Best Companies Factors: Personal Growth

Sharpe Pritchard LLP

Sharpe Pritchard has refined its appraisal process to focus on professional learning and development, ensuring that its employees feel challenged, and their skills are fully utilised. This approach also opens up opportunities for career advancement within the firm.

Responding to employee feedback, Sharpe Pritchard has enhanced its employment benefits, offering life assurance, income protection, and smart health schemes, alongside competitive salaries, ensuring employees feel they are treated fairly.

Sharpe Pritchard's leadership team is known for their commitment to the firm's values, achieving gender parity amongst partners and maintaining family-friendly policies. The firms actions provide a strong example for the rest of the organisation, fostering a sense of respect and admiration.

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Law

Riverford Organic Farmers

Riverford gives all co-owners the opportunity to refer a friend for any of its live vacancies. If the referred candidate is successful in getting the role, once they have passed their probation period, it pays the co-owner who made the recommendation £400. The friend they recommended will also get £100 – this is an unlimited

Fair pay is fundamental at the organisation, particularly for those co-owners at the lower levels of pay. It is a Real Living Wage employer. To offset the gender pay gap, it has overhauled its role banding, increased transparency over the rates for different levels, and installed measures to ensure that these bandings are consistently applied.

Riverford has a whole host of developmental opportunities for its people. Including captured learning, personal and professional needs during 1:1s, establishing aspirations, and providing learning to support the individual in improving confidence, performance, and motivation. It also runs an internal management programme that focuses on performance coaching and development conversations.

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Retail

Rainbow Trust Children's Charity

The charity has an active wellbeing group called the Feel Good group, which runs wellbeing initiatives, activities, challenges and communications throughout the year on various topics. Employees are encouraged to get involved in initiatives aimed at improving their mental, physical and financial wellbeing, as well as promoting team dynamics, understanding and cohesion.

Employees are encouraged to nominate a Star of the Month, which celebrates an individual or team who has demonstrated the charity’s values, or gone above and beyond their role to support a colleague. The winner is celebrated in the monthly briefing and an Employee of the Year is celebrated at the annual staff conference.

Rainbow Trust has a clear process for supporting employee development. Discussions about competency, training and development needs and career aspirations are held formally during its annual performance review process. It has a talent management programme, which is driven through the annual performance reviews, 360 feedback and self-assessment. The programme is tailored to the individuals.

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Charity's

Pinnacle Consulting Engineers

Employees at Pinnacle Consulting Engineers have access to a range of wellbeing benefits. This includes the organisation’s team of Mental Health First Aiders and its Employee Assistance Programme. To support physical wellbeing, the company provides a cycle to work scheme and subsidises sports and social groups.

The organisation has a Performance Management System that incorporates an Annual Appraisal and an Interim Review for all staff. Graduates and Apprentices receive quarterly reviews. It also has a Training Agreement with Institution of Civil Engineering for engineers to follow a structured route to Chartered Membership.

All Principal Engineers and above hold management roles. They are Chartered members of their Institutions - Institution of Civil Engineering and Institution of Structural Engineering. Alongside their externally accredited technical skills, the organisation supports managers with the people and project management skills needed to lead teams of people to deliver projects for its clients.

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Consultancy

Pertemps Recruitment Partnership

Pertemps prioritises employee development through its e-learning platform, Elevate, which offers a range of courses. This, along with partnerships like the one with Kallidus, provides opportunities for skill development and career advancement.

Pertemps' Employee Benefit Trust allows employees to share in the company's success. Long-service awards, additional annual leave days, and the option to dress-down on Fridays further demonstrate Pertemps’ commitment to treating employees fairly.

Pertemps places immense importance on employee wellbeing. Initiatives like the Employee Assistance Programme, wellness hub, and promotion of work-life balance contribute to the positive impact on employees' health and performance.

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Recruitment

Howes Percival LLP

Howes Percival's LEAPS programme offers comprehensive development opportunities for all roles, encouraging employees to enhance their skills and achieve their career goals. The programme includes a variety of training options and encourages self-assessment.

Managers at Howes Percival receive dedicated support, including mentoring and access to a People Team contact for advice. The Performance Development Review process also helps managers identify development opportunities and gather feedback.

The firm encourages team spirit through initiatives such as Coffee and Connect, where staff are paired with colleagues from different teams to foster understanding and cooperation. Social activities and charity events further promote a sense of belonging and camaraderie.

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Law

Harrison Drury & Co

Employee development is a cornerstone at Harrison Drury & Co. From personal development plans to access to a vast knowledge bank of seminars and webinars, the firm ensures opportunities for growth and challenge. Their commitment to legal apprenticeships also provides an alternative career path into law.

Harrison Drury & Co prioritises employee wellbeing, offering onsite health assessments, mental health first aiders and a work-life balance self-assessment tool. They also organise wellbeing activities, such as physical health checks and menopause training workshops.

Harrison Drury & Co is actively involved in giving back to society, organising charity events like beach cleans and bake sales. They also support local education establishments and offer paid time off for employees to undertake personal development activities, reflecting their commitment to societal growth.

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Law

Go Ape

Through the CPD programme, Go Ape empowers managers with essential skills and knowledge. By hosting sessions on finance, people management, and marketing, the programme enhances individual capabilities, ensuring co-owners feel challenged and supported in their roles.

The annual overnight break and Naturally Powered Days foster team spirit and camaraderie. By engaging in activities like kayaking and camping, co-owners strengthen their bonds, enhancing feelings of belonging and unity across teams.

Go Ape's Wellbeing Team are equipped with the tools and knowledge to facilitate a confidential wellbeing conversation, to listen and to provide signposting to the professional resources available, specifically as a Go Ape co-owner. They are able to listen, assess, give information, and encourage co-owners to seek the right support for the situation.

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Leisure & Hospitality

Franklin Fitch

Franklin Fitch brings its people together through a number of initiatives. Employees can join in with a Run Club and with the company’s 5 a side football teams. Other activities include the organisation’s ‘City Social’ where teams explore different locations and restaurants in their city, and individual team nights out.

Every month the whole company works towards breaking company records as part of ‘Raise the bar Fridays’. The reward for breaking a company record plays into bonus structures for the end of the year and, more immediately, gives all employees a 3pm finish on the first Friday of the following month.

The Franklin Fitch Academy has dedicated academy managers for each of the organisation’s main languages (English/German) who support employees from the beginning of their journey through to more senior training opportunities with internal and external providers, coaches and mentors.

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Fever-Tree

Fever-Tree clearly plots personal growth plans and career direction, supported by bespoke training for those new to management and in new roles, a women's network, and formal qualifications such as MBAs. The company amplifies success by having course participants become future programme sponsors, promoting peer-to-peer development.

Managers utilise the Bamboo HRIS system for a quarterly check-up programme, articulating where bespoke training or help is needed to succeed in objectives. They lay out clear objectives detailing what is required and what 'good looks like', ensuring employees know their individual, department, and business goals.

Fever-Tree supports charitable and community initiatives globally, nationally, and locally. They actively mentor students with Future Frontiers, support food banks like Fareshare, and donate to Malaria no More. They give each member of staff a volunteer day to provide time towards these efforts.

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Food & Drink

Growth Fuels Engagement

Sharpe Pritchard LLP

Riverford Organic Farmers

Rainbow Trust Children's Charity

Pinnacle Consulting Engineers

Pertemps Recruitment Partnership

Howes Percival LLP

Harrison Drury & Co

Go Ape

Franklin Fitch

Fever-Tree

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