e r o m g Doin arity for ch ew
Our n r 2019 es fo initiativ Page 8
The Big Interview
Working closely with our people
Customer First Employee Recognition Awards
With Bernard Rooney – Regional Managing Director
The Employee Consultation Forum
Our winners and photos from the night
Pages 12-13
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Issue 24 Winter 2019
Welcome to issue 24 A
s we marked our 60th anniversary last year, it was a good opportunity for us to reflect on our achievements across the last six decades, a legacy that continues to help us to lead the industry today. Last year we continued to improve on our financial and operational performance with record profits and the second highest number of completions in our history. It’s on quality however where we continue to stand out. We can be incredibly proud of being rated 5 Star for Customer Satisfaction for the ninth consecutive year, and we won more NHBC Pride in the Job Awards than any other housebuilder for the 14th year in a row. These are both impressive achievements that demonstrate our continued commitment to our vision: to lead the future of housebuilding by putting our customers at the heart of everything we do.
This issue of Foundations looks at the new initiatives that have been introduced to help individuals and divisions do more for the good causes that matter to them, as well as how we intend to do more with charities and local communities in the future. There are also updates on the divisional fundraising for charities in 2018 and how the 2017 graduates raised a record breaking amount as part of their Million Makers challenge. Our 2018 Customer First Employee Recognition Award winners are featured as we celebrate their success for helping us to deliver on our vision and colleagues who have recently celebrated long service talk to us about what’s kept them at Barratt. Last year we launched the Employee Consultation Forum to improve the way we engage with employees, and you can find out more about their role later in the issue along with how you can share your views with them.
In the Big Interview you’ll hear from Regional Managing Director, Bernard Rooney, who talks about his role, his time at Barratt and why Modern Methods of Construction are key to our future. The projects roundup looks at sites built on strategic land and the importance of doing so for our business and you’ll also find out more about the 2018 Great Places winners and the judging process. Along with the usual news and updates from around the business, including on Diversity and Inclusion and Sustainability, readers are reminded about the importance of GDPR and the role we all play in ensuring the safety and security of our data. As always, the health and safety of our employees remains our top priority and in this issue you’ll see what some of our divisions have been doing out on site to engage employees and trades to ensure everyone is committed to the highest standards.
Chief Executive
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Samantha Cheesman Commercial Solicitor, GSC Rachel Clare Graduate, Mercia Emma Evans Graduate, West Midlands Rob Chilton Design and Technical, GSC
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Katy Soar Group Communications, Kent House Jasmine Sommers Assistant Site Manager, Bristol Anna Nichols Graduate, Southampton Michaela Corbett Planner, Yorkshire West
2 / Welcome to issue 24 2
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FOUNDATIONS
Contents 2 4 6 7
Welcome To Foundations issue 24
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Doing more for charity in 2019 Our new initiatives
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My Barratt Benefits A roundup of some of the offers available to employees
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The Big Interview Bernard Rooney, Regional Managing Director
What’s New? News from around the business Health and Safety Keeping people safe on site Celebrating long service Long service employees in the last 6 months
Think before you send An update on GDPR and actions we should all be taking
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Helping to make a difference Divisional fundraising updates
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Great Places Awards 2018 Celebrating the 2018 winners
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Projects Roundup Sites on strategic land
Working closely with our people The Employee Consultation Forum Customer First Employee Recognition Awards Our winners and photos from the night
The Million Makers Challenge An update from our record breaking team
Diversity and Inclusion update How we’re investing in our people Sustainability And what matters most And finally… Crossword, caption competition and your building one-liners
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Contents / 3
What's new? We look at a variety of topics that have been making the news around the business.
ISSUE 24
Pride in their jobs Congratulations to two of our Site Managers who went through to the national finals of the NHBC Pride in the Job Awards, from more than 16,000 site managers across the UK. Kirk Raine (Mercia) and Sean O’Regan (Manchester) were both Regional Award winners in their areas and were in the running for the Supreme Award in the Large Builder category, with Kirk recognised as a runner-up at the ceremony in January. Last year our site managers won a total of 83 Quality Awards in the first round of the competition – more than any other housebuilder for the 14th year in a row – and 24 went on to receive Seals of Excellence in the next round. Winning a Pride in the Job award is the highest industry accolade a site manager can receive – and gives added reassurance to buyers that they are purchasing a top-quality new home.
Introducing MyHR MyHR is a new, secure, self-service system that gives you direct access to your HR and Payroll information. The new online system will allow you to manage and update your personal details and access e-payslips. Other benefits of the new system include: • Online access via phones, tablets and computers • Access to current and previous payslips and P60s • Removing paper forms when you need to update personal info • Keeping your information up to date and accurate The system will be rolled out to all employees by June and we'll see future enhancements including the ability to access your holiday balance and submit holiday requests electronically. Keep an eye on Our Place and speak to your local HR coordinator for more information.
4 / WHAT'S NEW?
FOUNDATIONS
Upgrading Our Place
iFIX
Later this year Our Place will be upgraded with a fresh new look and a design that works on different devices including laptops, iPads and mobiles.
As we continue to look at ways of improving our customer journey, we are currently piloting a new app called iFIX. The app allows Site Managers and Customer Care Operations Managers to capture defects and issues, with photographs, which are then automatically transferred into our customer response logging system, iCare.
The new-look Our Place will also ensure that colleagues can get the latest and most up to date information and news from across the business, with links to our different systems including MyLearning, Docushare and Drawing Portal. Watch this space for news and updates about when the new site will be going live!
