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By Eve Blezard, HQN

As the sector faces one of the worst recruitment and retention challenges I’ve seen in my working life, I thought it’d be worthwhile sharing some of my experience and learning from both social housing and higher education research, which might help us all improve workplace culture and get people to ‘stick’ with us.

Over my housing career I’ve seen first-hand how deep-rooted organisational culture can significantly impact staff and tenant satisfaction, both for good and bad. I’ve also previously supported academic organisations in understanding and developing their working culture and want to share how some of that learning could be applied to social housing.

The human side of housing

Working in social housing for over seven years, I’ve seen an organisation’s culture’s profound impact on its employees and the people they serve. The nature of this sector often requires staff to deal with challenging, high-stress situations involving vulnerable tenants. Without a supportive culture, this can lead to significant employee burnout. You, too, may have noticed an increase in social media posts about the need to foster a healthy workplace culture that supports well-being, addresses burnout and enhances retention in the social housing sector. It comes as no surprise to me that the sector faces those challenges, and studies, such as those by Mind, provide the evidence that public sector workers are substantially more likely to suffer from poor mental health compared to those in the private sector, a statistic that’s alarmingly relevant for social housing staff.

Creating sticky culture

So, this is where my previous work on understanding organisational culture in Higher Education is useful, as it revealed the importance of staff well-being and belonging as part of a ‘sticky culture’. This type of culture, characterised by enduring values and practices, can significantly aid in managing change effectively and keeping staff on board.

Essentially, this is about creating a space where every staff member feels valued and heard, enhancing their ability to connect with and support tenants. Such a culture maintains its core values while adapting to necessary changes, providing a solid foundation for transformational success. I believe that this is also relevant to the retention of staff in social housing, especially at a time when tenants are facing increased cost of living pressures and mental and physical illness, and landlord’s budgets are being squeezed.

Drawing from the research done by the University of Salford, we found several key behaviours that can support the building of a ‘sticky culture’:

• Inclusivity: it’s vital that all staff members feel included and valued within the organisation. This means actively involving them in decision-making processes and seriously considering their feedback. Such involvement boosts job satisfaction and deepens their commitment to the organisational goals
• Effective communication: clear, transparent and consistent communication is essential for any organisation navigating changes and dealing with a pressurised environment. This should go beyond mere top-down announcements to foster a two-way dialogue where concerns can be openly raised, and feedback promptly acted upon
• Connectedness: cultivating a sense of community and connectedness within the organisation is pivotal. This connectedness should transcend professional interactions, including support mechanisms and team-building activities that bolster interpersonal relations and mutual understanding.

Many social housing organisations already implement those practices through their learning and development work, and senior leaders make a deliberate effort to integrate those values into daily operations. However, we all know that as the pressure increases in the sector, and time and resource become more precious, these things are liable to slip. It’s important to remind yourself that this approach will save you time and money in the long run, as it will help you keep staff and bring them through the transformational change required to meet the challenges of the next decade in social housing. As you look to maintain or enhance your workplace culture, you could consider the following steps:

1. Invest in training: engage with programmes that bolster leadership skills and employee well-being. HQN offers valuable resources and workshops that can support these efforts. Consider HQN’s upcoming training on How to Stop Your Workload Controlling You and Actually Get Through Your To-Do List and Compassion Fatigue.
2. Review and adapt policies: review your current policies and practices to ensure they align with the goals of creating a supportive and inclusive work environment. This includes reevaluating your approaches to flexibility, mental health and employee feedback mechanisms.
3. Foster open communication: cultivate an environment where open communication is the norm, not the exception. Regularly seek and act upon feedback from staff and tenants to improve your practices and address concerns proactively.
4. Build a community of practice: as you know from being a member of the HQN Leadership and Organisational Development Hub, joining or establishing networks with other social housing organisations to share best practice, learn from each other’s experiences, and support each other in implementing change or facing challenges can be really helpful and motivating in your day-to-day work. Why not encourage other departments to do the same if they aren’t already and look at the other HQN networks?

So, whilst much of my housing-based research and practice has explored the importance of well-being and belonging for residents, my work in organisational culture demonstrates that trust and empathy are the cornerstones of any successful organisation, especially in a sector as people-focused as social housing.