Hi everyone, and thanks for picking up the second edition of Inside Places Management Magazine! We hope you enjoyed the first issue, and it’s great that we have our first Spot the Difference winner!
I’m delighted that since the last issue, self-assessment is now live for the Reward and Competency Initiative (RACI) and I really hope those of you who can complete it have done so – it was your feedback that made it happen.
We’ve launched our new People Promises (page 6), which are also based on Colleague feedback (including the poll you answered at January’s Business Briefings). Our People Promises describe what we stand for and how we do things around here, and were launched with a brilliant video featuring some of our very own PM Colleagues.
I know that so many of you already live the People Promises day in, day out, so I’m sure they resonated with you.
In the last magazine I talked about our drive to make things easier for Customers and Colleagues across Places for People and how, for us in Places Management, we’ll be leading the way with a focus on Effortless Repairs. At our upcoming
Roadshows; our theme is ‘Our Drive For Effortless’ and we’ll talk more about how we’re making things better for you, for each other and for our Customers.
So, without further ado, grab a brew and have a read of the magazine. Here are some of the things we’re talking about in this edition:
■ How we’re growing and attracting the right People with our work on learning, apprenticeships and recruitment (pages 13, and 15).
■ More examples of how you and your Colleagues are doing the right thing for Customers and each other, every day (page 8).
■ How Our Place Rewards can save you money on your shopping (page 9).
■ How you can recognise Customers who go the extra mile through our Community Matters Awards (page 12).
■ The progress we’re making against our ‘You Said, We Did’ themes (page 11).
■ The strides we’re making in our drive for Effortless (page 13).
… And lots more!
Keep sharing your feedback by emailing pm.staffsuggestions@placesforpeople. co.uk, and I’ll see you at the Business Briefing Roadshows in June – I’m really looking forward to it!
Dates for your diary
16th June: Newcastle
20th June: Edinburgh
22nd June: Leeds
23rd June: Preston
26th June: Derby
27th June: Huntingdon area
28th June: Milton Keynes
29th June: Bristol
Q Hi Ikram! Can you tell us a bit about your role?
A
I’ve been in the Responsive Scheduling Team for over two years now. We sort out the days for all the guys in responsive repairs, look after their diaries and make sure they’re in the right place at the right time for our Customers. And, for example, if an operative is off sick, we go through his or her diary and reschedule all those jobs.
Q It all sounds pretty simple!
it’s your job to get it back on track. It’s like a domino effect, where I have to rebook stuff later in the day to accommodate those new jobs. Once you fall behind it’s hard to catch up!
As I mentioned, ops might be off sick, which screws up your schedule. And then you have to deal with Customers who themselves might be in stressful situations. I think you have to have a certain type of personality to do this job.
Q So it’s not for everyone?
Q How is the team’s morale?
A To be honest, before Christmas, things weren’t great. A lot of Colleagues left because of how demanding it was. But I think we’re in a much better place now. Seventy per cent of the team is new, and there is a buzz in the office.
Q Is a fun office environment important?
A
On paper, I suppose it is! But it can be very full-on, very stressful. I look after the Chorus area which is massive – Peterborough and Cambridge – and that comes with 33 ops. You’ve got to stay on top of a lot of things and try to keep calm when things are challenging.
Q What sort of things?
A Emergency jobs, which obviously have to become priorities, can make the whole day go sideways and
A I wouldn’t say so. You’ve got to be organised but, for me, it’s also really important to have the attitude of ‘we can only do our best.’ I’m a pretty relaxed type of guy which I think serves me well.
Q We hear the system you use is pretty outdated too!
A Everyone knows it’s slow as hell! When you are busy, it can really hold you up. I’m hopeful that the new Salesforce system we’ve been promised will help with that.
A Absolutely. You spend so much time at work, you have to have a laugh when you can, and take an interest in each other. Otherwise, every day would just roll into the next and be pretty boring.
Q What’s the best bit of the job?
A Being part of a team. I’m quite sporty, so I appreciate the importance of enjoying a group working towards the same goal. Also – and this might seem a cliché – I really love helping Customers. When I get feedback that I’ve made someone’s day, it feels great.
Hello to the Newcastle Gas team taking part in our Home MOT trials. Thanks to Dane Brogden, Michael Jones, Steve Devois, Ryan Waterworth, Malcolm Caveney for all their fabulous efforts!
