We like our staff to feel comfortable expressing their views. This is why many of our communication processes are reasonably informal. Mini department meetings and 1-to-1 sessions often have a “how are you doing?” approach.

Our senior managers and directors have an open door policy: come in and have a chat.

Keeping staff well informed and updated is crucial for any successful business. We believe that it is vital to engage with all staff, especially on the understanding that they will reciprocate.

How do we do this?

All communication processes are supported from the senior management team downwards.

We talk to each other! Nothing new there, but we do not hide behind an e-mail message if we can possibly avoid it.

Employee Forum.

This is a team of people from across all of our business divisions that the directors and HR Manager consult with to seek ideas and advise of board level decisions. We also hear their thoughts on issues concerning the direction of our business. We believe that giving our staff input into decisions provides ownership. We endorse a culture of no surprises, and if staff influence a decision it is often because they are professionally qualified to do so, with the result that our business growth and success is often enhanced.

We hold bi-annual presentations to our whole workforce. These are an opportunity to provide up to date business and sector analyses and updates on the activities of each business division - coupled with some fun and jokes along the way. Our internal monthly newsletter is something that everyone is keen to read. Again, the work-hard, play-hard attitude comes across.

Each month we have a presentation to the whole company. All work activity stops for the last half-hour at the end of the day. This is a time to congratulate each other on what has been accomplished in the month, but additionally acknowledge areas where we can improve.

Every week we have a company round-up, usually presented by our MD first thing on a Tuesday morning.

It's a short meeting - usually no more than five or ten minutes - and is a chance for the entire company to hear about positive news and opportunities in our clients' markets, plus particular successes across the company the previous week. This may relate to a new client won by a team, or a significant placement by an individual consultant, or any other positive news worthy of sharing with the company. These very motivational meetings began in November 2008 and are extremely well received by all staff, bringing the whole company together once a week to listen to positive news.

Appraisal time, or as we call know it…Catch up meetings! It’s whole-heartedly accepted by everyone that this is beneficial to the organisation and everyone within it. We hold these meetings on a quarterly basis. They are a time to reflect on our job roles and how we perform, asking ourselves, have we delivered?

We discuss our competencies and talk about how we have demonstrated them.

We also use all of the following to get our messages across and communicate information to everyone within the company:

• Visual display screens
• Wipe Boards
• Posters
• Friday business financial update

What else? We socialise well and often, and enjoy life!