Housing associations have broken into a prestigious poll of the country鈥檚 top 100 employers.
Bromford Housing Group beat major retailers and law practices to be ranked number five in the annual Sunday Times 鈥淭op 100 Companies to Work For鈥�, published last Sunday. London & Quadrant Housing Group was at number 67 and housing management firm Pinnacle Housing reached 63.

West Midlands-based Bromford, which beat last year鈥檚 winner Asda, was praised for its family-friendly working practices.

Employees nominated 300 companies for the awards; 250 randomly chosen employees in each company were then questioned on pay and conditions, the leadership of the company, their immediate manager and colleagues, their work-life balance, opportunities for personal growth, and how much the company puts back into society.

Marianne Skelcher, head of human resources at Bromford Housing Group, which has 418 staff in 51 locations, said the accolades were important. She said: 鈥淭hings like this can make a massive difference to how people feel about housing as a place to work. I would be delighted for more housing associations to take part as it raises the profile of the sector in a way that an advertising campaign can鈥檛 do.鈥�

London & Quadrant and Bromford were judged to be better workplaces than household names such as retailer Marks & Spencer, credit card provider American Express and law firm Eversheds.

Alistair McCall, the list鈥檚 editor, said of the top companies: 鈥淭hey will have been creating a successful, happy workplace over a long period.鈥�

He added that salary was not a deciding factor: 鈥淕reat pay, benefits and perks do not equate to a great company to work for. The perks, pay and benefits of lots of companies at the top of the list are nothing to write home about.鈥�

How to get into next year鈥檚 list

  • encourage good relationships between staff. This could include giving managers a small allowance to reward their staff at the end of the week
  • invest in management development training and encourage in-house recruitment
  • think hard about work-life balance: one policy won鈥檛 fit everyone so you need a range. These could include nine-day fortnights, annualised hours, half-days off on rota to compensate for overtime and working from home. Ask your employees for their suggestions
  • support services for new parents. This could include advice on Working Families Tax Credits or how to find a registered childminder in your area
  • celebrate success: some associations give an annual award for their top-performing team or publish staff successes in the company magazine or website.

    • Source

    Housing Today

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