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Wrekin Housing Trust

“We are looking to change the culture of the organisation and wanted a radically different approach to get the message across. CragRats’approach was ideal and, whilst we know we still have a lot of work to do, it created a “buzz” and a climate of debate within the Trust which are crucial in bringing about the changes we want.”

Francis Best, Director of The Wrekin Housing Trust

/Challenge

In 1999 The Wrekin Housing Trust established itself as a social landlord, transferring 13, 000 homes from Telford and Wrekin Council. In 2002/2003, as part of an internal reorganisation, The Wrekin Housing Trust implemented a major training programme to help personnel manage the internal changes and introduce them to a new set of company values.

/Approach

CragRats’ relationship with Wrekin Housing initially consisted of a ten month contract to run a series of staff training days. From the board of directors to the trades-people who maintain properties on the front line, every employee of Wrekin Housing was involved in a CragRats programme, incorporating Customer Service Excellence and Team Building seminars. CragRats also designed and delivered a launch event at the new headquarters to celebrate the changes and reinforce the customer service and team building values on which the new organisation was to be built.

For the training programmes, CragRats devised and delivered theatrical presentations and workshops, informing delegates about the new corporate identity and values, whilst also reassuring employees about the structure and culture of the organisation.

/Results

• Better morale within the organisation. When asked to rate how much   customer service is supported by the culture of the organisation, staff   responded with a rise from 57.9% before the programme to 80.6% afterwards
• Enjoyment of work is demonstrated by improvements in attendance with absenteeism reduced from 6.2 to 4.7 days a year
• The Wrekin Housing Trust has shown an improvement from 78% to 84% average customer service satisfaction
• CragRats’ programme for the Trust was Winner of the National   TrainingAward in 2003 for the West Midlands Region
• The Wrekin Housing Trust and CragRats won the Special Award for   Partnership 2003, sponsored by the DTI
• There has been improvement in repairs and re-letting, resulting in   savings for the business and better maintained houses – increased value of housing stock
• Reductions in average weekly costs of managing the dwellings

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