LiveWest residents have helped decide how our employees are expected to treat them, in a set of behaviours that opens with a commitment to keep things human.
Bromford Flagship LiveWest (BFL), which has almost 300,000 customers across the South West, Central and East of England, has published its first single set of values since its merger in January, alongside a behavioural framework spelling out how colleagues are expected to act day to day.
Residents sat in the sessions with BFL staff members, and their input shaped the final document.
The three values, We are people driven, We are ambitious and We are all in, each carries three behaviours written in the first person and set out from the point of view of customers, employees and leaders.
Steph Foster, Head of Culture and Organisational Development at BFL, said: “Wherever possible we've used the exact language and phrases people used in the sessions. If anyone reads it and thinks, ‘I remember saying that’, good. We've tried to avoid corporate speak.”
James Masters has been a long-standing customer and knew little about social housing before moving into his home with his wife and two children.
In 2023, James became Chair of InFocus. James has welcomed the new values and behaviours introduced across BFL.
He said: "Through consistently demonstrating respect, honesty, care, and professionalism, it builds trust, creates positive experiences and shows customers that they are genuinely valued.
“By consistently demonstrating respect, honesty, care and professionalism, we build trust, create positive experiences and show residents that they are genuinely valued.
“When values are embedded in actions, residents can feel confident that they are being listened to and supported in the right way."
Stephen Howe, who has rented from Bromford and its predecessor Severn Vale for seven years in Churchdown near Gloucester, went to several sessions on the framework.
He said: “For me it's a blueprint for success, as long as they follow it and keep fixing the bits that don't work.”
The first behaviour, 'I keep things human', came from customers saying they did not want to be pushed towards apps and portals when what they wanted was somebody to talk to.
Others include 'I listen and act', 'I do the right thing' and 'I take accountability', and each is paired with the same behaviour at its worst: 'hiding behind policy or process', 'responding only to the loudest voices', 'asking for people's views without acting on them'.
Brenda Canham, from Thetford in Norfolk, served on the Flagship board as a customer representative for 17 years and now sits on the regional customer network for the east.
She said: “Because it's all new, we're wondering if it's going to work. But the values and behaviours are good, and it was a great session.
”Having these values and behaviours is a great thing but it's also important to challenge ourselves to live up to them. We all need to respect one another, and that culture has to run throughout the organisation, not just at the top.“
Steph said publishing the framework is where the work starts, not where it ends.
She said: ”There's work to do to make sure we get the consistency we need, and that we're holding people to account against these.“