My Manager
Personal Growth

Growth Fuels Engagement

Investing in development boosts retention and shows employees they're valued. When employees grow, your organisation thrives.
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Registry Trust

Registry Trust facilitates personal growth through a Learning Management System. This not only provides structure to core learning needs but also offers access to self-service topics, enabling employees to broaden their skill set and advance in their roles.
Registry Trust fosters a strong team spirit through Connection Days and Kickstart the Year events. These initiatives encourage camaraderie, fun, and a sense of belonging within teams, enhancing the overall work experience.
Registry Trust ensures a fair deal for its employees through regular salary benchmarking exercises. Additionally, it offers a benefits platform where employees can access various discounts, demonstrating a commitment to employee wellbeing.
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Not For Profit Body's

Barnwood Trust

Employees can access face-to-face counselling or mental health support through the charity’s Employee Assistance Programme, and there are always trained mental health first aiders on hand. Staff can decide when to begin their working day, allowing for caring or childcare needs and, depending on role, opportunities to split time between home, office and the community.
Barnwood Trust doesn't want anybody to be disadvantaged in the recruitment process. A variety of application methods are available which makes the recruitment process more accessible for disabled people and people with mental health conditions. For example, applicants can submit video or audio content as part of their application and receive helpful information in advance.
The whole team has a learning plan to underpin the goals of the Trust, including a wide range of disability, mental health awareness and neurodiversity training. Skills, such as emotional intelligence and managing difficult conversations, are also key to underpinning their work. And all employees have access to a personal development plan.
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Charity's

Twenty7tec

Staff received a special cost-of-living bonus, with those on the smallest salaries getting the most. Employees have also been given early access to a proportion of their performance-related bonus and can now get an advance of up to 50% of their accrued salary every month, interest-free. This access comes with financial coaching and tools.

Senior managers are encouraged to use twenty7tec's internal comms platform to publicly 'shout out' employees who've done something outstanding – linking the 'thank you' to one of the company's values. Staff can also highlight their colleagues' good work, and everyone can 'like' or interact with the feedback.

Everyone has a personal development plan that's reviewed each quarter with their line manager and supported by the Head of People. Growth opportunities include internal and external mentoring, 15 hours of paid personal development or study time, paid-for memberships and subscriptions, and access to an 'anytime, anywhere' online training platform.

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Technology

Hilltop

During the organisation’s Annual Conference, employees have the opportunity to celebrate everything Hilltop. The Managing Director shares results from the last year and launches the One Page Business Plan, providing insight into where every colleague fits into the plan going forward. Food and drink is provided in a local venue afterwards.
Hilltop provides its employees the opportunity to grow through Personal Development Plans, internal and online training, and government supported schemes (including IOSHH, HACCP, BFCGS, and ILM). Over 150 external courses have been completed by Hilltop colleagues in the past year, increasing retention, engagement, and facilitating over 20 internal promotions.
Hilltop has four foundational elements to its manager development: appraisals and coaching from an internal mentor; learner led training; external training, which can be half-day sessions or government funded, longer courses; and a HR led wellbeing programme, that includes regular catch-ups to make sure the manager feels happy and supported.
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Food & Drink

Wacoal Europe

Wacoal supports local charitable initiatives and women's shelters. Redundant products are sent to Africa to support community projects that provide underwear to women who cannot afford it. It donates to organisations such as The Cowshed, which helps people in times of crisis, such as women fleeing domestic abuse.

The company offers apprenticeships to school-leavers and to increase the skill and knowledge levels of existing staff. It is increasing its investment in employee training and their learning requirements are identified from appraisals.

The company values are "passion, team and work-life balance". Staff are inspired to be passionate about what Wacoal does and believe in its products. They are encouraged to work as a team with a common goal and the culture discourages doing long days or answering emails outside working hours.

