For several years now—often four or five years—social housing organizations have been experimenting with new programs and renovations designed to improve energy performance through building construction and installations. They are now in a position to take stock, draw conclusions, and formulate lessons learned from the acceptance and operation of the new housing and its equipment, as well as from energy management in a context that is not theoretical but based on technical realities and the behaviors and habits of residents. But what about the effects, consequences, and implications for the staff of these organizations in the performance of their jobs? How are their jobs evolving, and what skills may they need? Should training be provided to address these needs? These are the questions that inspired a study conducted on behalf of the Union Sociale pour l'Habitat (Social Union for Housing) by Pascal Ughetto, with students from the Master's program in Skills and Organizations at the University of Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée and the consulting firm Habitat et Territoires Conseil, using two social housing organizations in the Paris region as case studies.
Low-energy buildings (BBC) are designed to be energy efficient and comply with the latest regulatory standards. In the organizations studied, important lessons are being consolidated, and the study focused on what they imply for the work of the organizations' staff, their jobs, professional representations and practices, and any skills development needs. At this stage, the effects have mainly been felt in the efforts required by maintenance staff to deal with technical setbacks, which are largely due to a lack of coordination across the entire chain of actors, including manufacturers, construction companies, and maintenance companies. Assigning responsibilities to the various players, improving coordination, and encouraging feedback and its use, by mobilizing both program managers and local staff, are among the most crucial challenges for organizations. Staff seem to need answers on these issues more than they seem to be exposed to upheaval in their professional benchmarks. More than a lack of training, the sector is therefore facing a challenge in terms of the quality of organization and management to facilitate the collective learning that social landlords must undertake. If there are any actors who will need to be successfully recruited and promoted in the future, and who will need to be supported so that they can become effective organizers of collective learning, it is the members of management.
The report is available here in the form of a USH Cahier.