(draft) Training policy

"The only thing worse than training your employees and maybe they leave, is not training them and maybe they stay."

Good-Loop recognises that its most important resource is its employees. It is committed to the training and development of its entire workforce so that they will gain the necessary skills to reach their full potential. This will assist in enabling the organisation to achieve its aims and objectives.

The individual training and development needs will be identified through:

• An annual performance appraisal
• Requests from employees

The training and development needs identified will be met through a variety of activities depending on the nature and extent of the requirements deemed necessary after assessment.

All internal training provided by the organisation will be of no cost to the employee. External courses and professional qualifications may be fully or partly funded by the organisation depending on the nature of the training.

Employees are encouraged to take responsibility for their own development and may inform the organisation of their development needs.

Employees are asked to provide feedback on the value and effectiveness of the training and development they undertake. This information will be used to assess and improve the training process.

This policy respects equal opportunities and applies to all employees.

Training Budget

We've allocated a basic budget of £1,000 per employee, per year, to invest in training and personal development.

Mentors

Mentoring can really support a person with both challenging projects and in wider personal growth. Every staff member has the opportunity to have a mentor.

Staff are encouraged to explore and find a mentor and an arrangement that works for them. A good setup is:

• Find someone who is in your field and a few steps further along in their career. They should have relevant experience to understand the issues and opportunities that you encounter. There are various ways you might find someone:
  • Maybe you or your network know someone who'd be a good fit?
  • You can use LinkedIn to find and reach out to people.
  • You can ask around at relevant networking events.
  • We partner with Bloom, BIMA, Outvertising and Media For All who can provide mentors.
• Meet to see if you both get on. Mentoring is a personal relationship.
• Introduce them to HR to discuss payment.
• Meet once a month, either in person or remote.
• You're in charge. If a particular mentor stops being useful - you can thank them for their time, and move on.

Payment for mentors

Good-Loop will pay mentors for their time. The standard rates are:

• £300 per month for 1/2 day's worth of their time, spread across a meeting and other support e.g. email.
• If you have a senior role within Good-Loop: £500 per month.

This can be varied in particular cases with approval from your team leader.