Member Article

Payne’s Pride in the Job pays dividends

After just eighteen months as Site Manager, Nat Payne has been commended for the exceptional standard of his work, on a Wainhomes Severn Valley development in Swindon.

He has secured a Pride in the Job award from the National House Building Council (NHBC) for his work at The Lilies development, Tadpole Garden Village.

Given just to those who achieve the very highest standards in house building, the honour was attained by only the top performing 4% of over 11,000 Site Managers assessed nationwide.

Nat, 33 and from Emersons Green in Bristol, joined Wainhomes Severn Valley region in late 2018, in his first Site Manager role and says: “I love the job, the team working and seeing the homes take shape. It also gives me a thrill to see the excitement of the buyers when they move in.

“I am proud to have won this award, which I understand to be the first achieved by a Wainhomes Severn Valley site manager. But I could not have done it without the support of my colleagues and the company.”

West Country weather is his job’s biggest challenge, according to Nat, who says conditions are rarely just right for construction.

In addition to The Lilies site, Wainhomes Severn Valley is building, or planning to build almost 1,000 homes on 11 developments in and around Bath, Bridgwater, Bristol, Cam, Chippenham, Gloucester and Swindon.

Now in their 40th year, the NHBC Pride in the Job awards are highly regarded in the house-building industry. Judging is rigorous and the current competition began in July 2019, with each site manager assessed across six key areas: consistency, attention to detail, leadership, interpretation of drawings and specifications, technical expertise, and health and safety.

Recent research shows a direct link between homeowner satisfaction and sites with award-winning managers. The Home Builders Federation Customer Satisfaction Survey from 2015 to 2019 found that over 92% of homeowners on developments where there had been a Pride in the Job Award winner would recommend their builder - compared to 85% on those without.

NHBC Chief Executive Steve Wood said: “Pride in the Job has been pivotal in improving the quality of new homes so it’s fantastic to be able to celebrate our 40th anniversary. Despite the numerous challenges the industry has faced in recent times, the very best site managers of 2020 have kept their focus on delivering high quality new homes for their customers.

“It’s no surprise that developments with Pride in the Job winning sites managers have higher levels of homeowner satisfaction and are without doubt, among the best the country has to offer.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Paul Dobbie .