Smart business

INVESTING IN PEOPLE AND RELATIONSHIPS TO ENSURE WE DELIVER LASTING VALUE FOR ALL STAKEHOLDERS

Working on innovative projects is helping develop my career – assisting Telford Homes’ preparedness for the FHS and creating great homes for our BtR investors and residents.

Sezer Sahan, Technical Co-ordinator, BLL Champion

 

Aligned with our Smart Business pillar, Telford Homes recognises the importance of evolving its culture, strengthening its BLL strategy and driving its people values. This will be enhanced through the continuing Mental Health and Wellbeing programmes and our new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) strategy. 

We are again delighted with our progress and recognition in 2021 from the NextGeneration Partnership, HomeViews and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA). 

 

Governance

We believe a strong ESG culture has multiple benefits for our stakeholders and, importantly, our staff. Hence, we were delighted when more than 20 per cent of our people participated in our materiality review, and recognised the importance of health and safety, Company culture, reputation, DEI, and human rights and labour conditions. Each is a vital building block in our transition beyond compliance and protecting our ‘licence to operate’ through to adding value.  

During the year, we continued our integration with TCC and CBRE policies, and compliance to the United States Sarbanes- Oxley (SOX) Act of 2002. Our policies and advocacy approaches can be seen here. Third-party testimony of our achievements from NextGeneration and the CorpComms Magazine is particularly pleasing. 

Understanding our customers

The use of HomeViews to measure customer satisfaction is increasing rapidly across the sector. It provides building owners, residents and prospective neighbours with live and up-to-date intelligence on the facilities; design; locality; value and the scheme management. Whilst our ‘Recommended 

Developer’ performance has dipped to 89 per cent (2020: 96 per cent), this is still a favourable performance compared to the national average of 76 per cent. To aid our five year legacy review, HomeViews has provided data across 15 completed projects and this indicates a very positive 96 per cent recommendation rate. 

Customers receive support in the use of the sustainability features of homes from our Customer Services team, and the residents’ induction includes the explanation of the sustainability features of their homes, including the use of heating/cooling systems and thermostats to ensure comfort and improved running costs. 

Quality management systems

We continue to maintain our Group Environmental Management System certification to ISO14001:2015, and our Health and Safety Management System to ISO45001:2018. Each are now complemented through our recent certification to Quality Management System certification ISO9001:2015 in January 2022 (targeted late 2021). 

Our responsible supply chain

We are thoroughly invested in collaboration with our supply chain, to keep our people safe, to future-proof our companies, to achieve high levels of customer satisfaction and to drive operational efficiencies. We have continued to update our pre-qualification (and monitoring) system Builders Profile with enhanced ESG obligations and a heightened focus on DEI. 

In the reporting period we published our sixth Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking statement. We are not aware of any nonconformance nor prosecutions to Telford Homes or its supply chain under the Modern Slavery Act 2015. We will continue to monitor industry good practice and amendments to the Act to ensure our ways of working remain fit for purpose. Building on the global supply chain mapping exercise that we commenced in 2019 for the purchasing of materials and products, we are increasingly extending this approach across our sub-contractors’ procurement to help inform our ESG commitments, provenance and transparency to help manage reputational risk. This approach is also being expanded to ensure we achieve our local employment and SME targets across the business. In 2021 we spent 27 per cent on BES 6001 responsibly sourced construction materials. 

 

Our people

Telford Homes employees have been central to its culture since its inception 21 years ago. They drive our values and productivity such that we can achieve our goals. We employ around 328 people, and on an average day (including our supply chain), we are responsible for the wellbeing, health and safety of around 1,531 people across our offices and sites. 

 

We have always engaged and supported our employees, but since the start of the pandemic, we have redoubled this support through our Mental Health & Wellbeing awareness campaigns, to ensure employee health, wellbeing and work/life balance have been managed appropriately. During the year, we ran a ‘we want to hear your voice’ employee engagement survey. A key message from our employees was that 95 per cent enjoy their jobs and are happy working at the company. 89 per cent of employees expect to be working in the company for the next 12 months, which aligns with our employee retention rate of 89 per cent (2020: 92 per cent) – whilst this is pleasing, we will not be complacent as we are acutely aware the war for talent is set to intensify. 

 

Throughout the pandemic, we have implemented safe working procedures and conditions. The resilience and commitment of our people and supply chains has – and continues to be – truly inspirational! 

