Building a Culture of Caring at Richcroft
At Richcroft, we believe that company culture isn’t just what you do, it’s who you are, and at Richcroft our culture is caring. When it comes to our supported individuals, their families, and our employees, above all what people want is to feel cared about. That’s why we strive to create a company culture that is based on the philosophy of servant leadership – a concept where management looks after staff members, and staff looks after residents and supported individuals to ensure the best quality of care possible.
When companies invest in their employees with strong training and development programs, the company, the employee, and the clients reap the benefits. From increased job satisfaction to better retention rates and opportunities for internal promotion, we know that developing our employees is an investment in their future, as well as the future of Richcroft.
It goes without saying that the excellent support we provide is possible due to our incredible staff members. These wonderful, selfless, and empathetic personnel go above and beyond, each and every day, to provide the very best care to the individuals and families we serve. Person-centered care involves a combination of skill, patience, and above all, compassion and through our comprehensive training, we ensure that our staff is able to feel comfortable and confident in the great work that they do.
One of the resources we use is Open Future Learning, an online learning tool designed to benefit anyone who touches the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Richcroft is proud to be able to make this resource available to all employees and is in the process of incorporating it into our official onboarding process. Open Future Learning’s modules cover a variety of important topics such as person-centered approaches, supported decision making, understanding and promoting rights, abuse prevention, trauma-informed care, and many other subject areas. This approach helps staff strengthen their existing knowledge while customizing their training experience by giving them the opportunity to delve deeper into subjects that may be unfamiliar to them. Open Future Learning also offers side-by-side modules so that people who receive support and the people who provide support can learn together.
As we continually invest in our culture, another important training and development initiative built specifically for managers is Richcroft University – a monthly employee development program that focuses on HR issues, continuous quality improvement, finance, and supervisor management skills. Richcroft University also offers the opportunity for staff to engage in in-depth discussions regarding various challenging, real-life scenarios that may accompany each topic. This is a great way for our new hires to understand how to react in situations they may encounter and discuss how improvements can be made.
Richcroft also partners with the National Association of Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) to deliver Frontline Supervisor Training. Program Managers and Residential Supervisors may face some of the most complex work in the human services field, working with families, direct support professionals, state regulators, peers, and most importantly – the individuals they support. Richcroft is proud to be able to deliver this training to help supervisors with the many perspectives and challenges they may encounter on a daily basis.
One of our newest Program Managers, Ashley Bates, is already being described as a “true servant leader.” After having participated in the onboarding process for managers here at Richcroft, Ashley demonstrates many of the qualities we hope our management staff embodies. According to some of the staff, Ashley supervises, “Ashley listens first and then problem solves.” “She works right beside us and went out of her way to help during the big snowstorm that just passed.” “She is hardworking and is really motivating us all.”
At Richcroft, we recognize that we must never stop learning. The pandemic has changed some of our training platforms and now, many required trainings which were previously in person are now available online. Because of this, Richcroft has been able to expand the trainings we offer new hires to include many relevant topics such as aging and the special needs of the elderly; communication skills for DSPs; community integration and inclusion; and supporting individuals and families in their decision making.
Richcroft prides itself on the career longevity of many of its staff and recognizes many stay because they feel valued, supported, and informed – much like members of a family. With the right resources available, managers, supervisors, and DSPs can provide the best care for the individuals they support and continue to work purposefully as a team with their fellow colleagues. If you are interested in the work we do here at Richcroft, visit https://www.richcroft.org/get-involved/join-our-team/ to find out more.