Staff Matters May 3, 2019 Issue 203 Week 42
CARING ABOUT OUR STAFF
I LOVE MY JOB!
In This Issue
There are so many reasons to love working for Afford and with our staff turnover sitting at half the national average, it’s easy to see the amazing culture we have established and nurtured over the past few years. Afford is the most profitable and fastest growing organisation in the Disability Sector, and to be able to maintain such a fantastic culture and job satisfaction during a period of rapid growth and expansion is a testament to the fact that we have established a solid business model and highlights that we have the best staff in the sector – without a doubt. Our continual willingness to adapt and commitment to going above and beyond to delight our clients at every level is a point of difference that sets Afford apart from PLOYER EM other providers, and our profitability ensures our continual growth, OF CHOICE prosperity and job security – unlike many of our competitors who are collapsing such as FSG. It also puts our service standards and culture on top, with Afford recently receiving international recognition by being voted No. 1 Disability Services provider in Australasia in the Enablement Awards and recording the best ever results recording for staff morale in Macquarie University’s Voice Survey! There are so many ‘I love my job moments’ working for Afford from seeing clients work toward and achieve lifelong goals, sharing success stories with your colleagues over a meal at Buzz Nights, right to seeing an Afford van drive by you on the roads. It’s all these little things that build a big picture at Afford.
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I Love My Job! Joke of The Week
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Spinning Into Action Launching Hawks Wheelchair Team
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Reward your Mum this Mother's Day
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The Afford Lifestyle Supports Family Connections Upcoming Events Selfies of The Week
Our robust and meaningful Employer of Choice initiatives – paying the highest wages in the sector, Afford Rewards, facilitating paid training and so much more – are all examples of benefits that we love about working for Afford. We have nurtured a teams and tribes mentality through Staff Conferences, Buzz Nights and Customer Service Awards so that you stay well informed and have plenty of reasons to love your job and your place within the Afford community. Similarly, our Step Up Program offers every staff member the chance to continually push their boundaries and explore career progression within Afford.
REMINDER
Keep up the amazing work and send in your #ilovemyjob stories and pictures to marketing@afford.com.au or hashtag on our Staff Facebook page.
Don’t forget to send your clients’ achievements, good news stories and photos to Marketing@afford.com.au
www.afford.com.au
Staff Matters
STAFF PROFILE
May 3, 2019 Issue 203
SPINNING INTO ACTION - LAUNCHING HAWKS WHEELCHAIR TEAM Afford in partnership with the Hawthorn Hawks Football Club (HFC) officially launched the HFC Wheelchair team on Monday the 29th of April 2019. The launch was held at HFC facilities at Stadium Circuit in Mulgrave Victoria with the day involving two parts.
NAME: Kim Reynard POSITION: Speech Pathologist LOCATION: Gold Coast
During the morning, the wheelchair players were inducted into the club and were introduced to Afford.
FAVOURITE SONG? Dr. Jones - Aqua FAVOURITE MOVIE? Shaw Shank Redemption FAVOURITE HOBBIES? Cycling, hiking, watching Netflix FAVOURITE FOODS? Chocolate and buddha bowls IF YOU COULD BE AN ANIMAL WHAT WOULD YOU BE? Springbok WHAT IS YOUR DREAM HOLIDAY DESTINATION? Maldives and Maritius IF YOU HAD THE POWER WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT THE WORLD? Slavery and human abuse in the Middle East IF YOU HAD TO TEACH SOMETHING WHAT WOULD YOU TEACH? How to swallow (dysphagia!) SOMETHING NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT ME? I'm named after the Kimberley Ranges
Afford staff Melbourne District Manager, Katie Nuth, and Occupational Therapist, Jane Caserta, attended the launch and spoke to the playing group about Afford and the services that we proudly provide to Melbourne communities and the mutual commitment of our organisations toward creating a a more inclusive Melbourne. The entire Hawthorn Football Club and families then joined the launch and Hawks CEO, Justin Reeves, spoke about the importance of the wheelchair team as part of the Hawthorn Family and wished the team well for the season ahead. Justin also thanked Afford for their support of the team and making this program possible. Players were them presented with their Guernsey, which proudly and prominently displays the Afford logo. “I just want to pass on my appreciation to the Afford Team who now sponsor the Hawthorn Wheelchair Football and to the Afford staff who attended the launch yesterday at HFC. Big thanks, look forward to working with you guys.” – Jeremy O’Halloran Hawthorn Wheelchair Football Team Member.