Users will see causes of the defect (such as a leaking tap) converted into actions (such as to recall the plumber). This structures the data and helps repeated issues to be spotted. Site Managers are able to update in real time as fixes are carried out as well as confirm whether a defect is covered by warranty much faster, helping to start problem resolution more quickly, which will improve customer satisfaction. Pilots have taken place in a number of divisions with lots of positive feedback, particularly on the ability to add photos to a defect. One Customer Care Operations Manager said: “The iFIX app has given us a great deal of additional time to concentrate on booking and closing issues in a timely manner, leading to increased customer satisfaction.” The app will be rolled out more widely across the business this year.
Celebrating success across the business At the annual WhatHouse? Awards, David Wilson Homes took home the Gold award in the Best Partnership Scheme category with Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust for the Derwenthorpe development by our Yorkshire East division. Barratt London also had success on the night and were awarded Bronze in the Best Apartment Scheme category for East London’s Blackfriars Circus development.
The Blackfriars Circus team at our East London division won in the Best Design for Four Storeys or more category at the Housebuilder Awards 2018. With the category described as ‘hard-fought’, this is a great achievement for Barratt London. We also had a successful night at the CITB Apprenticeship Awards 2018 where we won the Large Employer Apprenticeship Programme Award.
Barratt North Scotland recently won the Business Award in the RSPB’s Nature of Scotland Awards for their Riverside Quarter development in Aberdeen. The division took advantage of the opportunities presented on the site of a former paper mill, by opening up a previously covered stretch of river, establishing new green infrastructure and protecting and enhancing the habitats of local wildlife, including bats, badgers and otters.
WHAT'S NEW? / 5
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Health and Safety
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s a business, we put health and safety first by committing to the highest industry standards and want it to be a core value for everyone. So we’ve been talking to some of our site teams about how we can help to keep our tradespeople safe in the workplace. As well as our 5 Steps to Safety suggestions box, some of our Site Managers have created on-site focus groups to brainstorm ideas around keeping our people safe, with some of the results below:
Roof tile cutting box These boxes help to avoid accidents by keeping the cutting in a confined space. They also reduce the risk of cutting something else by mistake.
Radiator holder for painter These holders are designed to take the weight of the radiator, making it easier to paint behind it. This prevents radiators being damaged, and reduces manual labour for painters themselves.
“ Some of our trades have great ideas about how to make their jobs easier and safer, so I thought it would make sense to create a focus group where we can share knowledge and create innovative ways of making our site a safer place.” Matthew Lloyd, Site Manager at Birds Marsh View in Chippenham for Barratt Bristol
Well Safe storage This ensures that our Well Safe systems are stored correctly and don’t get damaged on site. The Well Safe system is designed to sit in the stair space of the floor to avoid people falling through when laying bricks or working on platforms.
Internal door transporter This prevents internal doors from slipping off when being carried by a forklift – plus its lid helps to keep them dry.
2nd fix plumber transporter
Numbered skips The numbers on each skip correlate with the SHE 052 Work Inspection Record, so along with inspecting other equipment on site, we can easily identify any damage or fault that might make the skips unsafe to use.
6 / HEALTH AND SAFETY
This box is designed to store everything a plumber needs to conduct a 2nd fix, containing radiators and all appropriate sanitary wear. It can be transported safely using a forklift, reducing the amount of manual labour involved. If you have any suggestions about making a job safer, send them in to employee.communication@barrattplc. co.uk and we’ll feature the best ideas in Foundations and on Our Place.
Did you know? • Accident rates are lower when employees genuinely feel they have a say in health and safety matters (14%), compared with workplaces where employees do not get involved (26%). • Employee involvement in health and safety management results in a more positive health and safety climate. 77% of employees felt encouraged to raise concerns in a good health and safety climate compared to 20% who felt encouraged to do so in a poor one.
FOUNDATIONS
Celebrating long service
O
ur long service awards policy celebrates and rewards those who have shown loyalty and commitment to the business. We recognise colleagues locally at five-yearly intervals from five years of service onwards, with those achieving 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years given a financial gift and an invitation to our annual Long Service Celebration Dinner.
We spoke to Nick Pollard, Operations Manager from Exeter who recently celebrated 20 years with the business. Here’s what Nick had to say about his time at Barratt, the different roles he’s had and what’s kept him with the company. As I now enter my 21st year of direct employment with BDW, I’m pleased to say that I still look forward to going to work. I actually first got involved with the company as a self-employed bricklayer, helping to build many developments in the South West for about 12 years for Barratt Bristol – Exeter was still relatively new and it was still a while before I became directly employed.
So I then stopped the bricklaying and became a forklift driver employed by BDW, I then became Assistant Site Manager, Site Manager and then was asked by BDW Exeter’s then Construction Director to become Customer Service Manager – and with the various title changes over the years I’m now Operations Manager. Over the years I have been fortunate to have had some great MDs from Kelvin Tutill, Tim Larner, Paul Moran and now awaiting our next MD. We have grown as a region and of course had many employees join us from other competitors and they all say how we are a friendly approachable company and I think that is very important and key to people staying with the “As I now enter my business.
21st year of direct employment with BDW, I’m pleased to say that I still look forward to going to work."
I then jumped in the forklift as in the early days BDW did not employ a driver, just the forklift and subcontractors drove it so that was generally me.
