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 company's values, which drive recruitment and its recognition and review process, are embraced by everyone but the senior team sets an example. Geekiness is about employees' passion for understanding what they do; generosity is about being generous with time to help people; drive is about commitment to action.
Kyan has two ways of recognising employees: a bonus linked to performance against living the company's values and a less formal "thank you" where staff are encouraged to thank team members on a personal level with surprise gifts such as a book or a new mug.
All team members have a self-directed development budget. Training and development is flexible and can involve studying team coaching and board dynamics at Henley Business School, training in practical skills via HubSpot Academy or having a go at improv to help with presentation skills.
Just has signed up to the Race at Work charter, each member of the executive team has a personal objective to support its diversity and inclusion agenda and the firm has also established a network of D&I Champions to drive forward its strategy in each business area.
There are a number of local recognition schemes in place within the organisation, tailored to the employee base and types of roles those employees perform. They include a Hi 5 or HUB hug as a way of saying thank you, as well as other monthly and quarterly awards where vouchers can be won.
Development opportunities include in-role development, coaching, mentoring and in normal times face-to-face training programmes. The company also provides LinkedIn Learning membership to all employees and has launched a management development apprenticeship for people managers. They also run regular lunch and learns on topics from Dementia Friends to Plain English.
The annual appraisal process allows individuals to set objectives with their manager and these are reviewed throughout the year to ensure goals are reached. This provides the basis for two promotion waves within the year where individuals are put forward for progression.
Physical and mental wellbeing has been a key focus during the pandemic. IFF introduced a range of initiatives to boost positivity and the general welfare of staff from weekly wellbeing updates to team movement challenges, regular surveys and engagement audits. It also promoted its employee assistance programme to all employees.
For Christmas, instead of giving gifts to clients, IFF donated to two charities on their behalf. By supporting homeless charity Centrepoint and The Trussell Trust which support foodbanks, IFF was able to help others at need last Christmas. Staff also get two paid volunteering days a year.
Annual awards and ‘Spin to Win' vouchers thank brilliant staff with holidays, electrical gadgets, days off and lie ins. Ice Comms' entire operations team were given a £500 voucher at Christmas in recognition of the especially challenging time they have had. Senior managers sit amongst their teams to improve communication.
Online training courses are readily available and those taking part are rewarded with £50. There is regular customer service and compliance training, and performance is monitored on a daily basis with live data. All senior managers sit amongst their teams so friendly advice is never too far.
Staff taking part in The Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, a 24-mile, 5200ft climb across the Yorkshire Dales National Park, raised more than £20,000 for a local hospice. Ice Comms also offsets its carbon emissions with a tree planting scheme, which employees will be able to partake in.
HWCC has continued to support professional development including degree apprenticeships. Managers have access to the training courses and webinars the Chamber has organised for external businesses which range from building resilience to managing mental health during the Coronavirus crisis and leading through change and uncertainty.
Morale boosting activities included quizzes, origami making, a sunflower growing contest and the 12@12 initiative - 12 minutes of exercise at noon to encourage staff to get away from their desk. During the initial lockdown HWCC also introduced a Friday Pause at 4 to encourage employees to meditate.
During the pandemic, HWCC has provided a day's paid leave for employees to take part in charity work. Fundraising events included a virtual Macmillan Coffee Morning and a short comedy festive video it made for a virtual carol service to raise money for the local food bank.
Healios is launching its first management development programme. The People Manager learning pathway is based on an analysis of the day-to-day challenges and opportunities managers face. The scheme aims to enable managers to act as stewards for the company's culture and engender an atmosphere in which all employees thrive.
Last year, Healios launched the Healios Academy, a career-development initiative for experienced clinicians to develop autism assessment skills. The academy was set up to address Helios's need to expand its neurodevelopmental team, as a result of unprecedented demand for its assessment services.
Concerns were raised about physical and mental wellbeing when lockdown restrictions precluded employees from leaving home. Staff spearheaded a Healios group on an exercise tracking app to support and generate fitness-related activities and ideas. The company continued its weekly mindfulness sessions, fortnightly yoga classes and “Walking Wednesdays”.
Hallam has a social channel dedicated towards recognising achievements where employees can nominate one another for going the extra mile or being a great colleague. At the weekly get together the person with the most nominations receives a prize, usually a gift card or a day trip.
Hallam has three training tracks: leadership, specialist, and consultant. During the pandemic Hallam delivered comprehensive training including a reading programme and online courses in assertiveness, machine learning and design. It also launched a programme called Unity to promote integrated working and communication.
Hallam's mental health and wellbeing programme includes trained mental health first aiders, free counselling, training on resilience, meditation and purpose, and access to peer coaching. Hallam also works to create an atmosphere of psychological safety and a culture that encourages a sense of unity and togetherness.
To thank its team members in the north east for their efforts, commitment and resilience during an unusual year Haines Watts stopped work on a Wednesday afternoon and encouraged everyone to do something they enjoyed and had afternoon tea delivered to their homes.
Haines Watts promotes employee development by showcasing stories of those who have completed its award-winning talent programmes which earned it Silver for Employee Training and Development at the UK Employee Experience Awards in 2020. The Leadership Development Programme has transformed learning and development at the firm.
During Stress Awareness Week one of the managing partners shared his story about his mental health and this year Haines Watts has run a national mindfulness training programme and staff also took part in quizzes, yoga and fitness initiatives to boost morale.
In 2020, as part of its commitment to diversity and inclusion Goodstuff launched its D&I network: the Do the Right Thing Council. The Council is made up of eight working groups covering different areas of diversity each spearheaded by a Partner in a leadership role.
All training programmes have continued during the pandemic during which time 30% of Goodstuffers gained a qualification from the industry's governing body, the IPA. Development opportunities include Manager's Academy, a six-month programme for all managers and regular all-agency training talks which everyone is encouraged to attend.
In addition to mental health workshops, staff have free access to online fitness classes, and Goodstuff launched an agency 'Couch to 5k' group. It also ran a Feelgood Week, with activities including a crafty cuppa, one on one mindfulness sessions, a nutritionist talk and financial planning advice.
Team leaders – and all employees – were able to access coaching and mentoring throughout. GMCA also piloted a reverse mentoring scheme and initial feedback has been excellent. It organised resilience workshops for all staff, as well as specific training around resilience for managers.
GMCA has continued with operational training, after an initial pause at the start of the pandemic. Now done in a Covid-safe way, development moved online through e-learning, webinars, and other platforms. The organisation received excellent feedback after two very well-attended events, ‘Learning at Work' week and a ‘Festival of Learning'.
Lots of teams do lots of different things to try to replicate some of the things they are missing about the office, including randomised coffee meets, huddles, quizzes, escape rooms and more. GMCA has installed new audiovisual equipment at all fire stations to support firefighters with group training, communications, and debriefs.
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