The Loop July 2013

LOOPThe

Gabs-olutelyfabulous!

Keeping you in the loop July 2013LOOP

July 2013

FROM THE GUEST EDITOR

Contents3 Word on the street

News from around the Group

4 Spotlight on Home Grown Talent

8 OHOV3 Suppliers Selected

10 Corporate Services A Year in Review

12 Behind the scenes Have you tried turning it off and on again?

13 Smarter working The Smart of the Possible

Media moments

14 Wellbeing Stepping Out Flexing up for Flexible Benefi ts Funding your Future

15 Snippets Chipping in for Charity Lunch and Learning On your Radar

16 20 Questions Ellen Hughes, Enterprise and Employment Advisor

Do keep sending us your story ideas and feedback about your magazine to [email protected]

Produced by Communications The Hyde Group30 Park Street, London SE1 9EQ

[email protected]

020 3207 2701 © Hyde Housing Association

Welcome to the July issue of The Loop.

As part of my work shadowing experience, I took on the role of Guest Editor for this issue and have loved having the opportunity to learn a few tricks of the trade – including where in the magazine each article should appear and recognising what makes a good eye-catching shot (as well as what does not!).

As always, there’s been plenty happening – our cover story, On the Plus Side, focuses on three different ways in which the work of Hyde Plus helps to make a lasting difference to our residents’ lives.

Have you tried switching it off and on again? shines a spotlight on the work shadowing that I’ve done with the ICT service desk and on one of the regular fl oor walks carried out by the training team and in The Smart of the Possible there’s news about ICT’s smarter working pilot.

It’s hard to believe that it’s already 12 months since Corporate Services was formed and there’s news about our Away Day in A Year in Review.

Home Grown Talent focuses on two different ways in which this is being nurtured within Hyde and in Lunch and Learning there’s a third way.

The latest two staff to join those who have gone Above and Beyond are revealed on page 5 in Hyde’s Heroes.

Suppliers Selected provides an update on OHOV3 and Wellbeing provides an update about Flexible Benefi ts and our teams’ progress in the Global Corporate Challenge, as well as a reminder about auto-enrolment.

Make sure to get this On your Radar – the all staff conference which this year will be happening on Friday 18 October.

As always, there’s a 20 Questions – this time, you’ll have a chance to get to know more about Ellen Hughes, one of our Employment and Enterprise Advisors.

I hope that you enjoy reading this issue as much as I’ve enjoyed editing it. Do let me know what you think.

Tracy Allison Group Director Corporate Services

Cover Pic: Joanne Lumley, OBE with Acting Community Centre Manager Gabriel Edwards (Gabs).

2 The Loop The Hyde Group staff magazine

6 Cover story On the Plus Side

5 Hyde’s Heroes Above and Beyond

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3 4

8 6

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Purchasing Power

Word on the street

© Hyde Housing Association

The Loop The Hyde Group staff magazine 3

The Procurement team provides help, guidance and specialist expertise to all staff in relation to the purchasing of goods, works and services with the aim of delivering Best Value For Money and minimising risk across Hyde’s supply chain. They work closely with EMT members and relevant budget owners to make sure that Hyde complies fully with procurement best practice and legal requirements.

If you have a procurement enquiry, please contact the Procurement Helpdesk on

ext 8833 (020 3207 8833) or by email at [email protected]

On 1 July Hyde’s new in-house legal services team went live.The team is responsible for handling a range of tenancy litigation

cases which include, but are not limited to:

l Anti-Social Behaviour Injunctions

l Action against unauthorised occupiers to include squatters

l Access Injunctions for Gas Safety

l Defended rent possession, disrepair and stay applications

l Claim for possession of property for Anti-Social Behaviour, nuisance, unlawful subletting, use of premises for unlawful or immoral purposes, and any other breach of tenancy

They will also supervise and train staff across the Group to draft straightforward court applications and witness statements and will routinely attend regional offi ces to deliver training and legal surgeries.

The TeamRakhee Kotecha, Solicitor and Legal Services ManagerHannah Phillips, Legal Secretary and Risk and Governance Assistant Victoria Gray, Lawyer for PFIThelma Griffi n, Housing Lawyer Emily Giles, Housing Lawyer

If you have any queries please contact Hannah Phillips on

ext 8835 (020 3207 2535) or visit the legal services pages on Hydewide (go to Your Workplace on the toolbar and hover over it. Select Legal Services from the drop down menu that appears).

Legal Eagles have landed

We are the Champions!

BENEFITS

ARECHANGING

We have inducted 28 Resident Champions to help us reach out to those residents in our communities who are affected by the impact of Welfare Reform, but who would prefer to speak to a fellow resident.

