What do I need to know as a manager?

• How can I support my team members and encourage them to get involved?

  Closer to the Cause opportunities will often be very different from each other and therefore there are lots of different skills and learning to be discovered. It’s important to talk to your teams about what they’ like to learn more about at Anthony Nolan and what skills they could benefit from putting into practice. Matching skills and learning to different available opportunities is a great way to use Closer to the Cause as a development opportunity for your teams.

• Are colleagues limited on how many activities they can do?

  Involvement in Closer to the Cause is done on an individual basis and is centred around each colleague’s development plans with their line managers. It's important for colleagues to discuss opportunities with you and for you to agree when and what they will be involved in.

• I have a concern around how Closer to the Cause is going to work for my team.

  We understand that there may be individual circumstances or questions that arise and would love to hear from you. Please get in touch with the People Team if you’d like to discuss anything with us peopleteam@anthonynolan.org

• How does TOIL work for my team with Closer to the Cause opportunities?

  Opportunities for Closer to the Cause will occur both within and outside of core working hours. If someone in your team wants to participate in an activity which is outside of their core working hours, you should discuss and agree with them what their TOIL expectations are. TOIL should be taken at the earliest possible opportunity and should not be saved to use in conjunction with annual leave. If TOIL is not possible due to someone’s current workload, it’s important to have this discussion prior to your team member taking part in an activity. It is recommended that any TOIL conversation is recorded in writing to ensure all parties agree.

• Who covers travel expenses for an opportunity?

  Some teams will cover travel expenses for their activities and will make that clear upon sign up. If a team does not cover travel expenses, the opportunity will likely be more suited for colleagues who live closer to where it is happening and therefore minimise any cost to a colleague. If there is an opportunity that you feel strongly about a team member attending, you may wish to use part of your own team’s budget to cover travel costs, however this is entirely at the discretion of the budget holder.

• My team is too busy to get involved in Closer to the Cause. What can I do?

  Capacity is always a priority, and we want to try to have at least one opportunity that every colleague can be involved in. We try to offer activities at different times and on different days, as well as longer and shorter time commitments. As opportunities develop, we aim to provide even more opportunities to give colleagues more options available to them. By focusing on different personal development areas, we hope to be able to create opportunities that will appeal to all colleagues.