Stronger organisation
At Progress Housing Group, we are committed to ensuring that we challenge discrimination and promote equality, diversity, and inclusion. We are determined to ensure people are treated fairly and respected as fellow human beings.
We undertake regular reviews of our Equality, Diversion and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy and objectives to ensure they remain fit for purpose and assist us in delivering our EDI commitments. This includes an external review of our work, accreditations, and internal input to develop our thinking and deliver good practice. Each year we update and publicise our key EDI statistical information to track our progress and share our intent for continuous improvement. We recognise this requires commitment from everyone in the organisation and ensure all colleagues and partners are clear on our expectations to address inequality and create a fairer world.
The Group's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Working Group has also increased its membership recently. We have run some development sessions to foster collaborative inquiry on Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB) from the individual, team, and organisational perspectives; engaging in meaningful dialogue and deep exploration on EDIB and racism, providing participants with a common language for thinking about and discussing EDIB and increasing confidence in leading conversations on EDIB back into the workplace with team members. This is also an opportunity to reflect on those actions within our equality, diversity, and inclusion action plan. Also, an LGBTQ+ network group, ROOTS, a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic network group, and a carers network group have recently been formed, initiated by employees but sponsored by the organisation.
An LGBTQ+ network group, a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic network group, and a carers network group have recently been formed, initiated by employees but sponsored by the organisation.
Everyone is encouraged to be themselves and be supported in their career aspirations.
Diverse recruitment
We are committed to promoting equality, diversity, and a culture that actively values difference and recognises that people from diverse backgrounds and experiences can bring valuable insights and enhance our work.
We comply with relevant equality legislation, the Equality Act 2010, Codes of Practice, and relevant best practice guidance. We aim to ensure that no individual or group is directly or indirectly discriminated against for any reason regarding employment or access to our services.
As an employer, we actively encourage diversity at the board level through our award-winning Achieving and Harnessing Board Diversity scheme
We strive for an environment where people are treated fairly, based on their capabilities and contributions, and everyone is encouraged to be themselves and be supported in their career aspirations.
We are very pleased to be advertising all of our vacancies on significantly more diverse channels, including:
We regularly review and monitor our recruitment and selection policy to ensure that no job applicant or employee is treated less favourably than another. The results of the monitoring are reported to the board of management quarterly.
We value our employees, and we have been awarded the Investor in People standard.
An inclusive culture
We value our employees, and we have been awarded the Investor in People standard.
All employees are required to ensure that their personal conduct within the Group reflects our EDI values. We have a thorough mandatory EDI training programme and offer EDI sessions across the year. These include mental health, autism awareness, dementia awareness, menopause awareness, learning disabilities, and physical disabilities.
Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships are an excellent way for the Group to ensure we are training our employees with the specific skills to meet the increasingly diverse needs of our services. We create apprenticeships at various levels, which may be the first job, a career, or development change in your chosen career.
Apprenticeships are an excellent way for the Group to ensure we are training our employees with the specific skills to meet the increasingly diverse needs of our services.
Kickstart
We have committed to join the government's Kickstart Scheme to offer fully paid work placements for six months to give young people in receipt of Universal Credit a stepping stone into paid employment.
Project SEARCH
Project SEARCH is an international transition to work programme committed to transforming the lives of young people with learning disabilities and autism.
Kickstart Scheme giving young people in receipt of Universal Credit a stepping stone into paid employment.
Gender pay gap report
We report on our gender pay position each year, and we embed gender pay in the Group's equality and diversity agenda and People Strategy. On 5 April 2020, only one member organisation within Progress Housing Group employed more than 250 employees, Progress Housing Association Limited.
In 2020, our mean pay gap (the difference between the average of men's and women's pay) had increased to 11.2% from 9.7% in 2019. Our median gender hourly pay (the difference between the midpoints in the ranges of men's and women's pay) has decreased from 13.5% to 12%.
Aside from internal movement and new employees joining, which will have some influence on the pay gap, we continue to see concentrations of females in particular roles and males in others in this reporting period. We appoint people based on their ability to do the job. We are satisfied that our gender pay data is due to an underrepresentation of a particular gender in specific roles.
Recognising that the proportion of females employed in lower salary positions is far more significant than males, we are reviewing both the extent to which we can attract and recruit employees of both genders to these roles. The development of a Group Recruitment and Selection Policy and an Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Policy earlier this year serves to remind employees of the Group's commitments and practices and their responsibilities in supporting an inclusive and diverse workplace.
We evaluate jobs against a pay and grading system that operates consistently irrespective of the gender of employees in roles. Male and female employees have the same terms and conditions of employment, and all grades of employees have equal access to flexible working patterns and enhanced family-friendly provisions. We ensure development opportunities are available for all. This position is in line with our commitment to rewarding people fairly for the contribution they make, irrespective of gender or any other protected characteristic.
