engaging with staff across all levels explaining both the realities of the policy framework within which the University will be conducting its business but also seeking to assuage concerns which should not exist and which were merely developed as a result of inaccurate press reporting. This has involved many hundreds of hours with staff groups both formal and informal. Difficult decisions have never been held back from staff nor have the challenges being faced along with our proposed actions. This open, honest and transparent way of working has undoubtedly positioned the University well to address the challenges of the coming years whilst ensuring everyone employed by the University remains engaged and committed to their core mission.

Communication is the life blood of any organisation and the regular weekly email and termly addresses by the Vice Chancellor are commended by the staff each year in the annual staff survey. During the current year and with the significant amount of uncertainty surrounding the future of the HE sector, the Directorate have made a conscious effort to spend even more time engaging with staff across all levels explaining both the realities of the policy framework within which the University will be conducting its business but also seeking to assuage concerns which should not exist and which were merely developed as a result of inaccurate press reporting. This has involved many hundreds of hours with staff groups both formal and informal. Difficult decisions have never been held back from staff nor have the challenges being faced along with our proposed actions. This open, honest and transparent way of working has undoubtedly positioned the University well to address the challenges of the coming years whilst ensuring everyone employed by the University remains engaged and committed to their core mission.

The wellbeing of employees is supported in various ways. The private health insurance plan; provided by Simply Health; is paid for by the company for employees with six months' service and includes coverage of dental, optical, and some general medical costs. Free pieces of fruit are provided for all staff members to encourage healthy eating and massage sessions are offered periodically at all locations for all staff.

Directors have consulted heavily with staff during organisational restructures so that all employees were aware of and involved in the new structures and roles being discussed. Employee feedback on service delivery needs contributed to this process and some amendments to initial proposals were evidenced through the consultation process. Paul, the Leader of the organisation, has a very clear vision for the organisation and seeks to make sure that employees know how they can contribute to this. He takes a keen interest in the governance of the organisation and ensures that their residents, as their customer base; are steering the strategic and operational direction of the organisation. This customer focus streams through the organisation, creating a customer focussed culture for employees delivering their services at the front line.

The college normally holds staff events at Christmas and the end of June when staff break up for the summer holidays. Last year a group of staff led by the Head of HR, got together and organised an end of term event in June 2011. On the last working afternoon of term, staff got together in the Union for a Fun Afternoon. The College had dominoes, a pool competition, bingo and races (three legged, space hopper and egg and spoon). The bar was open and burgers and chips were on sale. This event lasted about four hours with a large number of staff continuing the party mood by going out to the pubs in the town. It was a great success and lots of fun.

As well as the formal processes implemented by the college the managers within the college are tuned into the college culture of recognition and praise for a job well done. The college also has a thank you card system and the Christmas Stars which allow managers to recognise outstanding staff members. Managers meet regularly with staff to ask for feedback both at a team level and on an individual basis. The teams are relatively small which allows line managers to be able to pick up on any issues quickly and discuss these and find workable remedies.

The company offers a broad range of development opportunities and programmes. There are online programmes that are available to all staff, including a business development programme which was developed especially for their staff. Their online Skills Guide provides development help for all individuals in the firm who can both plan their development and access a range of media to use themselves or in their teams. All staff have access to learning portals with development resources. One of the learning portals is produced by one of the UK's leading business schools and they customise part of it for their staff. There are also conferences and away days which often involve an element of sharing vision, development, teamwork and fun. Each person has a minimum of twice yearly appraisal discussions with their line managers to talk about their achievements, appraisal objectives, performance and to set their objectives or development points for the forthcoming year. The majority of their people will also receive regular feedback following work with clients or regular one to one meetings.

They take a genuine interest in their people and want to encourage every individual to be the best they can be. If someone has a disability or medical concern they will look as far as is reasonably possible to support that person. They understand it can be daunting to speak out and some people could be worried about how the firm, or their manager, might react if they asked for help. Therefore, last year we introduced Disability Champions who are available to help fellow employees by offering confidential, non-judgmental support and encouragement. This support will vary depending on the individual's situation and wishes but may just be providing a sympathetic ear or offering practical support by knowing where they can get appropriate help and guidance. They also support employees who are going through fertility treatment, which is an exceptionally stressful time, by offering confidential support by way of someone to talk to who has some understanding of what they are going through and time off for treatment and flexibility for appointments.

Quarterly Core Values Awards: The company ask for peer nominations of employees who uphold their Core Values. They recognise winning nominees in their newsletter and in company meetings. They give winning nominees a small reward, such as a gift voucher to Amazon.

The company organises bi-weekly 'retrospective' meetings where employees collectively look at what they have been working on - what went well, what could be improved and any other areas that employees would like to discuss. The company gives quarterly Core Values awards to staff members who demonstrate behaviours that are consistent with their Core Values.

Each new member of staff at Summit Media, both at the Wolds and at the Farm, undergoes an initial four week intensive training period provided by their line manager and colleagues. A tailored personal development plan is put together which is then reviewed at weekly one to one sessions with their individual line managers. These sessions are designed to monitor progress and to provide guidance. They also have regular coaching sessions covering topics and disciplines specific to the industry. There are bi-weekly training sessions at group level specifically aimed at improving industry knowledge. External training is carried out by Google and MSN and the company's tracking and analytics provider. New staff are also encouraged to participate in online webinars and to undertake personal training in their own time to gain the Google GAP and Microsoft qualifications.

Each new member of staff at Summit Media, both at the Wolds and at the Farm, undergoes an initial four week intensive training period provided by their line manager and colleagues. A tailored personal development plan is put together which is then reviewed at weekly one to one sessions with their individual line managers. These sessions are designed to monitor progress and to provide guidance. They also have regular coaching sessions covering topics and disciplines specific to the industry. There are bi-weekly training sessions at group level specifically aimed at improving industry knowledge. External training is carried out by Google and MSN and the company's tracking and analytics provider. New staff are also encouraged to participate in online webinars and to undertake personal training in their own time to gain the Google GAP and Microsoft qualifications.

They support local charities in their area. One example is that Springfield has, over the last two years, been working on constructing a £200k Moray Hydrotherapy Pool building in Forres. This has been a huge challenge, but extremely rewarding to now see the pool utilised and benefiting so many local people.

They support local charities in their area. One example is that Springfield has, over the last two years, been working on constructing a £200k Moray Hydrotherapy Pool building in Forres. This has been a huge challenge, but extremely rewarding to now see the pool utilised and benefiting so many local people.

Specific Media's new office has created an onsite gym for all staff to use, complete with full changing room and shower facilities. These facilities are open to staff all day from 6.00am until 9.00pm and at weekends. Each employee received a health check and gym induction prior to using the gym. Personal training sessions are also available upon request. Specific Media also provides complimentary massages for all employees. On a monthly basis, employees can book a number of treatments including back, shoulder, hand or facial massages, which are carried out during work hours at no cost to the employee.

Specific Media recently moved into a new office and to say farewell to the office that had been their home for over 3 years, the company held a 'farewell Strutton Ground' party. Specific Media invited all employees and also members of the local community to join them for a barbeque and charity auction, selling off furniture, white goods, pieces of Specific Media memorabilia and a charity tombola where all items were donated by staff (which had accumulated in the office from various events/client presents). Members of the local community included the local newsagent and her family, their fruit delivery man, the staff at Pret A Manger and the company's office maintenance and cleaning team. It was a fantastic event to say goodbye to their office and thank you to everyone who had made it the company's home.

The Hotel is aware that rewards and recognition are vital as they help the teams feel a sense of personal accomplishment and with this comes confidence in their ability to perform successfully in their roles. Three times a year the company holds a communication meeting for all of staff in which they honour recipients of the MBE (Member of the Brand Experience) and OBE (Order of the Brand Experience). These are employees that really have stood out for going above and beyond the call of duty. However, to ensure that recognition is kept close to the surface, all employees are encouraged to give out “stars” to colleagues they think have done a great job. Stars can be traded in for a chocolate bar, or collected for a gift voucher. To ensure stars are given and to keep it high on the agenda, HR will raise this in the morning meeting every day, and then display on a recognition wall in the Heart of House areas along with an employee picture.

Learning and Development supports business performance improvement at Sheraton Park Tower, and the key strategic goals of the business, as well as contributing to the growth of individual associates and offering rewarding opportunities to learn and grow. Associates see a clear link between their own development and the goals of the business. The company focus on ensuring that associates experience a robust on-boarding process which prepares them thoroughly for their role within their teams. This includes an on-brand induction, service culture training, and personalised departmental induction plans, to ensure a consistent quality of training for the company's new starters.

Managers conduct meetings and prepare the task list which is forwarded on to the relevant Partner/Director. All staff are aware of the management meetings and each Manager will discuss with their team prior to the meeting, any points/ideas/suggestions that they would like discussed on their behalf. Each Manager will then put forward any relevant points to all managers at the meeting.

SFP Group is absolutely committed to supporting employee development. At the start of every year, the company identify the training needs for every individual, and determine what courses are most appropriate and the associated costs so that budgets can be agreed. The best example in recent times is the support SFP Group gave to three of their team to take their respective JIE insolvency and accountancy examinations that required long periods (more than one month) of study leave. All three passed. Indeed it is important to stress that prior to joining the SFP Group, two of the three individuals had no experience or qualification in insolvency. Now they have gone from juniors from Managers who, in the next few years, will be office holders. There are other similar examples across the group and in different departments, from broking to marketing.

