The Breakfast Club recently won the award for 'Best employer supported volunteering programme' at the CIPD People Management Awards. Sponsored by Team London, the Mayor's volunteering programme, the award recognises employers who encourage their staff to take time away from work to volunteer within the community.
Most modern businesses aspire to do good, but family-run The Breakfast Club embeds this idea into the fabric of its organisation. The eight cafes and team of 350 deliver a ‘today is going to be a good day’ ethos through ‘Good Day Productions’ - a volunteering scheme which helps local vulnerable and disadvantaged people.
Contributing to Good Day Productions is core part of being a Breakfast Club employee. The company offers 100 paid volunteering hours a month and encourages all salaried staff to volunteer for at least 20 hours per year.
The charities and organisations they support are chosen by members of staff who can volunteer as much as time as they like, as long as their work commitments are upheld. The projects give employees the opportunity to use talents and skills they aren’t regularly using in their job, which gives them an increased sense of personal purpose. Placements can run from a one-off project of a week, to longer-term projects of up to 10 weeks.
The Sustainable Restaurant Organisation scored The Breakfast Club 98 per cent for community engagement, and it was included on The Sunday Times’s 100 Best Companies to Work For in the UK.
CIPD People Management Awards
The CIPD People Management Awards is one of the most anticipated events in the human resources calendar. Organised by the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, the Awards recognise and celebrate outstanding achievements in people management and learning and development.
This year, there were 19 categories as well as an overall winner. Categories this year include ‘Best apprenticeship scheme’ and ‘Best coaching and mentoring initiative’. Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust who scooped the title of 'Overall winner' as well as category winner for the 'Best employee engagement initiative'.
The the Awards dinner took place on Tuesday 27 September 2016 at Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London.
- Best apprenticeship scheme: Troup Bywaters + Anders
- Best change management initiative: Gatwick Airport
- Best coaching and mentoring initiative: Housing Diversity Network
- Best digital initiative in HR/L&D: Tata Consultancy Services
- Best diversity and inclusion initiative: Transport for London
- Best employee engagement initiative: Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust
- Best employee relations initiative: Thurrock Council
- Best employer supported volunteering programme: The Breakfast Club
- Best health and wellbeing initiative: Reed Business Information
- Best HR/L&D consultancy: Synergy Creative
- Best HR/L&D supplier: NWSSP
- Best learning and development initiative: Superdrug
- Best recruitment and talent management initiative: University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Best SME people management initiative: Delta Financial Systems Ltd & Innerstrengths
- HR/L&D team of the year - private sector: Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group
- HR/L&D team of the year - public sector/ third sector/ social enterprise: United Learning Trust
- Michael Kelly outstanding student award - advanced level: Steven Thompson, EE
- Michael Kelly outstanding student award - intermediate and foundation level: Michelle Amorsen, The HR Dept South Warwickshire
- Overall winner: Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust