Wellbeing

Socitm Advisory

Days to build physical and mental wellbeing through outdoor activities are hosted at the Socitm Woodland. A Strava club encourages people to be active and there is a book club to encourage more cerebral activity. Lunch and learn sessions cover a variety of topics, including menopause support and managing during the cost-of-living crisis.

The virtual kitchen has proved popular since it was launched. It gives all staff a place to drop in, hang out and build team morale. Daily huddles and weekly retrospectives have been introduced throughout the business to ensure good communication and information sharing.

Last year, a leadership development programme was launched. It is designed to support the management team and develop them into future leaders of the business. The programme is written and delivered by leaders and blends online learning with workshops. Internal and external mentorship will support participants.

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Consultancy

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Right Legal Group

Employees now have access to a wellbeing platform giving 24/7 access to a GP, as well as support for physical and mental health issues, grief, financial struggles and other life challenges. An internal wellbeing hub also signposts to articles, podcasts and other resources – often those successfully tried and tested by their colleagues.

More than 100 staff are part of the company-wide group chat, sharing inspiring and motivating words and offering thanks. There have been many virtual get-togethers – some for fun and others for essential Group updates and staff questions. These are in addition to the company-wide meetings all employees are invited to twice a year.

Employees are asked to nominate somebody who has made an outstanding contribution. They may be awarded individually or have the chance to win a £400 voucher if their name gets picked out of a hat. And there’s a £100 bonus for any employee who recommends a hire that passes their three-month probation.

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Consultancy

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Redbrik

Employees have the opportunity to talk to a trained mental health first aider and access helpful articles, quotes and tips on their intranet’s wellbeing channel. Staff are encouraged to take time away from screens for lunch and walking meetings. And social events such as the sports day and movie night help staff let off steam.

A new contact centre fields all incoming calls to the business, taking pressure off individual offices. It helps staff work smarter and keep focused on their priorities. It also offers a way into the company for people with no industry experience.

Apprenticeships and student placements help nurture new talent. Referrals from employees are also welcome. The company encourages applications even when there are no current vacancies, keeping in touch with candidates in its talent pool every month. There are also plans for quarterly recruitment evenings.

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Property

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Rated People

The company has built a culture in which it is acceptable to talk about mental health. It recognises the importance of early intervention and managers are trained to spot when someone is becoming more frustrated, irritable or withdrawn, or is working long hours, and will offer help.

Rated People encourages teams to get together and share experiences. After it launched a shadowing day, teams met and listened in on each other's calls. The result was an increased awareness of what each department deals with and the creation of new systems and processes. Drinks and presentations at the end helped to promote bonding.

Learning and development platform 'Learnerbly' is available to all staff from day one, as the probation period is when employees may need additional resources to help them complete tasks. The platform also offers personal development tools such as mind coaching and the Calm app. Everyone is allocated a training budget.

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Business Services

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Porsche Retail Group

An external 'health concierge' – a qualified PT and physiotherapist – regularly visits centres for one-to-one sessions with staff to discuss their wellness goals and how to achieve them. He also runs video Q&As for anyone who would prefer to speak to him anonymously. In addition, the company runs mental health and wellbeing awareness courses.

Employees and their families get engrossed in The Porsche Retail Group Annual Review. The glossy 108-page book with a gold leaf Porsche Logo on the cover is now onto its third edition. It contains a month-by-month review of the year, news highlights from the UK and beyond and Group and individual achievements.

Camaraderie and competition are in full force during 'Fit Feb'. It starts with every employee getting a goody bag of healthy snacks and warm headwear before several charity events get people out and about. It culminates in a charity week with the company donating £1 for every mile walked, cycled, run or swam.

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Automotive

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Look Ahead Care, Support & Housing

The charity offers 24-hour counselling support via the employee assistance programme and trauma counselling for staff impacted by incidents at work. Mental health first aid training is supplied. Staff have one-to-one sessions or supervision and the organisation is looking to make working practices even more flexible.

