What are companies doing with regards to 'Personal Growth'

All of the companies 4 London charities were given £10,000 each plus Railway Children to which 50% of their Corporate Responsibility budget is donated. The company also have money tins throughout the building, sponsored sleep outs, quiz nights and pennies from heaven donations. Employees also undertake individual activities including a Trailwalker event where employees walked 100km in 3 days and Cookery workshop with the Kids Company.

All of the companies 4 London charities were given £10,000 each plus Railway Children to which 50% of their Corporate Responsibility budget is donated. The company also have money tins throughout the building, sponsored sleep outs, quiz nights and pennies from heaven donations. Employees also undertake individual activities including a Trailwalker event where employees walked 100km in 3 days and Cookery workshop with the Kids Company.

The leader of Avanti is an inspirational entrepreneur and leader who paints his vision clearly so that their people understand and act to deliver. He is also present at an all-staff quarterly meeting that ends with a Q&A with him. All senior team members manage by walkabout. Being a workforce of less than 100 with most based at the Head Offices, they all work closely with each other, especially their Senior Management Team

Excellent work is highlighted at staff quarterly meetings as are employee promotions. All-staff quarterly meetings are hosted by their CEO and company update emails from the CEO keep them informed of their progress. Avanti actively welcome new joiners and all new starters are introduced at the staff meetings and an email is circulated introducing them and their role to everyone. Avanti also have an intranet for all employees. They are also introducing a SharePoint based, file sharing infrastructure for all staff to be able to access information through one portal.

Managers at Elementus attend a variety of external courses such as ' People Management Skills for new managers'. New managers are trained externally over 1 to 3 days with their current training provider 'LDL' where they tailor the coaching to the specific management role. All new managers are also mentored by a member of the executive team. In 2010 Elementus introduced a new position of Customer Sales and Service Deputy Manager. This has been introduced to bridge the gap between consultants and managers and prepare them for Customer Sales and Service Manager positions when they become available. They currently have 5 people in this role.

Managers at Elementus attend a variety of external courses such as ' People Management Skills for new managers'. New managers are trained externally over 1 to 3 days with their current training provider 'LDL' where they tailor the coaching to the specific management role. All new managers are also mentored by a member of the executive team. In 2010 Elementus introduced a new position of Customer Sales and Service Deputy Manager. This has been introduced to bridge the gap between consultants and managers and prepare them for Customer Sales and Service Manager positions when they become available. They currently have 5 people in this role.

AoC is flexible and allows employees to work from home on an occasional basis to accommodate personal appointments/deliveries etc. Their IT system allows full access to the office systems remotely and makes this a realistic alternative to being in the office. The company also ran a practical session on Stress Relief at the recent all staff away day, understanding the importance of maintaining a healthy work/life balance.

AoC is flexible and allows employees to work from home on an occasional basis to accommodate personal appointments/deliveries etc. Their IT system allows full access to the office systems remotely and makes this a realistic alternative to being in the office. The company also ran a practical session on Stress Relief at the recent all staff away day, understanding the importance of maintaining a healthy work/life balance.

The company encourages participation in the FitNut Challenge which is a programme aimed at encouraging employees to take an interest in their own health and wellbeing. The FitNut Challenge is a team-based healthy eating and exercise campaign where individual participants improve their ‘feel good factor'. It kicks off with each person having their weight, height, blood pressure and body fat ratio recorded. Over the subsequent two months they are provided with a weekly newsletter outlining a diet and exercise regime. The team or person with the greatest improvement then selects a charity to receive a cash donation.

Aker Solutions reward strategy is based on their people policy. The policy expects the organisation to target reward systems to ensure a high performing culture. They reward people through a variety of means. Their base salary now includes any car allowance, meaning a higher salary for pensions and other salary-related benefits. They provide a varied range of benefits that aims to provide for all generations, including childcare vouchers, maternity and paternity schemes, bicycle voucher scheme, on-site gyms, occupational health provision, pension provision and other supporting insurances for people.

Employees receive on average 40 hours training per year, with an average spend of £1000 per employee. Training activities include Legal aspects of chartering, Sales techniques, Dangerous goods training, CRM systems/Marketing, Time Management, Recruitment and selection, Appraisals, Residential, advanced leadership training. CIMA – Finance, CPD work - Legal department and CRM training – Marketing are supported either through time off, funding or other resources There are strategies in place to manage talent within the organisation include structured salary scale.

Employees receive on average 40 hours training per year, with an average spend of £1000 per employee. Training activities include Legal aspects of chartering, Sales techniques, Dangerous goods training, CRM systems/Marketing, Time Management, Recruitment and selection, Appraisals, Residential, advanced leadership training. CIMA – Finance, CPD work - Legal department and CRM training – Marketing are supported either through time off, funding or other resources There are strategies in place to manage talent within the organisation include structured salary scale.

Particular work this year has been on the carbon footprint of staff travel. All under desk bins are removed and replaced by recycling centres. Also a "Not In The Bin" scheme to recycle unwanted equipment is in place. They have been running a sustainability training course for all staff for over ten years. This not only addresses specifics but also deals with the broader context so people really understand the issues.

Particular work this year has been on the carbon footprint of staff travel. All under desk bins are removed and replaced by recycling centres. Also a "Not In The Bin" scheme to recycle unwanted equipment is in place. They have been running a sustainability training course for all staff for over ten years. This not only addresses specifics but also deals with the broader context so people really understand the issues.

The organisation holds a ‘Going the Extra Mile' award each month and annual staff achievements awards ceremonies. Employees have access to a comprehensive total reward package which includes a robust pay and grading system, flexible working packages, health and well being initiatives and local supplier discounts. Staff also receive discounted travel via Warrington Borough Transport.

The organisation holds a ‘Going the Extra Mile' award each month and annual staff achievements awards ceremonies. Employees have access to a comprehensive total reward package which includes a robust pay and grading system, flexible working packages, health and well being initiatives and local supplier discounts. Staff also receive discounted travel via Warrington Borough Transport.

Staff awards are held for customer service, learner of the year, employee of the year and the organisation also have an environmental award. The organisation also has dashboards and share point as corporate communications. Leadership training and development is in place and covers, grievance policy, equality statement, equality and diversity training and dignity at work policy.

The company offer continuous professional development, teaching qualifications, industry specific qualifications, professional charterships and working groups. Teams are involved in projects and the organisation have talent management, people strategy and succession planning.

The Leadership Trust is a charity. All profits they make are distributed in grants and bursaries to other voluntary organisations in order to further their leadership development. Since starting their grants and bursaries scheme they have donated in excess of £3.4M.

Employees serious about losing weight are offered moral support. Time off is supported if an employee feels this is appropriate for managing stress, otherwise managers are encouraged to offer support on an ongoing basis. It is recognised that this is a real issue for some employees and time off/support from manager is provided. They provide a fully equipped fitness centre with new equipment that is available to staff to use any time outside working hours as long as the site is open, free of charge.