"Invest in securing and keeping the best talent"
Working with our retained people and culture advisors, a plan has been prepared and partially implemented during the year focussed on supporting staff development, performance, welfare and working practices.
This work was started by our first ever full staff satisfaction survey, the results of which have been used to determine the agreed plan of action.
One area of weakness was shown to be the environment for staff working out of the Surrey office. The expansion of the staff team over recent years had meant that office space had become too small and was unsuitable for current needs. Working closely with staff a new office space was secured and a move completed in the final quarter of 2019. This new space provides something equal to the London office, where a similar review and move took place in 2017.
Perhaps the biggest improvement secured is the way that staff now communicate and share information. The introduction of the 'Workplace' software platform for staff has been well-received and used to collaborate more effectively. The Board have also benefitted from their own separate use of Workplace.
English Rural has also continued to invest in supporting agile working, through software, changes to process and the way we communicate. For example, the increased use of video conferencing was already common-place in advance of Covid-19 restrictions making it the norm.
During the year a full staff ‘Away Day’ was arranged. The focus was on team working and developing a set of organisational values. The following values were agreed:
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First staff satisfaction survey completed, and results acted on
New and improved office environment achieved for Surrey-based staff
Introduction of 'Workplace' for communication and collaboration
Investment in technology and digital business improvements
Board succession and training plans agreed
Staff away day and organisational values agreed
English Rural staff greet guests at a Royal opening of our affordable homes in Warehorne, Kent in December 2019
>> At an individual level, engagement with new ways of working moves at different speeds. Offering support, either through training or more informal coaching, has helped to achieve cultural and behavioural changes to working practices. Showing how changes can secure improvements to performance and overall productivity has been essential. Improvements to communication at all levels has been a focus following feedback from the staff satisfaction survey that identified this as necessary, whilst noting recent gains already made.
>> Now that organisational values have been agreed, securing ongoing value from them is important if staff are to feel that the work involved in developing them was worthwhile. Listening to feedback from staff and advisors, arrangements have been made to embed staff values within the revised appraisal process.