Cleaner Graham Latty recently celebrated a whopping 30 years with Places Management, and celebrated by sharing a brilliant picture from back in the day. Graham (who hasn’t aged a day, honest!) said: “I prefer the old uniform 30 years ago – everyone should be wearing a Toon top!”
Des Ward kicked off a huge conversation on Yammer but also across the country when he shared this image from a road in Nottingham where he works. Is it graffiti or art? And perhaps more intriguingly, is this a work by renowned street artist Banksy? Whilst the jury is still out on the source, Des found himself quoted in the Nottingham Post and The Mirror talking about his fascinating discovery. What’s your view? Banksy or not?
Literally a brilliant job!
Well done Graeme Veitch and Ollie Martin for upgrading the sign lighting for one of our commercial tenants.
Landscapes’ Ashley Burkinshaw and John Drake did a top job in this Sheffield garden
As you know by now, the option to wear shorts is available. But remember to assess a task before doing so.
■ If there are tasks with risk of machinery and/or ejected materials coming in contact with legs, trousers must be worn ■ Zip-off trousers are available to purchase for quick and easy changing ■ Apply SPF 50 suncream when working in direct sunlight in shorts (this can be purchased from Travis Perkins) Check out the Risk Assessment and Standard Operating Procedure or contact Healthandsafety.team@ placesforpeople.co.uk
After
Jack McKenna told us about a Customer who
“We came across a resident that wouldn’t let us into his property because, due to health issues, his flat had deteriorated to the point that it was unfit for visitors. This meant that for over a year he felt unable to raise repairs, nor able to arrange a visit from an occupational therapist,” said Jack. “He was, however, actively seeking out help and wanted his flat cleared. Which we managed to achieve in only a few weeks, working collaboratively with the Place Team and acquiring funding from Tenancy Sustainment & Tenancy Enforcement
“When I visited after the clearance, he was delighted to be able to allow me to enter his property and all required repairs have been scheduled in. On top of this,
the Customer will receive new heating and bathing facilities as part of the investment works, and he is finally able to arrange a visit with Bedford adult social care to get the help that he needs.”
Plumber Lee Slack marked his first-ever Yammer post by sharing the appearance of his daughter and her friends on ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent What a total star!
Cleaners Helen Toland Jones and Sharon Smith went along to innov8, a cleaning innovation and sustainability show at Old Trafford in Manchester. Looking at eco-friendly products, new equipment and waste-reducing practices, they really got stuck into the day!
By the time you read this, you will probably have heard all about our new People Promises. These are the things that we stand for, how we roll and what everyone in the business should remember in our everyday working lives! Even though these have been shared across our various channels, we think it’s worth reminding ourselves what our People Promises are…
DO THE RIGHT THING. ALWAYS
■ We always aim to do the right thing for our Customers, for our Communities, for each other.
■ What is the right thing? Never walking by. Owning it. Picking up the litter. Doing that bit extra. Helping. Giving. Being transparent. Making choices for the right reasons. Never
letting anyone down. Running through the line. We know what the right thing is because it’s in our DNA. It’s who we are.
■ We have a drive to improve and make things easier. We do something new, and something better, every day. We have a thirst to learn. We’re curious.
■ We take care of our precious resources so we can reinvest them wisely. We’re bold, we’re adaptable. We’re passionate about thriving Communities.
A bite-sized introduction to the Synergy project which will be landing in the coming months.
The programme is about improving our technologies and simplifying our processes. It involves projects that are a combination of using new technology and updating our existing systems.
We’re transferring all the tasks related to managing places, resources, and activities into Salesforce. This will help us oversee the entire process of handling repairs and maintenance. Two key features:
■ Our differences make us who we are, our shared mission makes us different.
■ In our inclusive Community, everyone is welcome, everyone is important, everyone is supported, and everyone can thrive.
■ We keep our promises. We’re not scared to admit we’re wrong. We’re open, honest, humble. We’ll always listen, we’re always accessible.
■ We are respectful, and we respectfully challenge and question. We trust each other
and in turn are trusted. We recognise, appreciate, and celebrate each other. We say thank you, a lot. ENJOY
■ Work can be hard, but we have a very special role to play – to be a force for good for our Customers, for our Communities, and for our society.
■ That’s why we enjoy what we do. It’s a rare opportunity we’ve been given, we never take it for granted.
