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Colin Smart

Welcome to the MD’s Blog Page. This blog is updated on a regular basis and contains information on the company’s plans and achievements from my own point of view. Whether you are a resident or a family member of a resident, employee or for any other reason, have an interest in Kingdom Homes, I hope you will find this blog interesting and informative.

Colin Smart, Managing Director

Employee Focus Group

Monday, 7 June 2010

The first meeting of the Employee Focus Group was held on 25th May. The Focus Group has been established as a direct result of feedback from the Staff Survey that we held in January. Employees throughout Kingdom Homes Ltd were invited to join the group voluntarily so that issues affecting them as individuals or their fellow colleagues could be discussed with representatives from senior management.  

I hope that staff will see these meetings as a positive step towards improved communication and support their representatives by providing them with feedback and topics for discussion at future meetings. The minutes of the first meeting are here for all to read.

Employee Focus Group Meeting MInutes

Date: 25th May 2010.

Venue: Barrogil Training Room.

Gary Logan opened the meeting by thanking everyone for attending the first meeting of the focus group.

Gary said that the purpose of the meeting was to establish the aims of the group and what format the meetings would take going forward.

Everyone introduced themselves and expressed their expectations from the focus group meetings. The main expectations were:

  • That the focus group would give a platform for staff who were unhappy to be able to express their feelings through their representative.
  • That communication be improved, not only between head office and the homes, but between the homes as well.

The aims of the focus group were agreed as

“Working together for a better working environment”

Achieved by:

  • Improved communication within Kingdom Homes.
  • Improved relationships between different areas of Kingdom Homes.
  • Shared ideas and good practice.
  • Reduced fear and anxiety through being better informed.
  • Improved staff morale.
  • Improved resident care.

The meeting reviewed the changes to the contract of employment and company handbook, mainly relating to SSSC registration. The group agreed that both documents were in order.

Other topics raised, but not developed at this meeting were

  •       Staff fears at having to cover shifts in other homes, although all agreed that as we were all employed by Kingdom Homes, it was not an unreasonable request.
  •        Sharing ideas between the homes, where good practice has been developed.
  •        That Kingdom Homes should look at incentives for people working days off or overtime.

The group agreed on the following for future meetings:

  • Meetings to be held initially monthly in order to get them established, before moving to quarterly.
  • The meetings to be held in a different home each month to encourage participation.
  • The hosting home to drive the agenda.
  • No more than two topics to be discussed at each meeting.
  • Meetings would be no longer than 2 hours.
  • Each home to try and get 2 representatives on different shifts (so that one would always be on duty) so at least one person can attend the meeting each month.

Date of next meeting: Wednesday 25th June 2010, 2 – 4 pm.

Venue: Preston House.