www.afford.com.au
May 3, 2019 Issue 203
Staff Matters REWARD YOUR MUM THIS MOTHER'S DAY Mother’s Day is right around the corner and what better way to buy a gift then to use Afford Rewards? Afford Rewards is an employer of choice initiative available to all staff and their immediate families to offer discounts and rewards in the form of online vouchers. Why not buy Mum some perfume from Priceline, new slippers from Rivers or a voucher for the cinemas for a day of relaxation? There is so many options to choose from! Afford rewards can be accessed via the Smart Spending app (downloaded from your mobile app store) or via the website www.affordrewards.com.au FAQ's How do I get access to Afford Rewards? Registering is quick, easy... and free! All you have to do is look for an email from Afford Rewards with a unique activation link – click on it and follow the prompts to set up your password and some basic account details. Afford Rewards is accessible anytime, anywhere. How do I get into my account? Go to affordrewards.com.au Follow the unique link in the welcome email to set up your password and activate your account. Use that same email address and password to log in afterwards. Is there a smartphone app for the discounts?
Yes, simply search for SmartSpending™ in the App Store or Google Play and download it. You will need to have activated your account on a desktop or in your mobile browser first. What does ‘pending’ Cashback mean? Your Cashback may take up to 120 days from the date of purchase to appear as ‘confirmed’ in your account. For hotel, flights, car hire etc bookings, this can take up to 90 days to confirm from your date of stay or travel. After Cashback is confirmed, you can spend it on Instant eGift Cards, donate it to charity or withdraw to your bank account. How can my family and friends use the discounts? You can save multiple credit/debit cards on your Afford Rewards account - so you can save your Mum’s, Dad’s, etc. and purchase discounted vouchers on their behalf. Then you can simply share the voucher with them! What retailers are included? There are so many retailers to choose from when purchasing a voucher such as, Priceline, Woolworths, Coles, The Good Guys, JB HIFI, Caltex, Fantastic Furniture, BWS, EB Games, Target, Kmart, and much more!
New Appointments We would like to congratulate the following Affordians on their new appointment: • Karen Macartney - LSA Melbourne • Eden Cuevas - LSA Melbourne
• Ann-Maree Tetley - Acting SLES Vocational Trainer • Karen Nguyen - DES Consultant Liverpool • Gaurav Bali - LSA Melbourne
• Jayden Gilby - LSA Nowra • Jennifer Gordon - LSA Campbelltown
www.afford.com.au
Staff Matters
May 3, 2019 Issue 203
THE AFFORD LIFESTYLE SUPPORTS FAMILY CONNECTIONS A key part of the Afford Lifestyle is all about encouraging the important role of residents’ families and friends, who are always welcome to drop by for visit over a cuppa or fresh meal at Afford’s Group Homes. Each month we release a new video to the Afford Lifestyle Series. The videos in this mini-series showcase different aspects of the Afford Lifestyle: whole of life support, privacy, respect, friendships, healthy routines, safety, easy access to the community, genuine care and so much more. Episode 3 in the Afford Lifestyle Series focuses on encouraging the input and involvement of residents’ informal support networks and about Afford’s above and beyond commitment to supporting residents to maintain their relationships with family and friends. “Families will often just pop in for a coffee or for a family BBQ down at the park.” – Kym Mafi "The Afford staff are very caring, very supportive, and very friendly, I just love them. They're just wonderful absolutely." – Val (Mother) Catch a glimpse of all the Afford Lifestyle has to offer NDIS Participants in Episode 3, available here: https://bit.ly/2GDcsm4
Reminder! Maintaining a sense of urgency is key to performing at your best. • All staff should be practicing a sense of urgency with all work tasks including the basics like, answering and returning phone calls, arriving to meetings on time, meeting deadlines and keeping on top of emails. These are basic signs of respect and courtesy to your colleagues, and the first step in being a superstar employee.
SELFIES OF THE WEEK
epping it up at Selfie Above: St t the Afford ou k ec events, ch for some event wall. Time selfies!
UPCOMING EVENTS DATE:
EVENT:
4th May
International Star Wars Day
6th - 12th May
National Tourette Syndrome Awareness Week
7th May
World Asthma Day
Pawsome Se lfie Above Assistant Je ssica Hawki: Lifestyle baby ns and her fu
5th - 11th May 1st - 31st May
International Compost Week Art for Epilepsy
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www.afford.com.au