Managers at Roevin have daily reviews, weekly review meetings, regular appraisals and one to one meetings with staff. Managers develop personal development plans with employees which is part of Roevin's appraisal Acquire, Ascent & Aspire programme. Managers also encourage employees to have and develop clear career paths.

Roevin supports employee development is through their specific role based learning plan. For example, an inexperienced recruitment consultant joining the company will attend a residential 3-day Training Academy. Back in branch, they have a specific 6-month Post-Academy training programme that is delivered on the job by the Branch Manager. Going forward there are specific skills based courses that cover all levels in their career, up to and including Roevin's Management Development Portfolio. Additionally, Roevin have a year-long leadership development Programme for those aspiring to Operational Director roles, as well as Executive Education programmes for their senior staff in conjunction with both IMD in Lausanne and INSEAD in Paris. In addition to Roevin's Instructor Led Training courses, through their Learning Portal, all employees have access to a range of internally-designed e-learning modules, as well as 13,000 externally-designed courses, including material on PRINCE-2, Lean Six Sigma and multiple versions of the Microsoft Office package.

The RKH Group believe their CEO Paul Bridgwater listens and truly takes time to understand the 'people issues' in the business as he directs the business with the future in mind at all times. This was recognised in 2008 when the CEO was voted CEO of the Year at the 'Reactions' London Market Awards.

The group is 100% owned by staff and Directors and share ownership is widely distributed across all employee groups. Additional share ownership schemes are currently in operation to further incentivise and retain new talent to the Group.

Ralli recently held a team building weekend at Carden Park which involved guest speakers, team building exercises, and staff were rewarded with an evening meal and entertainment, all paid for by the firm.

As an organisation Ralli offers all members of staff regular, monthly social events to participate in.

Quest create new teams and new offices based on people's abilities and personal needs. Examples are Manchester, Sri Lanka and Dubai. In all these cases the company had an employee who strongly wished to or needed to relocate. Where there was a business case Quest created an office and in two cases promoted the people at the same time (in the third example of Sri Lanka they couldn't promote the manager because they had reached the highest level as their Financial Controller). All these new offices resulted in extra local employment with several significant benefits such as retaining great staff, expanding their markets, saving costs. The staff that opened these offices have experienced and enjoyed huge jumps in their learning curves, career development and at all times this has worked alongside their personal needs and balanced their work-life /home-life needs.

Managers at Quest communicate consultant responsibilities and targets to their teams regularly. This is done through weekly one-to-one and team meetings, and quarterly appraisals. In these meetings, managers will discuss performance against target, and make recommendations to consultants who need extra guidance.

Precedent strongly believes in the idea of “soft rewards” – i.e. small rewards that are given regularly to recognise excellent work or performance. Rather than simple monetary bonuses which can often quickly be forgotten, these rewards tend to be something more individual, memorable and appropriate for the person. For example a meal for two at a nice restaurant, a weekend away or even simply iTunes vouchers. In addition to this, at the company's annual company meeting held every April, Precedent reward the most hard working and highest achievers. The excursion is, in itself, a sort of reward as it involves time out of the office, dinner and an element of socialising, but more crucially, Precedent hold nominations for the Best Newcomer and Best Overall Performer. These nominations are open to everyone across the company and everyone is invited to contribute. The winner is selected by the senior management based on the nominations received as well as on general performance throughout the year.

Precedent strongly believes in the idea of “soft rewards” – i.e. small rewards that are given regularly to recognise excellent work or performance. Rather than simple monetary bonuses which can often quickly be forgotten, these rewards tend to be something more individual, memorable and appropriate for the person. For example a meal for two at a nice restaurant, a weekend away or even simply iTunes vouchers. In addition to this, at the company's annual company meeting held every April, Precedent reward the most hard working and highest achievers. The excursion is, in itself, a sort of reward as it involves time out of the office, dinner and an element of socialising, but more crucially, Precedent hold nominations for the Best Newcomer and Best Overall Performer. These nominations are open to everyone across the company and everyone is invited to contribute. The winner is selected by the senior management based on the nominations received as well as on general performance throughout the year.

There are frequent social events within Parklands, commemorating particular milestones in the calendar. This year, the Managing Director, Senior Managers and Receptionist decided to dress up and re-enact the wedding of William and Kate. This was taken extremely seriously with wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses being purchased, hairdresser appointed and make up expertly applied. Staff and relatives enjoyed the social event with a meal and further musical entertainment. The bridal party travelled between care homes to re-enact the occasion with relatives and staff enjoying a sing along, meal and further musical entertainment in the evening.

There are frequent social events within Parklands, commemorating particular milestones in the calendar. This year, the Managing Director, Senior Managers and Receptionist decided to dress up and re-enact the wedding of William and Kate. This was taken extremely seriously with wedding dress and bridesmaid dresses being purchased, hairdresser appointed and make up expertly applied. Staff and relatives enjoyed the social event with a meal and further musical entertainment. The bridal party travelled between care homes to re-enact the occasion with relatives and staff enjoying a sing along, meal and further musical entertainment in the evening.

Orthoplastics reward efforts with bonuses and competence payments.

Orthoplastics offer private health to a manager group.

Share information in an open and honest way and ensure fresh and relevant information is relayed in a timely fashion. Facilitating team meetings and ensuring that information is cascaded through the organisation.

Results will be reviewed with Heads of Departments and communicated throught the organisation. Any viable changes will be assessed for implementation.

The company have maintained high standards of performance by consistently demanding excellence and delivering support and training to allow their staff to perform at these high standards. They endeavour to invest in high quality equipment and staff training to help keep them at the cutting edge of their profession.

During the last 12 months the Senior Management team have agreed their core values with their staff.

Employees are rewarded for their efforts. Upon completion of any relevant professional qualifications employees are rewarded for their achievement. The amounts are very generous as these awards are also grossed up to ensure the employee receives the full amount after Tax and National Insurance deductions.

Employees are rewarded for their efforts. Upon completion of any relevant professional qualifications employees are rewarded for their achievement. The amounts are very generous as these awards are also grossed up to ensure the employee receives the full amount after Tax and National Insurance deductions.

MRL Consulting Group offer Consultants a chance to win a Rolex upon achievement of a specific sales goal.

MRL Consulting Group offer Consultants a chance to win a Rolex upon achievement of a specific sales goal.

Mott MacDonald utilises two primary groups to listen to the views of employees. To promote professional excellence, a Young Professional Excellence (YPE) network exists across all of the company's business units. This network creates a learning culture among the company's younger staff. YPE promotes two way communications and ensures that the views of their young professionals are fed back to senior management. As the YPE networks are representative of Mott MacDonald's business units, the Groups can be targeted depending on the nature of the query on which the company is seeking views. The other channel which MacDonald uses is staff councils. These allow effective two-way communication between the company and staff at all levels. In doing so, they provide a forum in which company policy can be explained to staff. They are held on a quarterly basis and minutes are posted on the company's intranet to ensure all staff have access to on going discussions.

The senior management team at Mott MacDonald has produced a video called Moving Forward, aimed at giving their staff an insight into the opportunities and challenges the company is currently facing and where they expect to be going as a company for the next five years. The video started with a reminder of how the company fared in the past 12 months and looked at the new reality impacting the business and the challenges it brings. To make it as easy as possible for everyone to see the video, the company hosted the production on their internal e-learning site as well as making it available on DVD for staff outside the office. To ensure maximum awareness was generated for the production, an email was sent out from the Group's chairman well as notices appearing on the intranet encouraging all staff to view it. Feedback from staff showed this approach was welcomed and included positive comments about how sincerely and well the senior management came across.

Morningstar have partnered with the City of London and a charity based in the city fringes to provide teenagers in deprived areas with an opportunity to visit a City office, go through a workshop with employees on City careers, practice interviewing, learn more about career paths in a financial company and take part in work experiences and internships potentially leading to a permanent role.

Morningstar have partnered with the City of London and a charity based in the city fringes to provide teenagers in deprived areas with an opportunity to visit a City office, go through a workshop with employees on City careers, practice interviewing, learn more about career paths in a financial company and take part in work experiences and internships potentially leading to a permanent role.

Manx Telecom run an idea scheme called 'innov8' whereby staff can submit ideas for improvement. These are evaluated by a committee of managers and staff who can make financial awards based on the quality of the idea. They hold annual staff update sessions with the senior team and their managers hold monthly team briefs. Manx Telecom encourage staff to play an active part with their managers to identify specific issues and actions to address areas for improvement. After last year's survey, employees were invited to take part in a competition to submit 88 reasons that make Manx Telecom a great place to work. All the entries were rolled together to come up with the definitive list.

As part of Manx Telecom's monthly analysis of customer complaints they identified a need to improve the quality of customer interactions when dealing with difficult situations. As a result of this, managers were asked to undertake a staff training needs analysis which is being used to design and deliver training modules to address the specific skills required. They have recently entered the Isle of Man Newspapers award for excellence in the category 'People Management & Development'.

The hotel has invested in the back of house colleague areas and attempted to enhance the work environment. They have opened their third restaurant in as many years called the Canteen as well as brand new Locker Rooms and Offices for the Administrative Departments.

There are bi-monthly NETMA (Nobody Ever Tells Me Anything) meetings chaired by the General Manager, attended by 'nominated' Representatives from each Department. These Representatives are elected by their colleagues and serve a six month term.

At their September sales meeting Lundbeck held a chocolate making competition, an Apprentice style challenge. The whole sales organisation was split into groups and given an afternoon to create, package and market a new chocolate brand. These were then pitched to the Senior Management Group and a winner was chosen. It was a lot of fun and a break from formal work exercises.

