Wales and West Housing's overall strategy takes an informal, pragmatic and supportive approach to family-friendly policies. The concept, minus written policies and prescriptive procedures, is to empower people to come up with their own solutions.
If circumstances mean they need to work more flexibly around family commitments, employees are encouraged to think: how can I make this work for me? They then come up with their own solution. Wales and West Housing believes that because the employee plays a big part in thinking about the solution, it usually works.
The organisation is always trying to improve its offering to staff, so innovation is key.
A bespoke parents and carers portal offers information and signposting about flexible working and work-life balance. And it even helps staff volunteer their time as mentors, encouraging them to share experiences and knowledge via a bulletin board and forums.
There has also been a move away from a 'command and control' culture to one where values are a key guiding principle and competencies are discussed within a value-led framework. Individual staff can revisit plans, aspirations and development with their manager throughout the year – not just at annual appraisal meetings.
"We are a medium-sized organisation, but we are right across Wales, which comes with its own challenges sometimes," says Judith Norris-Jones, head of HR at Wales and West Housing. "Technology, of course, has helped staff work remotely – that has been a big factor from a staff perspective."
She continues: "I can honestly say how we do things across the business is underpinned by our values when it comes to understanding someone's personal needs and balancing it with output.
"It's about being fair, open, efficient, supportive and respectful. When someone has a need, those are the principles we follow. That helps the line manager and the staff member agree a solution."
HR magazine is a media partner of the Top Employers for Working Families awards 2012.
