An Oxford-based housing association has joined the growing number of social landlords offering stress-busting benefits to staff.
Oxford Citizens Housing Association has introduced flexible working hours and a scheme to help employees work from home.

Chief executive Jonathan Higgs said: "We have now 37% of our 103 staff on some kind of flexible working arrangement. We've improved our chances in the recruitment free-for-all and we're already doing better in terms of retention." Oxford Citizens' staff turnover was 2% for the first five months of this financial year.

In the same period last year, it was 13%.

The scheme was granted £7000 by the Department of Trade and Industry.

The money was spent on British Telecom Workstyle consultants who spent three days at the housing association at the beginning of this year, advising staff and managers on working from home and flexible working policies and procedures.

Other associations taking this route include Sadeh Lok, which has introduced a £650-a-day life coach to visit its staff once a fortnight (HT 5 September, page 12), and Irwell Valley, which has rebranded its former human resources manager Liz Atkinson as the director of personal well-being.

Source

Housing Today