At their September sales meeting Lundbeck held a chocolate making competition, an Apprentice style challenge. The whole sales organisation was split into groups and given an afternoon to create, package and market a new chocolate brand. These were then pitched to the Senior Management Group and a winner was chosen. It was a lot of fun and a break from formal work exercises.

Live & Breathe foster a culture of collaboration where each member of the team is valued equally. Ideas, can and do, come from anywhere and rewards are shared. As such, good people progress quickly. Being small gives Live and Breathe a clear advantage in being able to listen and feedback to the wider team. The senior team have weekly one-to-one sessions with their team members and on top of that the flat hierarchy means everyone can talk to a Director pretty much whenever they want. Additionally they employ the Clear Partnership for coaching and mentoring which has proved valuable in many ways not least the fact they are completely impartial and staff feel able to talk openly to them.

Live & Breathe helped organise and participated in an ‘It's a Knockout' event for one of their nominated charities ‘Caravan'. As well as giving the event coordinator time during her working day to arrange the event, a team consisting of Live & Breathers and their clients was assembled and given the afternoon off work to compete. Not only did everyone enjoy the event but it had two key benefits - it raised £20,000 for a very good cause related to the sector in which Live & Breathe operate and it provided the opportunity to work together with their clients in a constructive, out of business environment, getting to know and understand them and themselves better and work better as a team.

In the most recent away day to launch the agency's new proposition, staff were put into groups and asked to present back on a live brief incorporating the new values of the business. Feedback at the end of this day was excellent with staff reporting that they had an opportunity to work with senior staff and other teams and share ideas and thoughts on the new proposition. Coupled with this, they got to use the new values alongside real work scenarios allowing them to easily see how to implement them once back in the office. Lexis conduct an annual employee survey and have six monthly peer group meetings of which the results are analysed and fed back to the Board along with key recommendations. These are then fed back to employees at the next quarterly review. Every Friday Lexis finish at 4pm and gather for an all agency meeting. In this meeting, agency messages are reinforced and staff are updated on any business developments. This meeting is also an opportunity for staff to recognise team mates or peers for doing great work that week, by nominating them in the 'Big Ups' category.

By recognising the importance of creating business leaders for tomorrow within their organisation Lexis have implemented a leadership development programme. This is aimed at Account Managers and above and is a module based training programme combining internal and external training where staff receive training on running their own PR business, financial management, leadership training, media relations and day to day management training. 60% of senior management are 'home grown', testament to their continued commitment to promote from within and develop their staff to their ultimate potential.

The leaders of the organisation are passionate about ensuring that every aspect of the business is run professionally to the highest standards possible. They also work tirelessly in their quest to build a company that is recognised globally as the best in its category. The leaders of the organisation act as role models within the business, making themselves accessible to all employees. Information about the company is regularly shared with employees, through agency update presentations, newsletters and the social enterprise network, Yammer. They always act fairly and genuinely care aboout people in the business.

As the world's most creatively awarded healthcare advertising agency, Langland have won many awards in the UK and overseas. To recognise the contribution played by all team members across the entire agency, not just creatives. Langland have sponsored their attendance at the award ceremonies. This year they have given a number of people the opportunity to go to award ceremonies in New York and to spend a few days there at leisure, at the company's expense.

In January 2011 Kelly Services hosted their annual Kelly Kick Off. It's such an important time in their business where their nationwide network of offices and the company's different divisions come together to celebrate their successes, whilst learning and engaging with colleagues, many who have never met. The focus of the event is always to ensure their employees feel important and engaged. The afternoon provides time to spend together, whilst learning about different areas of the business, hearing from the company's Leadership Team and being reminded of their strategy and goals. The evening focuses on celebration where they recognise a number of their employees for outstanding achievements and those going above and beyond to achieve their goals. Truly the most important social event in the organisation, Kelly Kick Off is the company's way of rewarding, recognising and celebrating their employees.

During the monthly meetings with their consultants, Kelly Services' managers review their team's performance individually by considering a number of factors. They use this information to assess the demands upon their team members and evaluate any development or training needs. Managers also use this time to highlight any successes of the month and ensure recognition for any particular achievements is given. As well as the weekly meeting, managers every day conduct a 'daily call-over' meeting with their teams. The purpose of these brief meetings is to discuss the achievements of the previous day and to review their focuses for the day ahead. Managers conduct a Development Discussion with individuals at the beginning of each year where they ask the employee for input on what they feel their business and professional development goals should be. These goals are reviewed at a mid-year meeting and then again in a meeting the following year where new objectives and goals would also be set.

Jumeirah Hotels have implemented Shining Stars - an instant reward scheme where managers give an on the spot thank you card and in cases of excellent work - a cheque to be redeemed from the 'treasure chest'. Prizes include a night stay in the hotel, high street shopping vouchers, a massage plus many more rewards.

A particularly memorable and enjoyable social event held by Integralis, was the Olympics on Ice event in May 2011. 46 employees, from different divisions of the business, came together at a local ice-rink, for a number of team-building exercises. Without knowing what they were getting themselves into, Integralis employees turned up ready and willing to enjoy the event. There were a number of games that took place on the ice, all of which were based on creating trust and confidence in team members. Employees were linked up with other people that they may not have normally interacted with on a daily basis. Trust was a real necessity, especially as employees wore shoes (and not ice-skates), so were even more likely to slip and fall without their colleagues' help. This was a totally different event, something that had never been done before. It was great fun, and everyone talked about it for a long time afterwards.

A particularly memorable and enjoyable social event held by Integralis, was the Olympics on Ice event in May 2011. 46 employees, from different divisions of the business, came together at a local ice-rink, for a number of team-building exercises. Without knowing what they were getting themselves into, Integralis employees turned up ready and willing to enjoy the event. There were a number of games that took place on the ice, all of which were based on creating trust and confidence in team members. Employees were linked up with other people that they may not have normally interacted with on a daily basis. Trust was a real necessity, especially as employees wore shoes (and not ice-skates), so were even more likely to slip and fall without their colleagues' help. This was a totally different event, something that had never been done before. It was great fun, and everyone talked about it for a long time afterwards.

InHealth Group has an Employee Assisted Programme where staff are encouraged to take advantage of a range of facilities available to them, which include Medical Referrals and Stress Related Counselling services. Line Managers can also apply for performance coaching, which is available from an external resource.

All staff are actively encouraged and consulted on their personal development formally through the performance appraisal process and informally through 1-2-1 meetings with line managers.

Incisive Media values the wellbeing of its employees and they have a category in their flexible benefits programme dedicated to Health & Wellbeing to prove it! The company has fortnightly Chair Massages that are on offer to all staff. This has proved to be a very popular benefit and Incisive Media have received great feedback from employees. On top of the ‘ordinary' benefits that most companies offer, such as gym membership, private medical insurance and health cash plan, Incisive Media has gone one step further and has introduced a variety of Health Screenings which are available to all employees. The types of screenings on offer range from a wide selection of BUPA Wellness screenings to Skin Screenings and the newly introduced Breast Screenings which are on offer to all staff and their partners. Everyone knows that prevention is better than cure.

Incisive Media values the wellbeing of its employees and they have a category in their flexible benefits programme dedicated to Health & Wellbeing to prove it! The company has fortnightly Chair Massages that are on offer to all staff. This has proved to be a very popular benefit and Incisive Media have received great feedback from employees. On top of the ‘ordinary' benefits that most companies offer, such as gym membership, private medical insurance and health cash plan, Incisive Media has gone one step further and has introduced a variety of Health Screenings which are available to all employees. The types of screenings on offer range from a wide selection of BUPA Wellness screenings to Skin Screenings and the newly introduced Breast Screenings which are on offer to all staff and their partners. Everyone knows that prevention is better than cure.

One of the best examples which has been running for four years and which Harrods believe is completely unique to them is the ‘Harrods One Hundred'. This is a very exclusive club whose 100 members are their best sales people. Membership is driven by the amount of sales achieved and the top sales person achieved sales of over £6 million in 2010/2011. The rewards are a special yearly dinner awards ceremony with directors and their managers. They receive a gift bag containing a £1000 gift card, pampering sessions, gifts provided by brands such as Cartier and additional employee discounts as well as a unique ID card that gives them additional senior manager privileges and finally a Harrods 100 jacket lapel pin to wear with pride.

Michael Ward is a personable, warm and engaging leader. He brings a sense of realness to Harrods' world and ensures everyone takes what they do, seriously but not take themselves too seriously. The biggest demonstration of comittment to improving the working environment was to press ahead with the refurbishment of the employee restaurant at a cost of £500,000, even though the restauraunt is going to be moved to a different floor and location in approximately18 months time. Many companies would have said that the employees could wait, but because the leadership team were sensitive to the feelings and frustration the poor quality of food, the ambience, decor etc. was creating, they pressed ahead with the refurbishment. This was an appropriate grand gesture towards employees.

Listening to employees and gaining valuable feedback and ideas is of vital importance to Freestyle's business. The company believe it's only through listening to your employees that you can really gauge how your business is progressing and how the office is feeling in general. They could use terms vibe or team cooperation ratings, but when it comes down to it, it's just about how they are all getting along in both a personal and professional capacity. And getting along and working together is just about the most important thing in making a business successful. In recognition of this importance, at Freestyle Interactive they encourage managers to meet with their staff on a regular basis. These ‘1-2-1s' benefit both employee and employer by acting as a direct conduit between team-members and team-leaders. These meetings function as a platform on which employees can discuss work and job satisfaction, as well as putting forward ideas that could benefit the company as a whole.

