Publish date: 12 November 2021
From Monday 15-19 November, we’re supporting the national anti bullying messaging. You may see colleagues out and about wearing odd socks to show they are approachable and will call out poor behaviours. But, as Executive Director of Workforce Amanda Oates points out, there’s a serious message to share too – and not just for this week:
Amanda says:
“We’ve heard the voice of our networks and our people and have created a new audacious goal that supports zero acceptance of racism, discriminatory and disrespectful behaviours. Many of you will have read in our People Plan about our Workforce Pillars. These begin with the requirement of the Workforce Racial Equality Standard and the first pillar contains that new BHAG. This has been discussed at Board: it’s a business critical need, it’s also fits in our respect and civility agenda, but most importantly it is absolutely the right thing to do.”
Mersey Care is focussed on creating a workforce that is representative of the communities that we serve through positive action in recruitment. This new BHAG commits us to improving BAME colleague experience of working within the Trust in line with Restorative Just and Learning Culture approaches.
This a big topic, but a good place to start might be our Respect and Civility eLearning Module. More than 83% of our workforce have now undertaken this module. Have you? Our training gives examples of best practices, which will hopefully reinforce areas staff are already doing well in.
Please take time to invest in your skillset here – it’s of value across workplaces and in challenging environments. As we strive for zero tolerance of disrespectful behaviours in all our settings, this week will allow us to show that commitment in an eye catching but positive way.
Amanda has also shared an important message talking about civility and respect. Amanda also speaks about wearing odd socks to spread a bit of fun and to spread the message of kindness as a conversation starter. You can watch Amanda’s video on Twitter.
