About SIX Financial Information

SIX has a transparent, easy to understand mission statement directly linked to what it wants to achieve by 2014. Human Resources carried out a gap analysis of skills and competencies available within the organisation whilst at the same time working with senior managers to understand the skills and competencies needed to achieve their mission. This exercise helped them assess if their goal was realistic in terms of existing staff. In some business cases it was, but in others it was necessary to 'buy in' the required knowledge or expertise. As part of their ‘lifestyle; they adopt a "we're all in it together" philosophy so when a job has been done well - they celebrate together. For example, they invited everyone to a champagne and pizza event to congratulate the many teams and individuals responsible for delivering a very complex project to fruition.

SIX's flexible working lifestyle philosophy reinforces the wellbeing of their employees. They ensure that every employee has the resources to work remotely from home. This helps for those ‘emergency’ days when the boiler breaks down, or a child is unwell. By doing this the employee doesn’t have to use annual leave, and can still choose to contribute to the team. SIX installed table football in their recreational area to help alleviate stress and build team spirit. Fresh fruit is delivered twice a week to promote healthy living, and the kitchen is fully equipped with modern appliances allowing staff to bring their lunch to work, saving money. They offer subsidised gym membership for £10 pm per employee. The gym has saunas, relaxation areas, classes and state of the art equipment. They partner with them to deliver an annual in-house ‘Wellness Day’ to offer advice on living a healthier lifestyle, weight loss and quitting smoking. Due to their Wellbeing rating with 2013 Best Companies award, they were contacted in July by a media agency to contribute research for a BBC Radio Four programme on mental health amongst men in the workplace. They recorded the broadcast and circulated it to everyone in a bid to promote openness and support for mental health and to end the stigma attached to this issue. Moving forward, they wish to champion this topic.

The MRAP scheme (Market Rate Adjustment Programme) was launched in 2008 in response to feedback SIX received on their remuneration section of the employee survey of that year. The MRAP scheme was created with two objectives in mind: (1) to invest money into basic wages part way through the year (rather than waiting for year end) if their salary benchmarking process shows that an individual has fallen below market rate, and (2) to reward individuals with one off cash bonuses for outstanding contribution to a particular project or business issue. The budget for the MRAP scheme is reviewed on a quarterly basis and financial rewards are offered to individual employees for either outstanding contribution during that quarter to their business, whether it be through new ideas put forward, innovative solutions or the successful completion of a project, or investment into their basic salary if the market has shifted. These payments are a separate reward to their annual bonus or annual salary review. HR work closely with line managers to review nominations for the MRAP list. If they are unable to financially reward an individual in one quarter, they remain on the list and are prioritised for the next quarter. The MRAP initiative has been effective in bringing the philosophy of contribution and reward closer together and strengthens employee engagement with the organisation.