Best Companies Factors: Wellbeing

Ground Control

Employees can access free external mental health and wellbeing support services, including counselling, an online GP and a sleep and meditation app. There's also subsidised gym membership and free activities such as badminton and football at head office. Many staff are also trained Mental Health First Aiders, always on hand to offer support.

The company's meeting structure balances the virtual and face-to-face, with set meet-up locations for hybrid and in-person meetings. And staff have plenty of opportunities to feedback on this and other issues, including the yearly engagement survey, working groups on new initiatives and pulse surveys to give instant feedback on things like the summer conference.

There are many opportunities to progress, with a vast library of online learning and prizes for completing 'courses of the month'. There are horticulture and arborist apprenticeships, a GC Leadership Academy and technical training. And the induction programme for new starters sets them up with training to hit the ground running.

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Business Services

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Fisher Jones Greenwood LLP

As well as promoting regular team meetings, the firm hosts events that are designed to get staff communicating and energised, such as summer and Christmas parties, quizzes, pizza lunches and coffee mornings. The events help to promote a friendly culture and environment.

The firm encourages staff to live by its values by celebrating those who set good examples regularly. It includes testimonials in the weekly update or rewards individuals directly. Senior leaders provide role models by acting on the values when dealing with colleagues and clients.

Staff are given an extra day's leave that can be used to support their wellbeing. Fisher Jones Greenwood has also developed a wellbeing programme that focuses on mental, physical and financial wellness, lifestyle and work behaviour.

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Law

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Nexus Infrastructure

The company has introduced an employee assistance programme to add to its mental health and wellbeing resources. It provides professional, independent support to staff on a wide variety of issues such as anxiety, stress and debt. Nexus offers discounted gym membership, wellbeing walks and has menopause awareness champions.

The company's new offices at Nexus Park include several attractive working areas to chose from, modern audio-visual communications and a subsidised cafeteria. Staff were involved in many aspects of the design, from furniture selection to taking part in a competition to take photographs that would be displayed around the building.

Leaders and managers are encouraged to demonstrate active listening, making sure they fully understand, respond and reflect on what is being said, without judgment. Nexus is aiming for a culture in which people feel empowered to raise concerns, through challenging assumptions and finding a better way. A whistle-blowing policy allows serious issues to be reported.

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Utilities

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Hectare Agritech

Managers are empowered to give team members time off for mental health days. Leaders have been known to share their issues to encourage colleagues to feel comfortable talking to them, so that they are supported to face challenges outside work. Office pets are strongly encouraged, as they increase positivity and happiness.

Hectare's Slack channel #Happyscrapbook is a fun space for staff to share daily or weekly highlights from their lives. Team socials provide entertaining nights out. One of this year's get-togethers was a gig at the Half Moon, in Putney, where staff cheered on their chief operating officer, Dave Rose.

Staff were given a £3,000 surprise at this year's summer event in a mystery envelope containing a "golden ticket" that was place under their chairs. The leadership team said the money was a reward for their monumental efforts and to help with the cost-of-living crisis.

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Technology

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MOI Global

MOI's Culture Club aims to create a culture of wellbeing. Its projects include Time to Talk, which is a safe space to talk openly, resources on the intranet to allow staff to be heard and gain support, training in mental health support and awareness, and social events, including team-building and wellness activities.

MOI’s philosophy is to support, encourage, train, guide, inspire and reward an individual’s journey and success in the agency. Staff are enrolled in a "discovery insights" programme to identify their strengths, weaknesses and what makes them tick. Inspirational training programmes and the sharing of insights help staff to increase their knowledge within their role.

The culture revolves around creating change and celebrating the fact that everyone’s different. That’s why MOI created its employee recognition scheme, Making Heroes. It’s a platform where employees can nominate their peers to receive kudos and rewards for their work ethic, enthusiasm and collaboration.

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Marketing & Media Agencies

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Ultimate Products

The company has set up a new reading corner to offer a quiet spot for staff to take some time out on breaks to read. It offers a library of books to choose from and take home. Reading has benefits for mental well-being, including reducing stress, improving sleep and boosting emotional intelligence.

Internal training concentrates on improving skills, such as getting to grips with Excel. External training provides staff with fresh and innovative learning that cannot be done in-house. Mentors play a critical role in coaching new joiners. Digital training aims to cover standard subjects required for new staff and refresher courses for others.

Last year the company raised almost £25,000 for the MS Society. This year it delivered 32 pallets of donations to the Polish border to aid Ukraine and raised more than £500 for the cause. It also made Easter egg donations to Oldham Children's Services. This year it has been raising cash for Oldham Foodbank.

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Manufacturing

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Whitby Wood

The company has introduced a flexible working policy of three days in the office and two at home per week, and adjusted its core hours to allow people to start later or finish earlier than the typical nine-to-five working day. It has also organised more non-work activities such as yoga and a football team.

Professional-development reviews are undertaken twice a year between staff and their line managers. The first, at the start of the year, provides an opportunity to discuss personal progress and goals. It also acts as a forum to discuss working satisfaction. The company runs an Institution of Civil Engineers accredited training plan.

Central to Whitby Wood is a grass-roots engagement with young prospective engineers. The company nurtures them and they become ambassadors for the business at university, often helping to recruit a further cohort. They are offered work experience during their holidays and sponsorship of their fees.

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Construction & Engineering

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University of Bolton

There are two mental health e-learning training packages available to staff and students and two mental health first-aiders on site. An employee assistance programme offers support, advice and information. Confidential counselling and online cognitive behavioural therapy sessions are provided.

Team away-days take place at the group's outdoor activity centre, the Anderton Centre, in Rivington, Lancashire's mini Lake District. Managers work in partnership with centre staff to run water- and land-based adventure and problem-solving activities as team-building exercises.

The University of Bolton Group donated 50 bikes to Ukrainian refugees in the town, so that they are not reliant on their hosts for transports. It also pioneered a free legal advice centre to support the Bolton community. It was staffed by law students and overseen by lecturers, .

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Education & Training

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PebblePad

Team building days are conducted periodically. A team gets together in the office to spend time with each other, review their workloads and discuss next steps. The days include a team lunch and provide the chance to learn together and boost team spirit.

As part of a move by to improve organisational clarity, new staff are given a buddy. The buddy provides discreet, non-judgemental pastoral support and helps them to acclimatise to the new environment. For the rest of the team, quarterly "all-hands-on" reviews bring the opportunity for senior leaders and team members to ask questions.

PebblePad has a wellness policy offering two days per year for employees to focus on self-care. There is also a 'Wellbeing Workgroup', a team of volunteers from across the business who raise and discuss wellbeing initiatives, including mental health first aiders at work, a wellness policy and raising awareness of World Mental Health Day.

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Technology

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Hilton Smythe Commercial

Senior management have changed their vehicles to hybrid and fully electric cars and there are electrical charging points fitted at the business. The company is also planting trees to offset its carbon footprint.

The company aims to ensure that when staff request time off at short notice, it can be accommodated. Close communication has been kept with anybody who is suffering using texts or taking them out for lunch or coffee to engage in supportive conversation.

A visit to a theme park makes up the annual team-building event, and there are others during the year to enhance communication between colleagues. Engagement is also encouraged through Christmas parties, early finishes, dress-down days, exclusive discounts and free treats and gift vouchers for good customer service feedback.

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Business Services

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Wellbeing Matters

Ground Control

Fisher Jones Greenwood LLP

Nexus Infrastructure

Hectare Agritech

MOI Global

Ultimate Products

Whitby Wood

University of Bolton

PebblePad

Hilton Smythe Commercial

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