Is the normal 9-to-5 outdated? Here at Yorkshire Housing, we offer agile working.
Our ‘Hub, Home, Roam’ approach means colleagues can work when they want and where they want which has been a huge game changer for ASB & Tenancy Enforcement Officer Stephanie Makey.
Having joined Yorkshire Housing in September of 2023, after a career in policing, Steph has quickly settled in with the team and is reaping the benefits of a more balanced working life.
Speaking of the move from her former job to Yorkshire Housing, Steph said: “I was in a position where my work and life balance was very poor, and I felt exhausted most of the time due to extended shifts…and I felt like I barely saw my children at times and had no routine at home.
“I needed something that would be flexible enough to work around all our kids (six of them) and still allow me to feel professionally fulfilled and that I was making a difference to people’s lives.
“I knew that Yorkshire Housing would do this.”
At Yorkshire Housing, we welcome people from all careers and recognise how interchangeable many skills are.
For Steph, this transition with her new employer was well received by many in her life… “Best of all, my nine-year-old blonde curly boy said to me this morning: ‘Mum it’s so good you changed jobs and went to Yorkshire Housing…’
“When I asked why he said, ‘because you’re home more and I see you more.”
Going from working in a non-housing industry to joining us
Steph’s job links in well with her previous experience in policing, as a social worker, and a stint in housing: “As an ASB & Enforcement Officer, there are two very different sides to my role, and I have an array of hats to put on depending upon the needs of the customers!
“One side of my role is dealing with the customers who are victims of their neighbour’s poor behaviour or criminality, and which may have had an impact on the quality of their life.
“Often, these customers will be really frustrated and upset by what they have been experiencing and I have to draw upon my communication skills to speak with them, manage their expectations and explain the enforcement process to them in order that they understand that action takes time.
“On the flip side, I deal with perpetrators of the ASB and Tenancy Breaches and have to deal with customers who might deny what has been happening, they might present a reason for their behaviour, or they may not engage with me at all.
“I have to draw on my professional judgments to make decisions and how best to proceed with a case and weight up all the available information to inform my decisions.”
“We have customers who may require additional support for substance or alcohol use, independent living, mental health, money management, budgeting, practical living skills, bereavement, safeguarding, or a whole range of other things.
“It’s my job to respond to these in a timely and appropriate manner.”
What’s been your favourite thing since moving to Yorkshire Housing?
“My colleagues! I have never worked in such a friendly and supportive organisation. From day one, I was made to feel so welcome, and I settled into my team really quickly…this has been key to how well I have adapted to the change from policing to a civilian role.
“I love the agile working. This really suits my lifestyle and helps me to see the children and be around when they need me. That is the type of thing that money cannot buy.
“I finish at a reasonable time, I start early, and I can make tea most nights. I’ve even recently taken up coaching swimming at the swim club where two of my children swim and compete.
“I just love the ethos and values of Yorkshire Housing; it shines through everything they do, and I am really invested in the organisation.
“…And I am, for the first time in many years, excited for the future and my self-development.”