Employees are lost in music at Performances Birmingham. The charity manages two concert venues, Birmingham's Town Hall and Symphony Hall, and a scheme offers free tickets to employees, to encourage the organisation's vision statement — “connecting people to music”. Staff agree that colleagues go out of their way to help them (82% positive, fourth) and they feel a strong sense of family in their teams (78%, also fourth). The organisation has 251 people. Despite the difficult economic times, Performances Birmingham gave 90% of its team a one-off payment, equivalent to 2% of salary, in 2012. The charity also reaches out to the community, with free music sessions in children's centres. Its staff also work with schoolchildren, giving them singing or instrument tuition, for example. It wins our special award for Giving Something Back this year.
