A week in the life of… a housing services manager

Tuesday

I love the challenge of my role and opportunity to learn about how buildings are engineered and the specifics that go into renovations and refurbishments. This afternoon I oversaw lighting changes and improvements to communal aerials – this enabled me to learn more at the development.

My job is great because of the different people I get to meet, whether that be residents or colleagues. I work with everyone on my team very closely to co-ordinate cover, and since my team is site-based we are still able to speak in person, as long as we remain socially distanced.

Outside of my role at Anchor Hanover I engage in community work. In the past few months I have spoken at a number of public Zoom conferences, which would normally take place in person, talking about topics, such as business and the sustainable development goals and the post-COVID-19 jobs market, to help people in the wider community.

Wednesday

We have an extensive landscaping project in the works and today I oversee the planting of new trees on site. Our resident gardening committee has been involved from a landscaping perspective. It’s great to have a forum for residents to participate in and help create a setting which they feel happy and proud to live in.

Today I’m also liaising with the wider Anchor Hanover team about the intricacies of a gate that needs to be elevated and another that requires automatic lock systems. It’s another opportunity to gain further insight into the mechanisms of structures at the location.

Thursday

I spend the best part of the day completing the week’s tasks and begin planning ahead.

In the afternoon I meet with local authorities and different agencies to discuss matters in the community and how we can all work together in a way that benefits the whole community, as well as supporting residents at the location. As someone who is passionate about building strong relationships within our wider community, I believe this is an important part of my role.

Friday

I look forward to Fridays as it is an opportunity to meet and catch up with my colleagues. We speak about various topics such as meeting customers’ needs, the management of the site, repairs, responsibilities and how best to improve things.

In the afternoon I spend time writing the resident newsletter which covers subjects including site-specific maintenance issues, coronavirus updates and virtual Anchor Hanover events. There is also a section for residents to share information with each other. This is a great way to enrich our community especially during a time when people aren’t interacting as much.

Before the end of the day I make sure everything is in place for the team working over the next few days.

This weekend I’ll be organising gifts and food items for older people in my community as well as gathering donations for local children. With the community work I do outside Anchor Hanover, I am almost as busy on the weekends as I am during the week.