Submitted by Lori Benning, Advisor, Management Development & Education
The Northeast Mental Health Team scored high for engagement on the 2011 VCH Safety & Engagement Survey we undertook last fall, and we wondered why. So we asked!
Engagement is the extent to which our staff are committed both emotionally and intellectually to excellence at VCH. Engagement is less about what we do and more about how we do it. This series celebrates the great work around safety and engagement on our front lines and is a result of the action plans prepared across VCH through the People First Safety and Engagement Survey.
“The results of the Safety & Engagement survey are not surprising for the Northeast Team,” says Andrew McFarlane, Director. “It’s an environment of respect, partnership, and balance. Our team manager, Susanne Hawkins, needs to be recognized for her collaborative and visionary leadership style…she creates a culture of responsibility and excellence, encourages team flexibility, and facilitates a safe environment for making collaborative decisions that involve the client, family, and all members of the team.”
Creating a culture of engagement means everyone has a part to play and a place to contribute. “It’s a pleasure to work with such a competent, hard working and caring group of people,” says Susanne Hawkins about her team. “Everyone on the team contributes to the positive culture in so many ways from organizing team breakfasts to engaging in lively clinical discussions.”
Here are a few of the responses we heard back from some of the members of this team. We hope you’ll be inspired!
- “The people who work here make it easy to be engaged at work. I don’t believe it can be fabricated. It just happens to be who we are together.” – Vivian
- “I find that everyone on the team is respected as an expert in his/her own field, and no profession is held higher or lower than any other. We are treated – and treat each other – as equals, and as essential members of the team. Information is shared openly, questions are encouraged without judgment, and there is truly an environment of support, compassion and understanding for one another.” – Joy
- “I love how the NE team always goes the extra mile to put an effort to make every staff members feel special and part of the team. I felt extra special when they pampered us on secretary’s day! Thank you NE team! – Shihoko
- “I feel engaged here because of the camaraderie of the team, the interdisciplinary way that we all work for our clients together, and the support that I get from everyone here. Every one of us has a role that is valued and respected which helps us to do our jobs to the best of our ability. We also make time to play and bond which is so important.” – Lynn
- “What makes me feel engaged at the Northeast MH Team starts with a very approachable, supportive and democratic leadership style at the Team Manager and Senior Mental Health Worker levels. Staff at the NE Team are encouraged to pursue their strengths and interests, as long as these serve the clients at the team. For example, I was encouraged and supported in carrying out a yearlong research project. Support came in the form of both verbal and resource commitments. Furthermore, I feel appreciated for my work, and this appreciation is made explicit. While managers are engaged, they also allow clinicians to manage their own caseload, intervening only when needed. Having a bright, relatively spacious office environment, with break out rooms, well laid out group and interview rooms, and staff areas, lend to a work environment that is conducive to feeling connected to our work and connection to colleagues.” – Tom
- “I’d like to say that what keeps me engaged is the supportive community experience. There’s a sense of trust in one another. I like that professional standards are held high and personally, we are all recognized as valuable, unique contributors that make up the wonderful whole of this team. – Olaf
- “… I feel connected at the team because of a few reasons… compassion and the accepting of differences. Even if sometimes those differences seem to make it difficult to work together, once we get through it it seems that those differences bring us closer together (once someone said we’re like a ‘happy dysfunctional family’). Also collective support and real genuine team work.” – Rowena
- “…because the whole team shares an attitude that we care about our clients and treat them always with respect.” – Marina
- “I feel engaged at the Northeast Team because of the ongoing opportunity to learn, grow, and experience – it has made my five-year career in nursing exciting, and a real joy.” – Rachelle
- “The team has great leadership and fosters a team culture that values respect.” – Gordon
If you have a story you would like to share about your team’s success, please contact me and get your story in the VCH News!