Working for us
My name is Isobel Riley, and since 2008 I've been proud to be the Chief Executive of this company. We have already achieved great things on our journey to excellence and as an employer we cannot deliver great services without employing and developing great staff.
Why work for South Tyneside Homes?
We believe that we are far more than just an ALMO that provides a comprehensive range of housing services for our tenants and Decent Homes improvements to our tenants' homes. You would be working for a company that has forged active partnerships with a wide range of companies and organisations to produce far-reaching benefits to the communities in South Tyneside.
You would be working for a company that is a trailblazer in Involvement; that is on the cutting edge of meeting the Government's Green Agenda and that is on the path to excellence in all levels of service provision.
You would be working for a company that believes passionately that its most valuable resource is its staff. We achieved the Gold Status level of the Investors in People award and have a real commitment to leadership by example and the development and training of our staff.
Our recent recognition includes our being assessed at "Achieving Level" in the Social Housing Equality Framework and achieving silver status in the Better Health At Work Award.
We are achieving excellence in South Tyneside Homes. If you have the positive attitude and share our objectives of being part of a "Great Company", providing "Great Services", "Great Homes" in "Great Places" then we want to hear from you.
About us
- We believe that our corporate objectives say it all. Great Homes in Great Places. Great Services. Great Company.
- We are an Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) created to manage, maintain and improve the Council's 18,000 homes, investing £252 million before 2013.
- We are a young company, (launched in April 2006) with 650 employees split across three main directorates, Housing & Service Improvement, Finance and Investment.
- We have a strong senior management team and a Board that is passionate and committed to delivering excellent services where the customer comes first. We have an exciting and ambitious vision for the future, with real enthusiasm about what we can achieve in the future.
- We're all committed to our vision of "Working together to make South Tyneside the place people are proud to call home." But, to fulfil this vision we recognise that we have to be the best and that's where you come in. We are looking for people who can inspire those around them and drive our company on our journey to excellence.
Benefits of working for us
We offer excellent terms and conditions of employment.
All new staff receive a comprehensive induction to our company. On your first day you will meet Isobel our Chief Executive, and over your first few weeks your line manager will draw up a personal induction programme to settle you into your role. We run induction sessions throughout the year that provide a comprehensive overview of the company.
We recognise the importance of Work-Life Balance and offer a flexible working scheme with a number of family-friendly policies that offer support to staff who are parents or carers.
Childcare
We offer a Childcare Voucher Scheme for working parents or guardians with children up to 15 (or 16 if the child has a disability). This scheme helps towards the cost of registered or approved childcare. The vouchers can be paid directly into the childcare provider's bank account on a monthly basis via the salary service.
Travel
As one of our employees you will be entitled to reduced-cost public transport tickets for travel around Tyne & Wear. The Corporate Network Travel Pass offers huge discounts on the cost of public transport and is deducted directly from your salary.
Pension
All staff are able to join or continue in the local Government Pension Scheme, contributing approximately 6% of salary.
Investors In People (IIP)
We recognise that our staff are our greatest asset. To ensure we get the best from our staff, we ensure that they have the right knowledge, skills, behaviours, equipment and motivation to work effectively and deliver excellent Services. We understand that the only way we can improve our company and our services is through investing in our staff.
We recently achieved the Gold Status Investor in People Award, the national standard for best practice in people management. We are the first organisation in the north east to achieve Gold Status on first inspection.
The assessor said:
- There is a shared passion for the organisation's vision and values, in a workforce that is happy, loyal, committed, motivated, enthusiastic and proud.
- There is a supportive and effective management philosophy, which has been further strengthened by a revised management structure.
- There is consultation and involvement in the development and effectiveness in the development of the business at all levels.
- There is a strong commitment to continuous improvement.
Equality and Diversity
We are committed to being an Equal Opportunities employer. We aim to ensure that all applicants and employees receive fair treatment regardless of his or her gender, race, religion, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, employment status, responsibility for children or dependants, social class, trade union membership or unrelated criminal convictions.
This applies to recruitment and selection, training and development and all other employment procedures, terms and conditions of employment.
Additionally we are taking positive action to attract applications from those groups of people who have traditionally been under-represented. This includes individuals from disabled and ethnic minority groups.
Health and Wellbeing
We have established a Health and Wellbeing group to help our staff to gain health benefits and live healthier lifestyles.
The group is also working through the various Better Health At Work awards, having already achieved the Bronze Level.
We recently trained staff from various service areas across the company to act as Health Advocates. They will be able to give initial advice about general health issues and signpost colleagues to relevant services.
Staff can also benefit from Corporate Health Care Plan supported by Westfield Health. The "Foresight" plan enables staff to claim for a refund of fees towards dental, optical, specialist consultation and therapy treatments.
Staff also have access to a confidential 24hour helpline and counselling sessions.
Employee Consultation.
This is high on our agenda. We want everyone to feel that their opinion counts and that their views can help us to shape our services.
Twice a year we hold staff conferences and we carry out an annual staff survey.
We also run a Staff Suggestion Scheme for ideas that can help us to improve our services to tenants.
Training and Development
As a company we believe in career long learning and as such we are committed to the development of staff to give them the skills and knowledge they need for their roles and personal development.
