Hi everyone, and thanks for reading the latest edition of Inside Places Management Magazine!
With Spring in the air and the new financial year ahead, there is lots happening to start making things easier for our People and Customers.
We’re bringing new vehicles into our fleet over the coming months and year to make it easier for you to get the job done for our Customers. Read more on page 9.
Meanwhile, we’re making good progress on Effortless Repairs. We’re currently finalising plans for the improvements we’ll deliver this year, with an initial focus on making sure we have the right data to make better decisions for our People, processes, and Customers.
We’re also making great strides with Salesforce, with the next phase of the rollout heading to Scotland. You can read more about our progress on page 9.
And over the last year, we’ve invested more into repairs in our Customers’ homes than ever before. These are all significant investments we should be really proud of, but to be able to keep up this level of
investment it’s absolutely critical we take care of our precious resources, which is something we all play a part in with our day-to-day spending, use of materials, and even our driving habits.
I’m looking forward to seeing you all at the Roadshows from June. Our theme this year is Do The Right Thing. Always, where we’ll talk more about what this means for our Customers, Communities, and each other. Look out for more details coming soon.
Talking of Roadshows... following last year’s events, we’ve successfully addressed an impressive 95% of the feedback received through our You Said We Did initiative. Your invaluable input has driven improvements, ranging from improvements to uniforms and vans to developing Team Talks and beyond.
You can read more about the story so far on page 12 and what else we need to do.
Take care,
‘CUSTOMERS ARE OUR BEST JUDGES’
Everywhere I look across Places Management, I see Colleagues determined to provide brilliant Customer Service.
Lots is happening up and down the country and at the heart of this are our People going the extra yard every single day.
In every issue of Inside Places Management, I love to read the Customer compliments. There is no better indicator of whether
we are going in the right direction than when Customers take the trouble to say they appreciate us.
With all that in mind, I’d like to say a big ‘thank you’ to everyone for their continued hard work – it’s great to see our teams pulling together to Do The Right Thing. Always!
Whatever your role, you really are making a difference.
As you know, the mental health of our People remains a non-negotiable priority for the business. That’s why we’re delighted to have teamed up with The Hike With Mike Foundation. This mental health charity co-ordinates walks up and down the country, raising money for all-important counselling and therapy. At the end of April, through June, we are hosting nine walks across the UK. And no matter your age or fitness, we want PfP People (and their families) to get involved! Shortly, you’ll receive more info on timings and locations. Watch this space!
You’ve heard lots about the advantages of our new Lightfoot fleet monitoring application but now we have some smashing facts and figures to, hopefully, bring these benefits to life!
We were able to do a comparison on everyone’s driving with the system installed while our drivers were unaware of its presence (blind) and then when drivers knew Lightfoot was monitoring their vehicles (live). And the results are startling:
And perhaps the most important bit of data – aside from the obvious safety benefits for all our Colleagues – is that we are predicted to save around £283,000 every single year, just by using Lightfoot. This comes from things like fewer accidents, less vehicle maintenance costs and reduced fuel bills. That’s a lot of money that can go towards kitchens, bathrooms and general home improvements for Customers! We hope this shows that Lightfoot really does work but if you have any questions about the system, or anything else fleet-related, please do email fleet.help@placesforpeople.co.uk
Thanks once again to everyone who took part in our Big Colleague Survey Over the last couple of months, we’ve been going through ALL your feedback and suggestions and it’s resulted in no fewer than 62 PM action plans!
The main themes centre around Engagement, Innovation, Wellbeing, Leadership and Effectiveness and Values. Very shortly we’ll be sharing the action plans with the senior leadership team to begin working through the actions with you and your teams!
Wow – just wow! Some brilliant work here from James Brooks who completed a fantastic kitchen renovation in Lancaster. But the best bit? “The Customer was over the moon with the property, which makes it all feel worthwhile!” said James. #EnjoyWork
Q
Hi Olivia How long have you been with PfP?
A I started back in September 2021. I’ve only been in the role of Contract Manager (CM) for around four months!
Q How did you end up working with us?
