NOVUS SECURE FOUR FINALIST AWARD PLACES

We’re delighted to have secured four finalist places for the Housing Heroes and Women in Housing Awards.

The Housing Hero Awards

Celebrating the unsung heroes of the housing sector, the Housing Hero Awards shine the light on the incredible work carried out by teams and individuals in the past 12 months and we’re thrilled to announce that our Working Supervisor, Jason Cudworth has been shortlisted for the Inspirational Colleague of the Year award.

Interacting with some of the most vulnerable residents on our contracts, Jason is incredibly passionate about is job and making a difference to people’s lives both in terms of their physical comfort and their mental wellbeing. Jason’s priority is to liaise with vulnerable residents to ensure they are comfortable with the works taking place within their home – and to mentor his colleagues to actively take steps to ensure this.

Jason’s line manager Steve Thay commented:

“Jason has always been a committed and highly valued team member. As a tradesman, the quality of his work is constantly of a high standard, his attitude is always positive, and this is reflected in the continuous positive feedback from colleagues, clients, and residents. What really sets Jason apart is how he approaches our valued mental health customers. Jason is gifted with natural empathy, warmth and understanding when dealing with these residents. His compassion and ability to communicate is instinctive – Jason adapts his approach to suit each individual and creates a relaxed and comfortable working environment for everyone involved.”

Jason also often receives positive feedback from residents of our projects. A Home Group resident, one of Novus’ largest clients, recently provided the feedback below about Jason:

“Jay who visits to carry out the maintenance work is a total pleasure to have in our home. He is polite and courteous at all times; he will go above and beyond and is great with my son. It means a lot for my son to have the consistency and understanding from someone coming into his home. Jay also shows empathy for my situation as a carer and a kind word or a laugh can go a long way when you have people in your home 24/7! Myself, my son, and the staff team all feel reassured when Jay turns up to do a job because we know he will be great with everyone, and that settles us all.”

Women in Housing Awards

The Women in Housing Awards celebrate the leaders, innovators and changemakers across the sector and we’re proud to have received three shortlist places for these awards.

Best Talent Management Initiative

We have been shortlisted for the Best Talent Management Initiative category for our successful WiN network (Women in Novus) which attracts females into the housing sector and increases diversity and inclusion.  The network brings together female colleagues and allies from every level in an open forum where the group collectively addresses areas that need improvement and celebrates successes.

Still in its first year, the WiN network has already achieved a great deal, from clarity around part time and flexible working to ensuring that every Novus live site has adequate sanitary disposal bins, and that clothing and PPE are suitable for both men and women, including pregnant people. The network has also helped with the creation of our four-point plan to be a more Inclusive employer with actions centred on Increased Belonging, introducing an Everyone Strategy plus a complete Pay and Benefits review.

Woman of the Year

By being an inspirational colleague our Head of Business Development, Claire Bailey-Jones, has secured a finalist position in the Woman of the Year category. Claire is an ambassador for women in the housing sector and her impressive problem-solving helps to build long-term partnerships with our clients and other organisations, allowing us to achieve our ambitious goals.

Claire’s new approach to how Novus secures new business has assisted in making last year our most successful year for securing contracts to date – 70% higher than our previous record! She has also helped us successfully launch our new Sustain and Interiors services.

Being a vocal member of the WiN Network, Claire advocates for more inclusive policies which has already seen the business implement practical measures such as switching to more inclusive workwear and creating a menopause policy.

Claire has also joined the board of Women in Social Housing (WISH), a networking community offering encouragement and support for women in this sector. Alongside this, she volunteers her spare time to support a CIO ‘the Bereavement Cafe’ via WAY, a charity dedicated to providing bereavement support to women who are unexpectedly widowed. Thanks to Claire’s contributions, such as CV writing, business support and volunteering at the cafes, the CIO has also invited her to join its board.

Employer of the Year

Based on our commitments in providing an environment where all our employees can thrive, we have been selected as finalists for the Employer of the Year award.

As a 21^st century employer, inclusivity and diversity are at the heart of our values and it is for this reason we have created and supported may initiatives including an enhanced Family Friendly policy, a Menopause policy and the WiN network. We have also contributed to many campaigns such as National Inclusion Week, exploring several topics including ‘Unite for Anti-Racism’ and ‘Progress the Dialogue of Inclusion in Your Industry’. These topics were covered through an internal comms and social media strategy, with drop-in coffee mornings also held throughout the week to promote unity and inclusion across the business.

In addition we have also signed the Armed Forces Covenant, and also Construction News’ ‘Inspiring Women in Construction’ pledge to further cement our commitment to our workforce and the wider industry.

Improving our training and development has also been a contributing factor towards our success in creating a skilled and motivated workforce. The implementation of a competency framework is one of the many ways which has helped aid the development of our staff. This increases our ability to attract top talent, provide clear expectations to existing employees and give individuals the ability to plan their career development through the company.

We’re continually seeking ways to attract a diverse range of talent to the business, not just through our successful apprenticeship programme, which attracts people of all ages and backgrounds, but also through the imminent launch of our Everyone Strategy.

Awards Ceremony

The Housing Heroes Awards will take place side by side with the Women in Housing Awards as the opening ceremony at the CIH Housing 2022 conference. The event is held on Monday 27^th June at Manchester Central. We’re very excited for the awards ceremony and can’t wait to see if we bring home any trophies on the night!