Roll of Honour
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YE ER A R S Allerston Simon – Yorkshire East OF S Andrew Martin – Eastern Counties David Woodward – Group Support Centre YE R – West Scotland Katrina Britton A RS OF SE YE ARS OF SER Nicholas Pollard – Exeter Gareth Kirk – East Midlands Kim Nunn – East Midlands Andrew Powell – Eastern Counties George Cooper – North Midlands David Shearer – North Scotland Ryan Olden – East Midlands Andrew Paddon – North Scotland Darren Craigon – North Scotland Paul Hogan – Yorkshire East
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Kevin Gilmour – North East Paul Wightman – BD Living 30 years of service Andrew Gordon – North Scotland Alan Crankshaw – Manchester Anne Tompkin – East Midlands YE Bruce Milne – North Scotland Martin Nichols – North East ARS OF SER YE Jillian Murray – West Scotland ARS OF SER Lawrie Carroll – Yorkshire East Deborah Taylor – Southern Anthony Sutton –North West Terence Pates – West London Counties Melanie Johnstone – East Midlands Shaun Millington – North Midlands 25 years of service Richard Brooke – Group Support Centre Robert Scarce – Yorkshire East Darren Langton – East Midlands Stephen Corcoran – Calum Marr – East Scotland YE ER A R S O Paul FS Ottey – East Midlands YE Yorkshire West R YE Trevor Rutter – North Midlands R E A RS OF S A RS O F SE YE A RS O F SER Stephen Hall – BD Living Deborah Bot – South Midlands Sarah Coltman – Group Steven Burgess – East Midlands Michael Page – East Midlands Support Centre Helen Wileman – East Midlands David Dormer – BD Living William Scott Robinson – Ian Watson – BD Living Group Support Centre 35 years of service Rachel Milne – Bristol Carol Wardle – YE A RS O F SE YE YE Stevon Watkins – South Wales ARS OF SERVI R ER A E S A R S F S O RS OF YE Group Support Centre A RS O F SER Mark Chesterton – East Mids. Karen Robinson – North East Sandra Morgan – North Scotland Suzanne Morrison – West Scotland Steven Paterson – North Scotland 40 years of service James Rideout – Manchester AR Caroline Williams – East Mids. YE S O F S E R VI A RS O F SE Robert Brunt – BD Living YE A RS O F SER Matt McLaughlin – West Scotland EN
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In each issue of Foundations we recognise those who have reached a 20, 25, 30, 35 or 40 years’ long service milestone over the last six months. Congratulations and thank you to all of you who reached a milestone between July and December 2018.
Doing more for charity
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t the 2018 Group Leadership Conference, a number of new charity initiatives were unveiled for 2019, including a new charity partnership with Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI).
New for 2019 Individual matching As you may know, Group matches every division up to £15,000 every year for their chosen charities, but in 2019 Group will also match any individual up to £1,000. This means that when an employee raises £1,000 for a registered charity, Group will match it. So whether you raise money through a hike, bake sale or marathon, Group will match your fundraising. We’ve set aside £1million to support colleagues fundraising this year – so we challenge 1,000 colleagues to raise £1,000 each for charity!
Barratt & David Wilson Community Fund
Big Barratt Hike After the success and the response to the Housebuilders Mountain Marathon Challenge and Summit 60 last year, we are launching the Barratt Charity Challenge in 2019. The challenge will see teams from across the business take on a 21 mile hike across the Peak District during the weekend of Friday 6 September. The deadline for teams to share their interest is Friday 1 March, so be sure to email employee. communication@barrattplc.co.uk if you’d like to take part.
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To help support local charities and organisations close to our divisions, we’re also launching the Barratt & David Wilson Community Fund. This initiative will allow divisions to donate £1,000 to a different charity or organisation each month to support causes that improve the communities we work in.
Charities will be asked to apply to the division for the money, and it will then be up to the division to pick a charity each month. The division can then claim this money back from the Group.
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8 / DOING MORE FOR CHARITY
IT Y P L A N
in 2019
FOUNDATIONS
RBLI Charity partners are an important part of our business and in 2018 we announced a new partnership with the RBLI. The RBLI provide employment to veterans, support those struggling to adjust to civilian life and offer accommodation in their village in Kent to those who need it. In recent years the RBLI have been working to expand their village as they draw closer to their centenary. They have built 24 new single-person apartments, opened in 2017, and have secured funding to expand their facilities for older veterans including 15 new care suites. However, there is more still to be done.
Find out more about the incredible work the RBLI do
Fundraising for phase two of their village has already started, which is due to include a community centre, café, education and IT suites, apartments, family homes and assisted living apartments. To help support the RBLI’s vision we have donated £750,000 to their Centenary village plans. The RBLI was chosen to be our newest charity partner as their values align closely with our own, particularly seen through our Armed Forces recruitment programme, where we train and provide employment to many veterans.
Ongoing initiatives Payroll Giving We know that lots of you generously give to charities each month, but did you know that you could manage all of your donations to charity from one place? Plus, if you donate through Payroll Giving, the charities get even more money as it comes straight out of your pay before tax is deducted. So if you set up a donation for £5 a month, you’ll actually only be paying £4 a month (with the tax relief). You can sign up online through My Barratt Benefits.
Volunteering Days Every employee is entitled to take one day's paid leave each calendar year to volunteer. This day can be used to carry out individual volunteering, or why not do it as a group like our HR team? In December the team spent the day with the RBLI in Kent. Some of the group helped to pack Tommy figures in the factory while others helped decorate the centre for the elderly and the Mountbatten centre, which cares for those in the most critical need.
To boo volunteerin k your g use the Sp day, simply e Application cial Leave Fo can be fou rm which nd Place unde on Our Centre, All r HR Info em Special Le ployees, ave Policy.
DOING MORE FOR CHARITY / 9
Think before you send
DATA.LOCK
GDPR has been in force for nearly a year, and over the past few months we’ve seen an increase in the number of breaches that have been reported, which could have easily been avoided.
These breaches could result in a hefty fine, so we all need to ensure that we play our part in keeping people’s personal data safe and secure. If every employee takes the steps below, we can reduce the number of breaches that occur:
Double check you have the correct email addresses It’s crucial that when sending an email you ensure that the email address is correct. There have been a number of reported incidents where emails containing personal data have been sent to the incorrect recipients. So you should check the recipient’s email address before you send.