In the last 12 months the senior management have started to run regular (but optional) company lunches. These drop-in sessions, each with a specific business focal point, have helped their staff to stay up-to-date with the wider news surrounding the business and have allowed employees to ask questions in an open forum. The lunches have helped staff feel part of the business as a whole, rather than as part of just a team or department. The lunches are very well attended and have created an engagement with the company hitherto unseen in the past.

Fortune Cookie hold regular reviews of performance, recognise and reward outstanding performance through incentives based on goals, have regular announcements to the company about great work and achievements, regular formal and social get together's for the whole company.

Fortune Cookie hold regular reviews of performance, recognise and reward outstanding performance through incentives based on goals, have regular announcements to the company about great work and achievements, regular formal and social get together's for the whole company.

What works particularly well at Fleishman-Hillard is that the results per office/team are shared in groups, providing a forum for feedback and an exchange of views. Senior leaders in the business agree particular areas of focus for the next year, either in teams or office-wide. This provides a strong sense of continuous improvement and a desire to seek feedback. Also this year, the Managing Director of the London office conducted a series of listening sessions – Staff Clinics – made up of groups cutting across the different teams to gather detailed employee feedback on a first-hand basis and to foster greater transparency and collaborations.

What works particularly well at Fleishman-Hillard is that the results per office/team are shared in groups, providing a forum for feedback and an exchange of views. Senior leaders in the business agree particular areas of focus for the next year, either in teams or office-wide. This provides a strong sense of continuous improvement and a desire to seek feedback. Also this year, the Managing Director of the London office conducted a series of listening sessions – Staff Clinics – made up of groups cutting across the different teams to gather detailed employee feedback on a first-hand basis and to foster greater transparency and collaborations.

Employee development by access to a variety of training interventions. Dedicated team of learning and development professionals, Head of Training, Group Trainer,specialist, Food / Beverage Training Manager. Dedicated departmental skills trainers who are experts in customer service field and knowledgeable in company specific operational procedures. Accessable to all employees, ensuring successful orientation of new employees. They monitor and record training provison to ensure consistency. Head of Training ensures courses accessible to all and pitched at different levels and job role. Ensures clear and progressive pathway towards achieving supervisory and management skills allowing development within the business . Includes management development programme, Supervisory Skills workshops, Food and Beverage academy, NVQ customer service and team leading, Graduate Management Training programme. Comprehensive training calendar published inviting all managers to nominate employees for the courses. Head of Training identifies employees who would benefit from specific courses and talented employees can enhance their skills and fulfill future leadership succession plans.

Employee development by access to a variety of training interventions. Dedicated team of learning and development professionals, Head of Training, Group Trainer,specialist, Food / Beverage Training Manager. Dedicated departmental skills trainers who are experts in customer service field and knowledgeable in company specific operational procedures. Accessable to all employees, ensuring successful orientation of new employees. They monitor and record training provison to ensure consistency. Head of Training ensures courses accessible to all and pitched at different levels and job role. Ensures clear and progressive pathway towards achieving supervisory and management skills allowing development within the business . Includes management development programme, Supervisory Skills workshops, Food and Beverage academy, NVQ customer service and team leading, Graduate Management Training programme. Comprehensive training calendar published inviting all managers to nominate employees for the courses. Head of Training identifies employees who would benefit from specific courses and talented employees can enhance their skills and fulfill future leadership succession plans.

FDM are a very active organisation encouraging any sports activities that help employees to interact in a more social environment. They have football, netball and volleyball teams which employees can get involved in and compete in an informal setting. They also have lots of employees taking part in marathons, bike rides, strong man conpetitions and other various activities which are in aid of charitable organisations.

The key attribute that FDM's leader Rod Flavell has, is the energy, dynamism and commitment towards the organisation and its employees. He believes in a hands on approach and operating in a flat structure environment whereby he and the other directors interact with all levels within the business and sit in an open plan environment. Rod spends time understanding who his staff are, their motivations and encourages internal career progression for high performers ensuring that the company reflects his dynamic approach. This makes the working environment fast-paced, interactive and interesting as it is always changing and adapting to get the most from its staff and to maintain their engagement with the organisation.

Exclusive Hotels always aim to create great hospitality careers instead of just giving somebody a job. Continual learning, development and progression are very much at the heart of Exclusive Hotels, demonstrated by the huge investment that they make into their people every year. All of their teams have the opportunity to attend internal training, receive specialist training by external providers, be sponsored by the Company, as well as receive day to day on-the-job training. Exclusive Hotels are passionate about enabling people to learn more, to deliver more, as well as to develop more and they are able to do this through bespoke training programmes and workshops, as well as personal coaching and mentoring. There are many opportunities for Exclusive People who take responsibility for their own personal development and progression.

Danny Pecorelli, Exclusive Hotel's Managing Director, is a man of great values and principles. He has integrity and operates with transparency and honesty, always warmly greeting team members as if they were old friends - in many cases they are! All Exclusive employees personally know Danny on first name terms and all remain firmly loyal to the Exclusive family. Exclusive Hotels started as a family business and remains so today, 30 years later. Their guiding principles are centric to a family unit, abeit extended, care and respect, hard work and integrity. Look after each other and look after their guests.

They have various social events throughout the year; however, their main focus is the Christmas Annual Awards. These are based solely on their employees; they are given nomination sheets to vote for their colleagues achievements over the year. The winners are announced at the dinner and are asked to accept their awards by the CEO; they are also given prizes and trophies. The winners are invited to functions during their winning year to celebrate their achievements further. They also offer long service awards and even best Christmas decoration awards.

The organisation hosted an EMCAS Extravaganza for staff and partners which included fairground rides, games, magicians and body painting. The event was a huge success and they had lots of positive feedback from staff. As the staff are across three sites these functions help to create community within the organisation.

dotDigitalGroup had a company-wide summer party in June 2011 which was held on a leisure boat which went up and down the Thames in London stopping at various piers on the way so that people could get off if they wanted to. Staff came from all over to attend, including the Minsk office in Belarus. Everyone had a great time with a BBQ, a DJ, karaoke and dancing, not to mention a few drinks. This was fully funded and a great team building event - the only problem was the weather but nobody let it get in the way of having fun! A great time was had by all and dotDigital also announced their Employee of the Financial Year winner and runners-up.

dotDigitalGroup constantly listen to employee feedback and have introduced a range of initiatives to support employee development and the focus of the new appraisal system is equally weighted between performance and development. The best current example is the offer of matched funds towards an employee's ambition or something on their bucket list. Does not have to be work related - just something that they can evidence will develop them personally. To date dotDigitalGroup have bids for sailing, pilot training, leadership training, drumming, paragliding, engaging a personal trainer and a tandem sky dive.

STELLAR Awards - Discovery's Employee Recognition Programme is the tool through which individual and team achievements can be recognised. STELLAR acknowledges accomplishments, contributions and behaviours aligned with their corporate goals and values and growth traits by rewarding employees with cash, merchandise or peer-to-peer (non-monetary) praise. In honour of the innovative spirit and boundless curiosity that drove John Hendricks to establish Discovery 25 years ago and which continues throughout all levels of the company every day, Discovery introduced the John S. Hendricks Innovation Awards in 2009. The awards recognise the most innovative and creative ideas from the past year. From groundbreaking events and specials to successful channel launches, and from new business initiatives to even the simplest ideas that had a tremendous impact, the awards celebrate all areas of innovation that further Discovery's mission of satisfying curiosity and making a difference, drive the growth of their business and inspire other employees to unlock their creativity. Nominations are accepted for both individual and team efforts.

Community involvement and philanthropic efforts are cornerstone philosophies for Discovery's corporate social responsibility, and this emphasis is reflected in the numerous programs that Discovery implements with the sole purpose of making a positive impact on its neighbouring communities. Every year Discovery employees take part in a one day volunteer initiative called 'Discover Your Impact Day', which brings thousands of employees globally to volunteer at more than 100 different service sites. In the London office every employee has the opportunity to choose a charity close to their heart and in their neighbourhood from a comprehensive list compiled by the Communications and HR team in partnership with the Media Trust and CSV. Employees can take part in various activities for the charity ranging from gardening, helping build a shed, painting a new centre, cooking at a homeless refuge or simply spending time with end users at their chosen charity. In addition, each of Discovery's brands and businesses embark on a number of partnerships each year with various charities. Discovery Networks UK's premier charitable partnership is with The Scout Association which provides adventurous activities and personal development opportunities for 400,000 young people in the UK aged 6-25. Discovery is sponsoring the Scouts pioneer badge which Discovery re-launched together with the Scouts in September 2011.

Listening to employees is mission-critical for CTN. They are a people business and benefit hugely from the views, ideas and opinions of their own people. In addition to the daily dialogue they have with individuals, CTN have institutionalised the following forums: a) Off-site company meetings: 4 times a year, all staff are invited to participate in an off-site exchange of ideas and a debate about future plans. b) CEO lunches: a rolling program of team 'working lunches' with the CEO for informal Q&A and debate.

CTN Communications' charity of the year, Changing Faces, was holding a campaign week called Face Your Fears (for which they had designed the online campaign material). That week, their staff faced many fears: they overcame fears of maggots, spiders and snakes by handling them and they overcame their fear of needles by giving blood. On the final day, all staff overcame their fears of looking silly by dressing up at work. This light-hearted and sociable week of fund-raising brought the company together and raised over £1,500.

