What are companies doing with regards to 'Personal Growth'

Over recent years FGAUK has invested heavily to enhance the working experience of its staff. Communication, company values, incentives, recognition, rewards, and engagement have all been areas of focus. Championed by a new MD in 2008 and senior management, these initiatives have been implemented through dedicated project committees comprising of the wider workforce. Morale and motivation has been driven through a ‘peer to peer' nomination scheme which rewards both top talent and excellence in line with their published company expectations, which form the core of their new corporate culture.

FGA UK have a Business Integration Committee who have introduced a project to establish and reduce FGA UK's carbon footprint in conjunction with "Good Business" in line with their position as the Car Manufacturer with the lowest Co2 emissions in industry. There is also Eco-Drive which is a unique technology that is designed to monitor and modify driving habits and behaviour of owners of FGA products.

A lot of work is done at the weekends so Fast Track offer days in lieu. These are capped at 15 days a year to encourage work/life balance. Fast Track have a Chairman's BBQ every year at the Chairman's home where family and friends are invited. There are running groups and keep fit classes at lunch time in the park.

Fast Track Sales Ltd hold several company team events including an annual "sports day" and BBQ in October and an annual Christmas Party. They also have at least one other business focused but interactive fun away day each year. They also endorse and take part in office organised initiatives such as a charity fund raising. Fast Track Sales Ltd also support their company sports teams such as their netball and football team by contributing to their subs.

Family Mosaic believe it is important to keep managers informed of bottom line business performance and progress on transformation projects. Their top 60 managers gather once a quarter to be briefed on this. In addition they use these events to hold master classes where they invite leaders of external organisations to share their knowledge and successful practices with their people managers. There is a STEPS Management Programme identifying and training current and future leaders.

The Customer Care Centre (one of the top 50 in the country) recognises colleague of the month as do other business units. Family Mosaic have an immediate bonus system which recognises great performance or cost saving initiatives. Amounts of £50 - £500 are paid out. More than 20 have been paid out after only 6 months of the year. Rewards for ideas or innovation are recognised in the Spot Bonus.

Experian QAS have Gazing sales training - this is classroom based training followed up with practical sessions with the trainer or manager to ensure it is being put into practice eg listening into sales calls. The Gazing sales methodology is embedded across the organisation and attended by all customer facing staff. Soft skills training is also offered with a calendar of events for staff to sign up to - this ensures they can organise a trainer to come in house without each person going on an external course. This helps towards achieving their individual PDP objectives in a cost and time effective way.

Experien QAS have participated in two Experian management training programmes for their senior managers (Inspire) and their managers (Engage.) They have also trained 4 senior HR professionals in facilitating 360 degree feedback qualifications so they could roll this out to support all their managers. Experien QAS encourage managers to network and attend relevant management seminars. They also hold an offsite 2 day management meeting once per year with colleagues from the international Experian QAS offices. HR also regularly run bespoke workshops for managers as relevant to their current needs eg Capability workshop or Performance Appraisal workshop.

At Enotria Winecellars employees vote every year for their choice of Christmas Party; informal or formal. They hold a summer Event/Party and this year they had the first “Enotria Sports day and BBQ Event”. On the last Thursday of every other month they hold “Social Thursday” it is always themed to add the fun element. People from across the business get involved by cooking and baking. Some of the events they have had so far are: The French Edition, The Pub Quiz to raise money for the British Heart Foundation Event, Spring is in the Air, The Spanish Edition, Chill'n & Grill'n the BBQ Edition and Go-Pink-Enotria to raise money for Breast Cancer UK.

Enotria Winecellars Ltd provide internal awards to their employees to recognise employee's contributions. They have Annual Company Awards where they recognise exceptional performance as well as recognising important employee milestones by presenting length of service awards and gifts. Instant Recognition is given to colleagues in the form of Team/Department awards from Line Managers. They also have a Suggestion Scheme which is both intranet and paper based which offers rewards for ideas or innovation.

