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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.
There is a simple ethos for training and development. LPF supports 100% any training that is required for people to do the work; any training that helps a colleague do their job even better; and any training that helps a colleague develop into a future role.
Technologies such as Zoom and Teams have been embraced by staff, who use them for collaboration, interaction and socialising. An informal chat lounge is very popular for sharing photos and memes, while team quizzes ensure people can stay in contact. The Christmas market was a virtual treat.
LPF increased the frequency of its recognition scheme from annual to quarterly. Staff can nominate someone who has gone the extra mile by helping a member or colleague or by thinking outside the box. Winners receive a Social Stories Club hamper, a branded pen and a certificate.
In the Know' sessions take place weekly with a different presenter, either internal or external, doing a 30-minute presentation on a specific area. This is used for knowledge transfer and product overviews, and allows employees to get some insight into areas of the business they may be less familiar with.
The online resource EAP Care first is available to all employees, offering information and advice on a wide range of personal and workplace issues. Liquidlogic staff can also access Healix private healthcare for medical support as part of their benefits package.
In line with the firm's environmental policy, staff are encouraged to keep printing to a minimum, turn off electrical items when not in use and use the air conditioning responsibly. Energy saving lightbulbs are fitted throughout the offices and waste is sorted for recycling.
Managing Director Malcolm Vincent encourages colleagues to share knowledge and inspire people to care about their holistic health and overall wellbeing, so that they can lead healthier lives. The guiding principle at Lifeplus is to help people feel good and its vision is to help everyone around the world live well.
As part of its approach to hiring staff, Lifeplus creates short videos that summarise a job role and use this when reaching out to potential talent to stimulate a conversation. It also makes use of social spaces to showcase the company's culture and people.
The company helped staff to cope with feelings of uncertainty during the pandemic, using podcasts explaining the nature of anxiety and some CBT-based techniques. It also encouraged people to focus on their listening and noticing skills when using video-based online communication.
For anyone who was furloughed, the company organised training through the learning and development team and worked closely with their managers to ease them back into work. It encouraged every employee on furlough to learn a new skill that could support them on their return to work.
The bespoke Launch programme caters for people's individual learning needs. Each employee is assigned to a course which they complete over a number of months. The delivery is increasingly and sometimes wholly online, using tools such as Zoom to ensure content is delivered in an engaging manner.
The LHi Global Challenge, launched during Mental Health Awareness Week, connected people across the group and encouraged them to run, walk or cycle. During the pandemic there were virtual race nights, escape rooms, bingo, quizzes, workout classes, coffee breaks, book clubs and guitar lessons.
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”.
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