Our People

At Countryside Properties one of our key objectives is to become an employer of choice and to develop and retain excellent staff, which is particularly important in the current economic climate. Developing the skills and abilities of our people via the Investor in People standard, which we first achieved in 2000, will be essential going forward due to the increasing complexity of development.

As part of the Investor in People Standard, to which we are accredited, internal research is undertaken with members of staff and is used to measure the effectiveness of management, communication and support systems to ensure material risks and staff issues are met.

Integrity and professionalism is central to our approach in working with our stakeholders to deliver mutually beneficial results. We therefore seek to instil into our people the importance of our values of integrity, professionalism, respect, openness, collaboration, innovation and the highest standards of delivery.

Training and employee development

We continue to invest in the training and development of our employees to ensure they have the full range of skills to meet the challenges and opportunities of the ever evolving development industry. This is principally being realised, in accordance with our Training and Development Policy, via the Group’s Training Academy, and in particular our ‘Training to Succeed’ programme which includes courses on leadership, management, health and safety, and sustainability. Additional specialist courses are also available to meet individual training needs.

Since 2001 we have had a successfully operating Graduate Management Training Programme. .During the reporting period we had 30 trainees working in four specially designed programmes for school and college leavers, undergraduates and graduates. In 2008 the fifth group of Graduate Management Trainees left the programme and have taken up full-time employment within the Group in their chosen careers.

Graduate Management Training Programme

Our Graduate Management Trainees are placed in a variety of different working environments and given a broad exposure to the main disciplines of our business, learning a wide range of skills in the process. These aim to provide the foundations for a successful long-term career with the Group. Support is given to all trainees at every stage of their programme, training and academic study.

During the reporting period, the Group invested £881,323 (2007 - £1,013,259) in employee development and training, including our Graduate Management Training Programme, which averaged, per employee, £1,098 (2007 - £1,249) or 2.8 training days – all of which compares favourably with our peer group.

Empowering success

We recognise that we will achieve our objectives through our people, by encouraging a climate of professionalism, teamwork, enjoyment and continuous development by empowering them to achieve success.

As an equal opportunities employer, Countryside Properties endeavours to provide employment on a fair and equitable basis. Internal job development, promotion and job sharing are actively encouraged to ensure that experienced employees are retained.

Personal Development Reviews (PDRs) are undertaken, as a minimum, on an annual basis. They provide the framework for recognising achievements and objectives for the future, as well as training requirements. During this reporting period 74% (2007: 95%) of employees undertook a PDR. This reduction is disappointing, but is perhaps not surprising given the prevailing market conditions and the need to rationalise the business.

The ‘Buddy’ programme which we set up in 2007 is proving to be of real value. Indeed, better team working has resulted in further reductions in absence levels. In 2007, the last calendar year for which national and sectorial statistics are available, the average absence across the Group has fallen to 5 days (2006: 6.1) and is now lower than the construction industry average, which has increased from 4.7 to 6.2 days. This compares with the national average for all UK industry of 6.7 days in 2007 (2006: 7.0). In 2007 we therefore achieved our overall objective of reducing the average absence days per person to be at least the average of the Construction Industry.

Renumeration packages, holiday, pensions and health care entitlements are also monitored, against industry benchmarks, to ensure that they remain competitive. It continues to be the Group’s policy to ensure that the overwhelming majority of employees hold full contracts of employment rather than being engaged on a temporary basis.

Internal communications

We are committed to high levels of internal communications. The Group’s intranet is comprehensive and a staff magazine and an email newsletter are regularly produced. In addition, Senior Directors give regular presentations to staff outlining financial performance, strategy and key initiatives going forward and there are induction days for new starters. Our commitment to sustainability is communicated to our employees through each of these mediums, in addition to learning on innovative projects.

Since our Internal Communications Advisory Group was formed in 2006 it has improved the effectiveness of internal communications and training across the Group. Chaired by the Chief Executive, its members are drawn from a cross-section of staff representing each Division.

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