Staff Matters 25

Staff Matters

October 9, 2015 - Issue 25 Week 14

Welcome to Issue Number 25 of Staff Matters, a quarter of a century already!

The past 6 months have seemingly passed in a blur, and so much has happened that I wanted to take a moment to recognise how far we have come already.

First and foremost I would like to say a big Thank You to everyone for your support of the many changes we have made and the ongoing teamwork and customer service that you contribute every day at work. You are what makes Afford special, and what makes me confident that we will succeed in the totally different world of the NDIS. The decision to totally ‘privatise’ the sector, with the Government exiting from providing any services, and opening up the Sector to be a competitive market means that the sector will never be the same again. The reason all advanced economies such as Canada, the UK etc. have done this, is to give choice to customers and see competitive pressures bring greater efficiency & innovation.

Overseas it has worked and in the test sites in Australia it has seen over 90% satisfaction rates from clients. We must not look back, we are moving from a relationship driven environment to a high volume customer service environment.

To achieve efficiency we have created a much leaner Head Office structure, and I hope you have noted that we have not done anything that affects the provision of front line services to our customers on a day to day basis.

To help this efficiency we are introducing the new version of CIMSability and Microsoft Dynamics NAV. Already it is clear that these will totally transform our business. The elimination of many disparate systems will see the structure we have now able to meet the very high chargeable time targets we will need to survive under the NDIS. You will see that CIMSability is now live and has replaced ACED is many areas and by December this will be total, across everything including Payroll and Finance.

As you have probably seen already, I delivered on my promise of system speed, and the new systems are quick as a flash on whatever device you access them. CIMsability eliminates many manual tasks such as timesheets, freeing staff up to spend more time with clients and its functionality on mobile devices is amazing. Not only will this put us ahead of our competitors but we are now able to provide Shared Services to smaller companies in the sector.

We have also taken on ELMO as our eLearning platform. We are now developing our first site inductions and planning ‘Afford’ising all of the base modules in the ELMO library. This month will see the beginning of training on the system and a new era in more training and more regular refreshers for Afford staff. Face to face training will still be happening for Total Inductions, First Aid and the like with greater focus on baseline training.

To guide us every day we need good Policies & Procedures in place. We are writing P&P covering all operational areas to avoid any confusion around expectations. We have listened to you regarding confusion around duplication, mixing of Standards and Policies etc. etc. The new Policies will be succinct yet take the guessing out of the situations you find yourself in every day, and protect us as a Company in dealing with all circumstances in a consistent and prudent way.

The implementation of the P.AC.E.S. will give staff the opportunity to be rewarded for going the extra mile (or kilometre!).

Customer Service is about delighting customers! Along with our Customer Service Awards, P.AC.E.S. will give a clearly defined set of KPIs that bring focus to the many little things in Operations that help us delight our customers. Consistently. L.A.P.s also bring focus to the many things we do that makes Afford special.

Our new website will blow your socks off. Not only will it have a modern look and feel aided by our modern new branding, but we will be taking the lead and hosting various market leading utilities such as an e-Market for Disability Carers and a Community Portal. These will provide an important tool to our customers and carers alike, and draw traffic to our brand and services. Exciting new services such as Afford Active Lifestyle Club and Afford Getaways will further help in re-establishing us as the market leader in the Western Suburbs.

Finally, our rebranding will take us into the new world with a unique and fun presence in the market. I thank you all for your involvement in this process. Our vehicles will soon be sign-written and building awareness of our brand every day. We have a great team of people and some newbies bringing specialist skills to help us catch up in the race to be ready by 1 July 2016.

Thanks again. The last 6 months has been a blast, and I am very excited for the future of Afford!

Take Care

Steve T 02 8805 3700 E info@afford.com.au 12 Marieanne Place, Minchinbury 2770 afford.com.au

Staff Matters

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October 9, 2015 - Issue 25

Staff Profile

Karla Waters

Lifestyle Assistant Mt Druitt Day Program Favourite Song: I believe I Can Fly – R.Kelly Favourite Movie: What dreams my come with Robin Williams Favourite Hobbies: Partying with anyone Favourite Foods: Sushi If you could be an animal what would you be: A Macaw What is your dream holiday destination: Greek Islands If you had the power what would you change about the world: People feeling pain What is the nicest thing someone has ever done for you: Someone once asked if they could clone me... that was nice If you had to teach something what would you teach: I would open my own training centre and teach people the ins and outs of disability and what’s most important Something no one knows about me: I can cross my toes

NRMA Safety Granted

Pictured above: Graduates of the Active Independence Program

Recently AFFORD received a total of $4800 from Blacktown NRMA to run our Keeping Me Safe program. The Cheque was presented to our Community, Fundraising & Events Manager Rhiannon O’Brien by the NRMA on the 30th of September.

