FINANCE
“ We do business throughout the UK but we bring back the profits to invest in our local community here in the Tees Valley ,”
Niki Barker , Director of People and Culture , Darlington Building Society
“ We recognise the importance of reassuring employees at this time around balancing their job with their home life ,” says Andrew .
“ Supporting people with time to dedicate to home schooling , changing hours to fit around childcare and having 90 per cent of head office staff working from home , we have tried to ease many of the added stresses that have come with this difficult period .
“ Being a caring employer and looking after your staff is good business practice . You get much more out of people if you look after them and support them and pay them fairly .
“ Niki and the team do a fantastic job providing support for all our branch staff , those working from home and the few who are still going into our head office , because all those groups have different concerns .”
Staff are also encouraged to get involved in volunteering and have continued throughout the pandemic by helping organisations such as Age UK and even assisting the NHS with “ flu marshalling ”, helping direct mainly elderly patients in the drive-in vaccine centre at Darlington Mowden Park ’ s stadium .
“ Staff have loved helping out ,” says Niki . “ Even when it ’ s been raining all day , they come back on a high – one lady ’ s been back four times , including on her weekends !”
That ’ s just one of the ways Darlington Building Society helps the local community . Another is through the Five Per Cent Pledge – where five per cent of net profits are given to local charities and not-for-profit organisations .
“ We do business throughout the UK but we bring back the profits to invest in our local community here in the Tees Valley ,” says Andrew .
This year the society has backed The Bread and Butter Thing , which sells surplus food to those in need at very low cost . It contributed £ 20,000 to the charity ’ s startup costs and around 500 families now benefit from its services every week .
“ It fits so well with our philosophy , because we ’ re a social enterprise as well as a business that wants to make money ,” says Andrew . “ It was something that touched me and it ’ s been very successful .”
The society was on the verge of funding a climbing wall at Daisy Chain ’ s Stockton centre , enabling children with autism to enjoy the sport in a calm environment , but the plan was shelved due to social distancing requirements .
“ Instead , they came up with the idea of a polytunnel where they could grow fruit and vegetables that can then be sold in their shop , so we agreed to divert the funding there ,” says Andrew . “ We ’ re hoping our staff will volunteer to help clear the ground to enable the tunnel to be installed .”
The society ’ s chief operating officer Chris Hunter is
the volunteer treasurer of another great charity , the 700 Club , which works with homeless people , and the society handed over £ 4,000 to refurbish a room in its new hostel in Darlington town centre .
“ That ’ s another great fit because it helps the homeless and we ’ re all about encouraging people to own their own homes ,” says Andrew .
These and many other initiatives all add up to a winning formula that has enabled the society to not only retain its existing staff but recruit 35 new staff during this toughest of years , including eight apprentices , adding to its growing headcount in more recent years which now sees it employing 179 employees .
“ Demand for mortgages is huge , with lots of pent-up demand and right now our pipeline is busier than ever ,” reveals Andrew . “ Our employees are coping with a high workload , yet they are embracing the challenge .”
Niki adds : “ They are so dedicated and want to support our members , the business and the community .”
Looking to the future , she continues : “ We want to attract people in the local area to come to work for us , support the next generation and become a local employer of choice . We hope that people really see what we are all about and see Darlington as a great place to work .”
The voice of business in the Tees region | 53