Proud to be a Best Company

Last week was one of my proudest as Chief Executive of Wolverhampton Homes.

For the second year running we’ve been named as one of the best not-for-profit organisations to work for in the UK in a list published by The Sunday Times and employee engagement specialists, Best Companies.

More than 900 UK-based companies took part in the Best Companies survey this year where employees were asked to rate the company they worked for through in-depth questionnaires.

Our first ever staff volunteering project last summer

Two and half years ago we started out on a new journey to make Wolverhampton Homes one of the best places to work for in the public sector. And last week, we were named as a two-star ‘outstanding’ company when it comes to employee engagement. We’re ranked as the 42^nd best not-for-profit company to work for and the 2^nd best ALMO (Arms Length Management Organisation) too.

There are plenty of blogs, websites, Twitter feeds and text books which talk about the virtues of good employee engagement. In fact, there are so many, I won’t bother trying to replicate them all here!

But, as a Chief Executive, what I do know is that in reality, it boils down to this; an engaged workforce who buy into the ethos of your company and who are proud of what you do will perform better.

• They’re less likely to be sick (our sickness rates are down to 6 days compared to 15 a few years ago!)
  
• They’re more likely to stay with you
  
• They tend to have less accidents (we lost just 29 days last year compared to 632 in 2006)
  
• You’re going to get new recruits who really want to work for you
  
• They’re likely to go that extra mile because they really believe in what it is you’re trying to do.

Plus – quite frankly, it’s the right thing to do.

Our employee engagement journey continues

Are we perfect? Of course we’re not. There’s still a long way to go and, ultimately, we’re here to serve our tenants and leaseholders and to deliver the great service they expect from us.

But one thing I do know – a disengaged workforce isn’t going to deliver that level of service.

So we’re a two-star ‘outstanding’ company and the 2^nd best ALMO to work for…and I’m immensely proud of my colleagues for helping us to achieve that. Their enthusiasm to get on board with what we’re trying to do is incredible.

I feel I should point out that whilst we’re 42^nd on the list (we were 40^th last time); to some it could look as if we’ve taken a step back. We most certainly haven’t. The important thing here is that we’ve improved on our overall scoring (going from one star to two) and if anything, shows that more companies are getting on board with the notion that effective employee engagement is good business sense. Importantly, our journey continues along the right trajectory.

For me, this isn’t rocket science and needn’t cost the earth. As long as you truly and authentically believe in it then it can make a huge difference. It’s about making people feel part of the wider vision, treating people fairly, with respect, and rewarding people when they do a good job. From my experience this isn’t anything to do with money either…in the public sector we can vouch for that! 

Sometimes the most powerful reward is simply two words…thank you.

Proud to be me

It’s been a really high profile year for the LGBT community.

Same-sex marriage dominated political debate last year before finally making its way onto the statute book. And in the media too, thousands voiced their support for our Olympic medal winning diver Tom Daly who announced via Twitter that he was in a relationship with another man.

This came after media attention had focused fairly intensely on Russia who’s controversial gay propaganda laws are being put under the international spotlight as they gear up to host this year’s Winter Olympics. The Swedish athletes who painted their finger nails in rainbow colours at the World Championships in Russia, was, personally, my favourite act of defiance in 2013!

And since then we’ve seen former Premier League footballer Thomas Hitzlsperger come out – but again only after his retirement from the game. The groundswell of support from the footballing community felt genuine and heartfelt – a long way from the reaction the late Justin Fashanu found in the 1980s and early 1990s. In fact, the cruelest jibe I heard about Hitzlsperger was: “Hats off to Thomas Hitzlsperger for his bravery today. He's admitted that he used to play for West Ham.” Maybe a positive sign that we’re moving this agenda forward?

I’m delighted that we’re once again backing LGBT History Month. I’ve blogged on this topic before and for me it’s still so important that people feel that they can be themselves when they’re at work.

I’ve worked in lots of different housing organisations over the years, mostly in London, and I had lots of LGBT colleagues. It was perfectly normal, accepted, and not much commented on.

When I came to Wolverhampton - it felt a bit different.  Whilst I didn’t hear any negative comments about sexuality and there were certainly no complaints about discrimination, it just didn’t quite feel as open and comfortable with talking about LGBT issues. I found this a bit strange if I’m honest - because everyone has the right to be “themselves” at work, and our LGBT tenants and leaseholders also need acceptance, understanding and good service.

Colleagues took part in Wolverhampton's PRIDE parade last summer

But we’ve come a long way over the past few years and I’m so proud of my colleagues who have launched our very own ‘Proud to be Me Network’.  It’s made up of colleagues, both straight and gay, who are working to make Wolverhampton Homes a gay-friendly place to work. They’re doing a wonderful job and I can already feel the culture changing. Later this month, staff are having a dress-down day, where they’re coming to work dressed in rainbow colours, we’re playing a football match with the Black Country’s only LGBT-recognised club and our offices are decked out in more rainbow flags than I think I’ve ever seen!

We’re working really closely with Stonewall and I’m really excited to see how this project comes to life over the coming months.