Use PLC#NO prefix in emails and documents To prevent data being sent outside of the business in error, please ensure that you include PLC#NO within the subject line of the email.
SUB:
You can also add the PLC#NO prefix to the name of any document which will prevent it from being sent outside of the business.
Check attachments and information in messages Be sure to check that attachments you send or messages themselves don’t include anyone else’s personal data, such as someone’s phone number or email address. This often occurs when forwarding someone else’s message, or when sending a message to multiple recipients.
Only email one customer at a time Do not refer to more than one customer per email. Avoid sending out emails with spreadsheets containing customers' personal data.
Do not REPLY ALL or COPY everyone into an email Only include the recipients that require the information. If you are unsure of the identity of a recipient, check before you include them within the email. And if you must send an email to multiple email addresses that should not be visible to each other, use the “Blind Copy”, or “Bcc” option.
10 / THINK BEFORE YOU SEND
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FOUNDATIONS
My Barratt Benefits
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ince My Barratt Benefits was launched in 2010, we’ve been working hard to ensure that we constantly improve the benefits we offer to employees. Regular research, surveys and reviews help ensure the scheme is relevant, beneficial for our people and can help us attract new people into the business. Here’s a look at some of the offers and benefits that are available:
Healthcare Benefits Healthcare Cash Plan Six levels of cover for everyday healthcare expenses.
Cancer Checks Seven discounted cancer checks which are also available to spouses, partners and children.
Bupa Health & Wellbeing Services
Dental Plan Allows you to claim for a variety of dental expenses (depending on level of cover chosen).
Access to the free Bupa healthline, Bupa knee clinic, Bupa health and elderly care information.
Lifestyle Benefits
Financial Benefits
•B uying / Selling Holiday Monthly paid employees on Barratt contracts can buy additional days up to a maximum of 30 days or sell down to a minimum of 20 days. The window is now open until 31 March!
• Payroll Giving A tax-efficient way to support good causes and charities of your choice from just £5 per month.
•H alfords Cycle2Work Scheme A tax-efficient way of obtaining a bike and any cycle safety equipment with savings of up to 30%.
•P ersonal Car Leasing Gives you access to preferential rates on Personal Contract Hire (PCH) vehicle rentals from a range of manufacturers via Lex Autolease.
Visit barrattfle www. xible co.uk for benefits. informati further on the above on all of benefits
My Barratt Staff Shop
BD Living Discount
ake savings at major M retailers with ecodes, gift cards and shopping cards plus you can save on cinema tickets, hotel stays, days out and much more!
iscounts on fitted D wardrobes, with traditional hinged door and sliding door designs.
Preferred Hotel Rates Reduced rates at a range of hotels across the UK, including London and Manchester.
All employees also have access to free and confidential support and advice: Our confidential hotline, Safecall, allows colleagues to raise any concerns about improper conduct you may encounter at work. If you have any concerns that you feel you can’t speak to your manager about, you can contact Safecall confidentially. The line is open 24/7 and calls are not audio recorded.
•E mployee Assistance
Programme
Through Unum Lifeworks, a free 24/7 employee (and immediate family) helpline plus other help, support and resources.
0800 048 2702
• Construction Worker Helpline: A free, confidential service for construction workers and their living in household dependents.
0800 801 0372
0800 915 1571
MY BARRATT BENEFITS / 11
Biography Barratt Developments PLC Regional Managing Director (2010 – present) Managing Director (2004 – 2010) Commercial Director (1998 – 2004) Various positions in the North West and North East (1981 – 1998) Status: Married with two children – my daughter lives in Vancouver and my son lives in the North East. Born: North West What are your interests and hobbies? They centre around my family, supporting a number of charitable causes and high performance cars. I’m also a Man United season ticket holder, play golf, enjoy Formula 1 and travelling! Your most memorable holiday? It’s got to be South Africa, the experience was incredible. The people were welcoming and for me the highlight of the trip was Kruger National Park – a holiday not to be forgotten. An interesting fact about you? At school I was signed with Preston – Bobby Charlton was the manager! Who is your favourite Manchester United player of all time and why? It has to be Eric Cantona – his contribution helped the club dominate domestic football for nearly 20 years.
12 / THE BIG INTERVIEW
I feel sure we will continue to strive to be the best at what we do and lead the sector in innovation as technology advances and make what we may think impossible today, possible."
FOUNDATIONS
The Big Interview Bernard Rooney We spoke to Regional Managing Director (RMD) for central region Bernard Rooney about his role in the business, changes he’s seen at Barratt since he joined in 1981 and what the future holds for the business. What are the key priorities for you as an RMD?
What would you say is the most memorable moment of your career?
I see my role as supporting the Executive in the delivery of the Group Board's objectives around our stakeholders, in particular our shareholders, customers and our people. So my aim is to ensure the divisional businesses within central region and the performance of the Group functions I am responsible for, are optimised and meet the appropriate KPIs. In addition, I have a duty to support the wider business, particularly with regard to stakeholder relationships whether that be at a national or local level.
Without doubt this has to be joining Barratt. Since the day I arrived I’ve received substantial support from a number of people, too many to mention, but those still with the Group know who they are. Certainly without that support, I doubt very much I would’ve progressed as I have.
What does a typical day look like for you? In all honesty I can’t really admit to having a typical day. What I can say is I get up every day at around 5am, so if I’m in my regional base in Manchester I aim to arrive by 8am, with traffic, which can be a 2 hour journey for my 19 mile trip. If I’m travelling to the southern area of the region I aim to be on the road by 5am. The day’s activities are generally centred on reviewing divisional performances against KPIs and subsequently challenging any underperformance, offering support and advice as required, preparing for and attending meetings either internal or external, calls or communication with members of the Executive and most importantly dealing with customer issues that have been escalated. I also try to attend at least three networking events a month as I attempt to improve and maintain external relationships right across the Group.
