In the fold

Remember how you felt when you got your first job in housing? Depressed, overawed or just pretty chuffed? If it's the latter you're not alone. New research by MORI has shown that people joining the housing sector are generally pleased with their choice. A total of 100 new entrants took part in an in-depth survey to gauge their initial impressions of the sector, their longer-term career aspirations and whether they would stay within the sector. Half of those interviewed were new to housing, with the other half new to their organisation. When they were asked what were their initial impressions of their new job, 89 per cent said they were very or fairly positive. Perhaps surprisingly, given anecdotal evidence that the sector has been criticised in the past for over-selling jobs in a desperate attempt to recruit, 91 per cent stated that their expectations had in fact been met a great deal or a fair amount, rising to 96 per cent for those new to housing. These initial results come from a major research project analysing retention strategies in the housing sector. It sought to blow away some of the mystique around recruitment within the housing sector. The report indicated that the housing sector had a low, in some cases non-existent, profile in terms of job choice. The project findings enabled HR professionals to challenge some of the preconceived notions about who is attracted to the sector and what are the most appropriate means of getting them to join. However, the research had concentrated on recruitment and what became apparent was that retention (the 'to hold' bit) required further investigation. This new research has attracted £60,000 of Housing Corporation Innovation & Good Practice Grant and further financial support from both Anglia and Northern Counties. The project is also being jointly supported by the NHF and the Chartered Institute of Housing. The rationale is clear. As the NHF's director of corporate service Jane Greenoak puts it, there is much work going on to raise the sector's profile, particularly through Housing's Better Future – but there is little point in attracting people to the sector if they don't stay. The research has focused on nine case study registered social landlords of varying sizes across the country. The project breaks down into several elements: Firstly, in-depth interviews with human resources directors exploring a number of key retention themes, particularly the difficulties in the …