In the meantime, I wanted to thank Stonewall, LGBT Network Wolverhampton, the other groups we’ve worked with – and my colleagues at Wolverhampton Homes for all their energy and enthusiasm. Together we’re making a difference and let’s hope 2014 is another year of progression for the LGBT community.

To the ballot box and beyond

If you listen really carefully you can faintly hear the cogs turning as the political parties shift up a gear into full blown General Election mode.

With the clock ticking down to the next General Election – you can already feel the mood and the perhaps, less than subtle, subliminal electioneering messages emanating from Westminster.

Whoever has the key to Downing Street in 2015 has the chance to shape housing

But with 16 months to go until polling day – now’s the opportunity for everyone – politicians, prospective politicians, housing professionals and, most importantly, tenants and local families – to help shape the debate around our country’s (and indeed our city’s) future housing need.

I think most people agree – we need to build more affordable homes to stimulate the economy and ease the social and welfare system pressures. But where we can’t seem to find a consensus is around how we do that, how we fund that – and who does it.

Earlier this week, the NationalFederation of ALMOs, of which Wolverhampton Homes is a proud member, became the first housing group to launch it Election Manifesto.

It’s an easy read – with a series of very simple messages.

We all know the stark financial and economic realities we’re operating in – and in which the new government, whoever it may be, will find themselves in.  Whether it’s cuts to local council services or the real human costs where we see hundreds of local people in our city visiting Food Banks every week just to get a hot meal for their families. What’s even more alarming is that an increasing number of those are people are in fulltime paid work, but who still desperately struggle to make ends meet.

But our aspirations and drive in the ALMO-sector needn’t be dampened by the financial constraints we find ourselves operating in. There are new challenges and new opportunities out there to support and encourage economic growth in our towns and cities. Providing decent affordable homes, great customer service and empowering tenants to build for themselves a better future needn’t break the bank. There are in fact lots of ways in which the new government can kick-start a housing revolution in this country.

Building new houses creates new jobs, boosts the economy and provides much needed homes. ALMOs have a great track record of delivering new builds. And why are ALMOs well placed to do this? I think it’s because we’re in a unique position where it’s our tenants who drive the agenda. What better way to drive success and raise standards than having those who are directly affected by what we do, at the helm.

But it’s not just about building new homes – it’s about:

• being more energy efficient 
• driving up standards in the private rented sector 
• tackling fuel poverty

• tackling the challenges of welfare reform
•  providing more skills and training opportunities 
• getting more people online 
• offering more debt advice services and support to credit unions.

The full NFA Manifesto is available to read online. Take a few minutes to take a look and decide for yourselves whether you think your elected representatives should be looking closer at the NFAs proposals to build a brighter future for our local communities.

So, now’s the time to contact your local MPs and local candidates to explain that it can be done – and, importantly, for economic and social prosperity, it desperately needs to be done.

The best gift you can give this Christmas…a roof over your family’s head

I know it still feels a bit too early to start talking about Christmas but now the Coca Cola and John Lewis adverts are on, I thought I better start giving some thought to this year’s festivities.

Sadly, for some families in Wolverhampton – and across the whole country – Christmas is going to be a tough time where some will genuinely be debating whether they choose to heat their homes or buy a meal. In 2013 it’s heartbreaking to think that so many people still live in these conditions.

The homeless charity Shelter has just launched an emergency Christmas campaign. According to their figures, 80,000 children will be classed as homeless this Christmas. “One homeless child at Christmas is a tragedy…80,000 is a disgrace”. It’s a sobering thought.

Our Rent First campaign launches on Monday

Having a roof over our heads is one of the most basic needs any person can have. Yet sadly we still see people with nowhere to call home.

At Wolverhampton Homes, we’re just about to kick-start our annual ‘Rent First Please’ campaign.  For the next few weeks we’ll be knocking on hundreds of tenants’ doors, making thousands of phone calls and working flat out to speak to as many tenants as we can to encourage them to clear their rent arrears before Christmas. I’ve even got a call sheet of numbers so I’ll be mucking in to help the cause as well! We’ll be trying to sort out payment plans and collect owed rent - but we’ll also be showing people where they can get financial and debt advice too.

I saw on the news this week that, on average, people will spend around £29 on each present they buy this. The pressure to buy the latest gadgets and toys for children is overwhelming. For the first time this year, we’ve arranged a Toy Swap for tenants so they can come along and exchange one toy for another as a way of making Christmas more affordable.

Our message is simple – the best gift you can give your family this Christmas is a roof over their head and a place to call home. It might not be glamorous and you certainly can’t wrap it up in paper – but it’ll be there long after the toys and computer games have been put away in a cupboard, never to be seen again.

Our message couldn't really be more simple.

Rent arrears in Wolverhampton are up by nearly £250,000 compared to this time last year. Welfare reforms, a stuttering economy, unemployment and years of debts and credit spending are having a huge impact on the city and local people. But, sadly, the reality is; people are at risk from losing their home if they don’t pay their rent. 

The overwhelming majority of our tenants pay their rent, on time, religiously and have done for years. But we know it’s getting tougher. But we are here to help if people come and talk to us.

It’s going to be a busy few weeks for everyone here. But if we can help tenants clear their arrears so they can have a more relaxed Christmas then that will be a good job well done.