 

Nonetheless, the unparalleled events will have impacted the wellbeing of employees across the industry, so our Health and Wellbeing Committee launched new campaigns in 2021, as well as an updated flexible working policy. The new programme and initiatives, such as ‘Time to Check In’ and promoting the outdoors and nature activities for employees and their families, have been well received; along with mindfulness sessions, yoga and promoting stress awareness week. To get the best mix of productivity and collaboration, we will continue to invest heavily in our campaigns, 

to remain an employer of choice, and to support our employees. 

 

In November, we undertook a Staff Health & Wellbeing Survey – the key finding being that the campaigns were being well received. Also, colleagues asked for less relaxation and meditation sessions, and requested more health and ‘pin-pointed’ work/life balance topics, which will be delivered during 2022 and 2023, through the launch of our new Health & Wellbeing strategy. 

 

In accordance with our Equal Opportunity and Diversity Policy, we aim to be an inclusive employer and to continue to employ the best people for each role. During 2021, we developed a new DEI Framework and launched it in February 2022. This approach consists of three core principles and commitments: company, community and industry. Our Health and Wellbeing Committee will provide the support and signposting function of the work of the DEI Committee. 

 

Development and training

As we grow our platform, opportunities arise to join Telford Homes. Accordingly, we invest in developing our employees, and attracting highly motivated, ambitious and dedicated people to join our successful team. Our Careers Under Construction programme now has 29 (2020:22) trainees (around 7 per cent of our employees) working towards management roles. The Telford Homes Academy is in its fourth year and provides training and development for every career stage – from trainees to first-time managers and then on to senior managers. 

 

During the last year, we have provided 5.2 (2020: 1.51) days of training per employee, which compares favourably with our peers – this uplift in training is primarily due to the shortfall in 2020, due to the pandemic. We are fully invested in our health and safety training programmes and, in 2022, will launch our new sustainability training plan. For example, 100 per cent of new direct employees (and supply chain site staff) receive Health and Safety, Mental Health, Wellbeing and Sustainability induction training, and appropriate continuing professional development (CPD). 

 

Health & Safety

As a responsible business, keeping our employees and supply chain healthy and safe is of principal importance. There were three RIDDOR¹ (2020: one) in the reporting period. We have had no fatalities, health, safety nor environmental prosecutions or prohibition notices. We will continue to reinforce our culture and continuing investment in our people and their training, to minimise health, safety and environmental risks, at all times. Additionally, we are pleased to receive a 12th consecutive Gold Award from RoSPA, and another President’s Award. 

 

Policies and procedures

The Telford Homes Executive Committee actively promotes a positive health and safety culture. This is underpinned by up-to-date policies, procedures, legal registers, risk assessments and appropriate precautionary control measures. Each is maintained in accordance with ISO45001:2018 and communicated to relevant employees and site operatives. Our senior Operations Leaders frequently carry out unplanned site spot checks across Health, Safety and Environment criteria, in addition to formalised regular inspection strategies. 

 

Governance

Our Health, Safety and Environment team is supported by our Executive Health and Safety Committee and our Operational Health and Safety Forum. Each benefit from representation from the Group Managing Director and senior construction, commercial and sustainability employees. Cooperatively, each meeting drives strategic operational regulatory compliance and best practice. Furthermore, our Health, Safety and Environment Director sits on a range of Global and UK Councils and Forums to reciprocate best practice. 

  

MATERIAL ISSUES ALIGNED TO BALANCED RESOURCES

 

  • Health and safety 
  • Company culture 
  • Reputation
  • Human rights and labour conditions 
  • Regulation and compliance 
  • Bribery and corruption 
  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) 

 

The importance of keeping our people safe and well cannot be understated! Accordingly, it is pleasing to retain our ISO45001 certification and to be recognised by RoSPA for the RoSPA President Award (our 12th consecutive Gold).

MARC WILDING, HEALTH AND SAFETY MANAGER BLL CHAMPION

 

International Way

Telford Homes and Legal & General are to deliver a bespoke, Built to Rent development of 247 homes, 79 London affordable rent homes and 54 Discounted Market Rent homes – sharing gardens and amenities to create an inclusive community.

Positioned adjacent to Stratford International station, the architects Suttonca Limited and landscape architects Standerwick Land Design have a vision for an active contemporary London streetscape, 

inhabiting the arches’, and modern tower living to complement the future skyline of the Stratford Metropolitan Centre. Work has started on-site. 

Read more about International Way EC20