Tariq Usmani MBE, and CEO of Henley Homes, tells us how he has led his team from an emerging SME to a private PLC, his charity work with former offenders and why for him, efficiency is key to delivering good design and detail to everyone.
How did you get into the development of property?
I started a construction project management course at university but ultimately at that time, couldn’t manage the focus. What I was more interested in was the finish and detail. I decided to do a City & Guilds in painting and decorating.
I enjoy creating something out of nothing or creating homes that are highly appealing from something that before was undesirable, this is my passion. The design and detail are critically important and the efficiency to get do that is for me, like poetry.
Control is a key element of delivery, something that all of us in the industry grapple with. Where I have felt we needed control, we have managed these aspects by either bringing in-house teams or by partnering arrangements that deliver mutual benefits.
We now have a construction department that allows control via its many facets, which includes a strong architectural department. Other businesses which are part of the Henley group include scaffolding, joinery and a lightweight steel factory.
More recently we have been able to enter the hotel market. Our award-winning portfolio is growing. Detail and design is very much in focus, as we manage and operate our asset we are able to continually allow the design to evolve. This is very different to handing over a completed project to those that have bought, there is no opportunity or a need for us to improve or evolve the design.
To this day I still sign off on the detail and the design on every project, I am not ready to let that go just yet.
Henley moves forward as we start to nurture the next generation of young ambitious construction professionals, who are energetic and far more intelligent.
With Brexit and restrictions on ‘unskilled’ workers from overseas, do you think the construction industry will suffer?
The whole Brexit conversation has been overtaken by the current pandemic situation of Covid-19. This has created an unprecedented and hugely challenging environment. Governments around the world are unable to find a clear solution, and are just making their best efforts. The after-effects, other than the certainty of a global recession, are unclear but I think workforce mobility will be affected, which will certainly have an impact on the construction industry. We’re in the fortunate position of having a relatively stable core workforce, who have been with us for years.
I would challenge the perception of ‘unskilled’; I think this is a misnomer. Our teams have a huge range of skills, and we do all we can to retain everyone. A skilled labourer can do a job in half the time and at twice the quality of someone ‘unskilled’, and this needs to be recognised and rewarded.
Please tell us about your charity work.
I come from a very charitable family and was raised in a way which showed me the importance of helping those less fortunate. Those who have the ability to help others can make a profound difference to another’s life, even just with a single phone call. The concept of an equal opportunity doesn’t exist, in my opinion. If you know the right people, then you may be able to level the playing field or even gain an advantage. If you don’t have those connections, then I’m not convinced there is equality of opportunity.
The charity work I do is my way of levelling the playing field for as many people as possible, to give them a helping hand.
We set up a charity in the depths of the 2008 recession because I felt that the need then was greatest.
Better Community Business Network (www.bcbn.org.uk) supports local community projects which make a real difference to those they serve. Since its inception, BCBN has raised £1,344,628 in funds for local and national causes. The charity has annual campaigns and also gives out grants of £3,000 through its Grant Initiative. These go to charities and grassroots organisations, typically in the fields of education, youth and community services.
Henley Homes has also recently worked with ‘The 4Front Project’ that provides a platform supporting young people who have been impacted by serious violence.
I am also chair of Feltham Community Chaplaincy Trust, an organisation that works out of Feltham young offenders’ institution, helping ex-offenders.
How has it been, and what led you to working with ex-offenders and helping to re-start their careers?
I look forward to difficult challenges, I can leave the easy stuff to someone else. Without judgement, I work with those who may have made some bad decisions, almost always based on circumstances, rather than an inherent characteristic. For those who have the right attitude and drive to progress there is a lot that we can do in order to create that path of progression. In my experience they are among the best people we have ever employed. They have a sense of urgency because, they understand the value of time as they know how they have wasted it in the past.
I have helped mentor 27 young offenders over the last decade, facilitating job opportunities within the Group or through contacts. Not one of the offenders I have worked with has re-offended so its success creates the value not just for them but for wider society.
What kind of roles do you offer, and is there an organised timetable for their working with you and gaining experience/qualifications?
It is very much dependent upon the individual, and their intellectual capacity and aspirations. One person might want to pursue something with academic options, like quantity surveying; another might prefer a practical or vocational approach like carpentry or decorating. We’d review this with them and support via the appropriate channels.
Whether they are with us short or long term is very much a matter for them. We may well be a springboard for them to move on to other opportunities; our support is unconditional.
If we can get someone with a difficult past into a good role, then the impact on society is greater than even they might recognise. Through honest work, they can regain dignity, they become respected within their communities, a role model for others who may also be in difficult situations. A job and a stable home are two vital things for any ex-offender, and one leads to the other. By taking someone out of that vicious cycle of crime, you are reducing future potential victims – this has a massive positive impact upon society. So, even though what I do is on an almost one-to-one basis, the ripple effect is exponential.
Is the construction industry ‘missing a trick’ by not doing enough of this?
We agree with the House Building Federation (HBF) that recently announced having a diverse workforce is key to combating the housing crisis. The report states that 49,000 new recruits are needed to fill this gap. However, instead of just looking at the “brightest and best” to join the industry, it could also look at re-training ex-offenders. We find they do not want to go back to their former life and are among our best workers.
If we, as employers, believe that we owe a debt to society, then we should be much more involved than we are at this time. Doing this requires a great deal of patience and tolerance, while you gently prise them away from the life they have known. It can feel uncertain for them, they need to trust you and they often share a great deal more with me than with the average employer.
What are your ambitions for continuing this work?
I have 100% buy-in from my board and the company for this, and so I’ll continue as long as I can. The only thing that I ever ask from the people who I work with in this way is that they make themselves available to speak to others who are starting the same journey. The Henley Homes Group is amazingly diverse: we make no prior judgments and we pick the best person for the job, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, etc. I know that there are currently 24 different languages spoken in our office, which is fantastic. As a Group, we benefit from this diversity of background; our ex-offender colleagues are just part of that rich mix.
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