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Manufacturing

The Oakland Group

Oakland has a dedicated menopause support policy available. For managers, recognising the symptoms of the menopause is vital to treating an affected employee fairly. This policy includes installing a water cooler, providing desk fans, making rooms for rest available, allowing for more frequent breaks, quiet working spaces, and extended deadlines.

It has recently introduced personal learning budgets for its teams. This provides each employee with a £400 individual learning budget that they can choose to spend on the learning intervention that best meets their development plan. Additionally it offers internal workshops when there is a requirement for tailored training.

As part of its Oakland Gives Back scheme, it matches the amount raised for any employee taking part in charity fundraising. If at the end of the financial year the amount allocated to good causes has not been spent it asks employees to nominate small local charities close to their heart.

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Consultancy

The Cumberland

The Cumberland’s 'Power Hours' programme provides regular opportunities for personal growth, equipping managers with new skills and knowledge. This initiative encourages ongoing learning and skill utilisation, fostering advancement opportunities within the organisation.
The Cumberland’s Straight Talk for People Managers ensures that managers are well-informed, enabling them to confidently lead their teams. This initiative promotes trust, support, and care, strengthening the bond between managers and their teams.
The Cumberland fosters team spirit and a sense of belonging through regular social events such as the annual Christmas party, quiz nights, walks, and shopping trips. These initiatives help cultivate a fun and inclusive work environment.
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Financial Services

Ryder Architecture

The people at Ryder Architecture enjoy annual team trips to expand their knowledge and strengthen bonds, as well as opportunities for international secondments. The organisation captures life beyond work, from charity events to family days, and invest in a culture that is built by its people, for its people.
Ryder Architecture’s internal summit, Blueprint is a unique aspect to the business. Hosted each year, the leadership team shares the practice’s goals for the year, announce promotions, and present awards which recognise great achievements, stand out contributions to the business, and outstanding project work.
Staff are supported through the provision of 80+ hours of training per person, per annum through the Ryder360 Learning Programme, which encompasses all aspects of personal development and covers personal skills. This is to support the continuing professional development of its people, including those working towards charterships.
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Architect & Surveyor

Parogon Group

New starters take part in Parogon Best Starts which focuses on the initial induction and welcome to the company. This continues on to upskilling workshops around key focus areas that are delivered through the Skills Trainers and Restaurant People Development Partner. Employees looking for manager training can then enrol in the Parogon Academy.
Parogon Group’s Leadership Development programme concentrates on how to deal with all elements of the day to day running of the business. It teaches over a full four day programme that has been tailored into a bespoke system covering the four key areas it believes are essential to achieving success: Clarity, Competence, Compliance, and Control.
Everyone at all levels of Parogon Group has an open communication approach to each other. Managing Director, Rich Colclough regularly updates the organisation with videos on important business decisions and various activities happening across departments.
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Leisure & Hospitality

HLM Architects

All managers have received mental health training and stress management training, enabling them to recognise the signs of stress and burnout. This additional level of support recognises that managers may require extra support for their teams and guidance on how to manage difficult conversations, while giving employees the opportunity to have confidential and supportive conversations.
The organisation holds social events, quizzes, drawing classes, dinners, desk yoga, netwalking, and inclusive-tea breaks and it has hosted family events including colouring competitions, shed building, and garden design. It has also introduced Walk Out Wednesdays where employees leave their desks and go on a walk together.
The HLM Academy is designed to enhance progression through a variety of channels to suit different learning preferences. All employees are enrolled from day one. The Academy is uses two frameworks. The Skills framework outlines emotional and technical skills needed. The Behaviour framework sets out core behaviours and how colleagues should engage with each other.
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Architect & Surveyor

Understand your organisational health across all eight factors

You’ve explored the Factors - now discover how your organisation can gain deeper insight into what truly drives engagement and workplace culture.

Our approach measures organisational health across eight core areas: My Team, Leadership, My Manager, Personal Growth, My Company, Wellbeing, Fair Deal, and Giving Something Back. Together, they give you a complete view of how your people think, feel, and experience work.

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