Arena Media aim to create as many opportunities as possible to share ideas, encourage feedback and most importantly to listen. The company actively encourages each employee to ‘make a difference' as set out in their mission statement. One good example of this is the Arena's Dragon Den, which they introduced last year. Staff were invited to persuade the Dragons, a panel made up of staff at various levels, to part with their cash - a chunk of the charity budget for a charity they felt was most deserving. It was a way for them to ‘make a difference' and 50 employees chose to take part. To ensure they live up to their proposition, Arena Media carried out several workshops to discuss what Further, Faster means to individuals and departments, as well as generating ideas. Keeping the groups small and making it informal has given everyone a voice at all levels. Attendance at the workshops was very high, as people recognised it was their chance to get involved in shaping how the business is run.

Arena Media aim to create as many opportunities as possible to share ideas, encourage feedback and most importantly to listen. The company actively encourages each employee to ‘make a difference' as set out in their mission statement. One good example of this is the Arena's Dragon Den, which they introduced last year. Staff were invited to persuade the Dragons, a panel made up of staff at various levels, to part with their cash - a chunk of the charity budget for a charity they felt was most deserving. It was a way for them to ‘make a difference' and 50 employees chose to take part. To ensure they live up to their proposition, Arena Media carried out several workshops to discuss what Further, Faster means to individuals and departments, as well as generating ideas. Keeping the groups small and making it informal has given everyone a voice at all levels. Attendance at the workshops was very high, as people recognised it was their chance to get involved in shaping how the business is run.

Aquamarine Power believes everyone's voice should be heard, whether it's coming up with a new idea or feeling able to challenge the status quo. As part of their commitment to genuinely listen to staff, Aquamarine Power has conducted bi-annual anonymous staff surveys for three years. This has proved a highly effective way of listening to staff and has allowed the company to make business improvements based on staff feedback. Participation in the staff surveys has consistently been between 95 and 100% which demonstrates the value staff place on this opportunity to give their views. In addition to their surveys, the company also hold regular focus groups and workshops to explore issues raised within the survey in more detail. They also listen to staff queries, which can be raised anonymously at their All Staff Update – a monthly get-together, which encourages two-way communication and is the cornerstone of their staff engagement strategy.

CSR is integral to the unique culture at Aquamarine Power where they ensure their staff can thrive and have fun while making a significant contribution to the wider community and socio-economic climate. 100% of employees were proud of the CSR activities the company was involved in according to the Staff Survey in December 2010. Since then they have strived to improve CSR on an internal, local and global scale; building partnerships with RSPB, Engineering Aid and the Marine Conservation Society, funded a six-month internship to establish a robust model to analyse their carbon footprint and life cycle analysis and setting the standard for wave energy site consenting with focus on community consultation. Aquamarine Power has a broad framework of activities involving sport, social activity, environmental initiatives, charitable and community contributions, and supplier partnerships. They promote charitable working by supporting staff to take paid time off to do voluntary work.

Nutritionist sessions are arranged by the company where staff can discuss their diet and ways to improve it. The company provides flu vaccinations for any staff who want it in the run-up to winter. They have a Dunhill Den - a 5th floor "common room" environment with TV, table football, music, fruit, food and drink available all through the day.

The Positive Leadership Objective focuses the managers into the important elements of communicating with their teams. The company have in place a robust and detailed annual appraisal process which is reviewed with staff at half year intervals. All Senior Managers and the HR department are accessible and integrated within the organisation - attending meetings and informal events to listen to and engage with staff from all parts of the business. They have recently initiated a "GoodToGreat" email address for staff to feed back and provide suggestions for improvement.

Agrovista's chairman knows everyone's name and is happy to make time to see or call any member of staff if they wish to discuss something with him. He interacts well at all levels and always makes time for anyone who wishes to see him. An example of his involvement is that he always makes a point of contacting every employee on their birthday to wish them 'Happy Birthday'.

Agrovista's chairman knows everyone's name and is happy to make time to see or call any member of staff if they wish to discuss something with him. He interacts well at all levels and always makes time for anyone who wishes to see him. An example of his involvement is that he always makes a point of contacting every employee on their birthday to wish them 'Happy Birthday'.

