About Simon Bernstein

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So far Simon Bernstein has created 9 blog entries.

Reverse mentoring: the surprising leadership tool transforming workplaces

2025-11-04T08:42:12+00:00

In a fast-changing world, the leaders of housing associations are under constant pressure to adapt, from evolving tenant expectations to new technologies and generational shifts in the workforce. One approach gaining real traction across sectors is reverse mentoring, where senior leaders are mentored by more junior colleagues. What is reverse mentoring and why does it work? Unlike traditional mentoring, where experience flows top-down, reverse mentoring turns the relationship on its head. A CEO, director or head of service is paired with someone younger, newer, or from a different background to gain insight into their lived experiences and workplace realities. When British [...]

Reverse mentoring: the surprising leadership tool transforming workplaces2025-11-04T08:42:12+00:00

Reconnecting Humanity: The Power of Real Communication in Social Housing

2025-11-04T08:40:55+00:00

I recently found myself in a restaurant in Marbella, watching a family of four at the next table. The children- around ten and twelve- sat silently, eyes locked on their phones, completely detached from the world around them. Their parents exchanged a few words, but there was no laughter, no conversation, no connection. It was a striking image of what’s happening in our wider society- technology connecting us digitally, yet dividing us emotionally. This disconnection is not confined to families; it’s seeping into our workplaces and our communities - including social housing. The Housing Ombudsman’s 2024 report highlighted that over 35% [...]

Reconnecting Humanity: The Power of Real Communication in Social Housing2025-11-04T08:40:55+00:00

Leadership Without Fear: Building Psychologically Safe Teams in Housing

2025-09-15T12:06:17+00:00

Leadership Without Fear: Building Psychologically Safe Teams in Housing In the dynamic world of social housing, where the stakes are high and the challenges complex, fostering psychologically safe teams is not just a luxury—it’s a necessity. Psychological safety is the belief that one will not be humiliated or penalised for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. In housing, this translates to teams that are empowered to innovate, address issues proactively, and deliver exceptional service to residents.  What Does Psychological Safety Look Like in Housing?  Consider a customer service team at a housing association. In a psychologically safe environment, team [...]

Leadership Without Fear: Building Psychologically Safe Teams in Housing2025-09-15T12:06:17+00:00

Ticked the Box, Missed the Point: What Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) Won’t Tell You About Trust

2025-09-15T11:19:01+00:00

Ticked the Box, Missed the Point: What Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) Won’t Tell You About Trust Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) are a welcome step in helping housing associations shine a light on the resident experience. They give you the numbers – the percentage satisfied with repairs, the proportion who feel listened to, the headline on complaints. Useful? Absolutely. But here’s the catch: if we stop at the numbers, we risk missing the bigger truth. TSMs will never tell you why tenants feel the way they do, nor how trust is built (or broken) along the way.  Take the repairs journey. A [...]

Ticked the Box, Missed the Point: What Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) Won’t Tell You About Trust2025-09-15T11:19:01+00:00

474% More Complaints: The Biggest Repair Needed Is to Interdepartmental Communication

2025-07-17T11:57:36+00:00

By Simon Bernstein, Coach & Trainer in Customer Experience & Leadership for Social Housing The Social Housing Ombudsman recently reported a +474% increase in repair complaints. That’s not just a statistic—it’s a clear signal that something is broken. And it’s not the plumbing.  Housing Associations are under increasing pressure from the regulator to reduce these complaints, and understandably so. Repairs and maintenance form the backbone of the landlord-resident relationship. When they go wrong, trust erodes fast.  Most repairs are technically straightforward. What makes them go wrong is when teams don’t share the right information at the right time. And too often, [...]

474% More Complaints: The Biggest Repair Needed Is to Interdepartmental Communication2025-07-17T11:57:36+00:00

We Can’t Build the Future With Yesterday’s Workforce: Rethinking Housing Careers

2025-07-22T08:44:46+00:00

By Simon Bernstein, Coach & Trainer in Customer Experience & Leadership for Social Housing Ask a group of 14-year-olds what a career in social housing looks like, and you’ll likely be met with blank stares. Not because they’re disinterested—but because they simply don’t know it exists. As a sector, we’ve done far too little to raise the curtain on the diverse and meaningful careers that social housing offers. From skilled trades to HR, customer service, community engagement, marketing, finance, and leadership—housing isn’t just bricks and mortar, it’s people and potential. But if we don’t plant that seed early, someone else will. [...]

We Can’t Build the Future With Yesterday’s Workforce: Rethinking Housing Careers2025-07-22T08:44:46+00:00

When is a dripping tap more than a dripping tap? Why understanding tenant vulnerabilities is key for housing associations.

2025-04-10T13:16:35+00:00

Rent arrears, complaints, customer satisfaction – challenges that all housing associations regularly face. But just as dripping tap is a symptom of an underlying problem, these common housing association pain points are usually a symptom of a deeper issue. And that issue is often related to customer vulnerabilities. Last year the Housing Ombudsman released its 'Relationship of Equals' report calling for a Royal Commission to create a long-term plan for social housing after finding that current approaches for the sector are not working for residents with a vulnerability. The report found that 68% of customers with a vulnerability said their landlord [...]

When is a dripping tap more than a dripping tap? Why understanding tenant vulnerabilities is key for housing associations.2025-04-10T13:16:35+00:00

The Social Housing Complaint Handling Code: the ‘Positive Culture’ approach

2025-01-28T11:27:40+00:00

Complaints. No one wants them to happen, and no one wants to have to deal with them. But last year (2023-2024) the Housing Ombudsman1 received over 5,000 complaints and made 21,740 orders for social landlords to put things right for their residents, representing a more than threefold increase compared to the previous year. The Annual Complaints Review revealed an increase in maladministration across the board, with 73% of all decisions resulting in this finding due to the landlord not following its legal requirements, policy or process. As Richard Blakeway, Housing Ombudsman, put it2: “These figures are another stark reminder of the scale [...]

The Social Housing Complaint Handling Code: the ‘Positive Culture’ approach2025-01-28T11:27:40+00:00

How the Customer Centricity Triangle can transform your organisation

2024-10-23T14:03:18+00:00

As a leader of a housing association 'customer centricity' is something you'll think about, talk about, and write about daily.  Delivering a truly customer-centric experience is layered, all encompassing, and it can seem overwhelming at times.  This article will help you think about customer-centricity through the lens of the something very simple – a triangle.   We refer to this as the Customer-Centricity Triangle. The Customer Centricity Triangle  When something is so intrinsic to success we can get bogged down in the detail and lose perspective.   By simply reframing the way we look at customer centricity you can positively transform your organisation [...]

How the Customer Centricity Triangle can transform your organisation2024-10-23T14:03:18+00:00
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