Giving Something Back - The extent to which employees feel their organisation has a positive impact on society
Giving Something Back focuses on the organisation’s social responsibilities. If key factors such as ‘Leadership’ and ‘My Manager’ are performing well, it can influence the improvement of all the other factors, boosting your overall engagement.
The ‘Alchemmy Sport’ initiative encourages colleagues to participate in group running, football and squash sessions, with plans to add more activities. There are also ‘comfortable conversation’ sessions where mental health issues can be discussed in a group setting. And mental health first aiders are always on hand for one-to-one chats.
Employees now benefit from greater transparency around the competencies they need to progress through the ‘Grades Reimagined’ scheme. It splits everyone into sub-levels within their job grade, showing what they need to do to move up the grades. The initiative has involved benchmarking with recruitment agencies and across the marketplace.
‘Alchemmy Gives’ has been set up to help local causes. Alchemmists donated coats to the ‘WrapUp London’ campaign and ran a charity raffle raising more than £1,600 for Breast Cancer Now. And there’s a half-day company-wide volunteering session every year, with the last one supporting the upkeep of a community garden.
An internal network working together as a People Engagement and Wellbeing Team, run by the organisation’s employees, helps with educating and running events on a range of topics and creating a network where colleagues can support one another. Quarterly socials and regular lunch and learn sessions helps bring teams together and drive employee engagement.
Communication is at the heart of what Dufrain Consulting does. Quarterly CEO calls with all employees to discuss its sales, financial, and other business updates. Furthermore, it has regular people updates to discuss the progress of the organisation’s goals and how it support its employees. Leadership also record regular videos on progress for all employees.
The organisation has attended and supported Cash for Kids and local foodbanks. Recently Dufrain Consulting started producing branded merchandise where it purchased t-shirts and hoodies at a higher cost, sold them to employees for a discounted rate, and gave the full amount to charity. Through this approach, the organisation raised over £1000 for three charities.
As well as a generous leave allowance, with extra days at Christmas and Easter, employees benefit from a subsidised fitness and wellness subscription, which gives access to classes, gym sessions and experiences worldwide. Discounted gym membership is also available through the company’s private medical insurance provider, alongside mental health support.
Interns are welcome at Brandpie. A new recruit is hired quarterly – bolstering the team in any department from design to project management. They get a ‘buddy’ and are involved in all aspects of project work, from insights and research to client presentations. They also have skills training in areas like communication and IT.
The company helps young people from underrepresented backgrounds get into managerial and leadership roles through a mentorship programme with the Aleto Foundation. And Brandpie’s supporting those affected by the war in Ukraine. This has included the London to Kyiv challenge, where its team walked, swam, cycled or ran a collective 1,340 miles for sponsorship.
Staff receive a 15% discount at Card Factory, as well as reduced prices on a range of goods and services, from holidays and mobile phone contracts, to shopping, through Mycardfactory. Annual leave is at least 28 days.
Through its charitable arm, Card Factory Foundation, the company has raised more than £7 million for Macmillan Cancer Support since 2006. It is the lead sponsor of the Wakefield 10k and has been supporting Wakefield Hospice for the past four years. Staff help to sort stock in the warehouse or undertake gardening work.
Colleague connection days where colleagues were encouraged to come into the office and reconnect with those they may not have seen for a while were launched. They were a great success. Food vans provided meals, there were skips so staff could clear out the office space and various activities they could join.
At monthly “feed the 50(00) events”, one team has to cook for the rest of the office. The events give staff the opportunity to interact with others during a long lunch. Updates, business trends, and so on, are discussed at fortnightly barstool meetings. Monday morning “launches” start the week, while 3pm Friday “wraps” end it.
Managers have been undertaking a six-month programme based on six core leadership competencies: self-awareness; agility; sales; data; coaching and digital skills. The company has also introduced a “future managers” programme.
Deverellsmith has an ambassador for sustainability, who volunteers to lead initiatives that ensure the business and its staff have a more positive impact on the environment. He has organised events to promote environmental responsibility, such as tree planting and a beach clean, and is working on waste-management within the company.
The commuter-assistance programme gives staff a discount on travelcards and/or parking. They are given £100 per month (£1,200 per year) to help cover commuting costs. The company also offers interest-free season ticket loans.
Staff have a personal development plan which is reviewed with their manager. They also have access to Degreed, an online platform containing skills training, and more than 200,000 courses on Udemy. The company is developing a platform that will allow staff to input their goals for the year, paired with regular catch-ups with their manager.
Under intuit's "we care and give back" initiative, everyone is given five paid days off a year for charitable work. Some staff work individually with charities close to them, others join forces to make a bigger impact. The company runs an annual Week of Service, when teams spend their time volunteering and raising funds.
Weekly team huddles focus on employee wellbeing, rather than performance or information sharing. Team away-days, which take place in neutral community venues, are supportive events where people feel valued. Cross-service training and working groups facilitate the mixing of staff across the charity, so that they can share experiences.
The charity operates a buy-and-sell policy for annual leave. It offers flexible working, such as compressed hours, as well as hybrid working, to promote a good work-life balance. There is an employee assistance programme, a probate helpline and health cash plan. Bereavement counselling is also on offer.
As well as charity fund-raising, n-Compass works with community organisations, taking part in forums, such as Rochdale and District Disability Action Group, to address local issues. It also collaborates on projects, including Bury Stepping Out, and engages with hard-to-reach groups such as local mosques and Bury Asian Women’s Women’s Centre.
To support staff during the economic crisis, free food is being provided in the kitchens ,and staff can help themselves to breakfast and lunch. The company also supplies free hot drinks and sanitary products.
Chief executive Anthony Pearlgood stages regular town hall meetings with staff to update them on company business and he encourages senior leaders to do the same. Pearlgood and the HR and talent manager also meet staff in groups, to determine what the organisation can do to improve terms and conditions.
As well as in-house recycling and a cycle-to-work scheme, the company's efforts to combat climate change include a drive-to-work scheme. It encourages staff to car-share and allows them to claim £1 per person for each journey.
Last year, chief executive Adam Stroud had mini-exchanges with each employee across the globe and the chats provided a platform for staff to ask questions and be answered directly. The move improved engagement with staff across the company. Breakfast with directors sessions are run virtually via Microsoft Teams.
Sessions that are run as part of the managers’ network allow leaders to bring a challenge to share with their peers and support one another to find creative solutions that drive consistency across the company. The sessions include training on topics such as salary-review conversations.
Paxton aims to have an all-electric car fleet next year. All new company cars ordered last year were electric or hybrid and the fleet is now 87% hybrid or fully electric. Biodegradable packaging is used in the company cafe and a "green team" looks for new environmentally friendly ways of working.
To encourage a good work-life balance, the leadership team demonstrates that employees' home lives are just as important as work. Leaders bring their children in on company calls, make a point of doing something personal during the day and set the tone by promoting the idea that no one can do it all.
At SF the environment is high on the agenda. The organisation has ditched single-use plastics in favour of bamboo, a more sustainable material. Plastic water bottles and cutlery is banned, along with straws, bubble wrap and business card boxes. Stricter recycling methods have been brought in at all of its offices.
Staff can decide when they work their contracted hours so they can balance their work and home life more effectively. Greater emphasis has been placed on choosing to work when they are at their most productive. The 30 days’ annual leave entitlement is supplemented by ad-hoc company days off, especially when the workload is high.
