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Personal Growth - How employees feel about training and their future prospects
When it comes to Personal Growth, focusing on providing growth and development opportunities will make people feel invested in as individuals, so are more likely then to feel better about the Fair Deal factor.
The ‘Alchemmy Sport’ initiative encourages colleagues to participate in group running, football and squash sessions, with plans to add more activities. There are also ‘comfortable conversation’ sessions where mental health issues can be discussed in a group setting. And mental health first aiders are always on hand for one-to-one chats.
Employees now benefit from greater transparency around the competencies they need to progress through the ‘Grades Reimagined’ scheme. It splits everyone into sub-levels within their job grade, showing what they need to do to move up the grades. The initiative has involved benchmarking with recruitment agencies and across the marketplace.
‘Alchemmy Gives’ has been set up to help local causes. Alchemmists donated coats to the ‘WrapUp London’ campaign and ran a charity raffle raising more than £1,600 for Breast Cancer Now. And there’s a half-day company-wide volunteering session every year, with the last one supporting the upkeep of a community garden.
Employees are supported by a team of Mental Health First Aiders and a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme for information, advice and counselling. The company has links to Sheffield Credit Union, meaning staff are helped to consolidate and manage any debt, including making payments direct from payroll. Vivedia also offers interest-free emergency loans to its employees.
As well as a pre-starting welcome gift, recruits are introduced to their company ‘buddy’ to help them ease into their new role. Every quarter, there’s a new starter event where joiners get a complete overview of the strategy and values and get to join others in the same boat for fun, team-building activities.
Employees are empowered to own their development. They're free to suggest courses or training relevant to their role or personal growth, and internal courses cover various behavioural, people and management skills. There's also coaching supported by personality profiling and opportunities for secondments, additional responsibilities and internal moves.
Everyone benefits from generous annual leave and flexible working with no set days in the office. Staff also get free healthcare – which includes 'staying well' initiatives, as well as an Employee Assistance Programme and a Cycle to Work scheme. In addition, all employees received £1000 to ease cost-of-living pressures.
During their induction, new recruits get time with the Managing Director to help them understand the company's history, vision and values. They also get to meet many key people from all levels, from the finance director to the admin team, to reassure them that there's always somebody on hand to help.
As it's a challenging process to become chartered and can take years to achieve, Tenos offers its employees expertise and project diversity to ensure they have the experience they need before they put in their Chartered Engineer applications. The company also has a formal mentor scheme.
In 2022, Stanton House raised over £20,000 through bake-offs, auctions, and physical challenges for Harry’s Hat. And it has raised over £67,500 for medical supplies and to help refugees escape the war in Ukraine, directly contributing to the evacuation of over 400 women and children.
Stanton House has a dedicated Learning & Development team and five development programmes specifically designed for different stages of its employees’ careers, and as 1:1 coaching sessions. It also provides companywide situational support workshops which supports its diversity agenda. Stanton House additionally supports employees by funding external qualifications and providing additional time off to study.
A large part of Stanton House’s success comes from the open communication it has with its teams. The organisation has appointed a Board-level Director of Change & Communications, whose remit includes inviting junior staff to participate in Board and Management meetings to ensure input towards discussions and decision-making from every level.
Millwood provides long-term employability initiatives which increase work prospects for marginalised groups, such as those with additional needs, ex-offenders and the LGBTQ community. Through these experiences, individuals receive their very own MeMovie - an evidenced-based, personally created video cv which is then shared with the UK community and its partners.
Leading by example is Millwood Servicing’s mantra, achieving this from its values of being ‘Honest, Open, Balanced, & Fair’ in everything it undertakes. Whenever the company receive invites to awards nights, client entertainment etc. The CEO, Matt always offers this out to the entire firm first, on many occasions giving up his place.
Offering careers not jobs, Millwood’s holistic ethos to personal and supported development ensures that every member of staff gets the chance they deserve. Offering 1:1 monthly check-ins across the firm, one example of this is its work with ex-military personnel and in 2021 it became an Armed Forces covenant member.
Non-sales staff are now rewarded for making 'sales' through a new initiative. Those who upsell to customers or successfully recommend a service are recognised on a gamification platform with cash rewards. This new way of working is helping the company better meet customer needs and improving the interaction between the sales team and frontline engineers.
A training programme for Team Leaders and aspiring ones – Lead 2 Succeed – is equipping colleagues with the right skills and knowledge to progress. It's so far helped four colleagues get promoted to these roles. A peer-to-peer mentoring scheme is also boosting confidence amongst technical engineers.
The Community Engagement Group organises fundraising events and volunteering days to support charities and community groups close to Telappliant's sites. Activities have included charity golf days, a virtual London to Paris bike ride, litter picks and career talks and reading days in local schools.
Teams have been holding meetings, one-to-ones, quizzes and celebrations over MS Teams. Using the broadcast feature, the new CEO held a meet and greet with all employees. Over 100 colleagues participated in the organisation’s live Q&A, reflecting how engaged its people are. It received extremely positive feedback and Target Group has held more since.
Its Aspire programme is designed to develop the capability of its future Leaders ensuring a smooth transition and enhanced performance in their future roles. The course principles are to create development opportunities, prepare employees for future opportunities, and increase the talent pool within the organisation. 50 individuals have completed the Aspire Development Programme.
Current and aspiring leaders are supported by Target Group through access to: Leadership Management Development and Performance Modules, which cover leadership soft skills, self-awareness, and interpersonal skills; High Potential Programmes, set over a 9-month period; and external qualifications through the organisation’s access to courses from The Institute of Leadership & Management.
Outside regular team meetings, the company is keen to ensure that no one feels isolated and that the spirit of One Meridian is maintained, as it is a geographically diverse business. As a result, several unofficial groups from across the business have allowed teams to interact in a fun and less formal way.
The sky is the limit for Meridian Business Support's staff. They believe you don't have to have previous experience to be considered for a role, what is more important is that you demonstrate that you have the right behaviours and attitude to give something a try and they will provide the support to develop you.
Ensuring staff wellbeing has always been a key priority, and a host of initiatives are in place to support this. In 2019, their Mental Health Awareness programme was launched, this has had a tangible impact on its culture and contributed to making it the open and supportive environment which it is today.
Employees working from home can expect regular check-ins to ensure they're working within their contracted hours and not using home working to manage their sickness. There are also open discussions on workplace loneliness, and celebrations always include remote workers, whether lunch allowances or virtual quizzes.
All employees can access a full-skill development platform via the HiB Academy. And every team member gets two hours a week during work time for their learning and development, recognising how tricky and burdensome it can be to juggle study with work and home life.
HiB supports charitable and community initiatives through its community panel. It uses its annual budget for various initiatives, from providing fencing and gates to boost security at a Warwickshire recreation ground to sponsoring kits for local sports teams. And it's provided complimentary products for homeless accommodation in Birmingham.
East Coast College have produced pulse surveys with action plans based on the responses to provide a better workplace for its employees. It has further implemented a suggestions and feedback form on the intranet which is reviewed by Management termly, and the CEO conducts listening groups each term with groups of staff.
The college recognises that all employees play a vital role in its success. Its Emerging Leaders programme, led by the CEO, usually has a cohort of around 15 staff members who aspire to become leaders. The programme focusses on self-awareness and development alongside core competencies in areas such as people management, including employment law.
All managers have the opportunity to participate in the management degree apprenticeship run by the college in conjunction with University of Suffolk. The college also runs Mental Health First Aid training each term for all staff and Emotional Awareness training for managers, teaching wellbeing intervention support.
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