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Press Release |
Ref:PRSH236
Date: June 26, 2018
SARH shares workplace best practice
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An award-winning provider of affordable homes that's also one of the country's top employers has been sharing its experience of successfully creating great places to live, work and grow.
At a recent event at the headquarters of Stafford and Rural Homes (SARH), representatives from leading businesses, including other housing associations from across the country, heard how the organisation had climbed to second place overall in the Sunday Times 100 Best Not-for-Profit Companies to Work For list.
Karen Armitage, SARH Chief Executive, explained: "For an organisation such as ours to be placed ahead of so many household names on the list is a fantastic achievement and we wanted to share our journey with colleagues in the housing sector as well as our suppliers and local businesses.
"More than 30 organisations attended and also shared their own ideas on how to further boost business performance by developing healthier and supportive places for employees to fulfil their potential and ‘be the best' that they can be."
"We firmly believe that organisations, in both the public and private sector, can benefit from being a values based organisation. Our core values: Communication, Approachable, Respectful, Empowering, and Supportive (CARES) are the foundation of everything we do and have contributed to SARH being recognised with numerous awards for business success whilst enhancing services to customers," Karen added.
Guest speaker, technology entrepreneur Elizabeth Gooch MBE, also provided an insight into the importance of employee wellbeing to the success of any business, and the role it had played in the growth of the multi-million pound company she established.
Having built eg Solutions Plc from a backroom business to a global provider of back office software that was sold to a US technology group last year, Elizabeth, says she's keen to help SARH promote practices that have proved their value in the private sector as well as not-for-profit organisations.
"It's important to feel inspired and events like this do just that," she said. "When looking at the growth and performance of any organisation, the most important place to start is with the leadership and it's clear that everyone at SARH, from the top down, shares it's values and lives them every day."
Amongst the delegates who took part was Michelle Travers of Kent-based Golding Homes who commented: "SARH is clearly a great organisation to work for and its achievements are really impressive. There was a lot to take away from the event, not least the importance of communication and collaboration."
Caption: Creating Great Places to Work, from left to right, are: Mara Hargreaves, SARH Marketing and Communications Manager; Karen Armitage, SARH Chief Executive; Elizabeth Gooch MBE; Jo Hough, Director of Organisational Development; and Penny Johnson, SARH Senior HR Partner.
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About Stafford and Rural Homes
Stafford and Rural Homes (SARH) is the largest social landlord in Stafford with around 6,000 homes across Stafford, Stone and the rural villages across the Borough. Established in 2006 to own and manage the former Stafford Borough Council housing stock, SARHset up a trading subsidiary company Housing Worx, to deliver planned maintenance works to its properties and fulfil commercial contracts in 2012. SARHalso offers 18 Independent Living schemes for people aged over 55 andan award winning Telecare home safety and personal security system for the elderly and vulnerable.SARH has invested more than £100 million on improvement and regeneration programmes and building over 500 high quality new homes for rent and shared ownership which have benefited SARH customers by improving neighbourhoods and creating job opportunities for local people. The housing association works in partnership with local authorities, health trusts, statutory bodies and a range of voluntary organisations to create safe, sustainable communities where residents can ‘Live, Work and Grow'.
Follow SARH on Twitter@SARHomes
Media contact:
Martin Farrow
CHANGEWORKS Communications
t: + 44 (0) 1785 247588
m: +44 (0)7771 970025
e: mfarrow@changeworkscom.co.uk
Stafford and Rural Homes contact:
Mara Hargreaves
Marketing Manager
t:01785 216793 (Direct)
m:07800 619 863 (Mobile)