About Spectrum Housing Group

Senior managers at Spectrum Housing are aware of the values and were all involved in deciding what these should be. All senior managers act as role models and are aware of the need to act in line with the values and lead by example. They are all accountable for their behaviours and the values underpin everything that the organisation does. Senior Managers work in creative ways and have backed a ‘smarter working’ project group. This has been trailed in Finance with the senior Finance and IT managers overseeing it. The results have been positive and employees have been allowed to come up with creative ways of solving problems. These groups will be set up in all departments. Senior managers go to all sites every other month to give a presentation on Bigger News. These managers give sessions throughout the day then spend the day at the site. Managers go to sites they wouldn’t usually therefore meeting new people and developing relationships. These managers offer shadowing to all staff and take part in back to the floor days. There is the ‘one voice’ section on the intranet where managers can update everyone on progress and offer thanks or congratulations. Senior managers use the Spectrum leadership competencies to ensure they act in a professional and responsible manner. All senior managers have or are undertaking a coaching and ILM qualification so every day they act as a role model.

Spectrum Housing have a huge range of community initiatives which invest over £800,000 into their neighbourhoods through a variety of community based projects. There are a number of healthy eating projects: Growing Spaces, which encourages residents to grow their own produce. Use Your Loaf, a bread making course that encourages people to bake their own bread and has resulted in two groups setting up social enterprises producing corporate lunches and catering. Healthy, Easy, Cheap to help young people and young families to cook healthy meals on a tight budget. A number of employment related programmes: GOALs, a wellbeing programme that equips participants to feel more positive about their lives and feel more in control and plan for their future. Green Army, which involves vulnerable young adults volunteering and learning practical skills through conservation work. The Pathway Programme, 6 month paid work placements as a stepping stone back into employment for the long term unemployed across the business and with a number of external partner organisations. Within the overall spend on community based projects, the organisation provide over £100,000 to fund estate strategies across their region which are created through canvassing the local residents and creating a plan to improve neighbourhoods by doing things such transforming outdoor spaces, building play areas, and facilitating good neighbour agreements across estates. One of their core values is Working Communities and they work with partner organisations to ensure their communities do work whilst all the time ensuring residents are at the heart of what they do.

Spectrum Housing introduced a staff recognition scheme in August 2012 called Spectrum Stars. Monthly nominations are made for Employee, Manager and Team of the Month with nominations being made by staff, residents or Board Members. These categories are voted for by the Executive Management Team, Senior Leadership Team and Staff Forum members, leading to one winner each month for each category. An e-Bulletin is circulated to all staff following the voting process to announce the winners. The winners for Employee and Manager of the Month each receive a £25 voucher and the Team receive a £50 voucher. All winners receive a gold star icon against their name in the staff phone book, a silver star lanyard and their photo in the reception area. The monthly winners form the 'shortlist' for the Annual winners for the same 3 categories. Spectrum Superstars, with the winners being announced at the Staff Conference. Winners for Manager and Team of the Year are voted for by the same monthly voting team and the Employee of the Year is voted for by all staff at the Conference. Each winner receives a £250 voucher and a glass award. Within the monthly e-Bulletin all nominees are listed (not just the winners). They also recognise long service milestones and dedicate a section where staff can publicly say thank you to a colleague, or where letters of compliments have been received from residents. Staff are engaging with the scheme across the Group and like the monthly bulletins.