If you want to find out more about Shelter’s campaign or even donate a few pounds to the cause, visit www.shelter.org.uk.

Giving something back

As I sit down and write this blog entry I have to admit I’m aching a bit, I’ve got a few blisters and, I have to say – I feel great!

Today I’ve not been ‘Lesley Roberts, Chief Executive of Wolverhampton Homes’ – I’ve been ‘Lesley, getting my hands dirty (literally!) and mucking in’ to help bring a piece of overgrown waste land back to life as a wonderful community garden.

Later this month, we’re going to be officially opening a brand new community garden and play area at Poet’s Corner in Fordhouses. It’ll bring to a wonderful close a project which we kick-started last year.

Last year, some colleagues brought to me an idea which they said would help the company give something back to the community. It really got me thinking. I came into social housing many years ago to do just that – make a difference and give something back. And when I speak to colleagues and ask them what motivates them, time after time I hear the same answers – ‘I want to make a difference’ and ‘I want to give something back’.

Sue Roberts MBE, Chair of our Board and two of the team before we started work

We’re one of the biggest employers in Wolverhampton with just over 700 members of staff, responsible for more than 23,000 homes across the city. We’ve got a responsibility to leave a legacy for future generations. That’s why we’re involved with really exciting apprenticeship programmes – and that’s why we’ve embarked on this Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project.

Poet’s Corner is about more than just the day job. It’s a project thought up by staff at Wolverhampton Homes and built by staff at Wolverhampton Homes. And when I say built by staff – I can vouch for that – I’ve just spent seven hours planting shrubs and moving concrete slabs!

I’ve seen the photos of what the site looked like before we started - and it, if I’m honest, it was grim; overgrown grass and weeds, needles, a hive of anti-social behaviour and blot on the scenery which residents had to live next to. So when I arrived this morning (hard hat, high-vis jacket and steel toe-cap boots aren’t my normal attire!) I was taken aback by how remarkable the site now looks.

Now things are really starting to take shape...

Over the past few months more than 80 members of staff have volunteered to be part of the project. It’s been wonderful to see colleagues from across the company working together, some of them having never met each other before. From housing managers to brick layers, from the Director of Finance to plasterers, from the Chief Executive to customer service advisers – we’ve all mucked in and the fruits of our labours are nearly there for all to see.

So not only can you literally feel the beaming pride amongst everyone who’s been involved, but with some hard work, some determination and some exceptionally talented people, Wolverhampton Homes has helped give something back. We’ve made a difference – and there’s something quite humbling about that.

We're a happy bunch...and we even managed to build a pirate ship out of some left over timber

In spite of the blisters and the aching back I’m immensely proud of what we’ve achieved at Poet’s Corner. It’s the first time we’ve done a CSR project like this and will it be our last? You bet it won’t.

I have to finish by thanking all of the staff who have helped make this project a reality, the contractors who have kindly donated materials and, of course, the local residents who have welcomed us so warmly over the past few months and some of whom have even been out helping us along the way too!

Let's Do It Online

You can’t go anywhere right now without being reminded about how much money you can save by doing things online. For some it’s a double-edged sword. We’ve seen this week that in some circles they’re predicting that one fifth of high street shops could disappear in the next five years – and analysts are putting that down, largely, to the impact of online shopping.

Whether it’s cuddly meerkats or opera singing Welshmen offering to save you money on your car insurance or downloading music –it seems cheaper and far less hassle when you do things online. They say that doing more and more via the internet could save a household more than £500 a year which, in this financial climate, and in the wake of welfare reform, is a really significant sum.

I guess the reality is that people’s habits and customer service expectations are changing. Of course, it’s not for everyone, but we know there’s a sizeable number of out tenants who have, for want of a better phrase, gone digital. For example, our figures show that around 6,500 people visit our website every month whilst more and more people have got access to the internet through smart phones and tablets and are contacting and engaging with us through Twitter and Facebook.



Our Web Wizards are helping to get tenants online



So as our customers’ habits change, we need to change too. Long gone are the days when people have to call us during working hours on Monday-Friday – or, dare I say, write us a letter! We’re investing in online technologies so tenants can report repairs, pay their rent and check their accounts whenever, and wherever they want. It also frees up our phone lines so we can help those who can’t use, or who don’t have access to, the internet. It’s better customer service, simples!



But it’s not just about offering better customer service. With the introduction of Universal Credit on the horizon, the stark reality is people are going to have to get online because for most people, the Universal Credit will mean having to apply online and manage their claim through an online account.

That’s why we’ve got a team of dedicated ‘Web Wizards’ who are working with tenants to help get them online. They’re in our one-stop shops across the city showing people who are queuing up to pay their bills that there’s another way to pay and it doesn’t involve standing in queues!

If you’re reading this already then the chances are you’re already part of the digital revolution. In which case, don’t forget to sign up and register for your ‘Do-it-Online’ account. But if you know someone who’s a tenant or leaseholder of ours and you think they need help to get online then ask them to get in touch with our Web Wizards who’d be more than happy to help.

The times they-are a-changin’ – we need to make sure we do too.