Induction sessions have taken place in each region and they have their own work plans, tailored to meet the needs of their specifi c geographic area. The team supporting residents on the Stonebridge estate are planning to design an event for August that can entertain the kids whilst providing opportunities for the parents to receive specialist advice from Hyde staff about issues including the ‘bedroom tax’ and universal credit. Samira Mahmoud, who is the lead resident champion for this project is working closely alongside the local Resident Engagement, Resident

Services and Hyde Plus staff.Each champion completes a weekly

tracking sheet which is then forwarded to Kathryn Lammas, Welfare Reform Co-ordinator. Details are then input onto TED so that residents can be contacted by the most relevant adviser from the Income, Hyde Plus or Lettings teams.

The Welfare Reform team is piloting a guidance pack and toolkit for front line staff with Caretakers from Southampton and Housing Offi cers from Lewisham who have volunteered to use the material. The guide and toolkit are to help staff signpost residents, concerned about the Welfare Reform changes to the right support specialist within the organisation. Feedback from the volunteers will help shape the fi nal pack and toolkit before they are rolled out across Hyde at the end of the summer.

If you have any queries or feedback about Welfare Reform please contact Kathryn Lammas, Welfare Reform Co-ordinator on ext 8668 (020 3207 2668) or by emailing her at [email protected] Matthew Einav Simon Mark Nasreen


Spotlight on...

In the end of year KPI (key performance indicator) fi gures for Customer Services, 90% of Hyde customers said that they were satisfi ed with the way that their call had been handled. The excellent level of service provided since ‘Go Live’ on 4 July 2011, is all down to the approach taken to settle staff into their Customer Services Offi cer (CSO) roles and the on-going support provided on a day-to-day basis.

When staff join the Customer Services team, they complete an intensive three week induction period before dealing with ‘live’ customer queries and their performance then continues to be monitored and assessed on an on-going basis. Offi cers are also encouraged to shadow other teams within the business to help improve their understanding of what happens when they hand a call on to other parts of the business.

Maxine Gordon, Head of Customer Services said: “The

Home Grown

Talent

Emma Crowhurst

role of the CSO can be seen as an entry level into the housing profession but, nevertheless, we provide full training, an intensive induction supported by on-going skills and performance management. This makes our CSOs very attractive to other parts of the business. We’re happy to support staff to develop their career anywhere within Hyde. You could say that we provide the perfect nurturing environment to home grow Hyde talent!”

Turnover of staff in Customer Services is 15.7% which is slightly above the Hyde Group benchmark of 10.0%, but given that staff tend to move to other roles within Hyde or within the housing sector, this supports the fact that CSO roles open up further opportunities within housing.

Housing Offi cer, Emma Crowhurst, originally joined Hyde as a CSO in Lewisham and last year she was one of 15 staff who started the Chartered Institute of

Housing (CIH) Level 3 Certifi cate in Housing Services. Competition for places was high with over 45 staff applying in total.

Emma said: “I feel privileged

that Hyde has given me this opportunity to develop my skills and knowledge in housing and fully understand and appreciate the functions of each department within the group.

When I started the CIH Level 3 course I was working in Customer Services and was eager to progress within Hyde; I’m now a Housing Offi cer and feel that my progress within the company has been as a direct result of this course. The knowledge I’ve

Maxine Gordon

gained from this has given me confi dence in the information I provide to our residents and I hope there is an opportunity to do the CIH Level 4 at some stage.”

Tailored to Hyde’s requirements, the course covers both practical development and understanding combined with sound housing knowledge and is a mix of assignments and classroom-based sessions covering modules such as Professional Practice Skills for Housing; Repairs and Maintenance in Housing Organisations; Occupancy, Tenure and Lettings and Prevention and Management of Rent Arrears.

13 candidates in total completed and passed the programme and were presented with a certifi cate of achievement.

Hyde is committed to investing in staff and their development. The CIH qualifi cation is an example of this commitment. Based on the success of this fi rst programme, a further Level 3 and a new Level 4 qualifi cation will be run in partnership with the CIH this year. Both programmes will start in September 2013.

Congratulations to...Tracie Moore Administrator

Victoria France Resident Engagement Offi cer

Marsharine Lindsay Welfare Employment Advisor

Natalie Bailey Resident Services Administrator

Kemi Hall Resident Services Administrator

Darrell Donaldson Lettings Offi cer

Emma Crowhurst Housing Offi cer

Agnes Wright Administrator

Marina Christmas Customer Service Offi cer

Stephen Parker Scheme Manager

Charlotte Wildermoth Resident Engagement Strategy Offi cer

Shadeen Akisanya Income Offi cer

Natalie Nestor Income Offi cer


Hyde’s Heroes

It’s great to recognise people for a job well done and to see our values in action in our everyday work. When noticing and congratulating individuals for a job well done, don’t forget to think about whether they’ve gone above and beyond what’s expected of them as part of their role in the business. If that’s the case, then why not send in a nomination for The Hyde Group’s official staff recognition scheme, Hyde’s Heroes?

