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Powering Positivity: Rebuilding company culture in the care sector
09 December 2024 Workplace Culture

Story by
Kirsty Murphy CPO and COO, Alternative Futures Group (AFG)

Kirsty Murphy, CPO and COO for health and social care charity Alternative Futures Group (AFG) talks about how people really are at the heart of care and how to shift the dial on company culture.
Here at AFG, we understand that for us to deliver high quality support for those with a learning disability or a mental health condition we need to have a responsibility to engage, develop, reward and recognise those who work with us. This unwavering commitment to our people has recently culminated in the prestigious Great Place to Work accreditation, a testament to our decade-long journey towards building a truly exceptional company culture.
The health and social care sector is often demanding and emotionally taxing, yet one that brings rewards like no other. With more than 152,000 vacancies in the North West alone and a 28.3% workforce turnover, communicating the benefits of the sector can be challenging for those looking to recruit and retain professionals.
AFG has defied these norms, but our journey to achieving Great Place to Work accreditation has been one that has been a decade of listening, actioning and evolving with our workforce. In 2014, our employee survey response rate to the accreditation, which forms one of the requirements, was a mere 13%, reflecting a disconnect between leadership and colleagues. It prompted us to embark on a transformative journey and one that has seen us achieve an 85% response rate this year.
Creating a great workplace culture is integral to how we measure success. Our people are our greatest asset. Their dedication, compassion and professionalism allow AFG to deliver personalised support that goes above and beyond what is expected.
Engage
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach and one of the things we have learnt along the way is that one of the most important ways to ensure you are getting it right is through communication.
We wanted to communicate a clearly defined mission and values to our colleagues, yet in a way that resonated with them and that inspired them to contribute to that mission.
Vitally that engagement needs to be a two-way conversation. We have ensured that there is always open communication throughout the organisation and colleagues can freely and constructively express their thoughts with monthly organisational wide virtual catch-ups hosted by our Exec Team and ‘Ask the SLT’ initiatives to provide all the team the opportunity to ask questions to senior leaders.
Develop
Company culture encompasses everything from the way our team interact with each other to leadership styles, decision-making processes and the overall work environment. Having a strong culture fosters a sense of belonging, purpose and shared goals, leading to a more engaged and productive workforce.
At AFG, we’re constantly seeking new ways to create better environments and develop our amazing team. From investing in training to launching a new reward platform, we’re dedicated to supporting our team and will keep this focus at the heart of everything we do.
There is no magic wand for improving a company culture. It takes work, time and it needs collaboration across the board to make a difference.
Recognise
Recognition to show the value of our team to us is key. We do this at our annual awards, where we host around 200 of our amazing people, nominating colleagues for external awards and the best professional development processes in the sector.
The results of the Great Place to Work survey show the remarkable success this has achieved.
Some highlights include:
•I understand how my job contributes to achieving organisational objectives – 85%
•I have good conversations with my manager – 84%
•My work has special meaning: this is not ‘just a job’ – 84%
•I am offered training and development to further myself professionally – 81%
The results of the survey and the accreditation is a testament to our commitment to creating a positive and engaging workplace culture.
Reward
We have invested significant funds (more than £8m) in training and in paying our team real living wage. The uplift for our frontline colleagues this year put them on a wage that is one of the best in the North West.
After ensuring our teams were among the well trained and paid in the sector regionally, we then looked at conversations around a nine-day fortnight.
Lots of organisations claim to have introduced reduced working hours when essentially all they have really done is formalised compressed working hours for their colleagues.
In our experience, compressed working arrangements are a strain on an individual requiring longer working days which negatively impacts on wellbeing and productivity. It is also difficult to achieve in the care sector while ensuring continuity of quality care.
At AFG we reduced contractual hours but protected pay, enabling a switch to a nine-day fortnight.
It is these sorts of decisions that we believe set us apart from other organisations in our sector and feed into the company culture that we have been nurturing for many years now.
For us receiving the Great Place to Work accreditation is a milestone, not the end of our progress. We remain committed to continuously improving our company culture and investing in our people. Through ongoing dialogue, innovation and a shared commitment to excellence, we are creating a workplace where every employee thrives, contributing to our collective mission of delivering exceptional care.
This journey is not just about achieving awards; it’s about creating a meaningful and positive environment for everyone at AFG. Ultimately, it’s about empowering our team to deliver support with compassion and dedication, making a real difference in the lives of those who rely on us.