Leadership - How employees feel about the head of the organisation, senior management and the organisation's values and principles
Leadership has the biggest influence on how employees feel about the organisation.
Leaders need to create inspiring visions and provide clear direction to positively Impact the My Company factor.
When it comes to Wellbeing, no amount of free fruit or stress busting classes are going to address an imbalance. Employee Wellbeing is a by-product of the leadership and management culture.
If there’s pressure at the top of your organisation, it won’t take long to be felt throughout.
The organisation has 17 trained Mental Health First Aiders across the business and its Employee Assistance Programme gives staff multiple avenues to discuss their mental health in an open and confidential manner. The HR Team also run Mental Health in the Workplace sessions for Managers, which are compulsory for them to attend.
AJ Bell publish a regular series of interviews with its CEO and other members of the Executive Committee to its staff intranet. The videos cover business and performance updates, as well as personal reflections, and support the organisation’s work on an open and accountable culture. They also ensure staff receive a consistent message from leaders.
In February, the organisation launched its new charitable initiative – the AJ Bell Futures Foundation – initially committing to contribute 0.5% of its profits before tax to the Foundation each year – to establish deep-rooted, long-term partnerships whilst building futures in its communities. To date, it has donated £100,000 to each of its charity partners.
Blackstone employees are encouraged to start the week on a high with 'Blackstone TV' – a global call in which the leadership team shares valuable insights and updates to connect, motivate and inspire. The team also regularly posts videos, podcasts and newsletters and visits regional offices to host town hall meetings and invite questions.
All Blackstone staff are encouraged to hone their leadership skills. The firm doesn't view them as specific to certain job positions; it wants all employees to be able to convince others of their ideas and make them happen together. All staff are evaluated on their leadership and managerial qualities during the annual 360 review process.
Volunteering is big at Blackstone. It includes mentoring and career guidance for at-risk young people, renovating buildings for those in need and volunteering at food redistribution centres. During 2022, the Blackstone Charitable Foundation donated £336,000 to UK charity partners. Its London employees raised a further £228,500 through their own initiatives.
CFC is a 34% employee-owned company which means it benefits from having employee ownership alongside an incredibly engaged senior management and leadership team who act as role models for their teams. The core values are demonstrated through its belief in market-leading insurance products and customer service and a constant drive for innovation.
By attracting high-calibre talent, and retaining, motivating, and engaging employees through fair, competitive, and responsible remuneration structures it continuously builds on not only CFC principles but puts a spotlight on each and every individual in the organisation, these are the key components to its success.
CFC recently opened an Innovation Hub that provides a modern and tech-friendly office space for the tech team to collaborate in. Additionally, it has launched a careers platform to attract candidates to CFC. This platform is much more visually appealing and candidate-engaging, with video job overviews, manager profiles, and transparent recruitment steps and processes.
ClearScore recognises that sometimes people need support. Leave after pregnancy loss is a policy it has recently provided. The organisation understands the impact pregnancy loss can have on both parents, so should an employee experience this, if directly, with their partner, or through surrogacy, ClearScore gives them the time they need.
Its leaders articulate eight behavioural principles, which are described as the 'rules of the game'. They ensure that all employees are judged and measured against these. ClearScore's principles are communicated to new starters as part of an intensive two-day onboarding process and employees who demonstrate these principles are celebrated at the 'end-of-race' awards every quarter.
It encourages employees to create a Personal Development Plan to structure and commit to their learning and growth. Employees are given a learning budget of £500 to support their individual personal development. This is housed on a platform called Learnerbly, where employees can access a wide range of development content.
The organisation provides many opportunities for teams to come tother in both a working environment and a more social setting. Team calls and online company activities provide the opportunity for teams to align on goals, and charity events and team lunch’s provide the chance for team building and the strengthening of employee relationships.
The Leadership Team are transparent in their messaging and regularly communicate the company's performance, challenges, and good news stories, ensuring that everyone is well informed about what's happening. Employees who consistently embody the company values are acknowledged and rewarded. This can include awards, bonuses, or a well done shout out at the Monthly Team Meeting.
Crimson has developed a CPD Pathway for its employees that helps to identify and develop the skills and competencies that are required for their current role, or one that they are aspiring to move into. Some of the training resources that are available to employees include podcasts, articles, and online courses.
The founders and leadership team have been communicating the 'North Star Ambitions' focused on people, culture, growth, clients and impact, ensuring everyone knows how to contribute. Each ambition has an owner who supports goal-setting across the business. Employees get twice-yearly updates on progress.
Referrals are Daemon's most effective way of bringing in culture-fitting new talent, with one in five new hires via the scheme. An employee who successfully recommends a person for a permanent position gets £2,500 within 12 months. And there's even £200 for a team member who refers somebody on a contract basis.
Daemon's corporate charities are Breadline Africa, which provides educational infrastructure, and Staffordshire Women's Aid. Its staff raise money through activities like runs and step challenges. They also do free-of-charge technical work to help the charities increase web traffic and online donations. Contributions to Breadline Africa have helped build a school facility using a shipping container.