It’s as easy as 1, 2 or 3…

1. Fill in one of the nomination cards available at all of our offices and send it to

Communications,The Hyde Group,30 Park Street, London SE1 9EQ

2. Click on the Hyde’s Heroes banner on HydeWide and fill in the online version.

3. Send your nomination by email to

[email protected]

A warming taleWhen a job came through at the end of the day for a property where the gas had been turned off following a gas leak, it was Gas Engineer, Anthony Humphrey, who responded. When he arrived, he was greeted by an extremely distraught resident whose terminally ill husband required constant warmth. She explained that if the heating couldn’t be turned back on, her husband would have to be taken into hospital and that he may never return home again.

The gas leak was under a concrete fl oor which meant that it would need digging up to repair it.

Anthony made the decision to stay on site and carry out the repair so that the couple could remain together.

In making this decision, Anthony showed great kindness and selfl essness. He took responsibility for two very vulnerable residents and undoubtedly made a lasting difference. His actions made it possible for the couple to stay together in the home that they’d raised their family in.

A man who certainly doesn’t A-Void going above and beyondThere are many instances of Terry Wheller from South Region going ‘above and beyond’ in his role as a Voids Offi cer. Here’s just one of the many times that Terry has stepped in to help...

When a resident returned home from hospital following a hip operation to fi nd that a pipe had burst in their fl at and that it was six inches deep in water, Terry, who just happened to be nearby at the time, immediately waded through the fl ooded property, found the stopcock and turned the water off. He then took the resident to the estate offi ce where he made the resident a warm drink and then alerted the housing and repair teams to the incident so that the resident could be placed in temporary accommodation with immediate effect. Terry’s actions prevented a disaster turning into a crisis, when he chose to go above and beyond what would have been expected of a Voids Offi cer in this situation.

Anthony Humphrey

Terry wheller

Above and Beyondabove and beyondabove and beyond

Cover story


On the Plus Side

On 30 May, Hyde Plus’s Acting Community Centre Manager at Stockwell Gabs Edwards along with over 200 residents welcomed the Mayor of Lambeth and actor and local resident Joanna Lumley OBE to Stockwell Community Centre. Joanna and the Mayor performed the offi cial opening ceremony of this newly refurbished facility – a project which had taken six months of hard work by Hyde Plus, Hyde Southbank and Hyde’s contractors to deliver.

As part of the fun, the crowds were entertained by fantastic performances from talented local groups which included a children’s orchestra, a street dance act and a drama performance - all of which included Hyde young residents.

Also at the event, the community meeting room was named after Elsie Naisbett, a local community champion who dedicated her life to improving social housing and strengthening the local community. During the opening speeches, Elsie’s daughter, Susan Louisou, was presented with a copy of the framed article about her mother that will be displayed for all to see in the room named in Elsie’s honour.

In her speech Joanna Lumley said: “What an absolutely fabulous centre, it is a thrill to be here in this huge extended village, which is the Stockwell Centre. There is something for everyone and advice and support out of every corner. This is a place for helping, joining, looking after each other and for savouring Stockwell, which we love!”

At the Centre of the Community

Stockwell Community Centre is one of the nine Community Centres that Hyde manages. To fi nd out more about where they are and what they provide, visit the Hyde Plus page on Hydewide or drop an email to

[email protected]

Over the last year, our Hyde Plus services have been busier than ever, supporting residents in need of money and debt advice; helping residents with work and training opportunities and working with residents to build stronger communities through a range of local initiatives.Most recently, there has been external recognition by Business in the Community for the work of the Employment and Enterprise team; creation of a Sports Bursary for Young people and refurbishment and re-opening of a Community Centre...

Did you know?In the last 12 monthsl Employment advice and support

was provided to 765 residents and 48 work placements were provided to residents

l 308 residents were helped into training and 181 residents have been helped back into work

l In April the Employment and Enterprise team achieved the Matrix Standard. This is a quality standard for organisations who provide careers advice and support

This yearl The team will be working with

our new Repairs and Maintenance contractors to create new apprenticeship and training opportunities for residents and local communities.

To fi nd out more about one of the Employment and Enterprise team, check out 20 Questions on the back page.

It’s a Big Tick for Hyde As a result of Hyde Plus’s Employment and Enterprise team entering the Work Inclusion Award category in the 2013 Responsible Business Awards, Hyde was awarded the Big Tick by the award organising charity Business in the Community (BITC). The team was one of just four companies shortlisted to go forward to judging, with a chance to be crowned overall winner in the UK. Hyde Plus’s entry focussed on its approach taken to tackling unemployment issues and breaking down the barriers to working.

As a result of Hyde Plus’s Employment As a result of Hyde Plus’s Employment

Plus Side


David Weir, CBE, six times Paralympic gold medallist winner and Roundshaw resident, has teamed up with the Hyde Charitable Trust to fund a special sports bursary for young people, between the ages of 11 and 18, who are committed to an Olympic or Paralympic sport.