■ Repair Finder is a tool we have built in Salesforce, enabling more accurate job bookings and repair reporting
■ SFS will use Dynamic Scheduling to ensure that the right People are assigned to the right jobs at the right time
The way repairs are scheduled and the technology we use to receive and manage jobs will change from Impact Response to SFS.
By dynamically scheduling each job, we will increase right first-time visits and see a reduction in no accesses and incorrect job bookings. Check out every issue of IPM magazine, Our Place and Yammer for more updates.
Thanks to Jodie Brierley and Kerry Harvey for compiling this Q&A
Steve Frame took part in the Benidorm or Bust car rally to raise money
A distressed Customer called because people were prowling in her garden due to her fence being down next to a communal area. Georgina Pinchen came to the rescue and the Customer said: “Thank you for sending the wonderful, best employee you have!”
Robin Lee was complimented by a Customer who said he was “amazing and respectful.”
A Customer took the time to send a card (right) to Greg Reed praising Kingsley Harte and Billy Cauldwell.
This involved buying a car for £500 or less and, starting from Dover, driving through France, Andorra and into Spain!
After 1,800 miles on the road, he did it (!) and raised a bunch of cash for a fantastic cause. Brilliant work Steve!
Huge congratulations to our long servers…
Robert Wales impressed on a job by being “professional and courteous at all times.”
James McAllan received some “excellent feedback” from a Customer Focus Group at Hannibal Court.
Two Customers enthused about Timothy Cobden. One said she wanted him back for all her repairs, while another said he was polite and completed the job to a great standard.
Congratulations to Jordan Murphy for receiving a fantastic compliment from a Customer who said: “Jordan excelled at the final finish, and did a professional job. P4P need more Jordans!”
We know that these are financially worrying times but help is at hand
In the last issue of Inside PM magazine we promised that we would continually keep you informed about the assistance that is available for both Customers and Colleagues. This time around we’re focusing on Our Place Rewards
You can access the SmartSpending app on your personal phone!
■ There’s also a handy savings calculator, so you can see how much you could be saving using the offers and discounts on the platform. Also add into the mix, a wellbeing centre with online fitness workouts, recipe ideas and financial guidance!
We couldn’t let an issue of Inside PM go by without paying tribute to Samantha Coates and Bruce Barfoot, who consistently do brilliant work cleaning up our void properties. Guys, we salute you!
OUR PLACE REWARDS
■ Your feedback in the Big Colleague Survey, which said you wanted more help with the increasing cost of living, has helped with the new push of this brilliant tool for saving money.
■ Our Place Rewards has a range of savings on everything from food shopping and everyday essentials to white goods and days out. Whether big or small savings – on a new TV from Currys, a holiday, clothes or weekly groceries – every little bit helps.
3 MAIN TYPES OF DEALS
1 Cashback: Make a purchase and you’ll get money paid back to you.
2 Reloadable cards: Order a specific card for your retailer of choice and load money onto it. Then, use this card to pay, and you’ll get a discount on every purchase.
3 Instant vouchers: Buy a voucher at whatever amount you want, and then use this to get discounts on your purchases. Instead of getting a physical card to shop, you can either print the voucher or show it on your smartphone at the till. Go to rewards.placesforpeople. co.uk for more information on how you can save money!
In the last year, our Colleagues have collectively saved£74,800!
Admin Team Leader Rachel Jolly wanted to highlight the efforts of our Works Support Team who are working extremely hard to provide the very best for our Customers and contractors. Consider it done, Rachel!
PEOPLE POW-ER!
Joiner Stuart Pow and his team removed an illegal loft conversion in a flat. Not a nice job to do but what an incredible turnaround!
Just a reminder that we’re moving to a new telematics system called Lightfoot, which is being installed in our fleet vehicles over the next few months.
Replacing our older system, Lightfoot can:
■ Diagnose engine problems before they happen and get instant alerts for serious faults
■ Provide prompts around your driving style
■ Deliver real-time data around things like fuel consumption and CO2 emissions
■ Integrate Lightfoot with other systems in the future, for example Salesforce
■ Allow Colleagues to win prizes through a reward scheme
If you have any questions, e-mail fleet.help@placesforpeople.co.uk
Electrical Supervisor
Simon King was out for a beer (or two) and who should he run into? Yep, 8 Out of 10 Cats
comedian Jon Richardson!
Q
How does it feel that a lot of our People are talking about your 45-year anniversary?