How important do you think the role of modern methods of construction (MMC) is for our business? I believe if the industry, let alone the Group, is to deliver the ambitious targets for new home supply set by the government then the adoption of MMC will be paramount to achieving this. We’re all aware of the substantial skills shortage we currently face and looking at the age profile of the workforce one could see this position deteriorating before it gets better. So there’s no doubt in my mind that MMC has a vital role to play going forward. What advice would you give to someone considering joining the construction industry? To remember it’s a great industry that is multi-disciplined and if you are prepared to work hard, listen and learn, then the opportunities for progression will be numerous. What do you most enjoy about working for Barratt? I think it’s the interaction with our people in the business at all levels wanting to do the right thing, delivering excellence for our customers which sometimes is lost on the media who only want to focus on the bad.
You joined the business in 1981, what's the biggest change you have seen and what impact has it had on the business? I believe the business has undergone a seismic shift in culture over the last 30 years or so in its pursuit of excellence and leading the sector. For example, those around in the late 80s will recall the launch of the Forward Through Quality initiative aimed at improving quality of workmanship and service, which in my opinion was ahead of its time. For the last 10 years or so we have maintained a focus on product innovation to the extent that our offering continues to lead the way. At the same time focus on skills across a number of disciplines has never been as apparent as it is today, whilst our commitment to Health and Safety is unrivalled. Above all though, being seen to be doing the right thing when combined with these and other initiatives has had a positive impact on the business and its standing in the sector. Certainly from a number of stakeholders including government, we are the go-to housebuilder. And given your time with the business, how do you think Barratt will look like in 30 years’ time? That’s a six million dollar question! Put simply MMC will be a major feature of our construction techniques, whether we will completely de-skill the process I'm not sure, and I think we will see a shift in the nature of our workforce via the Diversity and Inclusion initiative. One thing for certain is nothing will change in our wanting to do the right thing and I feel sure we will continue to strive to be the best at what we do and lead the sector in innovation as technology advances and make what we may think impossible today, possible.
THE BIG INTERVIEW / 13
Helping to make a difference
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ongratulations to our colleagues across the business who have helped to raise an incredible £752,000 for charity in 2018 through charity balls, golf days, cycling events and more. With Group Matching and other donations last year, we donated £1.14million to charities that matter most to us. We take a look at what some of our divisions did last year to help raise money.
Show home furniture donated to Earl Mountbatten Hospice from our Southampton division generated £2,376 which will go towards helping those facing death, dying and bereavement.
West Midlands were looking pretty in pink at their Wear it Pink Day in October where their bake sale, raffle, and ‘name the pug’ competition raised over £300 for Breast Cancer Care. Fantastic!
Mark Bailey, our MD from Kent, cycled 471 miles of the Pyrenees spending 38 hours in the saddle and raising an incredible £8,430 for the men’s mental health charity, CALM.
14 / HELPING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Our Manchester division raised over £16,500 for Francis House Children's Hospice with a charity Golf Day and Sportsman's Dinner which was attended by 150 guests.
FOUNDATIONS
Working closely with our people
A
s a business, we’re continually looking at how we can improve the way we engage with employees and our ways of working. One of the key ways we can do this is through more employee input, which is why we launched the Employee Consultation Forum last year. While our Employee Engagement Survey is an important tool in understanding your views in working here, with the business achieving an overall Group Engagement score of 79% last year, we want to do more. The forum, which has nominated colleagues from across the regions and GSC, represents a cross section of our business and provides input and feedback from a range of perspectives. With support from the Group Board, the forum will allow us to gather more employee input and add real value in areas like SHE, health and wellbeing, employee benefits and working conditions. The forum members have now attended two meetings, and will continue to meet at least three times a year to focus on these key areas and provide their feedback from around the business. Over the course of the meetings they’ve heard from a range of speakers, including COO Steven Boyes and Group HR Director Rob Tansey about the importance of the forum and objectives for the group. We look forward to keeping you updated on the Employee Consultation Forum and if you have any queries or questions for the forum group, please email them on employee.forum@ barrattplc.co.uk.
WORKING CLOSELY WITH OUR PEOPLE / 15
Customer First Employee Recognition Awards
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e are delighted to congratulate the winners of our Annual Customer First Employee Awards which reward excellence across the business in a number of categories. The winners were announced at our annual Gala Awards Dinner in October, where our 50 regional award winners were also recognised.
All of our winners were selected because they have demonstrated a commitment to our Customer First behaviours. Their approach means they are also supporting our vision: To lead the future of housebuilding by putting customers at the heart of everything we do.
Apprentice of the Year Alexander Cresswell, Eastern Counties "Alex is exceptional with every job he is given and he gives every task his full enthusiasm! He’s going to make a very good carpenter and has a great career ahead of him."
Individual Excellence Phil Evans, Group HR "Following changes to the structuring of funding and grants, Phil ensured that people across the business have clear guidance with stakeholders also recognising him as a leading expert in his field."
Team Excellence Regional Planning Team, London & Southern "The team have achieved our best return in the region which is down to their consistent approach to projects and working closely with their range of stakeholders to ensure everyone contributes to the evolution of schemes and the deliverables."
16 / CUSTOMER FIRST AWARDS
FOUNDATIONS
The Julie Carmichael Sales Advisor Of The Year Margaret Harbison, North Scotland "She has great integrity and compassion for her customers and colleagues, which comes through in all her dealings. She’s doubled her sales target and is a respected and key member of the team."
Multi Storey Site Manager of the Year Sury Patel, West London "Sury’s attention to detail and his focus on health and safety issues is recognised by both our customers and through his NHBC Pride in the Job Awards."
