Recruitment: Hey, good looking

Want to work in a dynamic organisation that allows you to develop your professional skills and pays you an annual bonus on top of your salary? Most people would say yes, and expect the organisation in question to be in the private sector. In fact, that deal is now increasingly on offer from affordable housing providers.

Working for a housing association may be worthwhile and spiritually rewarding, but it has traditionally lacked the perks and deal-making glamour of the private sector. But changes in the sector, notably mergers and the giving of grant to fewer registered social landlords (RSLs), is creating organisations where you handle more exciting projects, earn more pay and get the small satisfaction of being able to tell your friends that you work for a social entrepreneur with a sexy name.

Matthew Harrison, deputy chief executive of Great Places Housing Group, believes the RSL has experienced greater interest from recruits since merger and rebranding from Manchester Methodist Housing Association and winning awards for its regeneration expertise. “It has had an impact particularly with younger people,” he says. Great Places still calls itself a housing association, Harrison adds, but it plays up its urban regeneration activity and it seems to work. Difficulties recruiting development officers more than five years ago led it to grow its own through a graduate recruitment programme, and it has gained seven recruits via that route who have been eager not only to join, but to stay.

A straw poll of recent finance recruits at Network Housing Group revealed most of them were there to develop their skills. Paula Logan, group corporate services director at the RSL says: “A lot of them had never heard of social housing before they came to work here. For people now it is more a question of wanting a job that they can grow in. Years ago our recruitment advertising sold our charitable aims, but now we go for the audience – if we are advertising for someone in IT, we highlight our IT programme, for instance.”

A lot of recruits had never heard of social housing before they came to work here. People want a job that they can grow in

Paula Logan, Network Housing Group

RSLs also offer benefits in training. Jayne Hilditch, director of corporate services with Notting Hill Housing Group, says: “The sector tends to be good at training and we try to make it quite personal. The days of the group training session have gone. Now we are doing on-the-job coaching and online learning.” Notting Hill has also converted its recent rebranding slogan “Love where you live” to “Love where you work” for recruitment material, which promotes its brand values.

Its pay levels, says Hilditch, are the market median, but there are no bonuses. Anne Elliott, director of EMA, a consultancy providing search, selection and finance-related advice to RSLs, says bonuses are nonetheless increasing in popularity: “About a third of RSLs have bonuses and more are looking to introduce them. Some are also exploring introducing golden handcuffs.”

Network’s pay levels are market tested to keep them competitive, and the RSL offers bonuses, although Logan adds: “We do not do it particularly to compete. Everyone in the development world has problems competing for staff.” Her words are borne out by the fact that the RSL has recently had two development staff poached by the private sector, persuaded not so much by pay as by the promise of bigger projects.