Accreditations

Certificate Number 9781

Investors in People  is the standard for people management. The standard defines what it takes to lead, support and manage people for sustainable results.

September 2015 saw the launch of the sixth generation Standard. Led by a UK government commission review, hundreds of academics, business leaders, industry experts and practitioners were involved in the creation of the sixth generation, which introduces a four stage performance model, and nine new indicators based on the features of organisations that consistently outperform industry norms.

IIP conducted an assessment of the Group at the beginning of April 2020 as part of a three-year review and we are pleased to say that we were successful in retaining the ‘we invest in people standard’.

The assessment was also an opportunity for colleagues to share their feelings about how the organisation has responded to the Covid-19 pandemic, with a number of people commenting on how everyone has pulled together and how the organisation has made good use of employees’ skills and knowledge across the Group. Employees have appreciated the open and honest response from the organisation as well as regular communication and offer of support.

IIP conducted an assessment of the Group at the beginning of April 2020 as part of a three-year review and we are pleased to say that we were successful in retaining the ‘we invest in people standard’.

The assessment was also an opportunity for colleagues to share their feelings about how the organisation has responded to the Covid-19 pandemic, with a number of people commenting on how everyone has pulled together and how the organisation has made good use of employees’ skills and knowledge across the Group. Employees have appreciated the open and honest response from the organisation as well as regular communication and offer of support.

As a disability confident employer, we are committed to supporting employees who have a disability or become disabled during the course of their employment. We display the ‘disability confident - committed’ symbol demonstrating that we meet the standard to encourage and make adjustments for applicants with disabilities.

As a level 2 accredited disability confident employer we are committed to:

• Interviewing disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for a job vacancy, considering them on their abilities
• Making every effort when employees become disabled to make sure they stay in employment
• Taking action to ensure that all employees develop the appropriate level of disability awareness needed to ensure that this commitment works.

The government wants services for all that are efficient, effective, excellent, equitable and empowering – with the citizen always and everywhere at the heart of service provision. With this in mind Customer Service Excellence ® was developed to offer services a practical tool for driving customer-focused change within their organisation.

The foundation of this tool is the Customer Service Excellence ® standard which tests in great depth those areas that research has indicated are a priority for customers, with particular focus on delivery, timeliness, information, professionalism and staff attitude. There is also emphasis placed on developing customer insight, understanding the user’s experience and robust measurement of service satisfaction.

How does it work and what are the benefits?

Customer Service Excellence ® is designed to operate on three distinct levels:

1. As a driver of continuous improvement. By allowing organisations to self assess their capability, in relation to customer focussed service delivery, identifying areas and methods for improvement;
2. As a skills development tool. By allowing individuals and teams within the organisation to explore and acquire new skills in the area of customer focus and customer engagement, thus building their capacity for delivering improved services;
3. As an independent validation of achievement. By allowing organisations to seek formal accreditation to the Customer Service Excellence ® standard, demonstrate their competence, identify key areas for improvement and celebrate their success.

Progress Housing Group has received a Compliance Plus Customer Service Excellence accreditation. 

Customer Service Excellence was developed to offer companies and organisations a practical tool for driving customer-focused change. 

The foundation of this tool is the Customer Service Excellence standard which tests in great depth those areas that research has indicated are a priority for customers, with particular focus on delivery, timeliness, information, professionalism and staff attitude. 

There is also emphasis placed on developing customer insight, understanding the user’s experience and robust measurement of service satisfaction.

Progress Housing Group is proud to be an accredited Living Wage Employer.

This commitment ensures that all employees are paid at least the Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation according to the basic cost of living in the UK. This includes individuals who work on a regular basis at our premises for a subcontractor, such as cleaners or security staff.

Living Wage employers report improved morale, lower turnover of staff, reduced absenteeism, increased productivity and improved customer service. The Living Wage mark recognises and celebrates this leadership. To find out more about accreditation and the Living Wage mark, please click here.