As an organisation they put a lot of emphasis on identifying potential within the organisation and developing it accordingly. A typical example is one of their home managers who they financially assisted to build on her qualifications from Romania, from her starter position as a care assistant. This particular individual went on to do her nursing qualifications and the Registered Manager Award and now manages one of their homes.

Managers within the organisation make clear to their staff the objectives of their team and the organisation at a level that is appropriate to their role, ensuring that they understand how they are expected to contribute to developing and achieving them. They ensure they meet with their staff regularly and involve them in developing what they consider a viable reward and recognition strategy and how that connects with their own input toward the achievement of the organisation's goals. They also encourage their staff to recognise the contribution they and their colleagues make to the organisation, and recommend deserving colleagues for recognition. They implement an informal and formal evaluation of how their staff manage to keep on top of their expectations and offer constructive suggestions as the need arises. They also encourage a similar openness among their staff as they themselves enjoy with senior management, with the ultimate goal of an organisational culture of mutual support and encouragement..

To enhance wellbeing within the organisation, they encourage people to do work that plays to their strengths. They feel that when individuals play to their strengths they are happy and fulfilled and feel energised. Compared to asking people to do work they find dull and boring it's a no brainer! Then, they give people total control over what they do.

Cougar Automation seeks to reward their employees for their efforts in a variety of ways. They recognise everyone that gives 10 out of 10 for customer service. This is done every two months at the company wide meetings and again at the awards presentation and at their annual Company Day.

The company organises and pays for one charity initiative each year which anyone in the agency can join. They believe passionately that the event should put something back into the local community where they work. On the surface Covent Garden, and the borough of Camden, where they are headquartered, is a wealthy and vibrant part of London. Behind the scenes it is home to many disadvantaged and under-privileged people and children. Their Give Day is designed to undertake a project which makes an immediate, if small, difference to the community. In the past they have cleared ponds in local parks, doing work that would otherwise need to be paid for by scarce resources, or painted local community facilities which again would need to be paid for from limited funds.

The company organises and pays for one charity initiative each year which anyone in the agency can join. They believe passionately that the event should put something back into the local community where they work. On the surface Covent Garden, and the borough of Camden, where they are headquartered, is a wealthy and vibrant part of London. Behind the scenes it is home to many disadvantaged and under-privileged people and children. Their Give Day is designed to undertake a project which makes an immediate, if small, difference to the community. In the past they have cleared ponds in local parks, doing work that would otherwise need to be paid for by scarce resources, or painted local community facilities which again would need to be paid for from limited funds.

As an organisation they seek to enhance the wellbeing of employees by providing daily fruit portions for every member of staff and managing stress and losing weight. They have weekly exercise classes and encourage sporting events and participate in many local firm sporting activities. They organise monthly end of the week get-togethers to wind down in readiness for the weekend and close the office during office hours to celebrate Christmas. They also operate a Health Benefit scheme which provides counselling and has a general health enquiry line.

As an organisation they seek to enhance the wellbeing of employees by providing daily fruit portions for every member of staff and managing stress and losing weight. They have weekly exercise classes and encourage sporting events and participate in many local firm sporting activities. They organise monthly end of the week get-togethers to wind down in readiness for the weekend and close the office during office hours to celebrate Christmas. They also operate a Health Benefit scheme which provides counselling and has a general health enquiry line.

To say thank you and recognise the contribution that Centrica's employees and their families make to their success. They ran four CE Sunday events around the country over the summer. More than 2,000 people enjoyed fun in the sun, trying their hand at everything from dog training to archery. Live music provided the backing for the activities including pony riding, clay pigeon shooting and fairground rides. The events proved a big hit with employees. Colleagues who attended said that it was a ‘perfect day', ‘fun, safe and entertaining for everybody' and ‘to have the opportunity to see and speak with colleagues in an informal environment was great.'

This year Centrica Energy launched their new recognition guidelines with a series of workshops to help managers recognise examples of High Performance, Pioneering Spirit and Safety within their teams and individuals that really live The CE Way. They believe that recognition is important for everyone in Centrica Energy; saying thank you can have a positive impact on individual and team morale. It is encouraged in their business so people feel increasingly motivated and engaged. Managers thank their people in ways that suit the individual; it could be a bottle of their favourite wine, dinner at their favourite restaurant or even a thank you letter or card. Centrica's philosophy is: “it is encouraged, it is up to you, you can take ownership and decide who and how to recognise”.

They regularly support local charities that have a meaning or link to employees. They also support local educational establishments in work placements/work experience. This included taking eight students for a four week period where they gave them a specific project to work on supported by employee mentors and gave the students real life work experience to support university applications.

Building Adhesives offer an occupational health facility on site which is open to all employees. They are able to self-refer to discuss any issues with their health advisor, who are independent of the organisation and information is confidential. They provide counselling for individuals if they are having a difficult time, not just work related but if they have any issues in their personal life that they need support with. Building Adhesives also offer mini medicals for all employees.

As part of Brocade's global WellFit strategy all employees in Europe, including the UK, are invited to participate in all global contests and challenges by leveraging on line tools and resources. Wellness programmes provide unique fitness alternatives for employees and are designed to improve their overall health and wellbeing globally while decreasing benefits costs. Most recently this has included an Executive Fitness Challenge. In this challenge Brocade's CEO Michael Klayko and his direct reports challenged all Brocade employees to partner in teams of 12 to complete at least 30 minutes of exercise for two weeks. Over 500 people participated in 44 teams across all geographic locations. In the end the executives came in 28th place. Their CEO said it was a humbling experience for him and it was a fun event for all employees who participated. They also held TheHealthy Living Family Fun Challenge. In its first challenge designed for families, Brocade's WellFit team launched the Healthy Living Family Fun Challenge. Participants tracked the number of fitness minutes they completed with a family member. Another event was Specific for EMEA and was called The Step on it Challenge, Walking is simple and an easy way to get fit you can do it any time, anywhere, on your own or with your family. In this challenge, designed to meet the needs of Brocade's employee population in Europe, participants were given a free pedometer from WellFit so they could track steps and complete against colleagues.

As part of Brocade's global WellFit strategy all employees in Europe, including the UK, are invited to participate in all global contests and challenges by leveraging on line tools and resources. Wellness programmes provide unique fitness alternatives for employees and are designed to improve their overall health and wellbeing globally while decreasing benefits costs. Most recently this has included an Executive Fitness Challenge. In this challenge Brocade's CEO Michael Klayko and his direct reports challenged all Brocade employees to partner in teams of 12 to complete at least 30 minutes of exercise for two weeks. Over 500 people participated in 44 teams across all geographic locations. In the end the executives came in 28th place. Their CEO said it was a humbling experience for him and it was a fun event for all employees who participated. They also held TheHealthy Living Family Fun Challenge. In its first challenge designed for families, Brocade's WellFit team launched the Healthy Living Family Fun Challenge. Participants tracked the number of fitness minutes they completed with a family member. Another event was Specific for EMEA and was called The Step on it Challenge, Walking is simple and an easy way to get fit you can do it any time, anywhere, on your own or with your family. In this challenge, designed to meet the needs of Brocade's employee population in Europe, participants were given a free pedometer from WellFit so they could track steps and complete against colleagues.

The leader of the organisation is a person of high integrity, committed, passionate and a leader who has never lost sight of the Company's vision to be the premium provider in their sector. He has a most engaging management style, is open to ideas and listens to everyone. He is clear and reasonable, in setting objectives and supportive in their efforts to achieve these goals. In terms of interacting with employees, he is genuinely warm in his approach, has an astonishing capacity to remember names and a scary capability to remember previous conversations. At social events he is never happier than mixing with staff at all levels and always the first man to put his hand in his pocket. In summary he is a man that is recognisable as Casterbridge's leader and a leader who everyone is happy to follow.

Casterbridge's training department (The Casterbridge Academy) amongst other activities operates internally and runs apprenticeship schemes for Level 2 and Level 3 qualifications in Childcare and Young People's Workforce. The overall aim of Casterbridge Academy is to recruit, train, educate and progress the future leaders of the business. Taking on approximately 120 new learners each year, they are based in Casterbridge's nursery settings which provides them with the right balance of gaining excellent on the job experience with formal training courses and programme assignments and tasks. The apprenticeship programmes and the team of dedicated trainers and assessors work with the learners in order to develop their skills and knowledge to the level of becoming a premium childcare practitioner allowing them to offer only the highest standards of care to all their children and parents. Upon graduating from the Level 3 programme the learners are considered by the industry to be ‘qualified' and are allowed to work independently and even progress on to be Supervisors and Nursery Managers although Casterbridge provide them with a lot more training before then. As far as they are aware, they are the only company in the industry to offer internally run apprenticeship programmes.

Company social events are a regular feature. Addiction Worldwide hold Friday drinks every week, when they all get together at the end of the day to chat over a few beers. Their monthly staff meeting always adjourns to a local pub, and turns into a social event. Recently they decorated the building with cobwebs and pumpkins for Halloween, most people dressed up and the day ended in a party. They also have a well-supported softball team. They are hardworking, highly motivated individuals who genuinely enjoy each other's company. People will often hear of staff members who go on holiday together and spend time together out of office hours. Fun and playfulness are key to a culture that is creative and encourages innovation and socialising is a lovely by-product of this. Social events are not limited to the 'junior' or 'younger' members of staff. The long standing, more senior members of staff are not afraid to get stuck in either.