A After studying at Manchester Metropolitan University, I was looking for a temporary job. My mum, Helen Toland Jones, who really enjoys working here, said that a cleaning role was available. I got the job but as I said, I didn’t plan on
staying permanently. That was until I became invested in PfP’s vision and realised the company’s morals closely aligned with my own. From then on, I was eager to progress and dedicate myself to a career change from my original plan of being a teacher!
Q
How did the opportunity to step up to CM come about?
A Initially, I secured a secondment role. Two months into this, a permanent CM position became available, and, as I was enjoying the secondment, I jumped at the opportunity!
Q Were you nervous at all?
A No, I didn’t doubt that my time being a frontline worker within Landscapes,
alongside the experience I had gained previously in managing a team on commercial and private surfacing projects, would help me be a successful CM.
Q Name your team. What are they like to manage?
A We’ve got Alex Potter, Colin Reed, Karen Cribb, Linda Kirk, Andrea Pickersgill, Carolyn Chadwick, Tomasz Ziarnik, Jolanta Kluszewska, Dawn Allsopp and Peter Thompson. Following on from a recent team-building day, they now call themselves “Olivia’s Warriors!”
They are all fantastic and all have a close bond, as well as being brilliant professionals. I can truly say the team deeply care not only for one another but also for our Customers – it’s ingrained
Olivia with “fantastic manager” Lesley Jones
in them to go above and beyond. Every single member of my team last year was recognised for assisting a vulnerable Customer. They should be proud of themselves, as I certainly am.
Q What is your management style?
A
A quote [from Helen Keller] that resonates with me is: “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” I apply this outlook to my day-to-day management of People. I want to encourage participation and discussion, to guide, motivate and also create a culture of adaptability and innovation.
Q
A
What are the best bits about the job?
Getting out and about and seeing the fantastic work my team do.
WHERE THERE’S A ‘WIL’ THERE’S A WAY!
A project led by Olivia and fellow CMs Teresa White and Lynne Jackson aims to highlight some of the great work female leaders and frontline People do in our Landscapes teams.
Likewise, I just love interacting with Customers and listening and acting upon the feedback they give me.
Q Any early wins for the team?
A Alex Potter and Colin Reed have been doing an outstanding job of widening their skills by carrying out void clearances, fly tips, carpet cleaning and jet washing as the “First Response Team’. They’ve fully immersed themselves in these additional works and their dedication has supported Landscapes to increase our scope of works. Well done both!
Q
A
What are your plans for the future?
Despite only being in my role as CM for a short while, I’m thoroughly enjoying it. Special thanks has to go to Lesley Jones who is a fantastic manager and mentor. Ultimately, I’d love to be able to gain more experience and knowledge and to be able to provide others with the same guidance I’m receiving.
With the career support and growth potential, I feel optimistic for the future and aim to continue to progress my career at Places for People –a company I’m proud to be part of!
Olivia’s team had the devastating news that popular Colleague Lee Potter had suddenly passed away. Lee – whose son Alex works in the same team – is described by Olivia as “a great man that will be sorely missed by so many.”
Huge condolences to all of Lee’s family, friends and Colleagues.
“Women in Landscapes” (WIL) is a series of profiles, interviews, blogs, discussions and much more that celebrate the achievements of females within Landscapes – and hopefully encourage even more women to consider a career in these teams.
#WomenInLandscapes
A quick reminder that our learning hub, Places Academy has a whole load of resources that can help you both professionally and personally. Here are just two!
■ Places Academy is creating solutions to help with translating text to make E-Learning easier for those whose first language is not English. Check out the “How Do I” section for more details.
■ There is also a new Digital Skills section where you can find learning on subjects such as Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Excel, NEC, Salesforce plus much more. Just search “Digital Skills” in Places Academy.
Congratulations to Gas Engineer Dan Thurston who has picked up a Silver Star Award in the Enjoy Work category!
Dan won because – in the words of a Colleague – “he’s a lovely guy with a positive can-do attitude” and “is the type of Colleague that we can all learn from and aspire to be like.”
AND DON’T FORGET…
For our next round of Star Awards, you have until Tuesday 30th April to nominate a Colleague or team who has gone above and beyond to demonstrate our People Promises! All you need to do is complete the simple nomination form on Our Place Rewards and hit submit!