A Amazing! I’m as surprised as anyone it’s been that long. Time does fly!
Q How did you end up joining the business?
A I joined back in 1978 after answering an advert in the local job centre
Q What did you do before?
A Not a great deal, I was only six years-old. Ha, no, I left school and joined the Landscaping Team pretty much immediately.
Q Why have you stayed so long?
A I’ve always enjoyed the work – especially being in the great outdoors.
Q Would you ever leave?
A If the money’s right, yes! Seriously though, I don’t think they want me to go, and who could blame them? Ha ha…
Q How has the business changed over the years?
A Massively. It was North British Housing back then and I started on the princely sum of 16 quid a week.
Our premises and machinery have got far, far better too – it was just a garage to work out of back then.
Q Have the Customers changed at all?
A Customers have gotten older, and of course many old faces are now long gone sadly.
Q How does your current team compare to previous ones?
A I’ve always enjoyed working within a team and that hasn’t changed in all these years.
Q We hear you got your manager Chris involved with the company over 20 years ago. Do you ever regret the decision?!!
A Every single day yes! No, he’s a good manager to work for, honestly!
Q What’s the best part of the job?
A Getting out in the fresh air and getting the machinery fired up and jobs done.
Q What’s the weirdest job you’ve ever been on?
A We were once asked to clear a poor deceased Customer’s flat, that stands out as being particularly unpleasant. But I don’t class any job as being weird, although I have met one or two weird folks along the way!
Chris Hills, North East Contract Manager, said: “It was Jeff who got me the post of temporary gardener 23 years ago, so, of course, I curse him every single day! All kidding aside, I’m eternally grateful for his help then,
“Jeff’s as reliable as the day is long and will do anything to help his mates. He’s truly old school and still keen as mustard to this day. There’s been times I’ve had to ask him ‘please don’t cut the grass at 6am, as it’s annoying everyone in the vicinity!’ Forty-five years is an incredible achievement and here’s to more to come!
Congratulations mate...”
beer was 40p Best selling single was Rivers of Babylon/Brown Girl in the by Boney M
test tube baby was born Superman and Grease movies were released The “Winter of Discontent began”
WHAT IS IT?
You Said We Did (YSWD) is an initiative, introduced for Places Management Colleagues, to raise any suggestions they have, to help make improvements to our business.
Each suggestion is logged and reviewed by our Quality & Improvement (Q&I) team (pictured above), who work with Colleagues in Places Management and the wider business to find out what’s in place currently and how we can improve.
The team then provides regular updates to let you know how we’re getting on.
It’s easy. All you have to do is scan the QR code (below) to draft an email to PM.Suggestions@placesforpeople. co.uk, type in your suggestion and hit send! Your email is picked up by the Q&I team, added to the YSWD tracker, and discussed with the relevant Colleagues to action.
Once there is a decision on your suggestion, it’ll be posted on Yammer (now Viva Engage!) and included in your Team Talks, in Places Management News or even in this magazine! So get cracking!
Do you know an amazing Customer in one of our Communities?
We want to recognise and celebrate our Customers who go the extra mile, look out for others and generally make our Communities a better place to live.
That’s why we have launched our new Community Matters Awards – and the nomination window is now open!
■ Spread the word Customers are invited to nominate another Customer who has made a difference to them or their Community. You can also download a poster below to print off and post in any communal areas.
■ Nominate a Customer Our People can also nominate a Customer for an award.
NOMINEES CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR PEOPLE WHO HAVE IMPRESSED!
Nominations can be submitted on our website at www.placesforpeople.co.uk/ communitymattersawards
#BecauseCommunityMatters
As we explained in the last issue of IPM, Effortless means making things easier for our Colleagues and Customers; making it easier for Colleagues to do their jobs; making it easier for Customers to interact with us and removing friction and the things that get in the way. And we’re focused on Repairs because it’s a priority – for us and our Customers.
Our goal is to eliminate the backlog of repairs and get us back to delivering repairs on time, in every region, so…
■ We’re fine-tuning our workflows and processes to make sure we have the right number of People, armed with the right tools, in the right places at the right time
■ To help increase our capacity and reduce the strain on the service, we’re
well underway with our aim to recruit nearly 100 extra trade operatives and 30 new Contact Centre Advisors
■ We’ve also issued a one-off bundle of 3,000 repairs to a contractor in the south east, and we’ll look to do this across the rest of our regions
■ Working hand-in-hand with our Customer Contact Centre and Scheduling teams, we’re making strides to understand our Customers and have identified the need for better triaging; with an early release of a Repair Finder Tool
With our People equipped with the right information and resources, and knowledge that the Customer will be at home, we’re aiming for no wasted visits and to fix the issue when we’re there. We’ve introduced a pilot for Caretakers, placing Colleagues
in Communities to provide direct support and solutions while fostering strong relationships with our Customers.
