Thursday, June 09, 2011

Inside Housing censuring negative remarks about Notting Hill Housing Group?

"All together Better"? I hope it is not true that the Inside Housing magazine "web site" has been censuring forceful (but not I understand in any way offensive) comments made in response to this article.  Some employees and residents of a certain London Housing
Group have apparently taken exception to this article and made comments which were later removed from the site. Click on caption (left) to bring up detail.

Without at all criticising the people named in the report I must admit that the article does appear to be a "lift" from a typical daft and gushing insult to the intelligence RSL press release.  Something we see of far too often in our sector. I will try and find out more.



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Two things

I *almost* joined Nhhg as an Admin Officer about a year ago, but I visited the office twice, and something was nagging at me that wasn't quite right. The management all seemed very starry eyed and enthusiastic about the group - the other staff did not. They were very private sector in organisation - clean desk policy, strict dress code, and a laughter free zone. Talking at length to the managers, they enthused about ATB and how it had empowered staff. Talking to staff, it transpires one of the main reasons they brought ATB in was to get rid of expensive, highly qualified staff, who would often contradict or argue the toss with management. Bring in inepxerienced, non-Housing staff and they will do what they are told. It really seemed a bit cult-like there, the managers - and some of the galley slaves all endlessly sang the praises of the company.

One of the things junior staff told me was the fact that flex had been got rid of, ostensibly in response to 'abuse' but in actual fact to cut down on overtime and staff not being there because they had to work long hours to do the job. Now you are expected to work long hours to do the job - unpaid, with TOIL frowned upon and rarely approved, with the excuse that staffing is short and tenants will suffer.

The other thing is my complete and utter lack of surprise that IH consored the responses - NHHG are major advertisers and big players - one of the G15 - in the field - does anyone *seriously* think if they complained IH would cite "freedom of speech"? I'd be surprised.

John Gray said...

Hi anon

thanks for this. I think there is a wider problem in our sector and it’s not just NHHG. The governance arrangement of so many Groups is just rubbish.

We need to make them accountable and transparent then perhaps we will not get such silliness.