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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 UK leadership team lead programmes covering age, gender, LGBT+, disability and faith to provide role models for behaviour both internally and externally. They share best practice with peer organisations through media engagement and conferences to encourage others to follow suit.
Internally-designed management and leadership courses are offered at all levels. Arcadis is an approved centre for the Chartered Management Institute and supports staff through MBA programmes. All staff have access to online training and managers are invited to one-to-one training sessions.
Arcadis supports mental and physical health as a priority, organising a 12-week physical exercise course with a personal trainer during lockdown and extending private medical insurance to include a Family Health helpline. The Babylon online GP service has been introduced so that doctors can be accessed without visiting a surgery.
All employees have access to the Learning Hive, adm's online learning portal, which offers a variety of development resources including LinkedIn Learning. Academy sessions are workshops run by subject-matter experts within the business. Financial support is available for professional exams, such as accounting and HR.
Culture Club is an initiative run by staff, for staff, to ensure everyone makes time for fun and socialising in and out of the office. It also allows employees to meet team members in different parts of the world. Events include a sports day, a bake-off, workout classes and quizzes.
The agency's Americas office asked colleagues to nominate local charities that were in need of PPE. A range of deserving charities was put forward, making it hard to choose just one, so adm decided to divide 2 million PPE masks between all seven nominations.
Utilita's My Dev scheme gives people control of their own personal development. Staff members who identify an opportunity to learn and develop can complete an online card which they talk through with their manager, who puts the development plan into action.
Utilita collaborated with Solent Mind to deliver a virtual mental wellbeing roadshow in May 2020. Staff attended workshops on how to manage stress and sleep better. The company has also held Pandemic Burnout workshops with tips on surviving a challenging year.
The company has donated £50,000 from its levy to support good causes. Utilita has signed up to The Prinice's Trust Million Makers fundraising competition with an online auction and sponsored TikTok dance challenge called Pay as You Go –Gos. Utilita recycles its IT equipment where possible and sends no waste to landfill.
Triple Point anticipates a mindset change in relation to flexible working but has not formalised this yet. In between lockdowns, people were allowed back to the office on a recommended but discretionary basis, which suited different people's wants and needs, and maintained a hub for employees to connect.
Development needs are assessed on an individual basis, with generous study support packages for those wishing to pursue professional qualifications. Group development sessions and 1:1 coaching are available throughout the year and there is a leadership development programme for an identified high-potential group.
During the pandemic, the company donated 15% of initial fees taken from all investment products to its Helping Hands initiative to supply 17,000 hand creams to frontline NHS workers, ambulance trusts, care homes and schools across the UK. Gifting is set to continue via a percentage raised in this way.
Rapport works with WOW! Awards to uncover personal, individual stories of outstanding service by its employees. Its favourites are published in the Rapport Inspire book – which sits in the British library. All new starters get a copy to introduce them to Rapport's values and exceptional people.
All learning and development moved to a virtual setting within a fortnight of the March 2020 lockdown and Rapport has hosted training every day since. With over 12,500 hours completed content has covered more than just customer service and courses have taken a holistic approach encompassing financial, mental and emotional wellbeing.
As allies to the LGBTQIA+ community Rapport held events to recognise Transgender Awareness in November and during Pride Month it shared messages of acceptance, empowerment and compassion. On National Coming Out Day it partnered with the myGwork business community for a social media campaign #IAmOutAtWork where some Rapport employees proudly shared personalised graphics to mark the day.
The monthly Simply the Best awards honour staff who have demonstrated PeoplePlus's three trademarks – True North, Own It, Improve to be the Best. Winners receive a financial award and an invitation to the annual awards evening at Warwick Castle.
PeoplePlus has launched an internal management development programme, called Improve to be the Best, for every line manager. The four-week programme is focused on employee engagement and the service-profit chain. The company also offers a range of internal apprenticeships leading to recognised management qualifications.
PeoplePlus has a long-running partnership with the Prince's Trust, which includes staff donating the pence from their salaries to the charity via the Pennies From Heaven scheme. Also, employees receive a paid day off for volunteering, which many used last year to offer pandemic-related help to charities and local people.
Ahead of a gradual return to the office, Olive has sent out survival packs containing a branded drinks bottle, face mask, branded hand sanitiser, Vitamin C and Zinc tablets and two packs of jellybeans – inside an Olive-branded canvas bag saying “Thanks for being awesome”.
Furloughed workers have been encouraged to complete product and technical training to enhance their skills and a number of people have achieved qualifications in the past year. Talent mapping across the business helps all employees to see where their role fits in and work towards new goals.
Everyone has access to a personal trainer to get fit – as well as free weekly Zumba and Pilates classes. For those who need extra support, Olive provides a professional counselling service. The business has offered flexibility to working parents and carers with extra responsibilities.
In September, CEO Brendan Mooney, who joined the company as a software engineer in 1989, was given the Chairman's Award for Excellence by the IOD for his personal impact on the culture and success of his organisation through outstanding professionalism and implementation of best practice in governance and leadership.
Kainos values its people highly. When staff said they wanted more flexibility in future, senior managers reconfigured offices to allow them to work how, when and where they want. Different spaces were created in office for employees to be safe and phased returns from home working were negotiated.
Continuous training at all levels is part of its success. An Effective Manager programme has been delivered virtually to 500 managers in the past year. A new Emerging Leaders programme moves participants beyond management fundamentals to four modules dealing with commerciality, connecting people, high performing teams and influencing.
Leaders talk to staff using Microsoft Teams and encourage cameras to be on for every meeting for more engagement. The whole company gets together in a virtual forum every week for an update from Head of Operations Sarah Tanner and MD Natalie Llewellyn about new starters, initiatives, projects and any other news.
Jellyfish employs people with the view of developing them. New joiners can be entry-level runners, apprentices and graduates and there is extensive on-the-job-training and real-life experience. Some staff study and are supported to do so and mentors are assigned to people, too.
The company implemented the 2.6 challenge during lockdown to raise money for mental health charity Mind. Employees could run, walk or cycle, using 2.6 as a measure. One inventive member of staff even walked up and down their stairs for 26 minutes.
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