Addiction Worldwide is fast paced and often has intense periods of working, so they have to be communicating, observing and listening to what is happening throughout the organisation. They work on the basis of 'Ask forgiveness not permission'. Feedback is an integral part of their culture, which is something they bring in from the interview stage. They are an entrepreneurial, creative company which employs people who want and indeed need to share ideas on a daily basis. To that end there is no suggestion box or other 'one fits all' way of capturing all of this. Instead they make sure that every single member of staff knows that they will be listened to and answered. It is integrated into their DNA .

They have a passionate belief in supporting their colleagues and have faced numerous challenges since the merger of the two heritage businesses, each with their own training methods and practices. To further develop their customer service training, they knew they needed to radically change the way they developed the capability of their practice colleagues adopting not just a ‘Best of Both' but a ‘Better than Both' approach to the challenge. Historically D&A had operated a compulsory NVQ programme for all of its practice colleagues whilst Boots had adopted a less structured but customer-led approach. To best support their colleagues the decision was taken to retain the formal NVQ approach. They also decided to make the programmes increasingly flexible and fit for purpose in a fast moving sector. So last year they made the Level 2 NVQ apprenticeship programme compulsory for all new joins - 400 new apprentices each year with capacity to flex up to over 600, and to ensure a consistent training experience for all learners whether full time or part time, government funded or non funded. In the last year, with the mission to ensure successful take up of the NVQ programme, they have opened five new satellite or regional training centres across the country. These have been carefully sited to ensure that all colleagues are within reasonable travelling distance of a centre, and that their Optical Consultant population do not have to stay overnight. This is particularly important given the number of part-time colleagues and colleagues with families, for whom residential training is extremely difficult. The company have invested large amounts in facilities, equipment and staff for these centres and they have all been created with colleagues' personal needs in mind. They want to ensure all of their colleagues have the knowledge they need to succeed in their role and the opportunity to develop themselves personally while at work, and the apprenticeship programme is just one example of that.

They have a passionate belief in supporting their colleagues and have faced numerous challenges since the merger of the two heritage businesses, each with their own training methods and practices. To further develop their customer service training, they knew they needed to radically change the way they developed the capability of their practice colleagues adopting not just a ‘Best of Both' but a ‘Better than Both' approach to the challenge. Historically D&A had operated a compulsory NVQ programme for all of its practice colleagues whilst Boots had adopted a less structured but customer-led approach. To best support their colleagues the decision was taken to retain the formal NVQ approach. They also decided to make the programmes increasingly flexible and fit for purpose in a fast moving sector. So last year they made the Level 2 NVQ apprenticeship programme compulsory for all new joins - 400 new apprentices each year with capacity to flex up to over 600, and to ensure a consistent training experience for all learners whether full time or part time, government funded or non funded. In the last year, with the mission to ensure successful take up of the NVQ programme, they have opened five new satellite or regional training centres across the country. These have been carefully sited to ensure that all colleagues are within reasonable travelling distance of a centre, and that their Optical Consultant population do not have to stay overnight. This is particularly important given the number of part-time colleagues and colleagues with families, for whom residential training is extremely difficult. The company have invested large amounts in facilities, equipment and staff for these centres and they have all been created with colleagues' personal needs in mind. They want to ensure all of their colleagues have the knowledge they need to succeed in their role and the opportunity to develop themselves personally while at work, and the apprenticeship programme is just one example of that.

Blue Rubicon place a huge emphasis on the sharing of knowledge and thirst for knowledge within their culture – facilitating and encouraging this at the most senior level of the company. This is reflected in knowledge sharing forums that have been part of their DNA for over a decade: Their Thursday lunchtime ‘brown bags' are open to the whole company to come and learn from inspiring internal and external speakers over lunch. The company constantly look for ways to extend this principle to provide new and exciting opportunities for employees – and this was behind the launch last year of Blue Rubicon's ‘Exchange'. This has been established with three different types of agencies within the marketing sphere including advertising and experiential, to provide opportunities for their people to exchange ideas and knowledge. In a formal way this involves shared training on a wide range of topics. On an informal level, the Exchange provides a network of peer to peer contacts to act as sounding boards, test ideas out on, invite to brainstorms and simply create new inspiration and shared knowledge. The Exchange also provides opportunities for mentoring with very experienced senior people from across the marketing mix to explore personal development from a broad perspective

The company recognised the need to re-visit some of the fundamentals of their 5 year business plan: the market had changed significantly, they had been through a tough year financially and needed to re-ignite some of the passion employees felt about working for Blue Rubicon. They consulted and engaged everyone in this process – and ultimately re-shaped a bolder and ambitious growth plan for the next 5 years. This was presented by the senior management to the whole agency where we were clear about: Where the company was headed and why, Identifying the opportunities for individuals to have personal progression. As a result this inspired debate across the agency – at the Q&A session and during the following days. Specific feedback was sent directly to their CEO and included: “Thank you for today's presentation – I found it really inspiring. It's really exciting to be part of an agency with such bold ambitions!”

As well as having an employee assistance programme in place, employees are able to have massages during their working day. The firm also offer access to a doctor and occupational health specialists. A full workstation assessment programme is also in place.

As well as having an employee assistance programme in place, employees are able to have massages during their working day. The firm also offer access to a doctor and occupational health specialists. A full workstation assessment programme is also in place.

All employees from Senior Account Manager level and above attend the BCL Academy Line Manager Training.

All employees from Senior Account Manager level and above attend the BCL Academy Line Manager Training.

In 2010, Barlows entered and won the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce Business Awards Invest in Skills category. To celebrate their sucess all employees were invited to attend an awards ceremony.

To initiate employee engagement, new employees will be given a structured induction over two weeks from arrival at Barlows. Their personal development process provides a two-way framework that balances a structured approach with flexibility and informality. It is also intended to integrate a process of employee and company improvement into the everyday running of the business by improving hard and soft skills, addressing behaviour and liking roles to the company mission. The company also share their knowledge and skills in the workplace through coaching and mentoring, workplace secondments and collaborative planning. All have an immediate impact on business results.

An open and caring attitude of the company to staff health, welfare, safety and care. Avidity IP do the basic things very well (as an office based business), such as the office environment, facilities and ergonomics (seating, IT equipment, ergonomics). Also their policy of keeping capacity always reduces stress on employees. Some of the smaller things which are done every day include: Methodical office and kitchen cleaning, decontamination of door handles and work surfaces, thorough kitchen cleaning. Additionally the company provide annual Eye checks and care, and Flu Jabs.

Bonus based on profit performance of the firm.

Arena Media aim to create as many opportunities as possible to share ideas, encourage feedback and most importantly to listen. The company actively encourages each employee to ‘make a difference' as set out in their mission statement. One good example of this is the Arena's Dragon Den, which they introduced last year. Staff were invited to persuade the Dragons, a panel made up of staff at various levels, to part with their cash - a chunk of the charity budget for a charity they felt was most deserving. It was a way for them to ‘make a difference' and 50 employees chose to take part. To ensure they live up to their proposition, Arena Media carried out several workshops to discuss what Further, Faster means to individuals and departments, as well as generating ideas. Keeping the groups small and making it informal has given everyone a voice at all levels. Attendance at the workshops was very high, as people recognised it was their chance to get involved in shaping how the business is run.

Arena Media aim to create as many opportunities as possible to share ideas, encourage feedback and most importantly to listen. The company actively encourages each employee to ‘make a difference' as set out in their mission statement. One good example of this is the Arena's Dragon Den, which they introduced last year. Staff were invited to persuade the Dragons, a panel made up of staff at various levels, to part with their cash - a chunk of the charity budget for a charity they felt was most deserving. It was a way for them to ‘make a difference' and 50 employees chose to take part. To ensure they live up to their proposition, Arena Media carried out several workshops to discuss what Further, Faster means to individuals and departments, as well as generating ideas. Keeping the groups small and making it informal has given everyone a voice at all levels. Attendance at the workshops was very high, as people recognised it was their chance to get involved in shaping how the business is run.

Aquamarine Power believes everyone's voice should be heard, whether it's coming up with a new idea or feeling able to challenge the status quo. As part of their commitment to genuinely listen to staff, Aquamarine Power has conducted bi-annual anonymous staff surveys for three years. This has proved a highly effective way of listening to staff and has allowed the company to make business improvements based on staff feedback. Participation in the staff surveys has consistently been between 95 and 100% which demonstrates the value staff place on this opportunity to give their views. In addition to their surveys, the company also hold regular focus groups and workshops to explore issues raised within the survey in more detail. They also listen to staff queries, which can be raised anonymously at their All Staff Update – a monthly get-together, which encourages two-way communication and is the cornerstone of their staff engagement strategy.

CSR is integral to the unique culture at Aquamarine Power where they ensure their staff can thrive and have fun while making a significant contribution to the wider community and socio-economic climate. 100% of employees were proud of the CSR activities the company was involved in according to the Staff Survey in December 2010. Since then they have strived to improve CSR on an internal, local and global scale; building partnerships with RSPB, Engineering Aid and the Marine Conservation Society, funded a six-month internship to establish a robust model to analyse their carbon footprint and life cycle analysis and setting the standard for wave energy site consenting with focus on community consultation. Aquamarine Power has a broad framework of activities involving sport, social activity, environmental initiatives, charitable and community contributions, and supplier partnerships. They promote charitable working by supporting staff to take paid time off to do voluntary work.

Nutritionist sessions are arranged by the company where staff can discuss their diet and ways to improve it. The company provides flu vaccinations for any staff who want it in the run-up to winter. They have a Dunhill Den - a 5th floor "common room" environment with TV, table football, music, fruit, food and drink available all through the day.

