Renfrewshire Building services team strikes gold with national award
A new approach which has boosted employment opportunities, employee skills and customer satisfaction has gained a prestigious national award for Renfrewshire Council’s building services team.
The team has been awarded the Investors in People gold standard for business improvement – the highest accolade of its kind.
Building services, which is responsible for carrying out repairs and planned maintenance across council owned buildings, offices and homes, impressed the IIP assessors with the changes it has made over the past two years to improve the quality and efficiency of its service.
The improvements have been driven by a new management structure, new ways of working and a performance management system that focuses on developing and multi-skilling the team that includes 190 employees covering nine different trades.
In addition to carrying out 70,000 housing repairs each year, the building services team also supports the delivery of the council’s major investment programme and projects such as the refurbishment of vacant properties.
Over 1,250 businesses in Scotland have received an Investors in People (IIP) award but less than 5% have achieved gold standard.
The IIP assessors praised the council’s commitment to creating local employment opportunities. This year seven apprentices joined the team, four through the council’s modern apprentice scheme for 16 to 19 year olds and three through the mature apprenticeship programme. The apprentices gain on the job experience and are given the opportunity to study and qualify in their preferred trade.
Councillor Mike Holmes, Deputy Leader for Renfrewshire Council said: “The building services team has worked hard to establish a new way of working that puts its staff at the centre of its operation. Only an efficient, highly skilled and motivated workforce can deliver the standards of service delivery expected by our residents.
“As the Investors in People report highlights, the number of council tenants satisfied with the work carried out in their homes has risen above 95% while staff sickness has fallen from 10.8% to 3.7%.
“The team’s new approach is clearly working. It’s encouraging that skills and development opportunities are at the heart of it and that our apprentices will be benefiting from their employment within a high performing service.
“Investors in People is the respected authority on business improvement and performance management. It’s an enormous achievement for building services to have received its gold standard. I congratulate everyone involved and hope we can achieve this same level of excellence across the council.”
Article and Photograph courtesy of Renfrewshire Council.