Staff Matters 264

Staff Matters July 3, 2020 Issue 264 Week 1

CARING ABOUT OUR STAFF

PLEASE WELCOME OUR NEW COO! It is with great pleasure that we announce the appointment of our new Chief Operating Officer – Joy Kumar!

Joy joined afford a few years ago but needed to take extended leave with some health issues and then pregnancy with her son, Xavier. Xavier is now almost 1 and we are lucky that Joy is now happy to return to full-time employment and take a crucial leadership role as we spread our wings across the whole of Australia.

Joy joined Afford after a successful commercial career in the banking sector with Westpac and NAB. Throughout her career in banking, Joy’s light shone bright as her achievements set new standards in Sales and Education, including the establishment of the Westpac Academy. Along with her commercial achievements, Joy also has a Degree in Finance & Accounting meaning she is the perfect person to steer operations under the NDIS, particularly in high volume invoicing environments like Day Programs/HomeCare.

In This Issue 1

Please Welcome Our New COO! Ask Our CEO Trivia

2

3

4

Take Your Dog To Work Day Staff Profile

Cherrywood Winter Raffle Reminder

Let The Buzz Nights Begin Handyman Timetable Selfies of the Week Upcoming Events Trivia Answer

Our CEO, Steve Herald said, “This is an incredibly important development for Afford and I am super excited to have Joy as my 2IC to lead the business through the very exciting period we have ahead of us as we continue to grow exponentially and reinforce our position as number 1 service provider in the Disability Sector in Australia.”

Joy will initially oversee Day Programs, Allied Health and the Afford Academy, but her influence will be felt across many areas, including Sales and Finance.

Given her background, Joy will be able to help drive process improvements and improve the link of Operations and Customer Service by leading our Complaints & Customer Experience process.

Reporting lines in our Executive team will now take on a more fluid nature as we take a modern approach to using the special skills that all members of the team bring, and our Senior Executive will now include members that do not necessarily report to the CEO. As in any National Multi-Site Service Provider, we blend reporting lines across Regional teams (State/City/District) and Services (Day Programs/Group Homes/ADEs) with the most important thing being the Affordian spirit.

We would love to say that you will see Joy around soon, but as we all know in these COVID-19 times, things are not yet back to normal. However, you will be hearing from Joy and don’t hesitate to pass on your congratulations and welcome.

How long will the JobKeeper payment last for?

At this time The JobKeeper Payment will be available for the period until 27 September 2020.

www.afford.com.au

Staff Matters

STAFF PROFILE NAME: Robert Spilling POSITION: Supervisor - Property Maintenance LOCATION: Ingleburn, New South Wales FAVOURITE MUSIC/SONG? Butterfly Kisses - Bob Carlisle FAVOURITE MOVIE? August Rush FAVOURITE HOBBIES? Kayaking, mountain bike riding, bushwalking, adventure racing, camping FAVOURITE FOODS? Fried rice and spaghetti bolognaise IF YOU COULD BE AN ANIMAL, WHAT WOULD YOU BE? An eagle WHAT IS YOUR DREAM HOLIDAY DESTINATION? Australia IF YOU HAD THE POWER, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE ABOUT THE WORLD? Every human to Love and care for each other IF YOU HAD TO TEACH SOMETHING, WHAT WOULD YOU TEACH? How to love and respect Gods Creation SOMETHING NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT ME? I finished third in the Veterans World Championships in both the 10,000m and the 8km cross country in Brisbane 2001

July 3, 2020 Issue 264

TAKE YOUR DOG TO WORK DAY

We all do different roles within Afford, but most of us have one thing in common, the love for dogs!

This year Afford participated in ‘Take Your Dog to Work Day’, a nationally recognised day of celebration for our four-legged friends.

This year staff members from the Penrith NSW Raffles Call Centre and Minchinbury NSW Head Office participated in the day. It was the first time Afford joined in on the event, inviting staff to bring their pooches to work last Friday the 26th of June.

Created back in 1999 by Pet Sitters International (PSI), the day is an opportunity to celebrate with your best mate all the joys of having a dog. It encourages those who do not own a pet to consider owning a pet one day, aiming for those animals in shelters who need a forever home to be adopted.