The Positive Leadership Objective focuses the managers into the important elements of communicating with their teams. The company have in place a robust and detailed annual appraisal process which is reviewed with staff at half year intervals. All Senior Managers and the HR department are accessible and integrated within the organisation - attending meetings and informal events to listen to and engage with staff from all parts of the business. They have recently initiated a "GoodToGreat" email address for staff to feed back and provide suggestions for improvement.

Agrovista's chairman knows everyone's name and is happy to make time to see or call any member of staff if they wish to discuss something with him. He interacts well at all levels and always makes time for anyone who wishes to see him. An example of his involvement is that he always makes a point of contacting every employee on their birthday to wish them 'Happy Birthday'.

Agrovista's chairman knows everyone's name and is happy to make time to see or call any member of staff if they wish to discuss something with him. He interacts well at all levels and always makes time for anyone who wishes to see him. An example of his involvement is that he always makes a point of contacting every employee on their birthday to wish them 'Happy Birthday'.

A current example of how they support their lawyers is their Lawyer of 2014 programme. This is about equipping each of their fee earners to have the skills and expertise to be able to make a positive contribution to their business in a way that is aligned with their 2014 objectives. They have identified a number of key stages of an Associate's career, namely: New Associate, Associate Level 1, and Associate Level 2 and moving on to Managing Associate promotion stage. Their development programme has been built around each of these stages. They were one of the first law firms in the UK to introduce the MA level our programmes mark a stage in an associate's career; all have been specifically tailored to Addleshaw Goddard, and are very practical and delivered by a combination of internal and external experts. The programmes have been, and will continue to be, benchmarked against what is offered by other leading professional services providers.

Addleshaw Goddard's Managers provide clear vision and direction to their team members to enable their team to understand their role and their value to their team. One of their core values is that the Firm is open and honest, and they expect their line managers to listen to their employees and ensure that they are open to considering any queries or concerns that they may have. Their managers explain their decisions and actions and give people an opportunity to respond. Their Managers devote time to coaching their team members and are objective and fair in the way they assess and reward performance. They expect their Managers to provide timely feedback on an open, honest and constructive basis. Feedback sessions are important as it helps an individual understand how they are doing and what is required of them. Importantly, this acts as important upward communication tool so managers can receive feedback and ensure that what they are asking is realistic but also provides stretch and development for the individual.

4C Associates regularly work with charitable organisations that encourages youth from deprived backgrounds and ethnic origins, including people with disability to find work and do something worthwhile in order to keep people off the streets and help the environment we live in. The organisation also provides training and information regarding "going back to work" for everyone. They give up their time to assist in their project by assisting people in interviewing skills and providing office space for meetings and training.

4C Associates regularly work with charitable organisations that encourages youth from deprived backgrounds and ethnic origins, including people with disability to find work and do something worthwhile in order to keep people off the streets and help the environment we live in. The organisation also provides training and information regarding "going back to work" for everyone. They give up their time to assist in their project by assisting people in interviewing skills and providing office space for meetings and training.

1HQ consider the level of support individuals will need to achieve their tasks. They review this regularly asking for feedback on how they feel things are going and set up shadow opportunities.They work with individuals on clearly explaining what is required, measuring where they are achieving and what needs to be done next. The company shows an interest in people as individuals and care for their needs. The company seeks to understand their ambitions and encourages their potential. Managers know their team inside out through team building events.

Both Managing partners of the business are as a result of internal promotion and success. Both are hugely respected individuals in the business. 1HQ has supported them through their growth.

Their employees may undertake a variety of training activities throughout the year dependent on their position, which department and office they are in. A focus for many is the Continuing Professional Development requirements of their professional bodies (such as ICAEW, ACCA, CIOT etc). These people attend update courses on all relevant areas of accounts, audit and taxation, and more specific courses such as charity legislation. They encourage their team to attend courses and to undertake challenging work for both the benefit of the company and their own personal growth. Examples of this include a series of practice and people management courses attended by two of our managers. This included areas where they had to apply the theory into practice between training sessions then to report back at the next session.

Their leader actively encourages team members to get involved and has weekly meetings with department heads to ensure he is constantly aware of all areas of the business. He sets high personal standards, leads by example and is always approachable.

They support a charitable organisation which was founded by Working LInks - this is the Links Foundation. Each year they give a percentage of our profit (over £5m in 10 years). Local organisations within the communities where they work can submit bids to use this fund for local budgets. During this, their 10th anniversary year, every person in Working Links will be given a day to support a charity or local community project of their choice.

They support a charitable organisation which was founded by Working LInks - this is the Links Foundation. Each year they give a percentage of our profit (over £5m in 10 years). Local organisations within the communities where they work can submit bids to use this fund for local budgets. During this, their 10th anniversary year, every person in Working Links will be given a day to support a charity or local community project of their choice.

The RESPECT Programme promotes positive behaviour in health, education, personal well being, citizenship, relationships and environment. Warings are proud to be the official corporate partner of the programme, allowing them to offer and support opportunities for young disadvantaged people including supporting apprenticeships and accredited training. Since partnering with the Respect Programme, Warings have taken part in a number of volunteering projects including the environmental clear up at Milton Locks, the Portsmouth Games Sports Festival and the Southsea Skate Park refurbishment. Their Health & Safety Advisors also volunteered their expertise prior to the work, undertaking a complete risk assessment of the park's ongoing repair programme.

Philippe Jouy was appointed Managing Director in November 2009 following the retirement of the CEO after over 30 years with the Company. He has faced many challenges over the year particularly as a result of the economic climate and its impact upon the construction industry. He is open, honest with a fresh outlook, he challenges his people and has high expectations of himself and others.

All Turner &Townsend offices with more than ten people around the globe have a CSR representative and each of these provides a quarterly report to the CSR committee on how they have engaged with the community where they live and work. There is also an emphasis on children and homelessness. Staff have been given total freedom to choose local charities and good causes that have popular support within their particular office. Such activities as fund raising, taking volunteer days, time given for pro bono advise are monitored via key performance indicators, with a view to achieving a consistent approach globally and demonstrating continuous improvement.

All Turner &Townsend offices with more than ten people around the globe have a CSR representative and each of these provides a quarterly report to the CSR committee on how they have engaged with the community where they live and work. There is also an emphasis on children and homelessness. Staff have been given total freedom to choose local charities and good causes that have popular support within their particular office. Such activities as fund raising, taking volunteer days, time given for pro bono advise are monitored via key performance indicators, with a view to achieving a consistent approach globally and demonstrating continuous improvement.

Staff are rewarded through an annual party which this year included complimentary drinks and amusements including dodgems, a surf simulator,gladiator duel, and music. There was a prize draw to win prizes including flights from Bristol to any European destination, an iPad and a balloon ride. In addition, there are specific group and team parties led by the relevant group or team leader to thank and reward staff. For example, Richard Waller who heads TLT's Financial Services Group has an annual party at his home for all 250 staff in the group. As well as providing food and drink, Richard invites staff to use his swimming pool and arranges a live band, bouncy castle, laser maze and other activities. TLT provides a social budget which teams are actively encouraged to use to fund team Christmas parties or other team days out.

Staff are rewarded through an annual party which this year included complimentary drinks and amusements including dodgems, a surf simulator,gladiator duel, and music. There was a prize draw to win prizes including flights from Bristol to any European destination, an iPad and a balloon ride. In addition, there are specific group and team parties led by the relevant group or team leader to thank and reward staff. For example, Richard Waller who heads TLT's Financial Services Group has an annual party at his home for all 250 staff in the group. As well as providing food and drink, Richard invites staff to use his swimming pool and arranges a live band, bouncy castle, laser maze and other activities. TLT provides a social budget which teams are actively encouraged to use to fund team Christmas parties or other team days out.

The Futures Company offer Management Training consisting of People management, Business and Financial Management, Negotiation skills, Leadership and Trusted Advisor training as well as Industry-specific training. There is learning on the job, mentored and coached by seniors, given opportunities to work across the teams to gain breadth as well as depth of experience.

The cultural approach within The Futures Company is one of trust, transparency and accessibility extended to all. Their recently appointed MD, Sarah King, is enormously respected for her enthusiastic commitment to the business. She has a very collaborative approach, is empathetic and supportive, always makes time for important conversations even when she is very busy. She is an inspiring role model, with high levels of integrity, leading by example.

The Brand Union have a budget specifically for fun and social events examples of these events are: Christmas party - Summer party - Events - Visits. In addition to this they also have Team celebration events such as, Dinners and outings and Team reward/bonuses in the form of vouchers. The Brand Union describe their most recent or best experience of a team building event as their Mongrel Vigor away days.

The Brand Union believe in instant recognition, they give vouchers and cards for hardwork and going above and beyond. They also reward ideas or innovation at the Mongrel Vigor awards and WOW awards for specific achievements.

On average, employees at Teva UK Limited receive 60 hours per year formal training with an average spend being £850 on training per year. Examples of the sorts of training activities your employees might undertake are: Management & Leadership Development, - coaching, motivation, situational leadership, influencing & assertiveness, communications, presentation skills, negotiation skills, junior, middle & senior management development programmes; development centres Specialist/Operational training per function, eg regulatory training, operations training, warehourse, distribution training, packaging training, medical training, competition law training, sales effectiveness training, account management training, Attending conferences/seminars based on functional needs. eg HR attends the CIPD conferences.