Standard / non-standard category Site Manager of the Year Kirk Raine, Mercia "Kirk’s quality of work in all aspects of construction is exceptional. His attention to detail is a masterclass in right first time quality."
The National Customer Service Award 2017/18 West Midlands
ations Congratul r to all of ou nd winners a finalists!
Divisional SHE Award 2017/18 Yorkshire East
CUSTOMER FIRST AWARDS / 17
Great Places Awards 2018
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he Great Places Awards recognise the very best of designs from across the business, and help us to share good practice and provide inspiration for future projects. Each year, we invite divisions to submit schemes, in order to demonstrate how they are contributing to the design objectives of the Group.
in 2018… Submissions
Awards (20 Gold 30 Silver)
Categories (Standard, Non-Standard and Multi-Storey)
Great Places is based on Building for Life 12 – the government endorsed, industry standard for well designed homes and neighbourhoods. It uses the 12 questions to provide guidance on how to create designs which will achieve a Built for Life accreditation and creates a means of assessing the quality of completed schemes through the Great Places Awards. The company’s commitment to design was reinforced when Great Places became one of the four priorities that underpin our Building Excellence Vision, and in 2018 when the Board committed to achieving at least ‘Silver’ standard on all completed developments by 2020.
Best in Category Winners 2018
How does the annual Great Places Awards cycle work?
You can f more ab ind out out the process Our Pla on ce.
Schemes are submitted by our divisional Great Places Champions during April and May each year, before being assessed by an internal panel of judges, including Michael Finn, Nigel Longstaff, Andrew Watson, Philip Barnes, Adam Tillion and Giuseppe Zanre. The submission and judging process is coordinated by Tracy Merrifield.
Following a desktop review against all 12 Building for Life/Great Places questions, a series of site visits takes place for the higher scoring schemes, in order to finalise the award winners and create the shortlist for the Best in Category Awards. All winners are uploaded onto the Great Places website, which can be accessed via Our Place.
Standard Category:
Non-Standard Category:
Multi-Storey Category:
Montague Park, Wokingham – BDW Southern Counties
Houndwood, Street – Barratt Homes Bristol
Camden Courtyards, London – Barratt West London
This first phase of a wider urban extension creates a clear hierarchy of streets and spaces whilst retaining trees and hedgerows to great effect. A distinctive character has been produced through a simple material palette as well as the structure of the streets and spaces.”
This edge of town site has provided an ideal location for this distinctive contemporary development. There is easy access to a range of facilities through excellent connectivity and social spaces, including community planters, placed throughout the site.”
This award winning development maximizes its use of space whilst still providing social spaces that all of its residents can enjoy. Its design ensures that there is an active street whilst balancing privacy, and the clever use of materials reduces the scale of the building.”
18 / GREAT PLACES AWARDS 2018
FOUNDATIONS
The Million Makers Challenge
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n the final half of 2018, our 2017 graduate cohort took part in The Prince’s Trust Million Makers challenge. The challenge saw teams from many different businesses compete to raise as much money as possible in six months from £1,500 seed funding. This year’s graduates raised a record-breaking amount of £84,386 for the charity. They achieved this through three main fundraising efforts, two or three of which you may well have been a part of!
Summit 60 saw more than 60 employees from around the business take on the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge in September. The hikers were welcomed across the finish line by David Thomas, CEO and celebrated with a hog roast and glass of bubbly. The event was a hit with everyone and, including sponsorship, raised £52,330.
The team kicked off their fundraising with an abseil off Cattle Troughs in Swanage right at the start of the project. This raised an initial £3,000 for the group and got some money in the bank before they started on their main event.
The last part of the fundraising was a Christmas Raffle – ‘Golden Gifts’. This Barratt exclusive raffle was only made possible by generous donations from a number of people and businesses. Thanks to everyone who bought tickets, the team were able to raise £5,366 in their final fundraising push.
While the main aim of the project was to raise money, the group also took on a ‘legacy’ task. BuildAbility, a seminar in Bristol looking at disability in the construction industry, took place in late November. Attendees included planners, architects and BDW employees. By all accounts the seminar was a resounding success. Among the speakers was Katie, a Prince’s Trust ambassador. After having a hard start in life, moving from foster home to foster home, Katie flourished with the help of The Prince’s Trust and is now employed full time as a brick layer. Other speakers were Arran LintonSmith (Interserve), Diane Lightfoot (Business Disability Forum) and Richard Blyth (RTPI).
Matt Carroll, team leader for the legacy team said: “The inaugural BuildAbility seminar surpassed all of our expectations and was a thoroughly enjoyable evening for all involved. Our speakers were excellent and each approached our central theme from a different perspective, which was great for the audience to understand.”
Thanks to Group match funding, a generous donation of £7,000 at the Group Conference and a few ad hoc divisional fundraisers, the team’s final total was £84,386. The 2017 Graduate cohort: “Thank you to all those who took part, donated, fundraised and supported us in our efforts. We are absolutely delighted to have raised the amount we have for The Prince’s Trust and hope it will help provide opportunities to disadvantaged young people in the UK.”
£84,386 Raise d!
THE MILLION MAKERS CHALLENGE / 19
Projects roundup
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n July 2018, a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was published, aimed at releasing more planning consents at a faster pace. This creates an opportunity for Barratt to increase our focus on strategic land. This is land where we secure control via an 'option agreement' – we get the option to buy the land if and when we have secured planning permission. Because we take on the cost and risk of securing planning consent, we are able to buy the land at a lower price. For this issue of Foundations, we got in touch with some of our divisions to find out about the strategic sites they are currently working on.
