Prioritising Their People
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People: What strategies does Aria Care use to attract, develop, and retain top talent?
We truly believe that Aria is a great place to work with our values being embedded into everything we do. Our employer brand continues to become stronger and we are committed to ensuring that our colleagues are given opportunities to grow, develop and be the best version of themselves. Our approach to growing our own talent is firmly cemented into our people strategy and we are very proud of our development programmes that enable personal and professional growth.
Recognition and reward are pivotal in ensuring colleagues remain motivated, engaged but also feel part of the Aria family. We are on a mission to ‘Make Care Cool’ - There is a plethora of opportunities to forge a career within the care sector and we encourage our colleagues to explore these options as well as actively promoting career pathways for future candidates.
Quality: How do you ensure colleagues are equipped with the right training and support to deliver excellent care?
We invest heavily in training and developing our colleagues to ensure that they have the right skills, knowledge and competency to deliver the best care to our residents. From robust inductions to a comprehensive mandatory training programme – we foster a culture of continuous learning which is key to us having a well-supported and knowledgeable workforce. Our Support teams work in collaboration with homes to provide support, guidance and coaching to colleagues, ultimately improving confidence in their own abilities.
Our Leadership programmes continue to evolve and the feedback we receive from delegates is fantastic – the programmes hone existing skills whilst learning new skills, but equally as important, it helps them gain confidence and grow on a personal level.
Performance: How do you measure employee engagement and its impact on overall business performance?
Our focus has very much been to turn the dial from recruitment to retention. Our open, transparent approach has been a critical part for us to ensure colleagues feel comfortable and confident to have a voice.
We have numerous channels to share information and we listen and respond – creating open, two-way communication allows us to get a true feel of colleague engagement. Our Employee Feedback Sessions allow one-to-one communications in a confidential space. We also hold a number of calls/meetings that enables us to share important business updates and information. Our Leadership teams are very visible within our homes so we get a true feel and understanding of the challenges our colleagues and residents may encounter.
How do you foster a culture of inclusion within the organisation?
We are very proud to have a diverse workforce and we strive to ensure that all colleagues feel valued and included. Our people agenda ensures we have fair and inclusive recruitment practices - As a Disability Confident Employer and having signed the Armed Forces Covenant, we aim to widen the pool in which we attract individuals and keen to engage with candidates in that have the same values as Aria and are passionate as we are for delivering the highest standards of care.
A key element of our Inspiring Leaders Programme is a project-based task. This year, we have a team that is driving Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and I am honoured to be their Executive Sponsor to support them to successfully embed DEI across our organisation.