Jason Farrow and Daniel Forrest worked in dreadful weather to replace some rotten fencing. The Customer was so grateful that he kept them supplied with tea and biscuits for the entire weekend!
Jason Farrow and Daniel Forrest with a very happy Customer
A Customer was “over the moon” with Michael Clark and Mark Brown after they created a fancy new shrub bed at Campbell Court.
According to a Customer, Steve Reeve and Mark Ruffles were “fantastic operatives, “friendly, polite and carried out their work with smiles on their faces. A credit to PfP.”
A Customer’s son sent a lengthy email about Keith Marriott and Ben Bramwell after they sorted out mould in his mother’s bathroom. A highlight was: “You can clearly see they have passion and pride in their work.”
David Hudson was thanked by a Customer after our man chased up a couple of outstanding jobs on his behalf and also arranged for him
to receive some vouchers. Meanwhile, another Customer got in touch to say David was doing “a brilliant job” and is “a fantastic caring person who goes above and beyond.”
Ryan Hamill, Hatton Gardiner and Niall Hamill were trimming a Customer’s hedge when they noticed that the porch and garden were overflowing with leaves. The Customer – an OAP recovering from a broken back – said he was very grateful they cleared up the areas unprompted.
“All-round good man” Aziz Sharifi made an impression on one Customer who complimented him for both the quality of work and his professionalism.
A lovely email said that Stuart Whalen and Robert Turner had turned around a disrepair case as “everything was done to a top, top level by amazing people as well as brilliant professionals.”
The family of extremely vulnerable Customers commended Steve Bould and his team for quickly responding to a complaint and fixing a leaky roof. They also remarked on how kind the Operatives were.
A Customer had this to say about Simon Watts: “Simon has been absolutely amazing. He really does go above and beyond at the best of his ability.”
Some Customer comments for the West Home Improvement Team (above):
■ “The workmen were very good and helpful, couldn’t fault them.”
■ “Lee my kitchen fitter and Josh my bathroom fitter are great workmen –very polite and professional.”
■ “Matt has been excellent. He has gone above and beyond to help me.”
Customers at Chellaston Park Court said they are “very happy” with all the hard work of Ed Hogan and John Hogan
Customers at Robert Owen Gardens said Mark Wallis, Daryl Ashton and Matty Connor did “a lovely job on the moss removal.”
After Michael Scott and Ryan Moughton fitted some heaters, a Customer wrote: “The two men that came to install them were really nice and did a fantastic job… both were a great example of great employees working for Places for People.”
Des Ward’s continued hard work meant that Customers insisted that they mark his birthday with a cake and cards. As Des says: “It shows if you do the right things, People do appreciate it.”
Des’s birthday cake thank you
Following feedback from our trades and Schedulers, we ran a trial in four areas (North, South, Central and Scotland) to reduce phone calls and wait times. The study, with Colleagues not calling Further Works and No Accesses, brought immediate results.
The first week of the trial saw a 62.2% decrease in our further work calls and a 37.71% decrease in our overall calls.
National Scheduling Manager Gemma Hayhurst (pictured above with her beloved llamas!) says: “The numbers speak for themselves. This means, less wait times and a reduction in back-to-back calls for our teams, allowing them to deal with all other work types. This also allows field operatives to stay productive and use our current systems to our advantage.
“A huge thanks to all our scheduling and operational Colleagues who ensured that this trial worked!”
We’ll keep you posted on how this pilot affects how we do things going forward.
Chris Musgrove should be rightly proud of this transformation of an memorial in Leicestershire. He then started this season’s planting using some unwanted plants from another site! #DoTheRightThingAlways
Huge congratulations to our long server…
Christopher Addison Labourer | 15 years
Thanks to your Big Colleague Survey feedback, we’ve once again been named in the 2024 Great Place to Work® list top 50. And we’ve jumped six places to 44 in the list! #EnjoyWork
Feedback from the Big Colleague Survey showed that we needed a fresh approach to communicate with our Scheduling and Admin frontline teams. With that in mind, Let’s Connect has been launched as a quarterly virtual get-together allowing Colleagues to exchange information and ask allimportant questions on subjects like telephony, resource challenges, admin processes and Customer support.
