CSR AT RCT HOMES
As a Community Mutual Social Housing Organisation, RCT Homes approach to Corporate Social Responsibility is four fold:
- Developing the Workforce
- Supporting our Community
- Reducing the impact on Environment
- Getting its customers and suppliers in its Marketplace to commit to corporate social responsibility.
These targets are focused on the Business in the Community (BITC) model and linked to the vision and values of the organisation. These values are: Excellent, Empowering, Proud, Bold, Trustworthy, Enjoyable. A key aspect of Enjoyable is the delivery of CSR in partnership with customers and stakeholders.
OBJECTIVE
To promote staff volunteering to support economic regeneration and development of communities while contributing to employee’s development and recognition.
CONTEXT
RCT Homes was created in December 2007 following the transfer of Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council entire housing stock. Meadow Prospect was established in the same year, as a charitable subsidiary to support community capacity building projects, social enterprise development and community energy supply projects. This would be the vehicle for many of RCT Homes projects that were to become successful through staff volunteering and in-kind donations from community and supply chain partners.
In addition to the vehicle that would support staff volunteering projects, RCT Homes soon developed a staff volunteering policy aimed at encouraging and promoting volunteering throughout the organisation. The organisation made a strategic commitment to bring staff and tenants together to work to deliver thriving communities. RCT Homes “Our Workplace” target is to promote an inspiring, supportive and dynamic workplace where employees will develop and thrive. The staff volunteering programme contributes greatly to the success of this particular target.
DESCRIPTION OF THE GOOD PRACTICE
Staff are supported to “live the values and participate in their communities”. RCT Homes has adopted a set of guiding principles and a volunteering policy that is focussed on RCT Homes helping its staff to help others by embedding volunteering opportunities into its day to day business and aspirations.
For example, for the last two years, some meetings for key organisation leaders have been replaced with volunteering days; this ensures that even if staff don’t have the time to experience volunteering outside work, they have the time to do so during work hours, and as leaders, share these experiences with their teams. Beyond its participation to national campaigns, like the Give and Gain Day (UK largest day of action for employee volunteers), RCT Homes carries out 3 main volunteer activities: Action Camp, Ziggies and the Tenant Advocacy project. These programs involve working with and supporting vulnerable people and children.
RCT Homes has developed a process for encouraging and supporting stakeholders, staff and tenants’ volunteering, including:
- Explaining the responsibilities of all parties and provide training
- Promoting the RCT Homes Volunteering Policy and Programme to external groups and organisations
- Raising awareness of the volunteering opportunities available
- Detailing of process
- Outlining the benefits
- Providing information on how to report volunteer leave
- Introducing a volunteer friendly request form
RCT Homes has also developed a paid position within Meadow Prospect, to franchise the Ziggies Programme to the education sector and other community organisations.
To assess impacts and benefits for staff, RCT Homes ask staff to rate their skills prior to undertaking a volunteering task with their line managers. Their response is recorded, providing a baseline measure; following the volunteering, the impacts are fed back and analysed providing corroborating evidence of the percentage of skills gained, through a “before” and “after” assessment, confirming skills gained were considerably increased.
The reasons for volunteer participation are also evaluated and this feedback is used to inform the volunteering programme.
Key results and benefits
This approach provides strong evidence that the programme has had a positive impact on staff learning, retention, skill levels and career development:
- 77 RCT Homes staff volunteered at Give and Gain Day 2013
- 98% of participants felt rewarded by the benefits of the experience
- Positive impact on staff learning, retention, skill levels and career development (based on an assessment carried out with volunteers before and after volunteering projects)
- Development of improved customer insight across the business supported by the Tenant Advocacy project (based on feedback from staff who volunteered for the project and who are not in day to day contact with customers)
- Positive impact on communities (for example, places that were underused and disrespected are now being utilised and looked after as a result of Give and Gain days).
Staff also participate in many fundraising activities as a collective and as individuals to include national campaigns for Comic Relief, Sports Relief and Health charities
