Client Case Study - Trafford Housing Trust

Overview

Ascend carried out a structured programme of colleague engagement to get a clear picture of colleague experience of the integration process of Trafford Housing Trust into their parent company, L&Q.

We delivered a comprehensive report, providing insight, feedback and recommendations to the Director of Ops and Integration and the Operations Leadership Team.

Our work informed the ongoing change and integration, providing key areas for leadership focus, informing a clear narrative and consistent, authentic messaging, and putting colleague experience at the heart of the process.

The Background

Trafford Housing Trust was acquired by L&Q in 2021. The integration process has recently accelerated, and different departments and colleagues were being impacted and experiencing the change in different ways.

Ascend were engaged by the Trust to carry out an intensive programme of engagement to gather colleague insight. Our objectives were to capture and present back the varied experiences of the process so far; to identify positive practice and areas where the changes were being well lead, as well providing consultancy advice on ongoing challenges and issues that require specific action to address them.

"I was very impressed with the level of detail and insight gathered in a short period of time from the focus group sessions"

Partnerships Director

"The approach taken with colleagues in the room made sure that the feedback was representative, which then allowed a comprehensive and meaningful report to be presented to senior stakeholders which made impact."

Head of Change Programmes

The Approach

Ascend drafted communications, engaged with managers and leaders to quickly mobilise and schedule a series of focus group sessions with a cross section of colleagues. This included representation from all parts of the Trafford Housing Trust.

We designed and facilitated engaging, interactive workshop sessions (virtual and face-to-face) to draw out candid, comprehensive insight from all areas of the organisation, identifying themes and common areas, as well as anything that was specific to certain departments.

We produced and presented our report to the Director of Ops and Integration for L&Q and Trafford Housing Trust, and the Operations Leadership Team.

The Impact

Our findings and recommendations informed a rolling 3-month action plan which has been put in place, with change champions at the heart of understanding colleague experience to inform the ongoing integration planning process.

The increased focus on change leadership, consistency in communication and clarity of message means the integration process has a much increased chance of success. The improved colleague experience will ensure a continued high level of service provided to residents and customers of Trafford Housing Trust.

"With the support of Sam, senior stakeholders were fully engaged in the findings from the work, which has gained buy-in for a significant uplift in the prioritisation of change management."

Head of Change Programmes