Best Companies Factors: Wellbeing

Blue Arrow

Employees enjoyed a gifted day off during October to mark mental health awareness month, openly sharing what they did to boost their wellbeing. This included long walks, duvet days and family time. In addition, all staff get a mindfulness app subscription and access to a full manager complement of Mental Health First Aiders.

An online social platform is the heart of company communication. As well as updates, it allows colleagues to get business-wide recognition and connect with colleagues across the UK. And an Employee Voice Champion Group feeds back to the MD and HR director about what the business is doing well and where it could improve.

New starters get a ‘riding the rollercoaster’ advice guide to help them prepare for their first three months, offering insight on common emotions – high and low – that a new job can bring. It encourages them to embrace positive thinking, be organised, set goals and invest in their own career development.

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Recruitment

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TriConnex

Approaching learning and development comes in the form of the ‘70:20:10’ model. This sees employees get 70% of their learning from daily tasks or challenges, 20% from social interaction, and 10% from formal training. There’s also extensive apprenticeship, mentoring, and shadowing programmes on offer and staff are often supported into more senior positions through secondments.

To encourage the switch to more environmentally friendly vehicles, a new electric vehicle (EV) salary sacrifice scheme has been launched. Staff eligible for the scheme benefit from income tax and national insurance contribution savings, as well as reducing their carbon footprint. Employees can make use of the free EV charging points at TriConnex’ head office.

Wellbeing walks are just one of the initiatives on offer to give employees a boost. There’s also an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support physical and mental wellbeing, as well as access to financial advice resources. All staff benefit from discounted gym membership, and there’s healthy eating promotions on offer at the firm’s subsidised canteen.

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Utilities

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Umega

In partnership with the Scottish Association for Mental Health, Umega has implemented five "ways to wellbeing" in Its working practices: "learn", "connect", "give", "be active" and "take notice". Workshops, clubs, external spaces for people to socialise and company meetings that are about getting to know one another provide the means to put them into practice.

Building on skills learnt over the past two years, Umega is using recorded communications to bring company policies, insights and analysis to life. Everyone is given access to them. The move has built trust and understanding because the spirit and tone of a message is communicated better than it would be in writing.

Staff are encouraged to gain the Association of Residential Lettings Agents Propertymark qualification. The company pays for exams, provides time off for study and pays for Propertymark membership once they are qualified. It also supports continuing professional development.

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Property

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Connect Childcare

Connect Software works with an external organisation to deliver wellbeing sessions to staff. They are popular and the topics covered are chosen by everyone to encourage buy-in. Wellbeing reminders and tips are sent out regularly to ensure employees are taking care of themselves, taking a break and having down time.

Quarterly senior leaders' meetings are a new concept at Connect and were launched to bring leaders together to bridge the gaps that have appeared as a result of a more flexible way of working. The three-hour meetings discuss the highs and lows of past quarter and pave the way for the next.

Training and development is promoted by the company and is discussed in quarterly assessments and regular one-to-one sessions with staff. Employees are encouraged to look at their skills and areas that need developing. As a result of the last company survey, Connect Software has created a nine- to 12-month leadership and management development programme.

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Technology

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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.

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Education & Training

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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.

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Financial Services

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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.

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Technology

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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.

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Recruitment

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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.

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Charity's

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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.

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Financial Services

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Wellbeing Matters

Blue Arrow

TriConnex

Umega

Connect Childcare

Wigan & Leigh College

Totemic

TOPdesk

Talent Works

St. Gemma's Hospice

Skipton Building Society

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