On average, employees at Teva UK Limited receive 60 hours per year formal training with an average spend being £850 on training per year. Examples of the sorts of training activities your employees might undertake are: Management & Leadership Development, - coaching, motivation, situational leadership, influencing & assertiveness, communications, presentation skills, negotiation skills, junior, middle & senior management development programmes; development centres Specialist/Operational training per function, eg regulatory training, operations training, warehourse, distribution training, packaging training, medical training, competition law training, sales effectiveness training, account management training, Attending conferences/seminars based on functional needs. eg HR attends the CIPD conferences.

Tameside College beleive in Milestone Recognition and after both 20 years and 30 years service they have Awards. They also have a Formal Dinner for Employees and Partners and £200 voucher for them to spend. Tameside College also recognise employees with their College Pride Campaign - 'What have you done to make the College feel proud of you'.

Personal Growth is an important area and on average employees at Tameside College receive 45 hours per year formal training, with the organisation's average spend per employee on training per year being £140. Some examples of the sorts of training activities their employees might undertake are: Higher Educaiton Qualifications, Professional Qualifications, Teacher Training, Professional, Updating Skills, Updating Equality and Diversity Health and Safety.

Styles&Wood ensure that employees feel they are rewarded for their efforts using a number of methods. Email and noticeboard recognition is given and a day's holiday is awarded to the Colleague of the month. Vouchers are rewarded to colleagues receiving the Chief Executive Values Awards and team meals are presented to teams exceeding business expectations. Personal letters and certificates are also awarded by the Chief Executive Officer.

Styles&Wood match funds raised by their employees for charity as many times as they can or they will provide funds for raffles and activities to enable the events to take place. They will generally match up to £250 per event. As a Project Management company delivering projects for their clients on a national basis, they recruit colleagues based in locations accross the UK. They therefore deliver an agenda which supports nationally recognised charities such as Barnardos along with projects based around their office locations. Their sites often engage in activities local to the site area where they are based, this can range from mini challenges, recruiting local labour, engagement with client community acitivities and supporting local schools.

Stephenson Harwood professional fee earning employees receive technical and legal training coupled with a comprehensive range of key business skills such as people management, financial management, business development and leadership. Similar topics are run for their support staff alongside their personal development plans. In addition to specific role-related training. All staff receive a full induction and ongoing IT training. Stephenson Harwood also offer intermediate language training and compulsory training to comply with the Solicitors' Regulatory Authority and Solicitors' Professional Skills Course. Additionally, they offer support for the external technical, legal or professional courses, as appropriate, such as an LLM, CTA, or ACA.

Stephenson Harwood's Chief Executive is not only down-to-earth and personable but a pragmatic, effective and well respected leader. Her style is informal and relaxed and she makes every effort to attend Firm social events and other opportunities to mix with employees, such as the associate management lunches. She has an exceptional understanding of the Firm's business, people and culture and is well placed to lead the business forward over the coming years. She continues to head up Stephenson Harwood's corporate practice and therefore keeps in touch with issues on the ground as well as the bigger picture. She also remains actively involved in people aspects such as recruitment and development.

SRK conducts annual appraisals of all staff, supported by 6-monthly mid-term reviews and regular feedback from managers. In additon, SRK rewards all staff trough an annual discretionary bonus scheme.

SRK conducts annual appraisals of all staff, supported by 6-monthly mid-term reviews and regular feedback from managers. In additon, SRK rewards all staff trough an annual discretionary bonus scheme.

Skills Training encourage employees to form peer to peer groups particularly when they have been training together. These groups share knowledge and experience with each other. When employees have attended training they do a presentation for their peers that have not attended to share their learning. For example their trainers from the delivery centres pooled their expertise and designed and rolled out an innovative one day intensive support programme which was a success. Skills Training operate a buddy system ensuring that new staff are matched with an experienced colleague to support with settling in time and development of job role.

Skills Training make a positive difference to the lives of their customers through their role in obtaining meaningful work, striving to ensure their customers stay in work for the long term. Their financial and non-financial incentives are built on these principles. Skills Training employees are also rewarded and recognised through team building events which may range from bowling, a theatre visit, paint-balling or a team meal. They have an annual event which usually takes place at a prestigious location in London in which their employees are rewarded with a sit down meal, entertainment and an Awards Ceremony led by the Chief Executive and Chairman.

Simpson Millar LLP Solicitors provide staff with subsidised gym membership should they wish to join a gym. They operate an open and relaxted culture. Whilst staff are given realistic work related targets, this is not at the expense of a home life. Wherever possible, they allow staff a great deal of flexibility in order that they may acheive a greater work/life balance. Where the nature of their work allows, staff are able to take work from home days, reduce their hours, etc.

Simpson Millar LLP Solicitors have a budget specifically for fun and social events. Examples of these events are: Christmas Party's, pre-wedding celebrations, regular Friday evening social events for staff providing nibbles and drinks, Corporate Race day. Each department holds celebrations at year end together with other milestones. In particular, one of their most recently added teams celebrated the end of their first 6 months with Simpson Millar by way of a celebratory meal. Certain departments with Simpson Millar operate on a team target rather than an individual target and are therefore rewarded by way of a bonus upon reaching target. A Training Weekend is held annually in Birmingham where all Partners & Fee Earners attend Austin Court for training, seminars and presentations as well as an evening social function.

Their HR Director runs masterclasses in People Management, Employment Law, Employee Satisfaction. They have ran Presentation skills and Train the Trainer sessions for managers who deliver Team Talks.

Their HR Director runs masterclasses in People Management, Employment Law, Employee Satisfaction. They have ran Presentation skills and Train the Trainer sessions for managers who deliver Team Talks.

Roland's most recent total spend on training was approximately £100k, This, however, is not split per person. Line managers assess their employees training needs on a regular basis and will arrange training wherever required. Employees are also encouraged to request relevant training which is paid for by the company should it benefit both the employee and the company.

Roland's most recent total spend on training was approximately £100k, This, however, is not split per person. Line managers assess their employees training needs on a regular basis and will arrange training wherever required. Employees are also encouraged to request relevant training which is paid for by the company should it benefit both the employee and the company.

Robert Dyas have a No Smoking Policy and Smoking is not permitted inside any premises and a lot of Head Office Colleagues will now offer fruit as well as cakes when buying for their birthday! They promote their Retail Trust Helpline as well as encouraging colleagues to approach their Line Manager or HR if they have an ongoing concern. With regards to other mental health issues they refer all cases to their occupational Health provider for advice and support and any colleague who requests time off for private treatment will be given the time requested. Head Office colleagues have a discounted membership at the local Health Centre and they encourage all Colleagues to take regular breaks.

Robert Dyas provide an Operations and Procedures Manual and all requests for support for external management qualifications are considered, Colleagues have had time off for study, time off to attend courses or leave early and also financial support is awarded if the qualification links to the job role i.e. CIPD /CIMA. They have a Senior Store Manager programme with the top 10% of Store Managers and run an Assistant Manager training programme. 360 feedback has been done within the Operations Team (District Managers/Communications and HR). They have recently trained their Ops team in Predictive Index (PI) which they also distributed to all Store Managers.

RLB Academy was set up specifically to focus on development of all the staff to ensure consistency of knowledge, skills and behaviours in whatever role is being performed and to ensure that all their staff are given the training, education and development opportunities they need to enable them to fulfil the requirements of their jobs and to achieve their potential in line with their PDP's. As RLB continues to expand, so do the Academy initiatives to ensure that RLB fulfil the needs of all their people and all their businesses including a drive on service delivery competence this year to exceed client demands in the tough economy.

Rider Levett Bucknall believe in a culture of recognition to ensure that everyone is given verbal and other forms of recognition and reward, which has been established as part of their Behavioural Principles. They benchmark salaries and benefits at least annually to ensure that the employees are offered salaries and benefits in the upper quartile of the industry. RLB continually seek to offer flexible benefits which allow their employees to ensure that they are able to make the most of tax and NI efficient schemes e.g. purchasing bicycles, childcare vouchers etc plus SMART pension scheme which allows Employer NI savings to be paid to their employee's pension pots and interest free loans for season tickets and gym.

Ranstad encourage team work and interaction by holding Christmas Parties, Annual conference Summer Event - outdoor activites- quads,treasure hunt,bbq Charity quiz night Company birthday party networking events Football and netball tournaments.

Ranstad hold Top 100 meetings - 100 managers across the group meet to share knowledge and best practise and Client Account Manager meetings monthly to share knowledge and best practise. Ranstad also provide the following Senior Exuctive programme, Leaders in Action programme and First line managers programme.

On average, employees receive 21 hours per year formal training with an average spend of £500 per employee on training per year. They provide many in house lectures delivered by both staff and other companies which provide short burst updates in emerging techniques and technologies. Underpinning this they have a highly developed training scheme delivering single or multiple day courses in specialist fields, software and health and safety.

At Ramboll UK the MD conducts a Friday morning presentation every month which gives employees the opportunity to ask questions and all offices in the UK are open plan with an open door policy. Their MD has his own page on the intranet which provides regular updates to the organisation as well as having an online Q&A discussion board. Senior management interaction with all levels of employees is a daily occurrence with graduates and all employees throughout the organisation having the opportunity to work directly on projects with senior managers. The MD encourages open communication throughout the business. He has been an employee for almost 20 years and was promoted to MD in 2009. He knows the company and it's employees well and has a very strong working relationship with a number of their employees. Ramboll's MDs approach is one of empowerment and personal development. Staff say he is approachable and has a very casual style about him which encourages employees at all levels to relate to him openly.