Our Culture
WE are PROUD
We are proud to have a culture of inclusion, diversity and commitment.
We have a core set of values created by our staff, these underpin everything we do.
Our Values and Behaviour Framework (VBF) captures our organisational values and sets out behaviours that ensure these values are lived by every day. The framework helps to define the appropriate behaviours that we expect from ourselves and from each other when at work.
- Our values
- Our values in action
- Diverse and Inclusive Workplace
- Pronouns in our email signatures
Our PROUD Values
We are St Anne’s and we are PROUD
to make a difference every day
Our values should flow through everything we do and influence how we do it everyday.
As an organisation it is important that we can demonstrate our values in our working practices and show how they influence different processes.
Supporting our values based approach we have a Values Framework
Recruitment:
We recruit staff using a values-based recruitment model. This means when someone wants to join St Anne’s, we ask them questions which help show us if they share our values.
Performance Management:
We regularly explore values when discussing performance with staff as part of our annual performance review, and ask them what makes them PROUD. Where behaviour is not in line with our values, this is challenged and we support people to try and change this.
Learning and Development:
What our values are and why they are important is a core part of our learning and development offering. This starts in induction and flows through our training courses, including our leadership development.
Recognition:
Our organisational awards are centred around our values and are given to people who display them in their work. Outstanding practice can only be achieved if it’s delivered in the right way, and this is what we celebrate.
Client Involvement:
We involve clients in the decisions we make at all levels. This may be through input into their support plan, helping to influence organisational policy or having a say in our recruitment processes, including for our Trustees or Chief Executive.
Quality and Candour:
What we do is important, so is ensuring that we do it well and that we continue to improve. When things don’t go to plan, we recognise this and learn from it and share our learning.
Proud to be inclusive
Mindful Employer
We have a diverse workforce of over 1600 people in frontline care roles and office-based roles behind the scenes which are vital to the smooth running of the charity, as well as our amazing Board of Trustees and volunteers. We recognise that each person has their own experience of mental wellbeing and at times, mental ill health, so its important that our approach reflects this. We have been a Mindful Employer since 2016, and before that a signatory of the “Time to Change” campaign to end mental health stigma. All of our HR colleagues and Managers are trained in mental health awareness. We are proud to be a member of the Leeds Mindful Employer Network.
As a provider of specialist mental health support to adults – we know how important it is to be an exemplar in understanding and responding to mental health challenges, regardless of whether or not its being experienced by an employee or a service user. We make sure that our employment policies recognise the importance of mental health in the workplace.
Mental Health First Aiders
We employs over 40 qualified Mental Health First Aiders who have completed their training with Mental Health First Aid England. The Mental Health First Aiders are an extra source of support for all employees and can be contacted for confidential support in the workplace. Mental Health First Aiders help us to keep mental wellbeing at the forefront of our work, raise awareness and offer extra reassurance and support to other colleagues who may need support with their mental health from time to time.
Disability Confident Employer
We have signed up to the Government’s Department of Work and Pensions Disability Confident Scheme and have been awarded Level 2: Employer status, meaning that we are a Disability Confident Employer. The scheme supports our organisation to ensure that we are taking steps to reduce the underemployment of people with disabilities and long-term health conditions.
As part of our commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme, it is our policy to automatically shortlist candidates with disabilities for interview if they meet the essential criteria of the job. St Anne’s works with an Employee Assistance Programme to support candidates in to work with the reasonable adjustments that are right for them. We work in partnership with occupational health practitioners and our Equality and Diversity Officer to support our employees to achieve their best, without limitations.
Stonewall Diversity Champions
We are proud to work with Stonewall, the UK’s leading LGBT+ rights charity. St Anne’s is a Stonewall Diversity Champion – this means that we receive help and support from Stonewall to make sure that our services are inclusive and fair for Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans people. LGBTQ+ inclusion is really important for our staff and the people we support and we are pleased that we have made real progress in this area. In 2019 St Anne’s was ranked within the Top 10 Health and Social Care organisations for LGBTQ+ inclusion and we were recognised for our work in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index.
Our Networks
LGBTQ+ Staff Network
Our LGBTQ+ Staff Network is open to all employees from the community and allies. This network has its own workplan and is supported by our Director of Business Development and LGBTQ+ Champion, Mario Caswell. Our LGBTQ+ Staff Network helps us to embed inclusion and good practice for our staff and the people we support.
Race Equality Network
Our Race Equality Network focusses on reducing racial inequalities and promoting understanding and inclusion for our Black, Asian and minoritized ethnic communities. Formerly known as the BAME Working Group, our Race Equality Network has relaunched as a strategic force, inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement of 2020. This network is open to all employees with a commitment to race equality for our workforce and the people we support. The group has its own workplan and is supported by our Director of Housing and Race Equality Champion, Naseer Ahmed and Trustee Pauline Garnett.
Fresh Staff Health & Wellbeing Group
Fresh is our staff network focussing on all things relating to health and wellbeing for our workforce and volunteers. The Fresh group is facilitated by our HR Manager Natallie and works with the Mental Health First Aiders to promote wellbeing initiatives and share information on how we can all take good care of ourselves (physically and mentally) at work.
SEVEN Group Network – Client Involvement
The people we support are at the heart of everything we undertake. To support our commitment to our vision “of a life without limits for the people we support”, we have a client representative body the St Anne’s Expert Voices and Experience Network (The SEVEN Group), which we are proud to work alongside with.
The group meets on a regular basis to discuss and shape with us opportunities for our clients – including health and well-being, community involvement and engagement, and our service developments and plans.
Pronouns in our email signatures
For a person who identifies with the sex they were assigned at birth (also called cisgender) there is no risk in sharing your pronouns.
For someone who is transgender or non-binary, sharing pronouns can be a big step, and a little scary. It can cause transgender and non-binary individuals to worry about how they will be perceived and treated by others in the workplace. However, sharing their pronouns in their email signature helps others know how to address them and helps prevent misgendering, which can be uncomfortable for both parties. It also opens the conversation and can provide an opportunity for learning and understanding.
That’s why we ask everyone, especially cisgender people to include their pronouns as it normalises it and makes it easier for their transgender and non-binary colleagues to do so.
You can practice the same level of consideration when you meet someone face to face, pay attention to how they refer to themselves so that you can mimic their language.
It is ok to ask someone their pronouns, you may want to simply ask “How would you like me to refer to you?”
If you are nervous or unsure about asking someone their pronouns directly you can tell them the pronouns you use for yourself, by doing this it allows the other person to tell you theirs without having to ask them directly.
When it doubt, you can always refer to someone by their name rather than by a pronoun or use non gender specific pronouns like they or them.
Including your pronouns in your signature and ensuring you are using the correct ones in conversation has little risk and makes for a more accepting and inclusive environment for everyone.