EMC's internal learning and development framework is segmented into four categories: core curriculum, needs based training, function training and development interventions. Employees can work with their managers to create Individual Development Plans which set professional development goals that align with the employees' career aspirations and the needs of the business. All employees can upload their CV on to EMC's intranet to highlight their skills and experiences to all people managers globally, indicating their availability and suitability for specific virtual projects and other career opportunities. EMC University's Learning and Development programs are designed to attract, retain, and develop the best talent. EMC's Essential Curriculum teaches employees core competencies to succeed in their current position and advance to the next level.

They have an on-line resource centre for managers with “how do I” guides and webinars and support their people managers undertaking external People Management related qualifications. 360 feedback is offered to all employees at all levels and includes a 2 hour coaching session with an internally accredited coach who also provides career coaching. They have management forums such as the monthly District Managers' meeting development and information sharing event and their high potential employees are segmented by career stages to enable differentiated development experiences to be offered. Emerging leaders attend their annual High Contributors Programme at Cranfield University over a 5 month period. Mid-level high potentials attend Sustaining High Performance at IMD Lausanne and executive level high potentials attend their Executive Leadership Development Programmes.

The company hold several events throughout the year including the Halloween quiz, Easter bonnet competition and virtual Easter treasure hunt. They also hold anniversary, Christmas and year end parties, Summer BBQ, rounder's, bowling, top golf, fantasy football and team building events. Most of the events are focused on raising money for charity. Dentsply also hold a winter conference for all staff with updates on the business. In the evening a ball was held for employees and partners, fully funded by the company including overnight accommodation.

Staff can choose benefits which match their personal lifestyle needs. Employees are able to make "lifestyle changes" at appropriate times. Regular benefit workshops are held to inform employees of additional benefits and discounts available. They also hold a winter ball celebration and they have an annual award ceremony where they celebrate those members of the team that have "lived" the values and who have contributed "over and above". The ultimate winner relieves a prize of £2000. They also recognise performance through merit increases. A high proportion of their employees are rewarded through a bonus, commission and incentive scheme.

Team attendance at award ceremonies/conferences often involving trips away or abroad to encourage team cohesiveness and team spirit. The Sales department hold an annual Sales Team Building Conference and this year's conference is held in Amsterdam. The fully paid for trip abroad is a great way to thank the team for their hard work and for hitting targets this year. Each department is responsible for their own team building initiatives and all managers are encouraged (and given the budget) to organise team activities. The type of activities range from activity weekends, sports days, team quizzes and team away days.

Every other year managers receive formal employment law training which offers practical guidance on topics such as managing performance and absence within a legislative framework. This type of training gives managers important information and knowledge as well as building confidence to be able to know how to deal with situations in a constructive manner and following best practice guidelines. For newly appointed managers they offer either external training on the basic principles of management or depending on the volume of new managers the Company runs internal sessions called "Management Basics" - topics include appraisals, tips on motivation and having difficult conversations.

C&W has traditionally placed a significant emphasis on creating an environment that is fun to work in. Events this year which have contributed towards this include; All UK staff summer drinks party held at The Kensington Roof Gardens in September; Sponsored Pilates lessons are run in the Portman Square office on a regular basis, and are always over-subscribed; Team Away Days eg. Punting in Cambridge, School Race Day and Pub Quiz, Inter-Team softball match followed by drinks and pizza and a LondonTreasure Hunt followed by a drinks reception and dinner.

C&W has traditionally placed a significant emphasis on creating an environment that is fun to work in. Events this year which have contributed towards this include; All UK staff summer drinks party held at The Kensington Roof Gardens in September; Sponsored Pilates lessons are run in the Portman Square office on a regular basis, and are always over-subscribed; Team Away Days eg. Punting in Cambridge, School Race Day and Pub Quiz, Inter-Team softball match followed by drinks and pizza and a LondonTreasure Hunt followed by a drinks reception and dinner.

All employees are encouraged to maintain work life balance - employees are encouraged to request flexible working practices to fit in with their lifestyle and family needs. All staff attend stress awareness training and all staff have access to occupational health services.

Escalate is their in house talent development scheme. All staff are enrolled into Escalate which is a structured development programme for all levels to encourage life long learning and promotion of skills within the business. They have recently launched their 'mentoring scheme' - all employees were given the opportunity to apply for the scheme and 12 have now been chosen to be mentored by the directors of the group.