Staff surveys and appraisals for housing associations, from the office to the van.

Lone working · Safety

Are staff safe on home visits and repairs?

In UNISON's 2024–25 survey of over 1,100 housing workers, most of them in councils, 72% said they had experienced violence at work in the past year, and 40% said they were not properly supported afterwards. Housing associations in Scotland recorded 1,462 incidents against staff in a year, and the union warns that inconsistent recording means some go unlogged.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 adds a duty, in force from 30 October 2026, not to permit your staff to be harassed by third parties, such as the residents and visitors they meet on visits.

What it helps you see: how safe people feel on visits and jobs, whether risks are shared before a visit, and whether incidents are followed up, beyond what your incident log shows.

How to track it: ask in every pulse survey, split by team and role, and set the answers beside your incident log. An alert tells the right person that an answer needs attention.

Workload and staffing

Are patches, caseloads and job lists manageable?

In UNISON's survey, 77% of housing workers called their work stressful, four in five said the pressure had grown, and nearly a third managed patches of more than 1,000 homes.

What it helps you see: whether patch sizes, caseloads and repair timescales leave time to do the job properly, and where systems slow people down.

How to track it: ask in a pulse survey on a schedule you set, and compare teams and regions as new repair timescales come in.

Burnout and wellbeing

Is the pressure on housing and support staff sustainable?

In a UK study of 139 frontline workers in homelessness services, 23% met the threshold for a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder, and a supportive organisational culture protected against burnout. The Housing Ombudsman has described hearing from staff who are struggling, some becoming desensitised and others demoralised.

What it helps you see: who is most stretched, from supported housing to the contact centre, and whether people get support after a difficult visit or call.

How to track it: ask in a regular pulse survey, and compare supported housing, housing management, repairs and the contact centre.

Training and progression

Do staff have the skills and training their roles now need?

In UNISON's survey, 45% of housing workers said they lacked the training their job needs.

What it helps you see: whether people are getting the training and time to study they need, and whether they can see a way to progress.

How to track it: ask once a year in your fuller survey, split by role and grade, and set the answers beside your plan for the new qualifications.

Management and support · Discrimination, harassment and inclusion

Do managers support their teams, and is everyone treated fairly?

A review of three decades of research found that leaders' behaviour, and their relationship with their staff, go with employees' stress and wellbeing. In England's housing associations, 12% of the workforce is Black, but only 3% of executives are.

What it helps you see: which teams have managers who support and inform them, and whether people from every background feel treated fairly and able to progress.

How to track it: split results by team and, where groups are big enough, by background, with the ethics filter on so results are only shown for groups of six or more.

Turnover and retention

Will you keep the people residents rely on?

In UNISON's survey, nearly two-thirds of housing workers were looking for another job. Thinking about leaving is the strongest single predictor of actually leaving, which makes it worth asking directly.

What it helps you see: who is thinking of leaving and why, and whether staff feel proud of, and able to give, the service residents need.

How to track it: ask the core question in every survey, follow new starters with an onboarding journey and leavers with an exit survey, and compare teams.