It’s also a great opportunity to raise funds for the RSPCA to go towards the care of animals in need. Afford will continue to encourage our staff to get involved with TYDTWD each year on the 26th of June.

Should you consider this next year, you can register for a Take Your Dog to Work Day pack (including treats, toys and a donation box) and tips to make it a successful fundraising event via the RSPCA website.

www.afford.com.au

July 3, 2020 Issue 264

Staff Matters CHERRYWOOD WINTER RAFFLE

For the last 24 years Mr Doug Craigie has been a supporter of the Afford Cherrywood Raffle, always opting for the 5 ticket option for $50.00. This time around he was upsold to a higher amount of 10 tickets for $80.00 – and one of those extra tickets was the winning one that got him the huge first prize of $20,000 cash!!

The 130th Raffle was drawn last week and when the winner was announced, Toni Hooper from our Afford Fundraising Department got to make the exciting phone call to Mr Craigie. The news came as a shock and Mr Craigie mentioned twice that he thought it wasn’t real until he received a confirmation email. “I realise this could be a great windup” he commented, assuring him it was real Toni said, “You’ve got a choice of $20,000 cash, $20,000 travel voucher or $20,000 Coles voucher”. “Are you sure you’re not having me on?” Mr Craigie joked, still shocked by the win.

75-year-old Mr Craigie has purchased our raffle tickets since 1996 and has chosen to celebrate his big win by giving it ALL away in a beautiful gesture to his daughter who lives overseas and recently adopted two children under the age of 3.

The prize was a godsend for his daughter as she has been off work due to the recent adoption combined with the Coronavirus Pandemic. Mr Craigie remarked that when he told his daughter the good news that she recalled hearing her father purchase tickets from ‘Cherrywood’ over the phone when she was younger.

Don’t forget to buy your tickets in the upcoming Spring Raffle and you could be the next big winner!

There are many prizes up for grabs, including bonus draws. Tickets can be purchased by contacting our Penrith Call Centre on 1800 723 353.

Reminder!

Staff please be reminded about the importance of social distancing while we out with our clients in the community or in a vehicle.

• In a HiAce van there should only be max of 2 staff and 3 clients.

• In an iMAX there should only be max of 1 staff and 3 clients.

• Standard car there should only be max 1 staff and 1 client.

Help stop the spread and keep safe Affordians!

www.afford.com.au

July 3, 2020 Issue 264

Staff Matters LET THE BUZZ NIGHTS BEGIN

Buzz nights are a part of the Afford Way and are essential in keeping the team culture alive in our busy work life. Being locked up in isolation recently, with many of us working from home, it was so easy to get engrossed by work commitments and not take the time to relax and let off some steam (especially when the pub hasn’t been open).

With isolation restrictions lifting across Australia, it’s now time to shake off those isolation blues and plan your first buzz night back as a team! Think small to start with, ask your team for ideas and what they want to do. Keep it local, or a central location if you have staff from multiple areas, and pick something everyone will enjoy!

Our culture fosters and promotes a teams and tribes vibe, where everyone works together to get the job done – and then we all relax and celebrate together. Having great working relationships with your colleagues can be the key to making coming to work fun alongside our amazing clients!

So, let’s bring some excitement back with something to look forward to, plan your next buzz night now! We want to see you vibing with your tribe. Don’t forget to post photos on the Afford Staff Facebook page.

Send us your buzz night stories via marketing@afford.com.au.

Handyman Timetable Meet Our Handyman Tahier

Our Handy Man, Tahier, will be at the following sites this week: - Monday 6th July:

Blacktown DES & Minchinbury HO

- Tuesday 7th July:

Fairfield DES

- Wednesday 8th July: Canley Vale & Eschol Park - Thursday 9th July:

Mt Annan and St Andrews

- Friday 10th July:

Weekly catch up and urgent requests

SELFIES OF THE WEEK

eck out Pawsom Selfie Above: Ch modelling Emma e Selfie Above: Cristin ma Em d and Je a, Cristina an jackets! and Shagg ss with Zoey, Boo our new Afford y.

UPCOMING EVENTS DATE:

EVENT:

10th July

Afford Academy Launch

17th July

National Pyjama Day

24th July

Stress Down Day

1-31st July

Dry July

A: Echo

www.afford.com.au