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Scotland
Northern
Central
East
London & Southern Denotes Geography covered by; West
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North Scotland’s development at Countesswells consists of 128 units with a mixture of three and four bedroom homes. This Barratt branded site forms part of the overall Countesswells masterplan, which will create a new community on the edge of the city boundaries, comprising circa 3000 residential properties along with commercial units and educational facilities. The masterplan called for a range of traditional materials to complement the rural surroundings, with the Barratt product showcasing both brickwork and roughcast finishes throughout.
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North Midlands- Barratt (Northern Region) and East Midlands-DWH (East Region)
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Wilmslow
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20 / PROJECTS ROUNDUP
Aberdeen
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Stanneylands is a high quality scheme by DWH North West, which showcases David Wilson Homes’ latest range of housetypes in a sustainable, natural setting. With mature trees, the River Dean, extensive open areas and a full spectrum of ecological interests retained, this is a unique scheme in this much sought after South Manchester location. Comprising 174 units, the scheme will provide a range of one to four bedroom homes to choose from, ideal for families and young professionals.
FOUNDATIONS
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Edinburgh
Hull
Morley
Leicester
Heritage Grange is a major, dual-branded development in the south of Edinburgh, which incorporates a new primary school and local services alongside 633 new homes. The scheme, by our East Scotland division, is scheduled to deliver homes until 2025 and is vital to Edinburgh’s future housing supply. Just 15 minutes from the city centre, residents are able to enjoy all of the city’s benefits close to hand, while being situated in calm surroundings with views of the Pentland Hills.
Liberty Green created a unique partnership between our Yorkshire East Division and Hull FC, to provide new Rugby League facilities alongside 112 homes. After a difficult planning process and careful negotiation with Sport England, it became clear that the division was creating an ‘oasis’ development nestled alongside existing housing stock. Demand for the Barratt product was exceptional as local residents sought the opportunity to live on a welldesigned, new housing scheme within the heart of their existing community.
At St. Andrew’s View, Yorkshire West have constructed 181 units in the popular market town of Morley, which has easy access via public transport to Leeds city centre. The development includes the enhancement of existing pedestrian links and a well-designed and sensitive landscaping scheme. Public and private spaces are clearly defined, with high levels of natural surveillance over the open spaces. The division has since achieved consent for 210 two, three and four bedroom homes on adjacent land, using the Barratt 2016 product range.
New Lubbesthorpe is a new community that will provide circa 4250 homes and include 325 acres of new woodland, open space and parkland, only five miles from Leicester city centre. Phase 1, by North Midlands and East Midlands, has involved the delivery of a bespoke scheme with enhanced elevation and material treatments. The construction of a new bridge over the M1 motorway has improved connectivity between the site and the surrounding area, while a local community hub has already opened its doors.
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Brackley
Thornbury
Romsey
Henfield
A collaboration between Barratt Northampton and DWH South Midlands helped secure a local plan allocation and consent for 467 homes on the edge of the historic town of Brackley. The site has fantastic transportation links and its edge of town location means that open countryside is on its doorstep. A design code was prepared by the local authority, which resulted in bespoke elevations, chimneys and window details for our standard housetypes, giving the scheme a distinctive local character.
DWH South West and Barratt Bristol’s Park Farm development is a local plan allocation for 500 homes, surrounded by beautiful countryside with views of the town’s magnificent Grade I listed Tudor castle. Securing planning permission was far from straightforward in this sensitive location; consent was granted following a close working relationship with the local authority. The approved masterplan features extensive areas of open space, including a country park, cycleways, sports pitches and a maintenance strategy for the adjacent medieval fishponds.
Kings Chase is a dual-branded development of 275 dwellings by BDW Southampton, on a site allocated for Sport in the Local Plan for more than 20 years. The division had discussions with the local authority to test the idea of residential development being the “enabler” for delivery of a sports led site. Dialogue with local clubs led to a scheme of astro pitches, grass pitches and a sports hub building being agreed. The division is currently promoting Phase 2 and 3 land for up to a further 400 dwellings.
Following a challenging planning process, permission was granted to our Southern Counties division for 160 units at Bishop Park in Henfield, West Sussex in 2014, with a partial re-plan approved in 2017 for an additional 12 dwellings. The layout utilises Barratt standard product, ranging from one bedroom apartments to five bedroom homes. Its design takes advantage of site features such as providing open space in the central section of the site, with an existing public footpath passing through it and glimpses of the countryside beyond.
PROJECTS ROUNDUP / 21
Diversity and Inclusion update
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e are committed to ensuring that everyone feels valued and respected at work so it is important that we create an environment where we can all succeed, regardless of background. We value everyone for who they are and the unique contribution they bring to customers, colleagues and the communities we create. Our aim is to create and foster an inclusive workplace where everyone feels comfortable to be themselves. A diverse team means a stronger business, is better for our customers, and makes us a more attractive employer, which is why we are committed to diversity and inclusion.
The Diversity and Inclusion team are looking for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) colleagues to take part in focus groups to help us become a more diverse and inclusive business. If you’re interested in taking part, email Becky Nicholls becky.nicholls@barrattplc. co.uk by 15 February and find out more on Our Place.
Supporting our business In order to become a truly inclusive and diverse business we’ve rolled out a range of training to improve our understanding of this important subject. Following the success of our Building without Barriers workshops for directors across the business, our HR team have been busy delivering the next phase of training to more than 600 middle managers from across our divisions and GSC. These one day practical sessions focus on exercises to help delegates understand more about the benefits of having a diverse business and how they can develop as inclusive leaders. They are intended to support our divisions in creating local action plans, address challenges and ensure our divisions better reflect the communities we work in.
