About ICM Unlimited

The Lifestyle Allowance Benefit is a small contribution (up to £150) from the Company towards you taking part in a life enriching activity which has a positive impact on your well-being outside of the work place. A few examples of what employees can claim the £150 on as follows; gym membership, cooking classes, membership to a cultural or sporting pastime and sports equipment. Health Assured Health Assured is an Employee Assistance Programme which provides employees with a confidential support service to help with the following issues; Family issues, gambling, domestic abuse, debt, legal, work etc. Employees are also provided with 8 face to face or telephone counselling sessions if needed. There is a subsidised canteen with a roof top area for employees to take some time out during their lunch break. The Company offers subsidised meals to all employees, the canteen is spacious and has an outside rooftop seating area which employees take advantage of during the summer days. The canteen turns into a bar on a Thursday and Friday evening. Subsidised yoga sessions are also offered to all employees.

For the first time, the organisation has nominated a number of charities to support through the course of this year. These were arrived at through consultation with employees in the agency – and supports both national charities and those that are proximate to each office site. The majority of fundraising activity is achieved through sweepstakes and bake sales in the office, but a number of individuals (including the Leadership team) are taking point in this year’s Sleepout event for Centre Point. The agency supports the notion of giving something back to the community and wider society. This is demonstrated by the organisation’s MD, who volunteers his time to support undergraduate and postgraduate students at the University of Leeds through their Nurturing Talent Mentor Scheme. This typically involves providing advice and guidance to a number of students – with a clear focus on gaining experience during their studies and employment at the end of their course. Typically, students who are nominated for the scheme are likely to be from a non-university background, and in some cases, from disadvantaged groups. Finally, the organisation continues to run both a formal ‘Academy’ programme for graduates, alongside an informal internship or work experience programme in order to provide opportunities to young people looking to pursue a career in the industry.

Following on-going feedback by employees, the current Christmas awards-giving is continuing for another year, with a new range of categories that celebrate not only the great work that ICM undertake, but also to celebrate their PLC group values of free thinking, generosity and diversity. These will, as ever, be awarded following an open voting process with all members of staff. In addition to this, and following feedback from the latest set of employee survey results, the business is embarking on a new monthly awards programme – which will both reward great work and inject some fun into the agency. The idea for these awards is based around the premise of a ‘lucky dip’. At the start of the year, a budget of £1,200 is allocated to purchase 12 different gifts, ranging in value from a few pounds to a star prize of £250-£300. Each of these prizes are placed in unique gold envelopes, and the ‘Influencer of the month’ is able to pick from the envelopes, and has a chance of winning something amazing, or something humorous. The purpose of these awards is to develop a more informal, social atmosphere around recognition in the agency, so that individuals in the agency feel more empowered to share their achievements with others, for the good of the organisation.