We continue to be committed to the Disability Confident scheme, and we guarantee an interview to all applicants with a disability who meet the minimum criteria for a job vacancy.
As an employer, we actively encourage diversity at the board level through our award-winning Achieving and Harnessing Board Diversity scheme.
Achieving board diversity
As an employer, we actively encourage diversity at the board level through our award-winning Achieving and Harnessing Board Diversity scheme.
We are currently recruiting for the second cohort of our award-winning two-year part-time board trainee programme.
Celebrating diversity in our communities
As part of the equality, diversity, and inclusion work, we have established a subgroup looking at community groups and customers. This group aims to understand the makeup of our customers and network with community groups that can help us understand the needs of minority groups.
We meet regularly with South Ribble Borough Council to maximise opportunities to achieve their aim of making South Ribble carbon neutral by 2030.
We are committed to reducing the environmental impact of the services that we provide. Some of our initiatives include:
Environmental Working Party
Our Environmental Working Party oversees the development and embedding of our Environmental Strategy and action plan to support our journey towards net-zero carbon. We have recently recruited a sustainability and environmental manager to drive this work forward.
Environmental Strategy
We are working with specialist consultant Adecoe to develop our approach to meeting all of the environmental targets for our customers' homes, all Group-owned premises, including our offices, community centres, vehicles, and all activities.
We are also meeting regularly with South Ribble Borough Council to maximise opportunities to achieve their aim of making South Ribble carbon neutral by 2030. We aim to work with local authorities in all areas in which we operate to support their sustainability and environmental targets.
We are working on developing a shared national database of environmental/ retrofit materials.
Zero Carbon Club
With decarbonisation at the heart of the social housing sector's agenda, more than 30 leading social landlords have joined forces to create the Zero Carbon Club. The group represents over half a million homes across the UK and a combined turnover of £3.1 billion.
Direct Works Forum (DWF) – Retrofit Group
We are active members of the DWF Retrofit Group, looking at how registered providers and local authorities can work together to maximise value for money in any retrofit and pilots carried out.
We are looking to get involved in shared retrofit pilots to make a small contribution towards the cost of retrofit works in return for specifications, procurement documentation, and outcome reports.
The Group is also working on developing a shared national database of environmental/retrofit materials. The register will include details of all materials available and provide members feedback on suitability, cost, issues, benefits, user reference sites, etc.
Working with other housing providers to ensure that we learn and share experiences is a positive outcome of these challenging targets and will continue to develop.
Contract Management Standard
The Group is committed to implementing a Contract Management Standard that provides guidance and support for contract management processes for all Group business areas. This includes how we work with our suppliers on reducing their environmental impact on work carried out for our customers during the lifetime of any contract agreement.
This is to be achieved by requesting our suppliers to complete an Impact Plan detailing any business initiatives during the contract term. This agreed Impact Plan will form part of the contract and will be monitored as part of the ongoing management of the supplier.
We continue to provide services that demonstrate the social value ethos it delivers through our operating activities.
Social value is the financial, non-financial, local, emotional, psychological, and physical impact that Progress Housing Group's activities have on their stakeholders, either directly or indirectly. Social value is important to us in demonstrating the difference we can make through the provision of services.
Progress Housing Group continues to provide services that demonstrate the social value ethos it delivers through its operating activities. This includes but is not limited to:
- The provision of refuge accommodation
- Homelessness support
- Support for older people
- Technology-enabled care and support (for example, social alarms, telecare)
- Supported living accommodation
- Support of various types to families and individuals (e.g. emotional health and wellbeing support project)
- Progress Futures
- Financial inclusion
Together these services (some of which are subsidised by the Group) highlight the commitment made by the Group in line with our vision 'to have a positive impact on people and communities by providing high-quality homes, supporting independence, and creating opportunities.' Every three years, these services will be reported regarding the social value provided (amongst others where applicable) in the social value position statement.
We enabled hundreds of employees to work from home with technology and IT support virtually overnight in response to the pandemic.
The Group has continued to upgrade technology and invest in digital solutions to help us to deliver more efficient and effective services. Improvements include enhancing the self serve functionality for tenants and customers, introducing a contractor portal, launching a new e-learning system, and implementing an e-commerce platform for Progress Lifeline.
We have implemented a new risk management system used to track board actions. Digital forms are continually being developed to replace manual processes, introduce automated workflows, and eliminate duplication of data entry.
We enabled hundreds of employees to work from home with technology and IT support virtually overnight in response to the pandemic.
Our workspace project aligns with our objectives of creating a digital-first, agile working environment.