AFFORD are excited to take part in the opportunity to introduce the new innovative pilot program within our ADE, teaching basic knowledge on personal crime prevention and traveling to and from home safety.

These funds will be utilized for many community activities such as tours of the local Police Station with a workshop session run by police and education on personal crime prevention.

A huge thanks goes to Blacktown NRMA who have been a proud supporter of AFFORD for three years and again to Rhiannon O’Brien for her exceptional work in securing grants such as this for AFFORD.

Spotters Fee

Afford Employment are giving staff members an opportunity to receive a $50 spotters fee if they are able to provide suitable candidates for our DES program.

The program is aimed at applicants with a permanent disability who require long-term ongoing support in the workplace.

Interviewees will be guided through the assessment process to determine suitability for the program.

If you know of anyone who would fit the criteria of this initiative refer them for your chance to receive $50!

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October 9, 2015 - Issue 25 L

Camping Adventure

Between the 9th and 11th of November AFFORD will be welcoming all our clients to attend our free camping adventure to Lutanda.

Sponsored by Penrith RSL, the trip will include all meals, accommodation and many fun activities such as beach swimming, bush walking, sports, archery, music classes, quad bike riding and many more.

This is a fantastic opportunity for our customers to experience something most people take for granted in going on a holiday with their friends while being supported in their everyday activities. It’s also an opportunity for the families and carers to take some well-needed rest.

AFFORD’s supported holidays have been a huge hit in the past receiving many great reviews and lots of positive feedback from our customers, so don’t miss the chance to come along and make more great memories with great people!

For more enquiries contact Tammy Mills on 0419 463 892.

Customer Service Awards Congratulations everyone on another successful Staff Customer Service Awards this month, with 31 nominations from across the the organisation. Each month the nominees highlight how many talented and dedicated staff we have working at AFFORD, continuosly providing quality sevice to our customers.

It was yet another difficult choice deciding a winner this month, with so many deserving staff being nominated. Fortunately, we were able to recognise more outstanding staff with the newly introduced DES Customer Staff Awards; with Lilly Devi, Senior Employment Consultant, winning first prize.

Lilly always provides exceptional support to her cutomers increasing their employment opportunites and self confidence, she puts the “C” in customer service.

Second prize winner, Karina Tran, DES Employment Consultant, went the extra mile to lend support and a helping hand to her customer, a single parent struggling with a sick child. Karina’s efforts have made a difference to a customer in need.

First prize winner in the overall Customer Service Awards was Megan Campbell, Telemarketer, AFFORD Raffles. In the recently completed Spring Raffle, Megan finished as our top salesperson, selling an outstanding $76,000 worth of raffle tickets. She also managed to raise an extra $3000 dollars volunteering to help her collegues collect unpaid donations. A great example of teamwork.

Second prize winner, Angela Wilkinson, Manager, Links Services, continues to work tirelessly to promote our organisation postively and enthusiastically. Angela is the epitome of “Excellent Customer Service”. Her warm and friendly nature, coupled with her vivacious approach to work, makes her the perfect ambassador for AFFORD. Third prize winners were Fouad Ichrakie, DES Employment Consultant and Karen Parker, Team Leader, Penrith Day Programs both worthy winners providing exceptional service and professionalism.

We congratulate all this month’s nominees for their achievemnts and thank all staff for continuing to recognise the great staff working at AFFORD.

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October 9, 2015 - Issue 25

Day At The Tip Recently AFFORD TTW had a day out to the tip, supported by Blacktown City Council’s Working with Youth initiative.

The customers had a great time learning about recycling and waste control. One customer in particular enjoyed themselves so much so that they are exploring employment options to work within the Waste Management industry.

This is another great example of how AFFORD are committed to growing our holidays and “day out” type activities. We look forward to many more upcoming events in the future.

Pictured above: Customers on their day out at the tip.

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In this Selfie Above: Angela Wilkinson & Michelle Flynn at the COA Being Home Conference

Please send in your selfies

Have a laugh