Look Ahead offers Rising Star and Women in Leadership awards each year to anyone who demonstrates passion, commitment and ambition, and wants to study for a development qualification not covered by its training programme. The winner is awarded per award up to £5,000 towards the qualification.

In January, Look Ahead started a Serenity Cafe in Kent to support women and children fleeing domestic abuse. The cafe is open to all community members and offers healthy-living workshops, alongside advice on financial wellbeing. In May, it started dance and movement sessions for customers with learning-disabilities in east London.

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Health & Social Care

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Lockton Companies

The impact of menopause is well recognised, with people able to record sickness as menopause-related. Employees are encouraged to talk about how it affects them, with menopause cafes and toolkits. And an event for World Menopause Day aimed to highlight risks and debunk myths. Other events have tackled issues like mental health and domestic abuse.

Collaboration is encouraged through 'Coffee Connect', where associates are randomly paired with a colleague to network over a hot drink. Employees could even end up sitting down with the CEO! Meanwhile, the internal social media platform 'Workplace' connects associates through posts and interest-specific groups such as 'Parents and Lockton' and 'Lockton Pets'.

The company's high-potential women are invited to the six-month Women's Breakthrough Programme. It includes workshops, peer-to-peer coaching, and a Senior Leader Sponsor to act as their career progression advocate. In addition, a new graduate programme is set to launch in October 2023, with around half of the intake from the company's summer intern scheme.

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Insurance

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Lintbells | Home of YuMOVE

This year the company ran its first "away two-days". On the second day, staff took part in dragon boat racing. Teams were made up of staff who had never worked together, so that people came together and did something fun and competitive. The evening entertainment included band-a-oke, when staff could sing with a live band.

A running club support to physical health is run by staff. Anyone can join, whether they are a seasoned runner or someone who is just starting out. The company also organises walks around its beautiful farm location in the Hertfordshire countryside.

The company likes to give consistent feedback and recognition to staff and has introduced the SPOT awards. Anyone in the business can give a SPOT award to another employee if they have gone the extra mile. Managers are encouraged to give regular feedback to staff at one-to-ones and in team meetings.

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Manufacturing

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Landbay

'Timeout Tuesday' events allow staff to take time out of their working day to focus on their wellbeing by taking part in activities such as massage, yoga, and workshops and webinars. The events are chosen by employees during surveys. Fitness challenges are also staged during the year, including a Tough Mudder run for charity.

Tuesday is a mandatory office day so that everyone can come together for the weekly stand-up meeting, when senior leaders let staff know what is going on, how things are progressing and what support is available. Social events, such as team lunches and dinners, quiz evenings, games nights and other activities bring people together informally.

Chief Executive, John Goodall, has established an open and collaborative working environment and has a strong, inspirational presence within the company. He sits with the teams in the open-plan office. Senior leaders make sure that all staff are communicated with honestly and believe in the importance of everyone having a voice.

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Financial Services

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Eton Bridge Partners

Eton Bridge's wellbeing team, which was launched two years ago, has driven a range of initiatives. Eight social clubs have been set up, including those for HIIT training, cycling, recipe sharing, walking and a book club. It has also hosted group conversations around mental health and sponsored three mental health first-aiders.

Walkie-talkie meetings, which were set up during the pandemic, have continued, as the company found that they enhanced its culture and the wellbeing of staff. It has also increased the number of team-building days. One team took part in dragon boat racing on the Thames.

Last year, a team used one of their charity days to transform the overgrown sensory garden at the Riverside Children’s Centre, in Maidenhead. They worked hard to turn it into an area that could be enjoyed by the families using the centre's services.

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Recruitment

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Wellbeing Matters

Socitm Advisory

Right Legal Group

Redbrik

Rated People

Porsche Retail Group

Look Ahead Care, Support & Housing

Lockton Companies

Lintbells | Home of YuMOVE

Landbay

Eton Bridge Partners

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