Spike is thrilled to be shortlisted for this year’s UK PropTech Awards in the ‘Social Impact’ category which celebrates companies leveraging technology solutions to positively benefit society and enhance people’s lives, whilst emphasising wellbeing and staff engagement in social impact interventions. This nomination stands as a testament to our commitment to creating thriving communities across the developments that use Spike.
Leveraging Technology for Social Change
Our award-winning resident engagement portal, Spike Living, provides a user-friendly platform that facilitates community engagement, social interaction, and placemaking, ensuring residents feel connected to their surroundings.
Recent statistics have revealed that the more friends a resident has within their building, the more likely they are to renew their tenancy. Without any friends living in their community, residents only have a 29% chance of renewing. That number jumps to 38% if they have 1-3 friends, and if they have 7 or more friends, there’s a 47% likelihood that they’ll renew.
What’s more, it’s been reported that loneliness is up 40%, according to a report published by the Office for National Statistics. When residents first move into their new accommodation, it is likely that they will be unfamiliar with the surrounding area and may not have made friends or met many people. Through Spike Living, residents can effortlessly connect, discover local services, and initiate friendships, addressing the increasing issue of loneliness and the initial challenges residents face when settling into a new environment.
Spike Living isn’t just limited to fostering friendships, it also acts as a central information hub. Residents and property management can digitally communicate to share information, access building manuals, as well as residents being able track their own energy consumption through our partnership with Utopi, contributing to a more environmentally conscious and efficient community.
Ensuring Equality and Employee Wellbeing
Spike’s commitment to social impact also extends internally. Spike prioritises a workplace culture where staff feel valued, respected, and have avenues to voice their concerns. The company actively nurtures a culture of inclusivity and employee wellbeing. Initiatives such as fostering a diverse work environment and celebrating cultural holidays have created a sense of belonging and respect among our staff.
We also take pride in our gender-inclusive practices through participating in initiatives such as International Women’s Day and Men’s Mental Health Day. We’re proud to have built a cohesive work environment that encourages individuality and camaraderie.
At the start of 2023, we also introduced a ‘Charity of the Year’ initiative, empowering employees to select a charity to support. By engaging in various fundraising events, beach clean-ups, through partnering with Dorset Mind, we not only support the chosen charity but also share wellness initiatives across our client communities.
Recognition and Growth
Our commitment to our employees recently earned us a spot on The Sunday Times Best Places to Work in 2023 list, recognising organisations with the highest employee engagement and wellbeing levels.
We achieved an overall engagement score of 87%, 11% higher than the industry average. We also scored highly across the key categories for employee engagement and workplace happiness including reward and recognition, instilling pride, sharing information, employee wellbeing, and job satisfaction.
Summary
Spike’s solutions exemplify how technology can be harnessed to create thriving, interconnected communities. Our nomination for the UK PropTech Awards 2023 – Social Impact award is a testament to our unwavering commitment to social good and community building through innovative tech solutions, regardless of the outcome.
To view the full shortlist of nominees for the UK PropTech Awards 2023, visit the official website here.