Making a Difference to Company Culture: ICE Staff Council

Why did ICE introduce a Staff Council? 

We know how important staff feedback is to make change and implement new ideas at ICE, and our open and honest culture is central to supporting staff morale.

This is why we have a staff elected Staff Council – their role is to give everyone a route to provide constructive feedback to our Senior Leadership team. This can include anything that affects our staff’s day to day working life, from office amenities to how the company operates.

During the pandemic it became increasingly important to keep communication channels open across the company and help our staff feel connected to each other. The Staff Council filled a key role in keeping a united ICE InsureTech and it has kept its relevance and importance to our staff, even following the pandemic.

Roles and Responsibilities of our Staff Council

There are several roles within the Staff Council:

Chair –They are responsible for ensuring the Staff Council discuss relevant ideas and views with our Senior Leadership Team, meeting monthly to present new proposals.

Vice-Chair – They work alongside the Chair helping to maintain focus on the ideas of the staff. The Vice Chair also attends the monthly meeting with the Senior Leadership team.

Members – They gather ideas from staff and present them to the rest of the team for discussion.

The key responsibilities and deliverables of the Staff Council are to:

• Encourage and engage with staff across all teams and locations to gather feedback and ideas about the company is run and how people feel their daily working lives could be improved
• Bring ideas raised to regular meetings for discussion
• Feedback to individual staff members on the ideas they have raised
• Provide regular communications to employees on Staff Council activities, progress and upcoming work

Benefits of the Staff Council

Since the Staff Council was introduced, there has been a noticeable upturn in staff interest on everyday company topics and how we can improve every aspect of the company.

The Staff Council has operated through a pandemic, mass homeworking across the company, and the return to the office and has still been able to accomplish a huge amount of change and progress at ICE.

The team have made great progress understanding and enhancing the company culture and have brought in a wide array of initiatives that have addressed key staff feedback and expanded the ways by which feedback can be gathered and analysed.

Staff Council Highlights Include:

• Staff satisfaction survey to gather in-depth feedback on a range of topics, which can be compared year on year
• Hybrid working policy drafted, developed and iterated with staff input
• Graduate accumulator challenge raising over £1000 for Phyllis Tuckwell, Hospice Care
• Ability to buy and sell holiday
• Cycle to work scheme
• Staff achievement awards
• Corporate social responsibility policy
• Enhanced commitment to reducing environmental waste put into action
• Women’s focus groups on key topics
• Free fruit in the office
• Line manager training sessions
• Mentoring scheme
• Volunteering opportunities in the local community
• Personal Interest Groups e.g. running club, board game club
• Reviewing the Overtime policy to make it clearer for all staff

What Our Employees Think

“The Staff Council has really opened up communications between staff and the SLT giving opportunities for staff to share their thoughts and improve the experience working at ICE”

Jamie Hannibal, UI/UX Architect

“We have seen real change and a community feel since introducing our Staff Council. The staff have a strong voice with an open communication channel between them and SLT. Our staff feel heard and most importantly are able to see their suggestions come to life and be implemented into everyday life at ICE.

The Staff Council has had an incredibly positive influence on our company culture, I am proud to be part of the women’s focus group that our council introduced and to see all individuals from all areas and seniorities of our business be listened too. I look forward to seeing what comes next for Staff Council.”

Lydia Balment, Digital Marketer                                    

“The staff council here at ICE are a receptive and motivated team from all areas of the company. From organising staff surveys to mentoring schemes, they have a dedication to all members of staff and regularly act upon feedback to improve the work-lives of everyone at ICE. They are a welcoming point of contact for new joiners and organise inclusive social and charity fundraising events aimed at all – grads and senior staff alike.

With a dedication to empowering women’s voices within the company, and encouraging diverse and inclusive recruitment, the council have ensured that the ICE team remains a strong and well-heard collective, and I look forward to seeing what future improvements they bring!”

Sam Harding, Product Analyst

“Since the Staff Council was introduced, it has led to real change and improvements in several key areas; regular fruit bowls in the office, bike to work schemes, mentoring, refining policies on holiday, engaging with a local charity, staff awards. This has helped the company come together and I can only see further improvements as the Staff Council matures.

As it has grown, Staff Council has encouraged participation from areas of the company outside the UK and this has helped bring us closer as a company.”

Dan Windsor, Customer Support Manager

The Staff council is a powerful voice that the ICE Senior Leadership team have openly accepted and listened to, resulting in real change to everyday life of staff and supporting our company culture here at ICE.

We have seen amazing success and growth already from our staff council and are excited to see new opportunities this brings for staff over the coming months and years.

If you are thinking about implementing a staff council in your own company, we strongly recommend investigating how you can introduce this and the benefits it can bring. With a staff council you will see real rewards for your staff and your company, with a more cohesive, heard and happy staff body.

Interested in ICE’s company culture and our values as a business? Feel free to reach out today at info@iceinsuretech.com.

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