Employer of the year, anybody?

That’s right – Lisieux Trust is proud to have been recognised as Employer of the Year at the National Learning Disabilities and Autism Awards, which took place on Friday 29 October.

The last 18 months have been exceptionally trying for all, and as an organisation we have put all of our very best efforts into maintaining the safety and wellbeing of all of our people.

We believe it is this unwavering commitment that has led to us being recognised with such a highly acclaimed title at the National Learning Disabilities & Autism Awards.

The Awards celebrate excellence in the support for people with learning disabilities, and aim to pay tribute to those individuals or organisations who excel in providing quality care.

With this in mind, we can not celebrate this award without acknowledging our incredible staff team, who have powered through admirably during such a challenging period of their career.

We’re incredibly grateful to have a strong team who we could rely on to help cultivate a culture of care and fulfilment for residents and tenants.

In their verdict, the award judges said: “The team representing the Lisieux Trust demonstrated a passion for their work force and tenant group, that was palpable.

“They gave numerous examples of enhanced support to staff during the last year and throughout the pandemic.

“They have utilised creative resources to provide online activities to tenants, providing and changing their approaches to management and support, and meet the needs of staff and tenants.

“Their articulated effective team working, and approaches were inspiring!”

It’s true – we definitely saw some great creativity with the approach to caring for our residents and tenants throughout the pandemic, which had been implemented from all levels of the organisation.

For instance, during the various lockdowns, online activities were introduced for our residents and tenants to stay active and engaged during a difficult time.

Not only this but our staff teams ensured there were plenty of activities to get involved with, to ensure our people were constantly occupied.

We were incredibly impressed by the efforts of all of our team, and the passion and appreciation apparently shone through during our shortlisting interview.

The judges were also impressed with the enhanced benefits package we afford to our teams.

Last year, acknowledging the declining mental health of our team, we made the decision to provide all our team with access to a specialist health plan scheme.

This was brought in place to allow employees to claim back the cost of health-related expenses and receive up to six face-to-face counselling sessions.

Employees have also been in receipt of treats, vouchers, and a one-off bonus, by way of senior managers displaying their appreciation during the challenging times.

All of these factors contributed towards the decision for Lisieux Trust to be recognised as Employer of the Year.

Jess Alsop-Greenacre, CEO of Lisieux Trust, was ecstatic at the news of the award win.

She said: “At a time where the morale within the care sector is at an all-time low, I am so proud that our team is being recognised for our tremendous work and efforts.

“Over the course of the last 18 months, nurturing a positive workforce has been crucial and, as such, our senior management team have explored many avenues to ensure our team feel supported and appreciated.

“We’re exceptionally proud to have this commitment recognised on a national level.

“We had a fabulous night at the award ceremony. It was a great chance for some of our team to celebrate after the gloom of the last two years!

“In all, I am so, so proud!”

Nine members of the Lisieux Trust community were invited to attend the awards ceremony, which took place at The ICC in Birmingham.

CEO Jess Alsop-Greenacre, Chairman Kevin Nagle, Director Helen Shields, Head of HR & Admin Joanne Bongiovi, Registered Managers Denise Barrett and Brendan Griffith, and Support Workers Rich Hall, Naz Halil, and Pat Smith all represented the organisation at the event.

They were treated to a three course meal, and danced the night away.

The group say it was a great opportunity to be amongst others within the sector, and all agreed that it was a brilliant night.

Overall, we’re incredibly proud of the award win.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported us and represented us as an organisation.

It’s certainly a fantastic time to be a part of the Lisieux Trust community!