Introduction This HR strategy, by focussing on the Group’s core resources – its employees, is the foundation to the Group’s ambitions and outlines the commitments to employees and the actions necessary to continually take the Group forward and ensure we deliver quality homes, build communities and improve lives. To achieve this the Group must look beyond internal considerations and be aware of developments in the wider environment to ensure we are suitably positioned to plan for and adapt to future changes. Whilst this strategy underpins the achievement of the strategic objectives outlined under all five key themes of the Corporate Strategy; Viability, Customers, Support, Growth and Leadership, it focuses in particular on ensuring we have excellent governance, leadership and people, become the local employer of choice and attract and retain the best talent and that we deliver efficiency and value for money through innovation. It sets out how we will achieve this under the following six areas: 1. Resourcing 2. Reward 3. Employee Engagement 4. Performance Management 5. People Development 6. Personal Wellbeing In the recent IIP Accreditation report the HR team was highlighted as bringing a fresh way of engaging with teams, positive changes were discussed, such as seeking innovative ways in how people develop, making systems more streamlined and easier to use, and having a clear focus on the longer-term strategy. People at all levels said they felt more empowered in how they can manage themselves and their teams, and it was identified that through this new approach significant changes had already been seen in many areas. The HR team has been reviewing ways to adopt a cost effective approach to driving an efficient HR service, a main part of which has involved utilising the investment made in the HR IT system which supports the organisation’s ambition to be ‘digital by default.’ Through this strategy we will continue to build on this and support the successful delivery of the Group’s strategic objectives. A detailed action plan with time scales will accompany this Strategy and will be monitored by the Head of HR and People Development.
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1. Resourcing Effective resource planning will ensure the Group is developing sufficient capacity to adapt to new trends and take advantage of emerging opportunities and to ensure that we have the right people, in the right place, with the right skills at the right time whilst at the same time ensuring that we are driving efficiency savings. We are committed to positioning ourselves as the local employer of choice and ensuring a diverse staff group, seeking to extend our reach through innovative advertising, marketing and modern forward thinking recruitment and employment practices. The recruitment and selection of the best candidates is paramount to the success of the Group with the aim to attract the best talent across all functions, delivering this in an effective way whilst ensuring value for money. We also recognise the importance of retaining the best talent, providing employees with opportunities to advance within the organisation through promotion, secondments and sideways moves designed to develop an individual’s skills and demonstrating our commitment to growing our own. We will achieve this by: a. Reviewing the structure of our operational team as part of service redesign to ensure it is fit for purpose and delivers excellent and efficient services b. Proactively working with managers to review staffing needs, ensuring the best use of resources, development of roles and structures to achieve their plans whilst driving efficiencies c. Working in partnership with PR to modernise our brand and innovate our approach to recruitment and selection to ensure we utilise social media to source the best talent and that our processes are digitalised d. Modernising our approach to employment terms and conditions to help ensure that we attract and retain the best talent and are commercially focussed e. Managing retention to ensure that this remains at 79% or above and that the best talent is being retained in order to deliver our outcomes f. Monitoring the diversity of the workforce to ensure that it broadly reflects the communities that we work with extending its reach through innovative advertising and marketing where required g. Reviewing the work of the HR team and considering ways of joint working with external organisations and opportunities to market ourselves externally
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2. Reward The Group recognises that reward is an important factor in relation to attracting, retaining and motivating employees. Our approach to rewarding employees is built upon the principles of total reward in which the benefits of working for the Group are considered in their entirety, taking account of the whole range of financial and non-financial benefits, reward and the working environment available to employees. We are committed to providing a reward package that supports the strategic direction of the business, complies with appropriate legislation and regulatory frameworks and promotes positive working lives. Our reward package is integral to positioning ourselves as the local employer of choice. A key part of this is ensuring flexibility with what we offer, in order to tailor rewards to be attractive to potential employees and to enable existing employees to make choices in relation to their total reward package, to suit their diverse and changing needs. One size doesn’t fit all. We will achieve this by: a. Continuing to be living wage accredited, demonstrating our commitment to being an ethical employer b. Monitoring the gender pay gap and taking appropriate steps to address any concerns c. Reviewing our benefits package with a view to introducing greater flexibility in order to meet the needs of a diverse and changing workforce and to enable the Group to be competitive in the face of external change whilst ensuring value for money d. Developing the HR system to provide a more efficient way for staff to submit mileage and expense claims online e. Undertaking salary benchmarking to ensure we pay competitive salaries that assist in attracting and retaining the best talent and ensure compliance with Equal Pay legislation
