Sarah's blog | Trusted time works at Progress Housing Group
Sarah Clark, Progress Housing Group's Resourcing and Talent Acquisition Partner shares her journey working for the Group as part of the HR & OD Team.
Finding your place
I recommend working at Progress Housing Group to many friends because this organisation reflects many of my values. I love the progressive, one-team nature of the business. I love its openness. I love that it's forward-thinking - and just the whole ethos!
Working for Progress is something that I'm proud of, and I share this often with my friends and networks.
My career journey at Progress Housing Group
So far, my journey here has been fantastic; I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities I've had so far – they tap into all the skills I've brought with me from previous jobs: team-working, interviewing and recruitment, communications, and report-writing. I also feel fortunate to have such an all-around involvement in my service area; it helps me understand my colleagues' situations and makes working here just that bit easier.
The heart of what we do
The last ten months have been significant for me regarding the organisation's growth and change. We have put our values at the forefront of what we do by investing in new software to enhance candidate experiences, developing training programmes and supporting apprentices.
We've recently worked with DFN Project Search, South Ribble Borough Council and Runshaw College to develop the skill set of a group of interns.
Bringing our 'whole selves' to work
I'll give you a really simple example – I like the idea of organising my own time around work and personal commitments – achieving the perfect work-life balance.
A typical day might be: emails at 7 am, break for school run, back to working from home or the office, or a meeting in a café to talk through new projects with a team member, a dentist appointment, dinner with the family and back to work until early evening. But the next day might be a more typical 9 am - 5 pm!
In many roles at Progress, we do not need to adhere to predetermined core working hours. To control the quality of work and efficiency, it is less about the hours worked per day and more about the attention paid to achieving previously agreed objectives and working your weekly contracted hours.
That, to me, is an excellent example of being able to be your whole self. I always feel like I can better show my skills through the real me rather than through a performance of me. You're given 'permission' by everyone who works here – the culture is open – you can see and feel it.
The uniqueness of Progress Housing Group
The unique thing about Progress is the sheer sense of camaraderie; and the care behind that. I believe we genuinely want to make a difference in our community, and I have a hundred examples of things I see daily. Our caring culture is based on a sense of community, trust, developing potential and promoting wellness.
The trusted-time way of working allows me to continue my career progression whilst being the best mum and version of myself without any guilt.