The aim of the David Weir Sports Bursary is to provide fi nancial assistance so that the young people who have their sights set on competing in their chosen sport can further develop their potential.

David Weir said: “I’m really pleased to be working with Hyde to help local young people. It can be hard to be taken seriously at sport when you’re young and costs for training and competing soon mount up. I hope this bursary will help some of the gifted young people to excel in their chosen sport and maybe even compete for their country one day.”

Golden Opportunities for our Youth

bursary for young people, between the ages of 11 and 18, who are committed to

The aim of the David Weir Sports Bursary is to provide fi nancial assistance so that the young people who have their sights set on competing in their chosen sport can

for training and competing soon mount up. I hope this bursary will help some of the gifted young people to excel in their chosen sport and maybe even compete for their

Golden Opportunities for our Youth

OHOV3


ProcessesThe new processes have now been fi nalised and are available on the OHOV3 page on Hydewide. The process reviews were led by Eva Lam (Business Analyst) and Clare Johns (Project Manager) with Ben Mearns (Policy). They invited staff from across the business, including managers within the respective functions; subject matter experts and users of the existing processes to attend workshops and also used input from the Continuous Improvement Groups (CIGs) to help shape the new processes.

Suppliers SelectedNow that our preferred suppliers have been chosen, the phased changeover to the new contracts (known as mobilisation) has begun and all will be fully operational by Autumn 2013. The details are available on Hydewide. During mobilisation, staff from Hyde will work in partnership with contractors to agree the best approach to make sure that the new services are introduced as smoothly as possible. The OHOV 3 team wishes to say a big thank you to all the staff who helped with the tender development and evaluation process.

SystemsThere are a number of changes to systems that are now well underway. These include:

l Changes in iWorld to accommodate the new procurement regions and the approved business processes

l An improved repair diagnostic tool for staff

l An Appointment Scheduling System – to enable appointments to be booked in 2 hour slots at the fi rst point of contact

l A Resident Self-Serve option, so that residents can diagnose, report and track progress on repairs via the website

l Development of a contractor interface so that the new contractors can exchange real time data with us

l Delivery of a new suite of performance management reports

TrainingStaff working in Property Services, Customers Services and Resident Services will receive the necessary training to help them to carry out their new roles.

Based on the lessons learned from OHOV1 and OHOV2, role-specifi c training, delivered over a number of weeks will start as early as possible for this part of the change programme. Subject matter experts within Property Services will provide the training about new processes alongside the ICT Training team.

More information about the training that will be provided will follow in the coming weeks.

New contracts. New ways of workingIn the new contracts there is much more emphasis placed on performance management and

customer satisfaction, in particular making sure that we ‘get it right fi rst time’.

Building strong relationshipsTo help develop strong working relationships with the new responsive contractors, members of the Customer Services team will be visiting at least one of these contractors on a rolling programme each month. This way they can learn more about how the contractors operate, as well as meeting their staff face to face. Some of our contractor staff will also be based in the offi ces with our Customer Services teams which will also help to develop strong working relationships.


If you have any questions or feedback please do let the team know by emailing them at [email protected]

TrainingStaff working in Property Services, Customers Services and Resident Services will receive the necessary training to help them to carry out their new roles.

Based on the lessons learned from OHOV1 and OHOV2, role-specifi c training, delivered over a number of weeks will start as early as possible for this part of the change programme. Subject matter experts within Property Services will provide the training about new processes alongside the ICT Training team.

More information about the training that will be provided will follow in the coming weeks.

New contracts. New ways of workingIn the new contracts there is much more emphasis placed on performance management and

customer satisfaction, in particular making sure that we ‘get it right fi rst time’.

Building strong relationshipsTo help develop strong working relationships with the new responsive contractors, members of the Customer Services team will be visiting at least one of these contractors on a rolling programme each month. This way they can learn more about how the contractors operate, as well as meeting their staff face to face. Some of our contractor staff will also be based in the offi ces with our Customer Services teams which will also help to develop strong working relationships.

Keeping you informedThe new staff structures for Property Services will go live on 1 August and the new ways of working will affect many areas of the business.

The OHOV 3 team have been doing road shows across the business and will continue to use a variety of methods to keep both staff and residents updated over the coming weeks and months about the changes ahead.


Corporate Services

At the start of their Away Day held in April, staff were reminded of what their fi rst twelve months together as a Directorate had included, when a video set to music was played which highlighted snapshots of the year in review.

Three guest speakers joined the staff at various points during the morning: Mark White, Head of New Business, spoke about what it takes to get a new development underway; Steve Aleppo, Director of Strategy and Business Intelligence, shone a spotlight on Hyde’s fi nancial strength and the 2013/14 effi ciency challenge for Hyde to improve its day-to-day costs by £500,000 over the course of this fi nancial year and David Morrissey, Director of Core Operations, wrapped up the morning with his presentation about the 2013/14 plans for Housing Services.

