Wellbeing

Wigan & Leigh College

As well as its charity efforts, the college has environmental initiatives in place. It promotes the cycle-to-work agenda and the number of staff signing up to it, instead of using cars or public transport, has increased. It also advocates recycling and has bins and stations across the campus.

To promote health and wellbeing, the college offers an employee assistance programme and occupational health support. Managers have had training in resilience, there are mental health first aiders and one-to-one counselling is provided. Hybrid working helps with work-life balance.

There are twice-yearly celebration events and staff sports days. Social activities include a book club and a cycle club. Staff briefings involve all employees. There is also a biannual staff survey, as well as regular focus groups and staff newsletters. Staff can use the college's employee engagement app, Stribe, to leave feedback.

60a41f33bff4d44624012073

Education & Training

View Company

Totemic

The office environment encourages physical wellbeing. There is discounted gym membership, plus secure bike sheds and showers on-site to encourage staff to get involved in sporting activities before during and after work hours. The Totemic running, football and walking clubs support this.

Tribe, one of the company's new magazines, celebrates good news stories such as weddings, Totemic babies and individual personal achievements. It highlights the activity in the company's charitable world and provides an informal focus on key people, revealing who they are and what makes them tick.

Staff almost filled the reception area with clothing, medical supplies, baby products and food, when they collected for relief in Ukraine. Totemic has also been working with the NHS to supply £10,000 worth of diabetic medication to the war-torn country. Every December, it makes up and delivers Christmas dinner hampers to 100 local families.

60a41fa8df49eb26ff02d8a0

Financial Services

View Company

TOPdesk

Staff are encouraged to take screen breaks, especially when working from home. Training is provided on proper rest breaks. Employees are advised not to have work apps on their personal phones to avoid overworking and are discouraged from working overtime and at weekends.

There is access to an employee assistance programme and mental health first aid training for all managers and others. The company focuses on men's mental health during Movember, and staff have access to platforms that give gym and spa discounts. Free face-to-face counselling is offered through TOPdesk's health care plan.

The company believes in the accessibility of its leadership. It has a flat hierarchy with an open-door policy and an ethos of leaders who serve. Leaders adhere to the agile-working methodology and minutes of management meetings are published.

60a43081c04f23c7f7bd65d5

Technology

View Company

Talent Works

Talent Works encourages employees to take paid volunteer days. They have been given information on local and national charitable initiatives such as telephone befriending services. This year the business will be supporting a local charity and staff will run the London Marathon on its behalf.

Talent Works has rolled out a new benefits platform which provides remote fitness and wellness activities, ranging from yoga to those for alleviating back and neck pain. The business also provides a healthcare scheme which enables employees to access therapies such as physiotherapy, osteopathy and acupuncture, funded by the business.

Staff are encouraged to have a development plan with SMART objectives. Some teams also have career pathway documents which allow employees and managers to score and track progression for those wanting to take a step up in their career.

60a42fee82899d978c972840

Recruitment

View Company

St. Gemma's Hospice

Wellbeing initiatives include sessions on resilience, looking after yourself, managing time and managing stress. Clinical supervision has been increased and there are counsellors on site to deal with immediate issues. Relaxation and mindfulness sessions, as well as recordings, are available and a wellbeing week focuses on all areas of mental and physical health.

An external provider has been used for team-development training, as well as to encourage cross-team collaboration. Monthly IT skills sessions help staff to improve their technical know-how. The hospice has a bespoke clinical leadership course. Nursing staff are supported through nationally recognised courses, including non-medical prescribing and master's and doctoral degrees.

The hospice's ambition is to develop an accessible leadership and management framework that outlines leadership expectations, behaviour, and training opportunities, as well as a managers' competency checklist setting core standards for those who have line management responsibility within the hospice.

60a418018660a79f486d5619

Charity's

View Company

Skipton Building Society

The Menopause Network promotes normalisation of, education about and support for women experiencing the peri-menopause and menopause. The group strives to help others understand what going through these life stages means, not just to aid women’s understanding of this transition, but also to help partners, friends, colleagues and family to understand better.

Strong emphasis is placed on listening to colleagues and responding to feedback, through pulse surveys on topics such as the society's reward offering and performance framework, full engagement surveys or focus groups that delve deeper into specific topics.

Skipton enables colleagues to drive their own development and growth through "playlists" that give them access to self-directed learning when the time is right for them. During Building a Better You week, sessions to promote the learning available took place and, since then, attendance has increased.

60a41fa8df49eb26ff02d8a0

Financial Services

View Company

MPCT

The college's approach to wellbeing starts with a monthly payment that can be put towards any wellbeing activity. The college also offers exercise classes, provides fresh fruit and encourages lunchtime walking clubs. Drop-in clinics and mental health workshops are also available.

Senior managers live and breathe MPCT's values and the Pride award is given by senior managers to staff in recognition of their commitment to the values. There is public recognition and reward weekly. Badges are also given out by senior managers to staff who demonstrate the values consistently.

MPCT's talent-management policy promotes growth and development through the Rising Star programme. An employee can apply to join and receive training and development to take them to the next level. The programme has created 22 internal promotions in the past year.

60a41f33bff4d44624012073

Education & Training

View Company

Momentum

Staff say one of their favourite benefits is access to the mental health support service Spill. It provides them with free, confidential access to a therapist, whenever they need it, whether it's to have sessions or ask a question about something on their mind.

Allowing colleagues to choose their own working hours, where they work, and how they work best has seen a reduction in fatigue across the business, as the team is able to focus on delivering their best work rather than working in an environment that doesn't serve them.

On Social Thursdays, the last Thursday of every month, most staff come in to the office, spend the day working together and collaborating, then everyone finishes slightly early to do something social. It may be a sushi-making class, a baby shower for a team member or a Wimbledon-themed table-tennis tournament.

60a41c4f644574dd25c3c50d

Consultancy

View Company

Macildowie

The company uses "walking meetings" to encourage staff to remain active and spend time away from desks. Paid sick leave is available from day one and free private healthcare is available to those at certain grades and to others at a reduced price.

Team spirit is seen as one of the most important skills to develop. Team-building activities challenge employees to do something that is out of their comfort zone, including raft-building, a high-ropes assault course and a visit to The Cube in Manchester, which offers mental and physical challenges in the ITV game show's Perspex boxes.

Staff nominate two charities a year to support. This year they have been raising funds for and volunteering at Stonebridge City Farm, in Nottingham, and the Leicestershire Action for Mental Health Project. Charity runs and office competitions are among the events that bring in cash for the charities.

60a42fee82899d978c972840

Recruitment

View Company

Horizon Platforms

A wellbeing activity calendar outlines the areas that will be focused on each month, including support for New Year's resolutions, lunchtime walking clubs, walking meetings, the cycle-to-work scheme, hydration awareness and flu vaccines. Managers are trained in mental health first aid and are encouraged to back home and hybrid working.

In 2021, a group of co-owners tackled the Three Peaks Challenge to raise money for the company's chosen charity, Cancer Research, and raised £6,500. This year staff will take on the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge in aid of Dementia UK. A sponsored dog walk will take place for those who fancy something less strenuous.

Each year, the leadership team commits to a set of priorities that focus on people. Leaders also act as role models for the company's values. The team meets daily and considers the values in all decision-making and activity.

60a4179e3738664af4aa4d2c

Business Services

View Company

Wellbeing Matters

Wigan & Leigh College

Totemic

TOPdesk

Talent Works

St. Gemma's Hospice

Skipton Building Society

MPCT

Momentum

Macildowie

Horizon Platforms

Understand your organisational health across all eight factors

Why measure with Best Companies?