Planning delays transformed into social housing solutions at Toga

The Central Project involved four floors of high-quality furnished apartments in the Adina hotel at Central Station in the Sydney CBD that Toga knew would be vacant for at least 18 months as the company awaited planning approval. These apartments were then transformed into secure temporary accommodation for youth and refugees.

In addition, two retail spaces in the building were leased to charities Thread Together, which saves new clothing from going to landfill and provides it to people in need and Banish, an ethical retailer that only stocks Australian products which meet a strict set of criteria including not being tested on animals and using only recycled packaging materials.

The 60 apartments have provided affordable accommodation for more than 32,000 nights, while the two charities have provided holistic support to these tenants and contributed to the broader community.

Paying it forward

Importantly, almost 90 per cent of Toga business units were involved in the activation of The Central Project pop-up while over 40 per cent of its employees have participated in volunteering events for Banish, Thread Together and other charities supported by the project.

Michelle Fischl, director of furniture, fittings and equipment at Toga and head of its corporate social responsibility program, says Toga directors have always believed that companies have a duty to give back to the communities in which they operate.

“Toga’s CSR program is an extension of the concept of paying it forward,” Fischl says.

With this in mind, all of Toga’s teams are continually asked to leverage underutilised assets within the company’s portfolio and produce “innovative solutions to benefit the community”.

“If we have any opportunity to create temporary housing solutions for vulnerable populations, assist charities with retail spaces or provide volunteers, we make a concerted effort to do so,” says Vidor.

“Hopefully other property owners and corporates will be inspired to consider their own assets, and how they could potentially contribute in a similar way, to benefit the wider community.”

Vidor believes this overarching desire to support the communities that it works in – by using its corporate assets and team skills – is one of the key things that sets Toga apart as a great place to work compared with its competitors.

“CSR projects require everyone working together, connecting across teams, and fostering a positive and engaged workplace,” he says.

“These projects provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment, giving our teams a way to contribute to something larger than themselves.”

Attracting new talent

Feedback from staff indicates that these projects also assist in attracting talent – “We are told by many new starters that they chose Toga over a competitor because of our strong social responsibility focus,” Vidor says – and retaining its top employees.

“Our [staff] engagement surveys show that CSR is the most important factor for employees, above flexibility, salary, and any other special perks,” Vidor says.

“We also have a minimally hierarchical structure, ensuring that our executives are available for chats across all levels of the business. This creates a family style culture of inclusion and respect for all roles in the business.”

Apart from giving their staff an opportunity to contribute to projects that address issues like homelessness, the company also has an extensive wellbeing program that prioritises its employees mental health, a key issue in the development and construction industry.

Staff have access to a gym, meditation room, prayer room, team sporting events, free counselling services and receive a day’s leave on their birthday.

The company claims that its 17 per cent gender pay gap, according to data from the government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency, can be “somewhat misleading” and that its strategies enable a significant reduction of this gap.

“We need the overall advancement of women in the construction industry,” Vidor says. “To that note, we would welcome a government targeted recruitment initiative to attract more women to the construction industry including mentorship programs, leadership development initiatives and pathways to managerial and executive roles within master builder organisations.”

As to its view on work-from-home, the company is firmly in favour of its employees being in the office, wherever possible and practical.

“We recently refurbished our Ultimo offices, and on-premises gym, [and] we encourage team members to collaborate in the office, share ideas and think creatively,” Vidor says.

“We also find that open, face-to-face communication among team members results in clearer expectations, smoother workflows, and fewer misunderstandings.

“Working from home has always been available on an ad hoc basis where team members have personal issues to attend to or require quiet time to work on a project. More permanent arrangements are discussed with managers and are of course role dependent,” he says.

(Recent court action commenced by a former Toga employee against the company came to light after the independent screening process. As at the time of publication, no finding has been made in the matter.)