Keep an eye out for the next Let’s Connect session, coming soon!
Our all-company livestream Drop the Mic has won Internal Content Campaign of the Year at this year’s European Content Awards. Congrats to all!
“We’re
Change Manager Liam Rogers says the transformation of our business is a huge positive – if we properly engage Colleagues
Q Hi Liam! Where were you before PfP?
A I was at HomeServe for almost 15 years, starting on the frontline answering Customer calls and then moving into various change and continuous improvement-focussed roles.
I’ve only been here two months but I have to say the welcome and the positive and helpful approach from everyone has been fantastic!
Q So what is your role, exactly?
A I’ve joined as a Change Manager in Assets and Investments. I think everyone’s aware of how much change is currently underway and it’s part of my role to ensure we have the right records and governance in place to help each change land well with our Colleagues and our Customers.
Q Can you give us an example of how your influence may help Colleagues in the field?
A Well, with those right change and governance processes in place, it means that we’ll have really good visibility of changes coming down the line and who is impacted by those changes.
We can engage People sooner, explain the changes and why they’re happening in more detail, whilst also being able to gain feedback on future improvements from those impacted the most. These could be smaller changes such as process improvements, or bigger system changes.
Q Will you be involved in the Synergy Programme and Salesforce rollout going forward?
A Absolutely – I’ll be helping wherever I can to support the business, training and technical teams – again to make sure we’re confident our People are ready for the change and that we can track the impact.
Q Any message for Colleagues who may be concerned about the amount of change underway?
A For the majority of People I’ve spoken to, there is a real excitement about the change journey the business is on. Everyone is so passionate about making our Customers’ journeys as Effortless as possible.
I think in the coming months we’ll get even better at highlighting to everyone in Places Management what a massive, positive impact the combination of all change is having on our Customers. However, if you do find yourself in a situation where you feel the volume of change is impacting your ability to do your role well, please reach out and we can find out what we can do better in managing the delivery of change. I’m certainly here to help!
OUR NEW PILOT IS A REAL SUCCESS STORY…
As part of the drive to provide Effortless service (and a key component of our People Promises), we are always looking at how best to use our valuable resources.
That’s why we undertook a trial in Sheffield between December and March to see if we could improve efficiency relating to five key areas:
■ Emergency capacity
■ Diary management
■ Complex repairs triage
■ Reducing reason to call scheduling
■ Very complex repairs requiring Further Works
■ An average of 14 hours of additional capacity were added to the diary daily
■ Operative utilisation increased from 33% to 47%
■ Provisionals were consistently at zero
Some of the measures which delivered these improvements have already been brought in across the business – with more to follow. We’ll keep you posted!
We’ve got some new vans, complete with an important change to our branding
In the Big Colleague Survey you told us that your vans weren’t making it Effortless for you to help our Customers – and we listened! Keeping you mobile in vans that you’re happy with is critical, so, at the time of writing, 45 new vehicles are being rolled out to Colleagues. Then, over the course of the new financial year, the remaining 455 new vans will be introduced into our fleet.
As standard, these come with several new features*, including:
■ Air conditioning ■ Sat Nav
■ Bluetooth ■ Apple CarPlay
We’re investing £18.5 million to upgrade more than half of our van fleet!
In anticipation of the upcoming rollout of Salesforce Field Services (SFS), the Digital Transformation Training and Change team headed off to Scotland.
Jaki Fitzgerald, Stacey Thomas, Harry O’Brien and Michelle Black (right) spent the day with our Scottish Operatives and Trade Supervisors to understand their thoughts about the current ways of working, and to get a better grasp of how they can support the switch to Salesforce.
Recognising that it is sometimes confusing for our Customers to tell the difference between Places Management and Places for People, the new vans will come with PfP branding. Hopefully, this will make things clearer, bring consistency and strengthen our presence in Communities. We’re also looking to change the branding for our uniforms on an as-and-when basis. This means that, over time, the PM branding on uniforms will change to Places for People.
