Employee appreciation week at Browns Field House

Located in the historical town of Cambridge, Browns Field House, dementia friendly care home, recently celebrated its staff with the first employee appreciation week. 

For a whole week staff were shown how much their commitment to enhancing the lives of older people is truly valued. From treat boxes, to raffles, to bowling - we spoke to Home Manager, Diana to find out how the staff spent their week. 

Hi Diana, we love this initiative you created at Browns Field House. Can you tell us what inspired you to do it?

"Having worked in the care sector for a long time I know how much time, dedication and passion goes in to being a carer. It is important to me as the Care Home Manager to show my staff how much they are appreciated and to know their contribution is valued. 

"Each and every day, my team come to work with a smile on their face and enthusiasm to deliver the best possible care to each of our residents. This level of commitment was never more apparent to me than during Covid, when staff went above and beyond to prove they are, in every sense of the term, key workers."

When you told staff about appreciation week, what was their reaction?

"There was a lot of excitement but also a little reservation among the team as they weren't use to having a whole week dedicated to them. We often do things on a smaller scale and we have a great rapport within the team but this was a step up.

"Once we got started staff were amazed and are already asking me, 'when are we doing it again?'."

What activities did you host throughout the week?

"We kicked the week off with personalised treat boxes - I have a lot of chocolate and sweet lovers on the team so they were thrilled with this gift. We also made personalised water bottles and mugs for each staff member. I don't know about you, but I love anything with my name on and it seemed that my staff did too. 

"One of the biggest successes was the raffle. Staff were each given a number which corresponded to a different prize. We had some great prizes such as cinema vouchers. 

"Activities weren't just confined to within the home, we also went out one evening for a competitive game of bowling and a team dinner, both of which everyone loved as it gave us a chance to connect as a team and let our hair down a bit."

As the manager of Browns Field House, what's your favourite part of your role?

"As manager I love when I see my team growing and developing in their role. My team is made up of people who have worked in care for a long time, and some who started during the pandemic having never worked in a care home before.

"During those months, I loved nothing more than working with staff to train them up and encourage them to further their experience in a care setting. Now it's those same staff who are teaching their new starter colleagues and emparting their wisdom and passion for the role on to them. 

Are you planning to run an appreciation week again?

"In short, yes! I am absolutely planning on doing this again as the sense of togetherness the team felt was just incredible. I am hoping to run it once a year and keep it fresh and exciting for staff."

Sounds amazing! I'm sure there are people who would love to be a part of the team at Browns Field House, are you currently recruiting?

"Yes, we are currently recruiting at Browns Field House for Care Assistants, Care Team Leaders and an Activities Coordinator. We are extremely flexible in terms of rotas and I always make sure each staff member has a rota which suits them as work-life balance is really important to me. Plus, our staff always have every other weekend off."