About Riverside

Riverside has an in-house, bespoke, modular manager development programme called ‘Cornerstone’. This ILM accredited programme is mandatory for our over 400 managers and provides them with workshop based modules. Each module is highly participative and creative – with an onus on reflective review between modules to embed the learning through application of the learning back in the workplace. Cornerstone has won the 2015 Investors in People Leadership Development Programme of the Year. Feedback to the programme is consistently excellent and the theme of the programme is engagement through how to ‘inspire and challenge’ by developing behaviours that will engage to drive performance and consistency in the business. The cost per delegate for the entire programme is £900 – an indication of the commitment to the managers who they know from previous Best Companies data to be the conduit to employee engagement at Riverside. The company utilise ‘Yammer’ to build a network of delegates for Cornerstone – to share good practice, experience and challenges.

The One Riverside Annual Training Plan & the launch of ‘Learning to Lead.’ 100% of employees have an annual performance appraisal, containing a two-way discussion between employee and manager to evidence competencies and objectives. Training needs are identified and agreed. This forms the basis of Riverside’s annual training plan. Each employee reviews development through a regular 1-2-1 meeting with their own manager. This training plan guarantees employees a range of elearning, workshop-based training, non-work related personal development opportunities, and the opportunity to apply for funded professional development – often with time off to study. All business areas have provision for learning adaptations, staff events and conferences and a continuous professional development. As part of this commitment and to provide the business with a bench strength of ‘ready talent to entry level line manager roles, the company launched a new talent programme called ‘Learning to Lead’ – with applications open to those wishing to become ‘job ready.’ This talentpool of 40 employees completed an assessment centre, 360 feedback, a series of skills, knowledge and behaviour workshops, heard from guest leadership speakers, and had unlimited access to a line manager elearning suite of modules. Each employee had a mentor throughout the 6-month programme. One year after the launch, 70% of employees in the programme had successfully been recruited into line manager roles, reducing our cost and time per hire and raising engagement with this talentpool and retaining their skills rather than lose them to other organisations.

Riverside has many employees who to go the ‘extra’ mile in their job roles. Riverside recognised that there needed to be a way of rewarding those employees when they have done so. The Learning and Development Team consulted with many colleagues in focus groups to research and launch a recognition scheme – The RiversideSTARS. The RiversideSTARS are based on our values and our Corporate Plan. Four times a year colleagues can nominate individuals or teams for an award. Once the nominations are in for that period a team of judges made up of a panel of Riverside employees meet to judge the nominations. A special Blue lanyard ‘R’ badge, a certificate and card for a personal ‘thank you’, plus a £20 voucher is up for grabs for those who shine bright enough each quarter. There is also the added incentive of a potential place in the annual finalists awards ceremony. Finalists invited to the ceremony will receive a special gold lanyard ‘R’ badge, certificate and ‘thank you’ award and a financial contribution to a team event of the winner’s choice. Winners of each category will also receive one of the coveted RiversideSTARS trophies. This is a fantastic way of rewarding the hard work that goes on around the group that otherwise may be unnoticed. TheChief Executive presents the finalist awards and we promote the event and the winners to share best practice through internal communications.