*Potential changes to our vehicle racking system are also under review
The team also managed to squeeze in some insightful chats with our Customers and witness first-hand the challenges our frontline People encounter – which reinforced how Salesforce will be instrumental in addressing some of these issues.
A huge thanks to all the Colleagues for their hospitality, and to our dedicated People Managers for their unwavering engagement and support. We’re excited to bring SFS to Scotland!
Michael Blastland and Jamie Gunson are never afraid to get stuck in! Here they’re sorting out some drainage issues for Customers in horrid conditions. Michael said: “Wet and dirty but still smiling!” #EnjoyWork
You can always rely on Thomas Moorcroft to do a cracking job on our void properties – and this one is no different!
ADDAM BRAILEY & MATTHEW
With residents at Glenwood Court without water, Addam and Matthew took a trip to a local supermarket to buy some much-needed supplies!
KEVIN WINSTANLEY & DAVID PORTER
Electrical Trade Supervisor Matthew Barnes paid tribute to Kevin and David for “constantly going above and beyond for the team.” They “even give up their weekends to make sure voids are completed and back on time.”
Whilst attending a property, Plasterer Jason saw that Customers were struggling with pushchairs getting in and out of their cars in a flooded car park. He says: “The water was a foot deep, so couldn’t resist getting the drain rods out!”
When a tank was moved, a Customer, who couldn’t afford a tumble dryer, said she had lost her “drying room,” Jordan and Rob put their heads together to find the solution – a small radiator fitted into an airing cupboard!
KEITH DAVIS & ANDREW McQUILLAN
Keith and Andrew attended a gas forced entry and saw the Customer was living in poor conditions. Clearly, she needed help, so Keith and Andrew spent some time going through her concerns. Thanks to the intervention, our Housing Team submitted a referral to financial inclusion, escalated the case to social workers and scheduled some intense work with the Customer.
When Tam attended a job to fix a leak, he met a distressed Customer in a pretty bad way. Tam took the time to listen to him and then arranged a visit from our Tenancy Advisor who is now delivering additional support for the Customer.
Cleaner Phil supported two Customers who had floods in their homes by helping source an Electrician and a Plumber to make the properties safe. Not content with that, he also worked with the Place/Homes team to decant the Customers.
Our team spotted that a tree had fallen in Clayton Brook, blocking the main road. Without wasting any time, they removed the obstacle and cleared the road within the hour.
JACK DRAPER
Sometimes it’s the smallest things that make a difference. Cleaner Jack happened to notice some blocked external drains at Carron Court in Tamworth, and took it upon himself to clear out the debris. Hey presto, no more flooded car park!
DES WARD
Jay Hitchcock and Delroy Blair (or “Team Jel”!) always give 100 per cent. Here’s just a little example of why their partnership works so well!
Des was walking past one of our properties when he noticed some detached guttering. Instead of calling in the repair, he simply decided to fix it himself!
JOHN GILES
Gas Engineer John noticed some broken bottles in one of our car parks. Did he walk by? Did he heck! A couple of minutes out of his day and the potential hazard was all cleared up.
Jim prides himself on doing his very best for Customers. That’s why he’s making steps to learn sign language to help him communicate better with deaf or partial-hearing People he comes across in his day-to-day work.
Having the right tools for the right job is a huge part of providing Effortless service to our Customers. That’s why Thomas Walmsley was so thankful to our Supply Chain team for letting him test a lovely new Stihl auger that took the strain out of digging fence post holes! #Effortless
Eric James’ team did a top job on this Get Stuff Done (GSD) in the North East. Special mention goes to Chris Miller (left) for some impressive paving!
As you know, You Said We Did (YSWD) underpins a huge amount of what we do in Places Management. This is where we take your views and feedback and transform them into real change that will improve things for both you and our Customers.
