OurPeople

Michael

Catering Services Manager

Been at Broadacres for: 10 years

“From cooking for royalty to serving in the Armed Forces, I’ve been around a bit and I can honestly say that in terms of looking after staff, Broadacres has the best culture I have ever seen.“

After a career which had seen me cook at five-star hotels, for royalty and celebrities, and work as a Commercial Director for a food service company that supplied Pizza Hut and Wagamama, I had semi retired but it didn’t take me long to get bored. I’d seen the Broadacres vans around and when the opportunity to work here as a Chef Manager came up, I asked around and heard favourable reviews. Since I’ve been promoted to Catering Services Manager, I feel like I’ve had a lot of trust put in me. We’re exploring more diverse income streams such as corporate buffets and our independent bistro at Town Close. My personal development has been supported by courses and we’ve joined the National Catering Care Association so we have access to their seminars. This is the best culture I’ve ever experienced in terms of how staff are looked after, benefits and the support offered to teams and colleagues.

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Sharon

Property Surveyor

Been at Broadacres for: 22 years

“I’ve spent my whole career learning on the job and proving I can do it.”

“When I was at school I wanted to be a bricklayer but the careers people told me I had to be a secretary. I trained as an electrician but I couldn’t complete my course because no one would give me practical experience as a woman.

I joined Broadacres as a Support Worker before moving to the technical side as a Site Manager in our Empty Homes team when I oversaw 500 homes being refurbished in five years. I’ve learned to be a property surveyor on the job.In the 22 years I’ve been here, Broadacres has only changed for the better. The terms and conditions are brilliant, there’s fantastic support for people returning to work, there’s the Employee Assistance Programme and you can access therapy through Broadacres. When people leave Broadacres, they come back. We had a customer whose home showed evidence of mould. We got all the works done and went back to them. She told us that she doesn’t feel embarrassed when friends come round anymore, and her husband thanked me. Our customers speak highly of Broadacres and it’s because we always treat people with respect and because of all the support services we offer – helping people to maximise their benefits, for example.

If you’re looking for a job where you can progress and you’re thinking about Broadacres then go for it! Look at me! They’ll look after you and you’ll learn a lot. There’s a really good culture here and even the CEO is very approachable. You’ll find that the directors go out knocking on doors to get feedback from customers, it doesn’t feel like a hierarchy."

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Chris

Head of Property Services

Been at Broadacres for: 17 years

“Every day is different, you never know what you’re walking into. I enjoy the level of responsibility and being part of the decision-making process.”

I joined Broadacres as a Trainee Surveyor and I’ve made a career here. Now, as Head of Property Services, I oversee all repair and maintenance teams – we do everything from getting a tap fixed through to a full house refurb. As a collective, we do lots of things, but we do them all well. We achieve great things and offer an excellent customer experience.

Broadacres is a huge housing provider in this area and for some people it’s the only route into affordable housing. They couldn’t get on to the housing ladder without us – and the housing we offer is good quality. On top of that are the services we offer – the extra care, refuge, the young people’s homelessness service – we offer opportunities that just aren’t offered elsewhere. I’ve been here 17 years and I’ve had some great career opportunities. I’ve been supported with training, personal development and coaching. We believe in promoting from within and I’m proof of that. We have a healthy apprenticeship programme and I’m a big believer in it. Seeing apprentices develop into full-time colleagues is a very satisfying part of the job.

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Liz

Mental Health Support Worker

Been at Broadacres for: 4 years

“It’s a privilege to get to know the customers. They live in our supported accommodation for a year then we help them to move on. Building trust with them is very rewarding.”

We start the day with a team meeting to catch up then set out on our working day. We work with the supported housing customers and support them with anything from taking them to the shops, to appointments or jobs around the house. If they don’t answer the door we need to do a welfare check. It can be challenging work but we have great processes in place and a very good, hands-on management team to help you make decisions. The team all have varied backgrounds and different skills. I’m an ex psychiatric nurse and there’s a former social worker, someone with financial expertise and one with experience of working with young people at a children’s home. There’s a brilliant culture at Broadacres, it’s the best place I’ve ever worked. They really look after the staff. It’s supportive and I feel comfortable. Everyone is approachable and feels part of the team, from the Chief Exec to new joiners. There’s good mental health support and training, and I feel like people listen to you and value your skills.

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Ewan

Apprentice Property Surveyor

Been at Broadacres for: 3 years

“The most rewarding thing about the job is helping people and interacting with so many different people, leading such different lives.”

“I joined Broadacres as an Administrator in the Empty Homes team and I was interested in doing something more technical so I put my name down for an apprenticeship. I went through an assessment day which included an escape room-type personality-based exercise. The next stage was an interview. I’m lucky to be an apprentice in this team, there’s such a good knowledge base and I get to spend time with different people in different trades and also see how everyone solves problems in their own way. The other day we went to see a tenant who was deaf so we communicated by exchanging notes on our phones. It turned out they couldn’t hear the thermostat click so they didn’t know when the heating was on. We’re solving this by getting one with a digital display instead.

Broadacres has such a positive impact on the community. Recently we did a Community Action Day which included putting skips out so people can get rid of their rubbish. Everyone here is so positive, friendly and happy to help. There’s an emphasis on promoting from within and even if you go for an interview but you’re not successful, you’ll get useful feedback. In my experience if people leave Broadacres, they tend to come back.”

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Our Teams

If you meet a Broadacres colleague out on the road, at our head office or at one of our homes, you’ll find the same thing. Respectful, empathetic, passionate people committed to providing great homes and great customer experiences. Meet some of our team and find out what their jobs involve and what it’s like to work at Broadacres.

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From cooking for royalty to serving in the Armed Forces, I’ve been around a bit and I can honestly say that in terms of looking after staff, Broadacres has the best culture I have ever seen.

The most rewarding thing about the job is helping people and interacting with so many different people, leading such different lives.”

It’s a privilege to get to know the customers. They live in our supported accommodation for a year then we help them to move on. Building trust with them is very rewarding.

Join Ian for a day in the life of a heating engineer

Jump in Ian’s van and follow him and his apprentice Adam to find out what a typical day is like for our heating engineers. Watch how they solve a problem for one of our customers and see how they keep up to date with their to-do list.

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