Wellbeing - How employees feel about stress, pressure at work and life balance
The Wellbeing factor is closely linked with Fair Deal. If the scores for Fair Deal are low, the first place we’d recommend you look is Wellbeing.
If Wellbeing is also low, it may be that employees are being worked too hard and feel they are not being fairly remunerated for it.
Menopause support is championed from the top, with the CEO sharing her experience of perimenopause as part of an organisational survey. A Menopause Champion supports women going through the change or their partners who want to help. The charity also pays employees' prescription charges for any related treatment.
Staff at all levels across the organisation are part of the 'People, Culture and Wellbeing Committee', which promotes conversations between employees and the CEO and Senior Leadership Team. It also champions staff welfare. Team members are encouraged to feed into organisational discussions via staff away days and awards celebrations too.
As training supports social mobility, all core staff are encouraged to hold a Level 2 NVQ or equivalent and managers a Level 4. All development costs are covered, and employees also benefit from work-study time allowances, quiet spaces and, dependent on the course, a financial bonus once they complete it.
adi Group has a great wellbeing and benefits portal, employees can log in at any time and access support, guidance, and tools on four key areas: healthy eating, mental, financial, and physical wellbeing. Employees can also access recipe cards, virtual exercise classes, strategies for dealing with stress, how to sleep better guides, and budgeting resources.
Operating a clear-desk policy, employees are encouraged to work at different desks each day so that it can improve team interaction and communication. It has an internal program called "Tell Stirling", whereby employees can ask questions, and make suggestions - all of which are acted upon.
It holds its annual senior management away day where all senior managers and business leaders get together for a day of team-building activities. All employees have a PDP which is reviewed every six months, where targets are set, and previous achievements are reviewed and discussed.
The organisation has 17 trained Mental Health First Aiders across the business and its Employee Assistance Programme gives staff multiple avenues to discuss their mental health in an open and confidential manner. The HR Team also run Mental Health in the Workplace sessions for Managers, which are compulsory for them to attend.
AJ Bell publish a regular series of interviews with its CEO and other members of the Executive Committee to its staff intranet. The videos cover business and performance updates, as well as personal reflections, and support the organisation’s work on an open and accountable culture. They also ensure staff receive a consistent message from leaders.
In February, the organisation launched its new charitable initiative – the AJ Bell Futures Foundation – initially committing to contribute 0.5% of its profits before tax to the Foundation each year – to establish deep-rooted, long-term partnerships whilst building futures in its communities. To date, it has donated £100,000 to each of its charity partners.
Alpha Financial Markets Consulting has 15 wellbeing champions who are mental health first-aid trained to support colleagues whenever they are struggling. It has a walking challenge to promote physical health, and runs a time-to-talk event where hard topics are discussed and employees share their experiences, bringing the issues to life.
The company supports employee growth and development through formal training, experience-based learning, on-the-job training, and LinkedIn Learning. Everyone can access over 18,000 courses, where they can learn business, technology, creative, and personal development skills at their own pace.
It is targeted in its approach to giving. Every employee has the opportunity to vote for a charity to become its 'Charity of the Year' (COTY). Last year, it partnered with 'Cities for Children' (C4C), whose mission is to provide children living in poverty with the right to read, play, and feel safe.
The company closes its stores on Boxing Day in a rare move for retail. It rewards staff for their hard work and loyalty and means they can spend valuable time with their families. And a gift of a week's wages at Christmas means they can make the most of this time together.
The company uses internal podcasts as a new and innovative way to engage its people. These have included conversations with the Chairman and MD and offerings from diversity and inclusion groups and a 'shining stars' group recognising high achievers in stores. There are also bespoke publications for business updates, celebrating colleagues, charity, and community.
Rewards are not just monetary; the company takes time to recognise and celebrate achievements. This has included a London celebration for Jewellery Education Training (JET) students, a results-focused annual awards conference, a yearly 'Shining Stars' party for top performers and quarterly branch visits from directors to celebrate team accomplishments.
Quiet rooms as a safe space for prayer, meditation and reflection are a feature of many Burns & MacDonnell offices – part of creating a diverse and inclusive environment where “people feel comfortable speaking up and living authentically as themselves.” Monthly wellbeing sessions include breakfasts, toolkit talks, and experience sharing.
Through the MacCulture Recognition programme, employees who demonstrate the company’s values accumulate points to exchange for prizes. There are also one and five-year service awards where employees can choose from exclusive brand merchandise. And staff get a special award package for milestone anniversaries, starting from 10 years.
The manager mentor programme matches those new to management with seasoned managers with similar interests or work-life situations. It provides advice and guidance and gives new managers somebody to bounce ideas off and learn from. It also supports relationship-building with other managers throughout the company.
ClearScore recognises that sometimes people need support. Leave after pregnancy loss is a policy it has recently provided. The organisation understands the impact pregnancy loss can have on both parents, so should an employee experience this, if directly, with their partner, or through surrogacy, ClearScore gives them the time they need.
Its leaders articulate eight behavioural principles, which are described as the 'rules of the game'. They ensure that all employees are judged and measured against these. ClearScore's principles are communicated to new starters as part of an intensive two-day onboarding process and employees who demonstrate these principles are celebrated at the 'end-of-race' awards every quarter.
It encourages employees to create a Personal Development Plan to structure and commit to their learning and growth. Employees are given a learning budget of £500 to support their individual personal development. This is housed on a platform called Learnerbly, where employees can access a wide range of development content.