A Year in ReviewCorporate Services was formed in April 2012 and the nine teams that work within this part of the business regularly meet together. To help strengthen their knowledge and understanding about the work of other parts of the business, guest speakers are invited along to their meetings. So far there have been presentations about Property Services, Welfare Reform, the Packington development, the work of Hyde’s Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) offi cers and Hyde Plus.


Your Shout In the Your Shout survey, Corporate Services scored above the Group average in three key areas:

l Working together

l Managing change

l Feeling safe to speak up and challenge

The work of the teams within the Corporate Services means that there’s often involvement from some or all of them in most strategic group projects. So, during the Away Day staff looked at ways that they could further improve their performance in these three areas to support the effective delivery of projects.

“I hold monthly meetings with my Senior Management Team. Each meeting is held at a local offi ce and after each one we hold a surgery where staff are welcome to come along and provide feedback about any of the teams within Corporate Services, or ask any questions that they may have. Be sure to keep an eye out for when the team are in your offi ce and take your chance to come along and meet them.

Alternatively, you can always drop me an email at [email protected] to ask any questions that

you may have about the work of the Corporate Services teams or to provide feedback.”

Management Team. Each meeting is held

when the team are in your offi ce and take

Tracy Allison, Group Director Corporate Services

The Loop The Hyde Group staff magazine 11The newly refurbished kitchen at The Waterloo Project

Recognition was given at the Away Day to six staff who had been demonstrating the values in their everyday work:

Corporate Services contribution to the Group plan for 2013/14

Tracy Allison, Group Director Corporate Services, outlined the ‘game changers’ for Corporate Services in the year ahead:

l Supporting the delivery of the Hyde on Demand project which covers digital inclusion initiatives, data integrity and smarter working

l Developing and delivering a ‘shop window’ media campaign to improve awareness of people outside of Hyde about what Hyde does and how it does it

l Redeveloping the web site and Hydewide

l Expanding the in-house legal services team

l Moving to a strategic approach in procurement planning

Jarlath Bracken

Whilst working on the insurance retender – a very detailed project, Jarlath remained extremely professional throughout and worked well with everyone involved.

Bharat Solanki

For managing the successful group wide rollout of the POPS project. This wasn’t an easy task, but the introduction of POPS is already delivering huge benefi ts to the business.

Ruth Appiah

For the part Ruth has played in raising staff and resident awareness about Welfare Reform. Gilbert Stowe, Welfare Reform Project Lead, commented “I really do appreciate the excellent work that Ruth has done for the project. She has helped us to meet our deadlines and has produced really good quality work.”

The Loop The Hyde Group staff magazine The newly refurbished kitchen at The Waterloo Project

Recognition was given at the Away Day to six staff who had been demonstrating the values in their everyday work:

Whilst working on the insurance retender – a very detailed project, Jarlath remained extremely professional throughout and worked well with everyone involved.

Bharat Solanki

For managing the successful group wide rollout of the POPS project. This wasn’t an easy task, but the introduction of POPS is already delivering huge benefi ts to the business.

Ruth Appiah

For the part Ruth has played in raising staff and resident awareness about Welfare Reform. Gilbert Stowe, Welfare Reform Project Lead, commented “I really do appreciate the excellent work that Ruth has done for the project. She has helped us to meet our deadlines and has produced really good quality work.”

A Year in ReviewCorporate Services was formed in April 2012 and the nine teams that work within this part of the business regularly meet together. To help strengthen their knowledge and understanding about the work of other parts of the business, guest speakers are invited along to their meetings. So far there have been presentations about Property Services, Welfare Reform, the Packington development, the work of Hyde’s Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) offi cers and Hyde Plus.

Living Our Values Everyday (LOVE)

Details of the other three staff whose work was recognised at the Away Day can be found on page 12 in Behind the scenes.Jarlath Bharat Ruth


Behind the scenes

Have you tried turning it off and on again?

Pictured on the left is Lindsey Wherrell who picked up the award on her husband’s behalf.

My objective to shadow the work of members of all nine of the different teams in my Directorate began in February when I met up with the staff in ICT who work on the help desk and who provide floor walks.

I learned a lot from my time with both teams.

Hello. How may I help you?Whilst with the helpdesk team for a morning I watched how they log every call and track the trends and themes such as how many calls are about one system area (which may indicate a bigger problem), the number of requests received for improvements , queries about how the system works, or reports

of hardware faults. This helps them to plan the right sort of training for staff and where the next ‘floor walk’ should take place to help staff at their desks fix their problems.

Astonishingly, over 500 calls every month are because one of us has forgotten a password. The team are planning to introduce auto password re-sets and who can blame them?

I also took a couple of calls during the morning and I have to tell you that it’s hard to listen, whilst recording the details of the problem and at the same time thinking about what the solution might be. On top of all of that, you have to remember to speak to the caller too!

