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We’re thrilled to have 42 new Carpentry and Bricklaying apprentice starters and 2 new plumbers joining us in 2020. With 30 starters in England, 4 in Wales and 10 in Scotland, they’ll be making a difference to local communities all over the UK. Over the coming months our apprentice starters will be splitting their time between real work on-site and gaining the qualifications they’ll need to become a fully-qualified tradesperson. Join us in giving a warm welcome to our newest recruits, wishing you all a long and healthy career here at Barratt. Stay tuned to hear how they get on.
While World Mental Health Day may have been and gone, the topic of mental health is still going strong here at Barratt with our very own Health & Wellbeing month. Having listened to feedback from employees, we kickstarted the month with an interactive webinar on how to manage your mental health, in partnership with Willis Towers Watson. The session was well attended as employees discussed their top tips for staying healthy during COVID-19 and beyond. Stay tuned to hear about the initiatives and support we're promoting during Health & Wellbeing month.
Last week, we celebrated National Inclusion Week by listening to and sharing the stories of our employees from different backgrounds. Understanding others’ viewpoints and experiences in the industry is vital for helping us facilitate a more inclusive culture and from each story, there’s a lesson to be learnt. “As a business we can learn a lot about our customers by having a diverse work force, which enables us to provide an excellent customer experience,” explains Azar from our Manchester Division. Hear from some of our other employees across Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
Being there for our communities is at the heart of what we do. It aligns with two of our principles: 'Building Strong Community Relationships' and 'Being a Trusted Partner'. One way we do this is through our Barratt & David Wilson Community Fund. With this, each of our 27 divisions can donate £1,000 every month to a charity or community group of their choice, helping to improve the quality of life for local communities. Find out more here:
As some form of normality returns to our everyday lives, it can be easy to fall back onto bad habits which could damage our natural surroundings not long after it's recently had a chance to recover. That's why, we're supporting the RSPB's most recent initiative, #ActionsForNature. Whether we're setting new benchmarks for nature-friendly housing developments or continuing to create a net positive impact on biodiversity and ecology, we're keeping nature front of mind. Big or small, what actions are you taking to protect nature?
The construction industry is dealing with the issues of gender equality and mental health. But what if the two were interlinked? Rebecca, a Senior Site Manager in South Wales, is one of our 92 NHBC Pride in the job Winners. She's been with us for over 15 years. From her experience, men are more likely to approach her when they have a problem, they might not be able to speak out elsewhere due to cultural differences and gender expectations. For Rebecca, the emotional aspect that women bring to the role, could help create a more open working culture and bring down the risk of suicide for those in construction which currently sits at 1.6 times higher than the national average.
Despite the significant impact of COVID-19, our experienced and skilled team have delivered another year of strong and resilience performance. As we look forward with cautious optimism, we are committed to quality housebuilding and creating sustainable places where communities thrive. Read more in our Annual Report 2020, published today, here: https://www.barrattdevelopments.co.uk/~/media/Files/B/Barratt-Developments/reports-presentation/2020/barratt-ar2020.pdf
The World Health Organization estimates that someone takes their own life every 40 seconds. This World Suicide Prevention Day, we need to come together to fight the stigma around mental health. That’s why we’ve recently joined the Building Mental Health Charter in conjunction with the Lighthouse Club. In addition to our current support, we’ll be sharing training from Building Mental Health partners, enabling champions in the workplace and providing a platform for employees to speak up and share their experiences with mental health. Together, let’s look out for each other.
Our people really are at the heart of our business, and this has been proven once again as we congratulate all of our colleagues who have celebrated long service milestones over the last few months. We would usually be marking the occasion with our Annual Long Service Celebration Dinner, however, we’re looking at ways in which we can mark these milestones during the pandemic. We would especially like to congratulate William for 40 years of service and George for 35 years of service, both in the North of Scotland. Here’s a throwback to last year’s celebration!
