"Invest in securing and keeping the best talent"
Our ability to attract, retain, and nurture talented staff remains crucial to English Rural’s ongoing success, underpinning our commitment to providing excellent services and homes to rural communities.
This year, we continued to prioritise investment in our people and culture, informed by active listening to our team’s feedback and evolving workforce expectations.
Recognising the importance of clear and effective performance management, we launched a refreshed appraisal approach aimed at enhancing simplicity and engagement. While initial feedback confirmed improvements, staff highlighted further areas for refinement. We remain committed to evolving this system to meet the diverse needs of our team, ensuring appraisals meaningfully support both personal and organisational development objectives.
Our staff satisfaction remained notably high, with 96% of our team recommending English Rural as a good place to work. Nevertheless, we recognise the evolving needs of a hybrid workforce. Responding to feedback, we adjusted our working arrangements to balance remote flexibility with increased opportunities for face-to-face interaction, supporting staff cohesion and effective collaboration.
We significantly strengthened our internal communications this year, introducing new channels and activities that fostered greater engagement and improved information flow across all departments. These improvements have enhanced team collaboration, reinforced our organisational culture, and supported more cohesive decision-making.
Continued investment in staff development has resulted in notable successes, with several colleagues achieving new professional qualifications. Supported by external experts in people and culture management, we remain responsive to legislative changes, ensuring our employment practices continue to reflect best practice and support talent retention.
Our internal focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion (ED&I) has also taken a substantial step forward.
An externally facilitated review helped identify clear actions, with the resulting recommendations now being actively implemented by an internal working group.
This meaningful progress has built a strong foundation for further ED&I development, which will increasingly inform how we shape external services for residents, ensuring our approach remains inclusive and responsive to diverse needs.
Our people are central to everything we achieve at English Rural. By investing in their skills, supporting their professional growth, and continually enhancing our workplace culture, we strengthen our ability to deliver exceptional services and affordable homes. I remain incredibly proud of the commitment, resilience, and expertise our team demonstrates daily in serving rural communities.
“To provide and manage affordable housing for local communities in rural villages across England, and to champion the cause of affordable rural housing.”
Throughout the Business Strategy period we will grow by building more well-designed and environmentally responsible homes that help communities and the lives of those who live in them thrive. We will invest in improving the quality of homes that we already own, listening to residents and enhancing the level of services provided to them. English Rural will look to support the development of others and, where opportunities emerge, grow through mutually beneficial partnerships with other smaller rural housing associations.
The organisation recognises the value of its culture, brand and reputation and will ensure this remains a priority as it evolves.
Our purpose and vision are firmly grounded in our five core values, collaboratively shaped and endorsed by our entire team >>
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Maintained outstanding staff satisfaction rating, with 96% of staff recommending English Rural as a good place to work.
Launched an improved staff appraisal process, receiving positive feedback for its simplicity and clarity, while continuing to evolve it further.
Strengthened internal communications channels, significantly improving information sharing and team cohesion across departments.
Completed an externally facilitated internal ED&I review, leading to clear recommendations and a robust implementation plan.
Continued significant investment in training and professional development, with several staff achieving new qualifications and professional growth.
Members of the English Rural Housing Management Team
>> Effective internal communications require ongoing refinement, honesty, and patience. Building open channels and promoting genuine engagement is essential for organisational cohesion and morale.
>> Developing the ‘perfect’ appraisal system remains an evolving journey. Regular staff feedback and incremental improvements are critical to creating a system that genuinely benefits both individuals and the organisation.
>> Advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion requires sustained commitment, external support, and dedicated internal resources, especially for smaller, specialist organisations like ours. This commitment is essential to delivering meaningful progress both internally and externally.