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3. Employee Engagement Engaged employees are happier, healthier and more fulfilled and they deliver improved business performance. Positive relationships are evidenced through increased customer satisfaction, productivity, innovation, staff retention and efficiency. The Group has a variety of means of engaging with employees including, but not limited to: cross department working groups, intranet, staff conferences, staff briefings, mentoring and questionnaires. We have undertaken Best Companies surveys; we have also undertaken internal staff surveys and have been recognised as Investors in People (IIP) since 1997. Through these mechanisms and informal channels employees are encouraged to participate, influence and contribute to the management of the organisation. The Group is committed to continuing to develop an engaged workforce and building our brand as the local employer of choice with staff as our strongest advocates. We will achieve this by: a. Ensuring the results of our recent IIP assessment are embedded in the organisation and help develop the business b. Reviewing our approach to external frameworks e.g. IIP, Best Companies, and identifying those that will support, develop and promote the business as well as provide the greatest value for money c. Increasing levels of employee engagement by introducing pulse surveys in order to obtain valuable and timely insights from employees which will help develop the business d. Engaging with staff when updating HR processes and systems in order to encourage involvement and innovation and to provide an opportunity to challenge and reinforce the status quo
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4. Performance Management Effective performance management within the Group relies on both formal and informal processes. It involves planning, for example, defining and reviewing objectives and setting measures of success but it also involves establishing a culture in which individuals and groups take responsibility for the continuous improvement of business processes and of their own skills, behaviours and performance. Our journey of continuous improvement in relation to people management is underpinned by the Investors in People (IIP) framework. This framework focuses on encouraging high performing teams and ensuring employees understand what they are expected to do to be high performing and how they will be supported to achieve this. The Group is committed to continuing to develop a performance improvement culture which encourages high performance and ensures that employees take the lead in setting stretching objectives that support and respond to the corporate goals and plans for change. We will achieve this by: a. Reviewing the performance management framework to ensure that managers have the most effective tools to enhance the skills and competencies of their staff underpinned by a digital process b. Reviewing the HR policies and procedures to ensure that they meet legislative/regulatory requirements and best practice and that they support managers in managing staff performance c. Developing a single online HR handbook, promoted as a ‘first port of call’ for day to day HR information for managers and staff, ensuring a more cost effective approach d. Utilising the HR system to review human resource performance data and producing quarterly HR performance reports for managers to discuss with their teams in order to improve performance and promote continuous improvement
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5. People Development Developing employees’ capabilities, skills and competencies remains a main focus of the Group and a fundamental part of attracting and retaining the best talent to deliver our outcomes. The Group is committed to ensuring that employee’s capabilities are actively managed and developed which allows them to realise their full potential and ensures that the organisation has the right people, with the right skills in the right roles. Whilst our approach ensures that employees take ownership of their own learning and development we recognise that managers also have a fundamental role to play in facilitating the identification of development needs and we will support them in doing this. The Group is committed to continuing to provide staff development programmes which increase and develop the skills that will be needed in the current and future operating environment which underpins succession planning and our commitment to growing our own. We will continue to identify innovative ways of delivering development activities which ensure flexibility and value for money. We will achieve this by: a. Co-ordinating the training and development of staff to match the operational needs and strategic direction and growth of the business b. Developing current and future leadership style, capability and capacity c. Enhancing management skills, competence and confidence to enable them to take responsibility for all aspects of people management and effectively manage and develop their staff d. Maximising the use of technology and internal expertise to deliver flexible and cost effective programmes of learning and development for staff e. Working in partnership across the business in order to develop and deliver an approach to career development opportunities, including apprenticeships, trainees, work experience and graduates, which enable us to grow our own and support our social purpose
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6. Personal Wellbeing The Group recognises that promoting and supporting employee wellbeing is an important part of providing better work and working lives. The fast changing world of work and the fluctuating demands it places on employees means that our understanding of health and wellbeing needs to constantly evolve. We currently have a number of initiatives that support personal wellbeing which include flexible working practices, private medical insurance, health checks, flu jabs and an Employee Assistance Programme. We also actively promote health and wellbeing across the Group through training programmes and specific health events. Smart Choices has been developed as a framework to promote key areas of employee wellbeing and to assist and educate employees in achieving a healthy work life balance. We are committed to continuing to develop and embed this framework in the organisation as well as developing our wider commitment to corporate social responsibility. We will achieve this by: a. Writing and disseminating a corporate wellbeing policy to outline the Group’s approach to wellbeing b. Working in partnership with PR to develop the use of Smart Choices as the wellbeing brand and digital platform that supports and promotes wellbeing in the organisation c. Offering a variety of staff wellbeing events and practical information and advice to support wellbeing and promote corporate social responsibility based around the components of Smart Choices d. Continuing to adopt flexible approaches to work/roles that promote a healthy work life balance and provide more innovative ways of working that support the strategic direction of the business e. Working in partnership across the business to develop a framework for corporate social responsibility that identifies and develops our commitment to ensuring a positive impact on society, the environment and the economy
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Monson House Monson Way Tunbridge Wells Kent TN1 1LQ Tel: 01892 501480 www.tchg.org.uk