To show employees what they have achieved against the odds during the pandemic, Olive Business Solutions put together the Olive Memory Booklet of fun posts – and staff love it. The fast-growing company, with headquarters in High Wycombe, says its best move to keep spirits high over the past year was to create a virtual staff room, where the leadership team provided exceptional support.

There was time to chat with daily coffee breaks and people shared stories, pictures and quotes of the day. The virtual staff room also hosted competitions for employees and their children as well as a weekly pub quiz and fancy dress Fridays. People have become more engaged, says the company, by supporting each other and recognising how their colleagues were affected in different ways.

The business helps organisations to focus on smarter ways of working, removing complexity and duplication. Under Martin Flicks, CEO since 2013, Olive has evolved from a traditional mobile communications provider to seamlessly bridge cloud, data and mobility services. The team of people providing its superb customer services have always been put first and some have described the company's virtual channels as a “lifeline”.

Engagement and wellbeing scores at Olive continue to rise above the industry average. Olive ran a specific survey among furloughed employees to see what it could do to minimise their isolation. The company is determined to make sure that individual development plans and career pathways will continue to grow with the company's expansion.