Looking to the future
We are implementing an updated telephone system and a new contact centre system. We are looking to introduce various new systems to improve and grow our business, including data protection, compliance, supplier relationship management, treasury management, health and safety, and a new sales solution and CRM system for Progress Lifeline.
This year we are introducing Microsoft 365 and Teams to improve communication and support collaborative working.
This year we are introducing Microsoft 365 and Teams to improve communication and support collaborative working. We are also implementing two-factor authentication as part of our security investment and to protect the Group against cyber-attacks and breaches in an increasingly digital world.
Our workspace project aligns with our objectives of creating a digital-first, agile working environment and will see office spaces significantly refurbished and repurposed to support collaborative and hybrid working in 2021/22.
We support customers with their debt problems and ensure that we maximise any entitlement to benefits.
Maximising income
The prevention and management of rent arrears will always be a priority for us. Experience tells us that supportive early intervention is the most effective way to help our customers sustain their tenancy.
We fully recognise the stress and upset debt problems can cause our customers. Consequently, we actively encourage customers to share their financial concerns with us as soon as possible to assist them in resolving and managing them effectively. We offer a critical tenancy support service to tenants in imminent danger of losing their homes due to rent arrears or anti-social behaviour issues. We also have a dedicated specialist Financial Inclusion Team available to support customers with their debt problems and ensure that we maximise any entitlement to benefits.
We work closely in partnership with the Department of Work and Pensions to assist our customers with their welfare benefits. Our 'Preferred Landlord Status' enables us to work closely with our tenants when making their Universal Credit applications.
This year we signed up for HACT’s (Housing Associations’ Charitable Trust) fuel vouchers scheme, obtaining hundreds of pounds worth of fuel vouchers for our tenants. Despite our increased caseload, we achieved 3% general needs rent arrears performance against a target of 4% and exceeded our combined rent collection target of 99.5% with a performance of 100%.
We helped 696 tenants with income and benefits advice and secured over £196,000 of additional income for them
Employees have largely seen the Group's response to COVID positively, particularly in health and wellbeing, employee communications and the provision of technologies.
We continue to engage employees through several mechanisms. In addition to the regular one-to-ones, team meetings and team development days, we regularly inform employees of Business Plan updates and the strategic direction through colleague and management briefings.
We work in partnership with our established People Forum, welcoming the opportunity for dialogue and exchange of views between the Senior Leadership Team and colleague representatives on issues of mutual concern and interest. Our Health Champions network looks for innovative ways to include colleagues in various health and wellbeing initiatives and the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Working Party and several employee-led network groups, seek to promote and increase awareness of inclusivity and diversity in the workplace.
Our six-month 'pulse check' surveys help us understand how employees feel about working for the Group and identify where we can improve the working environment. Employees are proud to work for us, feel a connection to their work and the customers we serve.
Employees have largely seen the Group's response to Covid-19 positively, particularly in health and wellbeing, employee communications and the provision of technologies. There was recognition that supporting people through this period has been challenging and demanding. As part of a recent Investors in People Review, employees have noted that 'the speed of response to the needs of the pandemic shows forward-thinking, the way that managers and the Senior Leadership Team have supported people shows people focus and there has been a lot of collaboration to develop effective solutions to the problems faced'.
Whilst acknowledging the positive feedback, we recognise that there is always room for improvement and are keen to build on the learnings over the last twelve months. We have seen how regular communication and clarification are key and the value in ongoing dialogue during periods of change and opportunities to check in on individuals' wellbeing and specific needs. We also know that employees are looking at greater flexibility in how and where they work. We are also reviewing how we use our office spaces and working environments.
We firmly believe that our colleagues are the greatest resource we have. By working together as one team, we will be stronger, achieve more and deliver what our customers want and need.
Our benefits package is wide-ranging and includes everything from subsidised healthcare to an employee assistance programme and flexible working. Our approach to reward and recognition is important to attract and retain talented employees. To be an employer of choice, we must ensure our offer remains attractive, employees feel valued for their contribution and that our reward policies and practice are equitable, flexible and support the delivery of our business strategy.
We employ people with a range of skills in various professions focused on improving people's lives nationwide.
Investing in people
We are continuing to invest in learning and development. In addition to on-the-job training, we have supported employees pursuing formal qualifications and secondment opportunities, and we have offered development sessions in a range of subject areas. The Group continues to use the Apprenticeship Levy and has supported several people through various qualifications and programmes.
We have also continued to build on our leadership development offer with a management development coaching programme about to launch. The Group's Learning Management System (MYLO) gives employees access to online courses in a range of subjects in addition to the Group's mandatory training programmes.
We employ people with a range of skills in various professions focused on improving people's lives nationwide. We underpin all our activities with our strong belief in equality and diversity, and we want employees to be proud to be part of our organisation.