About The Gateshead Housing Company

The Gateshead Housing Company have a draft health and wellbeing strategy. The aims are to create a safe and healthy working environment, improve physical and emotional wellbeing, encourage and support employees to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle, support employees with manageable health problems or disabilities to maintain access or regain work. Improve employee satisfaction, recruitment and retention. The strategy provides the Company with a continuing framework to be proactive and engage employees in health and wellbeing. An example of these is: Flexible Working Flexi Scheme. Occupational Sick Pay. Occupational Maternity / Paternity. Parental Leave. Adoption Leave. Bereavement/Special Leave Policy. Drug and Alcohol Policy. Smoking Policy. Whistle Blowing Policy. Bullying and Harassment Policy. Grievance Policy. Redeployment Policy. Pension Scheme.

As a company Gateshead regularly hold events to raise money for charities and good causes. The charities are nominated by employees and planned throughout the year. The employee who nominated the charity takes responsibility to arrange the event and this can be in a variety of formats including dress down days (where employees pay a £1 to wear their own clothes to work), cake bake sales and raffles. One memorable event was the company’s participation in the recent MacMillan 'World’s Largest Coffee Morning.' The whole company got involved and they had a cake bake sale, raffle and dress down day. Employees were encouraged to wear green to show their support as this is the colour associated with the charity. In addition, residents in the sheltered units also became involved and held their own coffee mornings with some events lasting all day. Over £500 was raised through all of the activities and a great time was had by all while helping this good cause.

Gateshead have improved their appraisal system so that every employee is recognised for going the extra mile. This can be seen as a discussion between the line manager and employee only. To recognise achievements as a company the Chief Executive includes employee recognition in a [email protected] presentation to all the company and to the Chair of the Resources and Audit Committee.