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What are companies doing with regards to 'Leadership'

Learn about the Factors Effect Model

What affect will focus on the 'Leadership' factor have?

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.

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Technology

Connect Childcare

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Connect Software works with an external organisation to deliver wellbeing sessions to staff. They are popular and the topics covered are chosen by everyone to encourage buy-in. Wellbeing reminders and tips are sent out regularly to ensure employees are taking care of themselves, taking a break and having down time.
Quarterly senior leaders' meetings are a new concept at Connect and were launched to bring leaders together to bridge the gaps that have appeared as a result of a more flexible way of working. The three-hour meetings discuss the highs and lows of past quarter and pave the way for the next.
Training and development is promoted by the company and is discussed in quarterly assessments and regular one-to-one sessions with staff. Employees are encouraged to look at their skills and areas that need developing. As a result of the last company survey, Connect Software has created a nine- to 12-month leadership and management development programme.
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Manufacturing

IQE

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Colleagues are encouraged to use the firm’s social media platform, Workplace, to share posts and engage with life outside of work. Social events, such as coffees, lunches, and evening drinks give employees a chance to get together, and brief ‘stand-up’ style calls have been implemented to encourage connectedness.
Monthly videos from the Executive and Senior Leadership Team keep employees in the loop with company updates, along with a quarterly newsletter containing information on company goals, best practice, and maintaining engagement. Colleagues have the chance to ask questions during on-site visits and there’s regular townhall meetings with the company’s CEO.
Employees “wore it pink” for Breast Cancer Awareness and donned their festive finery for Save the Children’s ‘Christmas Jumper Day’ in just two of IQE’s charitable fundraisers. The business has recently established a committee focused on giving back to local communities, and all staff are gifted a day per year to help a good cause.
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Law

BDB Pitmans

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A health and wellbeing fortnight each January aims to increase staff understanding of aspects of health and wellbeing, as well as identify what they can do to boost their own health. Events over the two weeks include training on mindfulness, exercise, sleep and nutrition. A Mental Health Awareness week also takes place in May.
Five business impact groups operate within the firm. Their mission is to raise awareness of particular issues. They are Shine, the firm's multicultural network, Best Self, its LGBTQ+ group, Breaking Even, which focuses on gender equity, Mind and Body, centred on mental health and disability and Balance, for working parents and carers.
Two new programmes are being launched this year: Building Better Managers and Building Better Leaders. The management training will provide participants with the skills to motivate and energise their teams. The leadership scheme is open to those who already have experience and will develop their abilities to inspire people to perform better.
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Not For Profit Body's

Chartered Management Institute

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CMI has moved away from documentation to conversation. Regular meetings have been put in place for managers and direct reports to discuss objectives, what is going well and what support is needed. All senior managers are studying for the CMI level seven coaching and mentoring qualification.
In 2021, CMI introduced a paid day for all colleagues to give back to the community through voluntary work, as well as supporting those who do additional volunteering throughout the year with flexible working. The organisation continues to encourage recycling across the business and sends zero waste to landfill.
Chief Executive, Ann Francke, holds weekly sessions with all colleagues, providing business updates, shoutouts to good performers and Q&As. Also, she has introduced “Coffee and a chat with Ann”, where five or six colleagues from across CMI get together virtually for 30 minutes.
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Utilities

Fundamentals

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There are weekly safety updates on a variety of topics, and mental health and wellbeing often feature. Tips to improve wellbeing, whether through exercise, understanding the importance of nutrition and hydration or better sleep habits, are included.
At weekly team meetings, leaders make sure there is time to recognise and acknowledge nominations for staff who champion the company's values and that those values remain at the top of people's agendas. In their own work they strive to demonstrate the values daily and model the behaviour expected of all staff.
The company offers an apprenticeship scheme and some of the earliest participants are now involved in the business at management level. Newer apprentices are keen spokespeople for the company at careers events. Fundamentals is also an enterprise partner of the Institution of Engineering and Technology and supports employees towards professional membership, financially and practically.
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Manufacturing

