Caughey Preston Trust  – Highly Commended In Brief - Work-life initiatives create a supportive workplace and engaged workforce - - New immigrants are supported into new jobs and new lives - - - Deep human values underpin the entire organizational philosophy They make a special effort to understand, respect and celebrate the different cultures working here Diverse team provides optimal care for elderly. Respect for diversity has been at the heart of one of Auckland’s aged care providers since its inception more than 56 years ago. The Caughey Preston Trust was the vision of founder Marianne Caughey Smith-Preston, who established it as a safe and loving home for the elderly. She was determined that the Trust would cater for people from all walks of life. Caughey Preston employs 246 people to care for 214 clients in its dementia unit, hospital and rest homes. Two-thirds of staff are immigrants and more than half are aged over 50, with some staff in their 70s working in full-time positions. Employees work in a wide range of management, clinical, administrative and other roles, so effectively managing a diverse workforce to create a cohesive team is critical of Caughey Preston’s success. Finding skilled staff, particularly Registered clinical staff, is an ongoing challenge for Caughey Preston. However, their staffing levels are recognized as some of the highest in the region. The Trust’s philosophy of respecting diversity goes far deeper than any policy or procedure. “It is at the heart of the organisation and what it stands for, and the Board works hard to create an inclusive culture where everyone feels supported.” An example of this is a carefully thought out process for responding to clients who verbally abuse staff, usually with racial slurs. The staff member involved is encouraged to immediately report their experience to their manager and be given the support they need. To help ensure a repeat does not occur, the client is advised that such language is offensive and inappropriate, and asked to apologise. If the patient does not remember the incident, nursing staff will liaise with their family. General Manager Gloria Budgen’s job description requires her “to stimulate, motivate and earn the full support of employees while ensuring equal opportunities exist for all”. Caughey Preston values its mature staff for “the experience and life maturity they bring to the organisation. They give our organisation a balance and make it more representative of the community.” Phased retirement planning enables people to move gradually out of the workplace. one or two employees have disabilities and are given the support they need, while young employees also receive additional support and training. They also employ many staff from other countries and try to understand their personal circumstances. For example, they recruit registered nurses from overseas, support them through the immigration process, and help them settle into their new country and work environment. They make a special effort to understand, respect and celebrate the different cultures working at the Trust. Caughey Preston’s flexible work arrangements include domestic leave, study leave, long service leave, discretionary leave, flexible starting and finishing times for employees who don’t work rostered shifts, the ability to leave work suddenly to deal with family emergencies, and part-time and casual work. There are more challenges in helping shift workers with work-life balance, but they can apply for discretionary leave or special work arrangements. Staff members who struggle to care for family members who have health difficulties are sometimes able to be supported by adjusting their rosters to suit their needs. On occasion when the situations have deteriorated, the employee has needed to resign. Later, when the situation is more settled, they have returned to Caughey Preston. The benefits of these and other arrangements to Caughey Preston are high morale and job satisfaction, and therefore high service standards. Staff surveys show satisfaction steadily rising during the past three years, with 79 per cent of staff saying they can strike a balance between work and home. A total of 92 per cent say they feel satisfied with their job, and 98 per cent say they are happy to be employed by Caughey Preston. Staff turnover is relatively low, with more than 20 per cent of staff members having worked for Caughey Preston for 10 or more years. Diversity is also good for the organisation. More diversity means they are better able to support their clients and respect their diversity and individuality. Creativity and problem-solving is also improved with diverse perspectives adding to the mix. The challenge for the future lies in the ability to keep an open mind, to support and nurture diversity in all respects all the while ensuring compliance. Meeting minimum standards is simply not enough.