There was also a LOVE award for Jonathan Bancroft, Lead Service Desk Analyst.

This was for taking responsibility for a work placement. He went above and beyond in his mentoring role providing coaching, help with CV writing and developing interview skills, which resulted in the person securing a permanent job.

Fast Factsl 837 desk tops are maintained

l 524 staff have lap tops

l 3359 Contacts are received by the service desk per month (This includes telephone, e-mail and self-service contacts)

The work of two members of the Training Team David Wherrell and David Tam, was also recognised at the Corporate Services Away Day:

Satisfaction with their training courses is consistently high (in March it was 100%).

Between March 2012 – March 2013 they supported 603 face-to-face meetings on floor walks and always took responsibility for seeing issues raised by staff through to resolution.

T’riffic Training The great satisfaction levels with training are down to the highly qualified team. David Tam and David Wherrell recently became LPI/BCS certified – a nationally recognised standard for IT Training and Debbie Clark and Ellie Holland are qualified in IT systems testing – vitally important in helping us to get it ‘right first time’ when we roll out system improvements and changes.

My shadowing of one of the regular ICT training team floor walks gave me a real insight into the range of questions the floor walkers handle – some are straight forward “How do I...?”, others require them to help staff put their e-learning into practise and yet others involve putting users in touch with the right people in ICT

It’s a credit to the team that satisfaction levels are at 89% and reflects the excellent customer skills they have. I hope my short turn on the desk didn’t affect the month’s stats too badly!

to request improvements to the systems.

The training team has a big role in Hyde – not only do they help staff to get the most out of the business investment of around £1m made every year to improve ICT systems, but they also help us to work in line with our policies, part of which means that access to some of systems is only given when for example staff have completed certain training modules.

As part of developing the ICT training plans, the way in which staff do their work e.g. remotely, at home, when they call in to an office, will inform the ‘kit refresh’ priorities for 2013/14 in support of smarter working.

Living Our Values Everyday

Tracy Allison alongside Jonathan Bancroft

Smarter Working


The work to achieve a selection of smarter working options for staff across the business is one part of the bigger Hyde on Demand project. As part of this, during May, 12 frontline staff from across the business whose work means that they’re frequently out of the offi ce were issued with light weight laptops for an eight week period so that they could test out whether it helped them in their day to day work. The staff involved included Housing Offi cers, Surveyors, ASB Offi cers and Income Offi cers. Before the trial began, the staff attended a training session so that they could learn about the remote access options available to them.

Nic Haig, ASB Offi cer for the East Region, who was one of the staff who took part in the trial said: “It made such a positive difference. For example, on one occasion when I had an appointment in Chartham, miles away from the nearest offi ce, it wouldn’t have been practical for me to head there after my visit, but because I had my laptop with me, I was able to work remotely for the last couple of hours of the day. Another day, for the fi rst time, I was able to spend the three hours and 20 minutes train journey to Park Street working productively thanks to my laptop.”

Feedback from staff who took part in the trial was mostly positive and so ICT drafted a full business case which will be presented to the Change Approval Board (CAB) this month for their consideration.

The Smart of the Possible

Trade Press

Inside HousingPackington estate’s eight-year, six-phase regeneration project was described as a development with the ‘wow’ factor.

Nationals

Ticking the right boxesAnnouncement made about Hyde’s BIG Tick award received from Business in the Community (BITC).

Media MomentsIt’s really important to make sure that the good work we’re doing continues to reach the media. Please play your part by sending your stories through to [email protected]

People outside of Hyde fi nd out information about us and communicate with us through a range of different media. Here’s a fl avour of how.

For more details about the Hyde on Demand project or smarter working click on the Hyde on Demand banner on Hydewide. Or, alternatively, contact David Morrissey, Director of Core Operations by phone on ext 8854 (020 3207 2554) or by email at [email protected]

The work to achieve a selection of smarter working options for staff across the business is one part of the bigger Hyde on Demand project. As part of this, during May, 12 frontline staff from

helped them in their day to day work. The staff involved included Housing Offi cers, Surveyors, ASB Offi cers and Income Offi cers. Before the trial began, the staff attended a training session

Social media

Tweet cred We’ve recently passed the 4,000 followers mark –the largest in the G15*. Steve White also has his own twitter account (@HydeCEO).*15 of the largest Housing Associations in London

Face2face The 15 stories we shared during May and June were seen by almost 2900 people. The biggest ‘appetite’ (235 people) was for the Big Lunch story!

Online

New Properties at New Quay Details given of 38 shared-ownership properties launched by Hyde New Homes at the New Quay development in Greenwich.

Celebrities and Celebrations at Stockwell Community CentreNews shared about the offi cial re-opening of the refurbished Stockwell Community Centre by actress and local resident Joanna Lumley and the Mayor of Lewisham.

Off to a teeSuccess of this year’s Hyde’s annual charitable golf tournament reported.