A current example of how they support their lawyers is their Lawyer of 2014 programme. This is about equipping each of their fee earners to have the skills and expertise to be able to make a positive contribution to their business in a way that is aligned with their 2014 objectives. They have identified a number of key stages of an Associate's career, namely: New Associate, Associate Level 1, and Associate Level 2 and moving on to Managing Associate promotion stage. Their development programme has been built around each of these stages. They were one of the first law firms in the UK to introduce the MA level our programmes mark a stage in an associate's career; all have been specifically tailored to Addleshaw Goddard, and are very practical and delivered by a combination of internal and external experts. The programmes have been, and will continue to be, benchmarked against what is offered by other leading professional services providers.

Addleshaw Goddard's Managers provide clear vision and direction to their team members to enable their team to understand their role and their value to their team. One of their core values is that the Firm is open and honest, and they expect their line managers to listen to their employees and ensure that they are open to considering any queries or concerns that they may have. Their managers explain their decisions and actions and give people an opportunity to respond. Their Managers devote time to coaching their team members and are objective and fair in the way they assess and reward performance. They expect their Managers to provide timely feedback on an open, honest and constructive basis. Feedback sessions are important as it helps an individual understand how they are doing and what is required of them. Importantly, this acts as important upward communication tool so managers can receive feedback and ensure that what they are asking is realistic but also provides stretch and development for the individual.

4C Associates regularly work with charitable organisations that encourages youth from deprived backgrounds and ethnic origins, including people with disability to find work and do something worthwhile in order to keep people off the streets and help the environment we live in. The organisation also provides training and information regarding "going back to work" for everyone. They give up their time to assist in their project by assisting people in interviewing skills and providing office space for meetings and training.

4C Associates regularly work with charitable organisations that encourages youth from deprived backgrounds and ethnic origins, including people with disability to find work and do something worthwhile in order to keep people off the streets and help the environment we live in. The organisation also provides training and information regarding "going back to work" for everyone. They give up their time to assist in their project by assisting people in interviewing skills and providing office space for meetings and training.

1HQ consider the level of support individuals will need to achieve their tasks. They review this regularly asking for feedback on how they feel things are going and set up shadow opportunities.They work with individuals on clearly explaining what is required, measuring where they are achieving and what needs to be done next. The company shows an interest in people as individuals and care for their needs. The company seeks to understand their ambitions and encourages their potential. Managers know their team inside out through team building events.

Both Managing partners of the business are as a result of internal promotion and success. Both are hugely respected individuals in the business. 1HQ has supported them through their growth.

Their employees may undertake a variety of training activities throughout the year dependent on their position, which department and office they are in. A focus for many is the Continuing Professional Development requirements of their professional bodies (such as ICAEW, ACCA, CIOT etc). These people attend update courses on all relevant areas of accounts, audit and taxation, and more specific courses such as charity legislation. They encourage their team to attend courses and to undertake challenging work for both the benefit of the company and their own personal growth. Examples of this include a series of practice and people management courses attended by two of our managers. This included areas where they had to apply the theory into practice between training sessions then to report back at the next session.

Their leader actively encourages team members to get involved and has weekly meetings with department heads to ensure he is constantly aware of all areas of the business. He sets high personal standards, leads by example and is always approachable.

They support a charitable organisation which was founded by Working LInks - this is the Links Foundation. Each year they give a percentage of our profit (over £5m in 10 years). Local organisations within the communities where they work can submit bids to use this fund for local budgets. During this, their 10th anniversary year, every person in Working Links will be given a day to support a charity or local community project of their choice.

They support a charitable organisation which was founded by Working LInks - this is the Links Foundation. Each year they give a percentage of our profit (over £5m in 10 years). Local organisations within the communities where they work can submit bids to use this fund for local budgets. During this, their 10th anniversary year, every person in Working Links will be given a day to support a charity or local community project of their choice.

The RESPECT Programme promotes positive behaviour in health, education, personal well being, citizenship, relationships and environment. Warings are proud to be the official corporate partner of the programme, allowing them to offer and support opportunities for young disadvantaged people including supporting apprenticeships and accredited training. Since partnering with the Respect Programme, Warings have taken part in a number of volunteering projects including the environmental clear up at Milton Locks, the Portsmouth Games Sports Festival and the Southsea Skate Park refurbishment. Their Health & Safety Advisors also volunteered their expertise prior to the work, undertaking a complete risk assessment of the park's ongoing repair programme.

Philippe Jouy was appointed Managing Director in November 2009 following the retirement of the CEO after over 30 years with the Company. He has faced many challenges over the year particularly as a result of the economic climate and its impact upon the construction industry. He is open, honest with a fresh outlook, he challenges his people and has high expectations of himself and others.