Since the last Roadshows, we are pleased to say that a whopping 95% of YSWDs have been completed, with improvements seen across the likes of:
■ Uniforms
■ Vehicles
■ Phones and Technology
■ Training and Development
■ Multi-skilling and rewards (RACI)
■ Team Talks
■ General communication
And the remaining 5% of YSWDs are currently underway! Here’s a quick round-up of just some of them:
No Access instances cost us around £2 million every year for compliance and responsive appointments – money that could be better spent on helping Customers! No Access was raised through YSWD and the goal has been set of reducing occurrences by 5% for 2024/25, which will equate to a cost saving of £100,000 per year.
We’ve already completed 95% of your YSWDs!
Don’t be shy – your voice really does count!
can reduce this backlog and improve how we go about FRA going forward.
You raised Disrepairs as an issue and, indeed, these currently cost us £500,000 each year. Disrepair claims received have increased by roughly 350% since 2018/19!
That’s why we have embarked on an initiative aiming to reduce/prevent disrepair costs by 10% going forward.
There are thousands of FRA actions that are outstanding, which present a significant risk to our business and our Colleagues. We are reviewing our existing processes to see how we
Repairs inspections has been raised through YSWD and we certainly need to improve our process before, during and after repair. As a result, the inspections forms are being examined to ensure they are fit for purpose and we are also looking at how we better review the quality of works.
In addition, the PM leadership team are developing a Quality Management Plan (QMP) for repairs and void properties. AND REMEMBER…!
Getting better never stops, so we always want to know how the business can improve! If you have any thoughts or ideas, please use this QR code or email PM.suggestions@ placesforpeople.co.uk
Thanks to Alan Mason for sharing this great work from John Saxby, Joe Rahman, Jason Thompson, Peter Lowth and Mamba May. Not only did they install a paved area at Wellgate House in Rotherham as part of a Get Stuff Done project, but also incorporated a training session laying paving to the required standard – and using an ingenious vacuum paving lifter! #FiredUpReadyToGrow
A new benefit to help Colleagues during the cost of living crisis…
Everywhere you look, People are feeling the financial pinch. That’s why PfP has decided to introduce a new scheme that could help Colleagues negotiate their way through these testing times.
Salary Finance was launched in January and can be found on Our Place Rewards It offers the following:
THROUGH YOUR SALARY
Even if your credit score isn’t perfect, this facility allows access to funds with the repayments automatically deducted from your wages. Representative Rate 13.9% APR (fixed).
To help with financial shortfalls, you can withdraw 30% of your earned pay before payday. Three withdrawals per pay cycle
Check out Our RewardsPlace for more details!
Nice work from Ryan Wood and Scott Wilson to restore a Customer’s living room ceiling after a very bad leak! Ryan said: “Scott is new to the company and very good at what he does. He’s also great to work with.”
In LGBT+ History Month, National Scheduling Manager Toni O’Hagan shared how Scheduling and Admin teams (plus Contract Manager Olivia Bretnall!) got together to show their support for the Scottish Trans and Equality Network. #OneCommunity
are allowed and, as this isn’t a loan, no interest is applicable.
Within Salary Finance there are two schemes (dependent on your financial situation), which allow you to put aside money directly from your salary.
There are a whole host of resources –such as webinars, guides, calculators, blog posts etc. – to help Colleagues better manage their money.
Important: This is an option, not a recommendation. PfP does not benefit from offering this service and all your communications will be with Salary Finance. Loan applications will be assessed to ensure the loan is appropriate and affordable for you. “Learn” content is for guidance and educational purposes only and is generic in nature. Salary Finance does not offer regulated financial advice. Please seek independent financial advice.
David Hudson’s Landscapes Team have been helping out on voids with some terrific results. On this occasion, Alex Gardiner and Niall Hamill did the business on this monster garden! #FiredUpReadyToGrow
Q
Hi Morgan! What made you choose PfP as a place to start your career?
A I was familiar with the company as several family members have worked for the company, all for a long duration of time. This showed me that it must be a good place to work!
Q What does the business offer apprentices?
A Aside from gaining valuable knowledge about a trade, you also learn People skills, like communicating with other trades who are in the voids or the various Customers you meet. Oh, and not forgetting the competitive wages, which have allowed me to pass my driving test and buy a car!
Q How does your apprenticeship actually work?