Local Press

Developing the DevelopersStory carried about the visit of nine children from a local primary school to a Hyde development site in East Wittering to help launch Chichester District Council’s ‘Design a Rural Home for the Future Competition’ - a competition organised as part of national Rural Housing Week for local school children at key stage 2.

Loving LeybourneCoverage of MP Tracy Crouch’s visit to Leybourne Park estate in Larkfi eld.

Zest for ZumbaClass members thanked Hyde for Zumba classes provided at The Arc (the Community Centre on the Packington Estate).


Wellbeing

On 23 May the 13 teams who volunteered to pilot the 16-week Global Corporate Challenge (GCC) for Hyde set off on their virtual journey to Rio de Janeiro. This year there are a total of 37,743 teams from across the globe taking part and 4,701 of these teams are from the UK.

The 91 Hyde staff taking part are wearing pulses provided to all competitors which accurately track their daily activity. The more steps taken by the individuals in a team, the faster the team progresses on its virtual interactive journey around the globe and the higher up the leader board they climb!

By 12 July Hyde’s teams had all made it as far as Martinique whilst the leaders had reached Ireland.

The combined total of steps that had been taken by all 91 participants by 12 July was an

Stepping out

Look out for further news along the way in the weekly updates that are being provided on the Noticeboard on Hydewide.

amazing 49,859,829 the equivalent of 19,828 miles which is 0.8 times around the world.

Participation is bringing out some competitive spirit and lots of friendly rivalry over leader board positions, with amount of steps achieved being a regular topic of conversation.

The Home Ownership Team (HOT) had a casual approach to the GCC challenge in the fi rst few days. However when other teams around the group started increasing their miles the HOT team saw RED. Week on week they’ve managed to increase the amount of miles they’ve covered. Each month they organise a team event such as lunch in the park, Early starter (Morning walk), One stop further (get off one station earlier), Weekend step buster (beat the Personal Best of another team

member). They’re not only tracking the progress of Hyde’s teams, they’re also pitching themselves against other teams around the UK. Since day one they’ve been in the lead and they don’t intend this to change. Linda Braithwaite, Team Captain said: “There has to be a winner in everything and in this challenge it’s going to be the HOT Team!”

There’s also been an unexpected benefi t of taking part in the challenge - participants keen to make sure that their step count is as high as it can be, are walking over to talk to colleagues in their offi ce rather than sending emails.

At intervals throughout the 16 weeks of the GCC challenge, ‘mini challenges’ are set for all

participants. The fi rst one saw everyone being tasked with beating their personal best daily steps on either 8 or 9 June 2013. Well done to the 27 participants from Hyde who managed to do this. The second one tasked everyone with doing 10,000 steps between 6 and 12 July. Congratulations to the 20 people who did this.

The Movers and Shakers team captain, Nina Biodrowicz, said “I think GCC is a brilliant program to promote a healthy lifestyle at work, it’s pushing us all to try to take a few extra steps each day. Achieving and going over your Personal Best is really challenging, but once you do it, you feel better in yourself”.

To help people plan for their future, the Government has introduced a new law called auto-enrolment which means that all employers must enrol every member of their staff aged between 22 and State Pension age into a workplace pension scheme.

Staff who weren’t members of Hyde’s pension scheme have already had three opportunities to join this year (in January, April and July).

From 1 September Hyde has to auto-enrol any staff who haven’t already joined, into it’s Defi ned Contribution (DC) Scheme. However, it does have the option of delaying this for a short period. At this current time, a delay until 1 November is being considered.

Look out for details of when Hyde will auto-enrol any remaining staff who have not taken up the opportunity to join so far, along with information about joining the scheme before auto-enrolment comes in.

Flexing up for Flexible Benefi ts

If you have any queries about auto-enrolment contact the HRHub either by calling ext 8880 (020 3207 2580) or by sending an email to

[email protected]

A big thank you to the 588 staff who have provided feedback about the current benefi ts available through Hyde and made suggestions for other benefi t options that they would like Hyde to offer in the future, either by completing the Employee Benefi ts’ Questionnaire in May, or by taking part in one of the seven focus groups that have been held across the business. The information from these will be used to help select the options that will be available through Hyde’s new Flexible Benefi ts package, which will be launched towards the end of 2013.

Look out for more information over the coming months.

Funding your Future

The HOT team

Hyde Hounds

Eat my Dust!

called auto-enrolment which means that all employers must enrol every member of their staff aged between 22 and State Pension age

Staff who weren’t members of Hyde’s pension scheme have already had

Funding your Future


Snippets

Chipping in for charity

A fantastic £5,520 was raised on Tuesday 21 May when Hyde hosted its 16th annual Charitable Golf Tournament and raffl e at the Copthorne Golf Club, West Sussex.

