VincentCare Victoria provides support services for people requiring aged care.
Human resources manager Mark Jackson has held HR positions in numerous settings but says working for not-for-profit company VincentCare Victoria is proving a rewarding experience in its own unique way. The organisation delivers support services for people experiencing disadvantage. It’s the first organisation of this kind Jackson has worked in.
“I was specifically attracted to not-for-profit because of the nature of the work and the people that work within these sorts of organisations,” he says.
VincentCare Victoria supplies various professional accommodation and support services for people experiencing disadvantage or requiring aged care throughout metropolitan and regional Victoria. Presently, says Jackson, the company is looking to fill about 20 job vacancies. These include jobs in aged care case management, drug and alcohol counselling and nursing.
“You clearly need compassion for vulnerable people and a background in care,” says Jackson. “And it’s a team-based environment.”
VincentCare Victoria recruits about 100 new employees a year, according to Jackson, and a large number of these recruits are health-related employees. Half of the annual intake is employed in residential aged care, Jackson adds, with the majority being personal care workers.
“Our employees end up working in very difficult environments at times with challenging clients. So they need that sense of caring and showing compassion but also to be resilient to what’s going on around them.”
VincentCare Victoria’s staff members work all around Melbourne and regional Victoria. The company, an employer of choice, offers various staff benefits including an employee assistance program, salary packaging and study leave for professional development.
As part of the organisation’s strategic direction for 2012-15, its workforce strategy has seen the development of a number of new initiatives including the redesign of the company’s induction program, the introduction of new position descriptions, the inclusion of new training programs and the establishment of a company-wide staff reward and recognition program. Jackson says company data is showing these initiatives are significantly affecting employee engagement.
“What we found last year was we’ve had a significant improvement in our alignment and engagement.
“The alignment is about what our strategic direction is and people feeling like they’re part of it.”
Jackson says VincentCare’s employees are typically attracted to joining the organisation because of their commitment to supporting the most disadvantaged members of the community.
“The staff are committed to the work they do and the clients we serve and our purpose in society,” he says.
“That’s the real difference that makes it very motivating to come to work.
“You don’t see that necessarily in any other sector. You see motivated people… but that’s a real difference you see working for a not-for-profit in the sort of sector we work in.”
For job opportunities, go to vincentcare.org.au