Howdens

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Howdens is unusual in that it rewards team effort. Everyone within each depot benefits from team bonuses, based on the profitability and collective success of the depot. This approach encourages team motivation, camaraderie, commitment to excellence and a shared sense of responsibility for customer service.
At focus groups, chief executive Andrew Livingston meets six depot managers over dinner to listen to their feedback on any topic. Engagement surveys are run in depots to understand how employees are feeling and to get feedback on local issues. Regional directors lead the follow-up for swift, targeted action.
The company has just celebrated a 10-year partnership with Humberside Fire and Rescue. It supports 14 on-call fire fighters and two medical first-responders. They’ve attended more than 1,800 emergencies and 1,140 medical first-response calls since 2011, saving more than 60 lives.
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Automotive

Kia UK

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All senior leaders and managers undergo leadership training and are regularly assessed against specific competencies. There is also a formal biannual appraisal process. Senior leaders keep teams updated throughout the year on company performance and hold an in-depth town hall every quarter, to which all are invited.
With its people-centric corporate focus, Kia offers apprenticeships with the most up-to-date manufacturer-specific knowledge and competencies delivered at the state-of-the-art Kia Academy Training Centre in Nottingham. Graduates from the 24 to 36-month courses are eligible to continue their career progression with a Higher Apprenticeship, Level 4/5.
In recognition that employees play a huge role in hitting company targets, team members are able to nominate their colleagues for outstanding performance. Winners are acknowledged in front of the whole company during quarterly briefings and awarded a £250 voucher.
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Automotive

Motorpoint

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At monthly Foody Fridays or Munchie Mondays, depending on the teams' working patterns, takeaways are delivered to all team members. The business encourages teams to go out together and have fun at quarterly events, which it funds.
Communication is a priority within Motorpoint, and, as the organisation grows, it focuses particularly on maintaining leadership visibility. Chief executive Mark Carpenter hosts a monthly Happy Hour to update staff on the business and make sure that its values are lived. All staff can attend and questions are welcomed.
Staff brandishing buckets and sponges washed customers and employees' cars to raise £3,000 for radio company Global's Make Some Noise day. At Christmas the business hosted drive-in cinemas at six sites, inviting customers and teams to watch Elf. Profits went to the organisation, which helps small charities that work to improve people's lives.
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Construction & Engineering

Portview Fit-Out

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Portview's Live Better, Feel Better programme is led by in-house occupational health nurse, Norma McKibbin, who is a qualified cognitive behavioural therapy practitioner. Last year, she was highly commended in the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Ambassador of the Year category of the British Safety Council’s International Safety Awards.
Using the Hub, Portview's employee engagement platform, heads of department give video updates on their departments. Managing director Simon Campbell and line managers run virtual coffee mornings — no work chat, just a hello. Team leaders give daily briefings to talk about workload and deadlines.
Everyone keeps in touch through the Hub, which is fun, informative, educational, honest and fresh. It showcases Portview's culture and helps to inspire and enable people to go the extra mile and seek opportunities for continual improvement to benefit themselves, the organisation and its clients.
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Retail

River Island

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Islanders told the company that being kept up to date on what was going on in the company was important to them, so chief executive Will Kernan writes a weekly update to all business areas. He also sends video messages and there are quarterly town hall business updates. Senior leaders have also sent wellbeing messages.
River Island's ethos is "Our community is always open" and it has partnered with Blueprint for All, which was formerly the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust, to help the company identify how to become an inclusive place to work and shop. It has learnt where some improvements can be made simply by listening to staff.
To thank staff for their efforts last year, which in spite of Brexit, a global pandemic and supply-chain problems, was a positive one for the company, they were given a bonus. The high-street market has been challenging, but passionate, hard-working Islanders ensured that the company remained resilient.
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