This wouldn’t be possible without all of you – that’s why we’re committed to providing you with the right skills, knowledge, equipment, and technology to excel in your roles. We believe that by doing so, we will create an environment where everyone can enjoy work and continually innovate.
We’re rolling out new communication initiatives, including daily huddles and sharing of information, to ensure we stay connected, updated and driven.
This is about ‘doing the right thing, always’ and setting ourselves up to achieve great things. Here’s to the road ahead. Let’s make Effortless Repairs a success!
Top Learners of 2022 list!
Matt Brooks and Craig Williams prompted a Customer to share how kind and friendly she thought they were. Both had attended a property which had, not only a suspected leak, but also the Customer’s daughter, who was really afraid that there was some real danger in the home.
Matt and Craig went out of their way to reassure the family, taking pictures and even showing the daughter a video of a leak-free loft! The Customer said: “They were both friendly and happy individuals and went above and beyond to reassure an anxious little girl. Thank you!”
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility
Safeguarding is key to this, so it’s vital that our People know how to report a concern about any of our Customers.
We’re already doing an amazing job, with the number of safeguarding reports increasing month-on-month.
However to make the reporting process even easier, in April we moved to a proven one-system-for-all setup called EcoOnline. This means we’ll have one consistent approach for standards and Colleagues will have better visibility of safeguarding. And most importantly, everyone will feel empowered to take action where necessary.
We’ve already been supporting our Customer-facing Colleagues, ensuring they have the tools and knowledge to use the new system. But because we all have a responsibility for safeguarding, we’re running training sessions that everyone can sign-up for on Places Academy and we’re also sharing guidance on the Safeguarding Hub.
Finally, take a moment to check out our Group Safety, Safeguarding and Compliance Community on Yammer
Safeguarding means “protecting a citizen’s health, wellbeing and human rights; enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect.”
We’ve already recruited nine Colleagues through the scheme, with successful referrers receiving a whopping £500 each for their trouble!
The first Refer-A-Friend Colleague appointed was Joiner Timothy Judge, who started with the Midlands team in Derby. He was recommended by his pal, Plasterer Colin Bennett! Hope you enjoyed the cash Colin!
Meanwhile, a more recent Refer-A-Friend is Maintenance Technician Daniel Forrest (below) who started with Places Management on May 2.
In this instance, Junior Project Manager Rachel MacLennan made the all-important recommendation and will receive £500.
She told us: “Making the referral was easy. When Daniel applied for the role, he just ticked a box on the recruitment site and added my name. And that was it!
“I’m going to share the money with Daniel. It was on the back of his hard work and excellent interview that got us this far, so I think that feels fair!”
For more info on how Refer-A Friend works, go to Our Place.
Welcome to new Hull Apprentice Jordan Wright who wasted no time in getting his hands dirty!
We know that digital needs vary between roles and business areas. However, digital confidence shouldn’t be a barrier to your personal development!
The Talent and Development Team are here to help, from getting the most out of your iPad and the tools you need to do your job, to gaining confidence in the systems and applications that
you’re using daily, such as support with the Over to You process, Places Academy, Salesforce, Business World, Power BI – the list goes on!
Let us know how we can help grow your team’s digital skills and confidence by contacting Tom.Walsh@places forpeople.co.uk
Electrician David Windle noticed something wrong in a Customer’s downstairs cupboard and raised the alarm. It was discovered that asbestos was present and a contractor was appointed to remove. Nice one David!
We love hearing your stories, big or small – please keep posting them on Yammer!
Congratulations to Electrician Richmond Yawson and Landscapes Operatives Mitchell Vaughan and Delroy Blair for successfully passing their probations.
A
We just loved this picture of Cleaner Shaun Marsh clearly having a whale of a time! Wheee!
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 for entry is 23-07-2023. Editor’s decision is final. There are no alternative prizes. One winner will be picked from successfully completed pages. Only open to Places Management Colleagues.
