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From the frontline - Rachel Marsh
Rachel Marsh, business improvement manager at Hyde, talks about the value of doing things differently and the challenge of saying no to office treats
Tell us about your job.
I work with various teams to solve problems, generate ideas and find more efficient ways of doing things. It’s about making sure we are delivering the best value for money. People tend to do things in a certain way simply because that’s the way things have always been done, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best way. I like to challenge this thinking!
How did you get into housing?
I left college at 18 after completing a legal secretarial course but decided I wanted to work more with people. A job came up for an admin assistant at Hyde back in 1993 and I’ve been here ever since. After 25 years, I’ve learned so much, working my way up through a range of frontline housing roles. This knowledge and experience has been really useful for my current role.
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What is the best part of your job?
Seeing an idea come to life that makes a difference. I’m so proud of the work we’ve done to make more defined roles for those working in housing teams. Helping to establish specialist teams like our empty homes and lettings team, who deal with residents moving in or out of our homes, has helped streamline the service and drive up satisfaction.
What is the worst part?
I love my job so there isn’t a worst part, although the endless biscuits, cakes and sweets always presents a bit of a challenge, especially with my wedding rapidly approaching!
What would you change about the sector?
Make it easier for young people to get access to housing. There are so many who work but can’t find the money for a deposit and don’t qualify for social housing. We are committed to providing more homes to ease this problem, but housing associations can’t do this in isolation. Everyone needs to work together to make a real impact on the housing crisis.
If you could be prime minister for a day, what would you do?
Change the education system to make sure important life skills like finance and budgeting were taught at school. Skills like these are so important and can make the difference to someone keeping a roof over their head. I also think there needs to be more focus on housing and maybe a dedicated housing department within government.
What is the most private thing you’re willing to admit to your colleagues?
My only other job apart from working for Hyde was behind the counter at KFC back when I was 17. We never ran out of chicken on my watch!
