Image: Fold Housing
People power
The value an organisation places on its employees is key to its success. Formalising this with a People Strategy can help take your business from good to great
PEOPLE & CULTURE
Alison Foran
HR Manager, Fold Housing
Alison Foran
HR Manager, Fold Housing
Issue 72 | July 2024
Richard Branson once said, “Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.”
At Fold Housing we recognise the importance of investing in our people, however we probably hadn’t articulated or celebrated how important this is to our culture and ways of working. So, on the 1st May 2024 we launched our first People Strategy in the style it deserved.
We are committed to providing a positive and fulfilling work experience for all our colleagues where our vision, mission and values are at the core of everything we do. We know our people are passionate and committed to providing housing and care services and we want them to know we recognise their value, as well as attract and retain more people like them as we grow and develop.
The challenges we face
Like many organisations we have faced challenges in our recruitment and retention over the past two years. Our ability to attract suitable candidates to key positions and an increase in colleague turnover has created pressures in areas of service provision and put strain on colleagues.
We also recognise that living and working in a post-Covid 19 environment, especially in a health/care workplace is complex and demanding.
In our 2023 Colleague Satisfaction Survey, our overall satisfaction rating was 81%. While we considered this positive, it was a small decline on our 2022 rating and highlighted the importance for us to focus on our people processes.
Our themes
With the support of our executive team and board, our People Strategy was developed following engagement and consultation, an analysis of best practice, and feedback received from our Colleague Satisfaction survey. This enabled us to gain a clear understanding of our current situation and what our people priorities should be. It was clear that addressing specific people processes would be crucial to maintaining and improving overall satisfaction and general wellbeing at Fold.
There are four themes in our strategy with clear actions and we want colleagues to feel and see the difference that a focus on them through our People Strategy makes to our organisation.
01
Employer of choice
We will strengthen our employer brand to enable us to attract, engage and retain our talented people. We will ensure we have a sound understanding of our colleagues' requirements. We will create a work environment where our people are engaged and inspired to perform to their best and are proud to be a part of our continued success.
02
Leading our teams
We will support and develop our leaders. Our leaders will be visible, capable and compassionate and will exemplify our core values. We will foster an environment where our people are nurtured and supported to perform at their best to provide a quality service to our residents and tenants as well as develop their skills, experiences and careers.
03
Supporting wellbeing
We will maintain a culture where health and wellbeing is at the heart of the colleague experience and where our people feel valued, are emotionally connected and are supported to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing. We will foster a culture of inclusion and equality and will celebrate diversity across the organisation.
04
Communications
We will promote regular and meaningful communication. We want our colleagues to know what is going on and to learn about our business no matter which department they work in. We will foster a working environment of collaboration, working towards a common purpose. We will research and provide information that helps us make good decisions.
01
Employer of choice
We will strengthen our employer brand to enable us to attract, engage and retain our talented people. We will ensure we have a sound understanding of our colleagues' requirements. We will create a work environment where our people are engaged and inspired to perform to their best and are proud to be a part of our continued success.
02
Leading our teams
We will support and develop our leaders. Our leaders will be visible, capable and compassionate and will exemplify our core values. We will foster an environment where our people are nurtured and supported to perform at their best to provide a quality service to our residents and tenants as well as develop their skills, experiences and careers.
03
Supporting wellbeing
We will maintain a culture where health adn wellbeing is at the heart of the colleague experience and where our people feel valued, are emotionally connected and are supported to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing. We will foster a culture of inclusion and equality and will celebrate diversity across the organisation.
04
Communications
We will promote regular and meaningful communication. We want our colleagues to know what is going on and to learn about our business no matter which department they work in. We will foster a working environment of collaboration, working towards a common purpose. We will research and provide information that helps us make good decisions.
Reinforcing our core values
One of the most important parts of our People Strategy has been outlining how our core values shape our culture, behaviours and decisions with an emphasis on how these are central to our longer-term success. Through this we are supporting and nurturing the right behaviours that make Fold a great place to work.
Our People Strategy lives our core values of:
Excellence
By encouraging a collective approach among managers to support our people to be their best and deliver for our residents and meet our strategic goals.
Respect
By fostering a culture where colleagues work in a safe environment that fosters open communications, celebrates diversity, and focuses on engagement and wellbeing.
Integrity
By sharing information that supports effective decision making. We will invite feedback from employees and act appropriately.
Creating value
By focusing on a culture where colleagues have a strong sense of connection to the organisation and take personal responsibility for achieving better outcomes.
The road ahead
As we grow and expand our housing and support services into the future, we will ensure Fold Housing continues to be a great place to work where our colleagues feel supported and valued for their contribution.
The actions identified in our strategy will enable us to progress from where we are now to where we want to be in the future. It requires positive and determined leadership from our people managers along with a commitment and support from all our colleagues.
Personally, I am thrilled with this emphasis on people as a core strategy in our organisation and excited about how our work in HR will support Fold in achieving its vision and mission.
“The actions identified in our strategy will enable us to progress from where we are now to where we want to be in the future.”
