Learning at Work Week 2019

Staff at Right at Home have been celebrating their achievements during Learning at Work Week. Offering development opportunities, such as training courses and working towards qualifications, to all its staff is very much part of the company’s approach to having a well-trained and motivated team.   

Marie is one of those to have been encouraged and supported to further her knowledge about care. Marie has just passed her diploma in Health & Social Care while working part time as a Caregiver. 

Marie’s job involves carrying out care tasks in clients’ homes such as preparing meals or helping with medication, as well as providing companionship. “Understanding as much as I can about my clients – including their health conditions and how that makes them feel or affects their everyday life – helps me do a better job for them but also helps me get more satisfaction from my role. I understand more about how my contribution is improving the quality of their everyday life. Caring, though tremendously rewarding, can also take its toll emotionally and be physically tiring so having good training helps me best manage those challenges.”

 “Although studying while working can be demanding, my manager has been really supportive. She has also given me lots of encouragement to achieve the qualification and think about what I can do next. Right at Home has been really flexible in organising my working hours around the times I needed to study. It’s been useful to talk to colleagues and managers about the topics covered in my diploma, for example, to learn from their experiences.” 

Sara Woodley, Registered Manager at Right at Home, explains why they invest so much in employees’ continued learning: “At Right at Home, staff development is really important to us. All of us, whether it’s a brand new member of the care team or a senior manager, are constantly learning and we want to get the most out of that by supporting our staff through formal and informal training and educational opportunities. As well as helping us all do our jobs better, learning at work challenges us and keeps us up to date with good practice.

 “We find that having an informed workforce means our team is more motivated. They understand more about the part they play at Right at Home and how what they do makes a difference to our clients. Staff want to stay with their employer if they feel valued and are kept stimulated by what they do. We are always open to hearing from our team about how they would like to develop themselves and how we, as an employer, can help them achieve their personal goals.”