About South Tyneside Homes

Every year the company holds a week of staff conferences to which all staff are invited for a half day session. With a staff of 657, this works out at conferences of approximately 80 people. The senior Management Team attend every conference and with such a diverse workforce, the conferences are designed to be entertaining, engaging and inclusive. The format ensures all staff have an opportunity to work directly alongside members of SMT and the occasion is used to reinforce the vision and values of the Company. This gives staff an opportunity to express their views directly to the SMT and come up with ideas for improvement.

In a staff attitude survey in 2008, employees informed South Tyneside Homes that they wanted to see the company improve health within the workplace and provide more support around health promotion. In 2009 they undertook a comprehensive 'Staff Health Needs Assessment' with all staff which highlighted that, amongst other things, they wanted the opportunity to have personal health checks, provide support for smoking, the use of an on-site gym, and to make the workplace safer and reduce the number of accidents. The survey allowed staff to have a voice in well-being initiatives and provided the basis for the companies strategy and direction over the following three years. As a result, they have built a free staff gym, which now has over 25% of our staff holding membership. Smoking cessation sessions are held weekly in the workplace with specialist advisors to support staff in quitting. In addition, every member of staff is encouraged to undergo a full NHS Health Check every year within work time and this has led to several staff becoming aware of an unrecognised health condition.

South Tyneside Homes are not only a social housing provider but are actively involved with the local and wider community they serve. The company is a leader and ambassador for engaging with young people from the borough. By engaging with young people they can gain a better understanding of their needs and requirements whilst passing on information about the services we provide and what the opportunities of employment are within the company. One such initiative is the "Eco Challenge" which is now in its fourth year. The inititave has been very successful as it encourages young people to get involved and its also links in with the school learning curriculum at key stage 3. This years challenge was to plan a development in an open space. Each team was given the challenge of planning, designing and developing improvements for an estate somewhere within the North East of England.