What else are we doing? Our new Dignity, Respect & Equality policy outlines how we can create a work environment with an open and honest culture that embraces diversity and inclusion. In addition, all divisions now have local D&I action plans. Reflecting our commitment to support people with disabilities, we became members of the Business Disability Forum last year. This not-for-profit membership organisation helps UK companies like us make it easier for people with disabilities to work. We have also joined forces with a number of disability charities, including Leonard Cheshire and Shaw Trust to offer paid work experience placements. We have also become a Stonewall Diversity Champion. Stonewall is the UK's leading LGBT+ charity and we have worked with them to develop an action plan, which includes reviewing a number of our policies.
22 / DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
Last year we launched Catalyst, a development programme for some of our high potential female leaders, which includes a reciprocal mentoring programme. We also held a workshop for our future female leaders in October with more events planned for 2019. As we continue to look at different ways that we can attract people from as diverse a pool of talent as possible, we have launched a targeted advertising campaign. As part of this campaign, we have advertised in specific media including Able Magazine, LGBT Media and Mumsnet. The campaign also features videos of three of our employees showcasing the different opportunities available in the sector which are being promoted on Facebook and LinkedIn.
FOUNDATIONS
Sustainability: What Matters Most?
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any employees have taken part in a survey to help determine the social, economic and employee issues of most importance to the business. Thank you to all those who contributed.
The survey and questionnaire have been used to assess the importance of issues such as water use, waste, energy, modern slavery, gender pay gap and wellbeing and to gauge understanding of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We will share the results in the spring.
The materiality consultation is checking in with our stakeholders to see if the issues chosen in 2016 still matter most. These were: Keeping people safe
The responses will be combined with those from a range of stakeholders including investors, government, NGOs, charities, suppliers and sub-contractors to find out what matters most.
Operating efficiency Attracting, inspiring and retaining talent
The survey coincided with our 60th anniversary and will help the Board to focus on the right future priorities. We also interviewed a selection of key stakeholders to gain an in depth understanding of their views.
Sustainable places to live Sustainable and responsible sourcing Investing in innovation and development
Reducing office waste: do you have the bottle? In 2018, a number of divisions decided to switch from plastic milk bottles to glass following increased global awareness around single-use plastics. As a result, these divisions will save an estimated
17,200 plastic bottles worth of waste per year.
Well done!
Aiming high The Board have committed to more ambitious sustainability targets, preparing our business for future challenges and opportunities in response to the issues that matter most to our stakeholders. These can be found in our Sustainability Framework, released in November, which commits us to reducing our construction waste relative to build area by 20% by 2025 from 2015 levels. We will also seek to create a net gain for biodiversity across new developments from 2020. The full framework can be read on the PLC website.
In other news‌ We are still the leading national sustainable housebuilder e have been awarded a Gold W rating by NextGeneration, which makes us the top housebuilder in this sustainability benchmark, which rates the top 25 housebuilders. We achieved top scores in the categories for Design and Placemaking, Minimum Sustainability Standards and Environmental Site Management. e are also delighted to be finalists in W the Edie Sustainability Leaders Awards for our work on reducing construction waste. Results are announced at a ceremony in London on 6 February.
SUSTAINABILITY / 23
Builders' one-liners
And finally… Caption competition Many of our divisions hold annual raft races to raise money for local causes, and colleagues at South Wales are no different. What do you think our Ninja Turtle is thinking or saying to his colleagues taking part?
Thanks to colleagues who submitted their building one liners to the employee communications team, here’s a pick of some of the best…
Send across your witty captions to employee.communication@ barrattplc.co.uk by Friday 29 March to be in with a chance to win a £50 voucher.
And the winner is…
"To Infinity Park Derby and beyond"
Thanks to all the readers who sent in captions for our last competition, which shows colleagues from Mercia in Toy Story fancy dress.
g… Introducin
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6 7 9
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re for Click he ve ti c a r te in rd crosswo
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'Have you heard my under construction joke? It’s not done yet'. Raymond Molloy, BRAM 'Why did the nosy roofer end up getting into trouble? He couldn’t stop eavesdropping'. Laura Green, Northampton "Why are electricians fulfilled? Because they have learned the secret of empowerment." Andy Shamash, Barratt London
The prize crossword
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Closing d ate 29 March :
Across
Down
3. Government endorsed, industry standard for well designed homes (8,3,4)
1. The UK's leading LGBT+ charity (9)
5. Group HR Director (3,6)
4. A major, dual-branded development in the south of Edinburgh (8,6)
9. Multi-Storey Site Manager of the Year (4,5)
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Julian Digby, North West
Submit your building one liners to: employee.communication@barrattplc.co.uk
The winning caption came from Duncan Atkins, Development Accountant for Wilson Bowden who has won a Marks & Spencer gift card worth £50. 1
'I might have a job making cement next week. Nothing concrete'.
11. A development programme for high potential female leaders (8) 12. N ew app that allows Site Managers to capture defects and issues (4) 14. G raduate legacy seminar looking at disability in the construction industry (12) 15. G reat Places Non-Standard category winner (9)
2. Name of the MD who cycled the Pyrenees (4,6)
6. Won the National Customer Service Award 2017/18 (4,8) 7. A tax-efficient way to support good causes and charities (7,6) 8. Development by gold award winner in the Best Partnership Scheme category (12) 10. A national charity supporting the Armed Forces (4) 13. B ernard Rooney’s favourite Man United player (7)
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Congratulations Our winner for the last wordsearch is Martyn Griffiths, Senior Site Manager from North Midlands who received a Marks & Spencer gift card worth £50.
Crossword Competition: Return the crossword to us and we’ll name the £50 gift card winner in the next issue. Fill in this form either online or in the printed version and send back your completed crossword to: Katy Soar, Barratt Developments PLC, 1st Floor, Kent House, 14-17 Market Place, London, W1W 8AJ or email it to us: employee.communication@barrattplc.co.uk Name Address
Job title Location