A I’m four days a week on site, 7:30am to 4:30pm, with my mentor Ryan Cairns. Each day can be a different location. I also attend college on day release once a week, which I’m pleased to say is going well!
QWhat was the hardest thing you found when you first joined?
A Just understanding the science and principles. Also, the terminology of certain aspects of an electrical test.
Q Go on, be honest! What’s your mentor really like?
A Ryan’s great! He takes the time to explain any questions I have, so I can get a better understanding of the role and also what the day ahead is likely to be.
Q Yes, it’s work – but can an apprenticeship be fun too?
A Yeah, I like to have a laugh in the van and at the wholesalers with People I see daily.
Q At the time of writing, you’ve managed to get to the final six of the prestigious Aico Apprentice of the Year Awards. What’s that been like?
A The experience was something I wasn’t expecting. Completing a long practical against older and more experienced electricians was daunting but actually gave me confidence in my ability. Being given a versatile tool kit and bag was pretty cool too!
Ryan’s talent has been recognised externally
Q What are your ambitions?
A I want to get qualified as quickly as possible, completing all my exams successfully. Then just gain as much knowledge and competency, so I can go out on my own in a van.
Q What would you say to anyone else considering an apprenticeship with PfP?
A I’d highly recommend it. It’s a brilliant environment to learn and I feel that People have given me their time and want me to be successful in the role. I really appreciate that.
Following the suspension of Argent carrying out works, we had a Customer who urgently needed a new kitchen installed, left very much in the lurch.
Thankfully, Home Improvement Manager Anthony Parkinson wasn’t prepared for that to stand, so he mobilised a multi-skilled team to start the job within just two hours!
As you can see from these pictures, the response wasn’t just rapid but delivered a fantastic result. Thanks to Tom Wareing, Michael Richmond and Robert Turner for all your hard work!
Contract Manager Keith Green celebrated a brilliant collective effort that completely transformed
garden in Nottingham. All credit to Anthony Shaw, Andrew Leighton, Martin Prince, Phil Allen and Mick Clarke!
Michelle Walters is doing a Level 3 in Leadership and Management but found herself losing heart because she couldn’t get to grips with using her laptop.
Fortunately, her manager Teresa White stepped in and asked Learning and Development’s Tom Walsh to help. From thinking about quitting, to looking at her coursework a lot more positively, Michelle said: “A massive thank you to both Teresa and Dan. It shows this company really is one team and works together.” #OneCommunity
Here’s our Newcastle Cleaning Team at the Innov8 Regional Cleaning, Innovation and Sustainability Show 24. The feedback from the various stands was that they were great ambassadors for PfP! #FiredUpReadyToGrow
NO BEATING ABOUT THE BUSH! Apprentices Hatton Gardiner and Patrick Brady were tasked by a senior Colleague to rip out this sorry-looking bush, install a membrane and then bark the area. “I’d like to think me and Paddy have done a half-decent job,” said Hatton. We agree!
THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR STORIES!
It’s not every day that you’re pictured with one of your heroes. Here snooker star Steve Davis is lucky enough to meet Lee Millar!
Ed Hogan took on a fallen tree and won! As Ed says: “Landscapes isn’t just about lines in the grass!”
Helen Toland Jones, Damon Barnes and Lisa Winstanley were part of the Cleaning team trialling some new products from 2Pure Products and Bunzl. By all accounts, they were pretty impressed!
We love this pic of veteran Paul Greenwood with his new cleaning trolley. Go Paul!
It’s great to see Landscapes and Voids collaborating! Here’s Mark Wallis and Daryl Ashton meeting Dennis Doyle to find out how best they can work together!
Repairs Supervisor Steve Britnell was quick off the mark grabbing a group selfie at one of our Midlands R&V breakfast team meetings!
Find the eight differences between these two pictures and circle them. Simply complete the puzzle, take a picture of this page and email it to PM.suggestions @placesforpeople.co.uk
Terms and conditions:
Closing date is 22-5-2024. Editor’s decision is final. No alternative prizes. One winner will be picked from successfully completed pages. Only open to Places Management Colleagues.
CONGRATS! ...to McKinnieDavidwho won last issue’sAmazon Gift Card!