Proceeds from the day will support the Hyde Charitable Trust in the work they do helping Hyde residents into work through Employment and Enterprise bursaries. The 2013 total brings the amount raised for the charity to over £100,000 over the life of the tournament.

This year the event attracted a record 13 teams, each with individuals from different businesses in them.

The event concluded with a raffl e offering a range of prizes donated by a variety of Hyde’s development partners. Raffl e prizes included tea for two at the Savoy; a Samsung Galaxy tablet; golf vouchers; Red Letter Days and champagne.

The leader boardTeam WinnersFirst place: Kim Sangster from Kim Sangster Associates; Kieran Wheeler from Savills and Steve Aleppo from Hyde.

Second place: Mark Mitchener from Rydon; Graham Jelly from Philip Pank Partnership and Paul Fenner from the Leadbitter Group.

Third place: Martin Hill from McCulloch Homes; Peter Randall from RPC New Homes and John Nsiah from HTA Architects.

Individual winnersFirst: Peter Randall from RPC New Homes

Second: Nick Williams from Mulalley

Third: Mark Mitchener from Rydon.

Hyde staff trophy Steve Aleppo

Prize for the longest drive (on the course, not to it!) Simon Peacock

Shot nearest to pin Kim Sangster from Kim Sangster Associates.

The leader board

Steve Aleppo

Caretakers based at our Roman Way and Packington Estate offi ces in the London Region attended a lunch in April which had been organised by Estate Services Supervisors Victoria Manly and Laraine Bartram. It was held as a way to thank the team for the way that they’d handled some challenging situations on their estates.

Lawrence Kerr, Resident Services Manager said: “Caretakers truly are the ‘eyes and ears’ of Hyde, not only do they look after our buildings making sure that they’re secure, clean and well maintained, they’re also an important link to

Lunch and Learningour residents and are a great source of information on all sorts of issues such as ASB, estate security, sub-lets, and vulnerable residents.”

The get together also provided an opportunity for caretakers to discuss issues and share suggestions.

In order for caretaking staff to have a way to gain formal recognition for the work that they do, Lawrence, Laraine and Victoria have worked closely with Hyde’s Learning and Development team and training providers Thales to develop a NVQ level 2 in Cleaning and Support, which 13 members of the caretaking team are currently working towards achieving.

Caretaker Jo Williams, commented: “It meant a lot to be thanked with a lunch for a job well done. I started the NVQ level 2 in Cleaning and Support last month and am pleased to have a way for my work to be formally recognised.”

Lawrence Kerr

The all staff conference will be taking place at Alexandra Palace this year on Friday 18 October.

Look out for more details in the lead up to the event.

Get this on your radar


20 Questions

Ellen Hughes, Enterprise and Employment Advisor on gourmet food, great locations and geekiness...

1 What’s your role in the business and what does it involve?

I’m an Enterprise and Employment Advisor, which means that I support our residents into training and jobs.

2 What’s the best thing about your role?

The fl exibility to source reliable providers and employers and making sure that we all work together to provide a high level of guidance for people.

20 If you could travel in time (forwards or backwards) where would you go? Roman London, just from curiosity about the progress they made.

9 What’s your favourite

song?7 Nation Army, White Stripes (this week).

4 Which one item couldn’t you do without?Kindle, I love to read.

16 What’s your favourite TV programme?Geek alert! I love Doctor Who and will discuss the plot with anyone who will listen.

14 What’s your favourite fi lm?Remake of Total Recall and Judge Dredd.

5 What’s important to you at work?To provide a professional experience for my clients and ensure that they’re given constructive information about how to approach something that they feel is an issue.

15 Which month of the year were you born in?September.

13 If there was a fi lm of your life story who would play you?Melissa McCarthy.

6 What three things do you wish you’d known at 20?That the reverse mullet haircut is a bad choice.Spend more constructive time with the family.There is no career in mixology or acting unless you are any good.

12 What’s the best advice

you’ve been given?Shell fi sh should not be considered a food.

18 Where’s your favourite holiday destination?Small towns in Spain.

11 If you could have any job in the world (apart from with Hyde!), what would it be?Michael Palin’s camera crew.

9 What’s your favourite song?7 Nation Army, White Stripes (this week).

Kindle, I love to read.or acting unless you are any good.

3 What’s your favourite meal?Tapas. I love that you’re not limited to just one dish and can try lots of new things without feeling too guilty if you don’t like it.

7 If you won £1million what would you do with it? Learn how to dance without falling over.

10 Which person would you most like to meet?David Attenborough.

8 What did your school

report say about you?Has a tendency to lean towards the dramatic.

19 What three words would your friends use to describe you?Geek, enthusiastic and persistent.

17 If you could visit anywhere you wanted in the world in 24 hours where would you go?

Marrakech in Morocco because as a child I was very naive and didn’t believe it was a real place and it sounded like a made up name... but as an adult I have always wanted to go and see the markets and history of a city. Oh, and the food.

Documents

The Loop July 2013