Legendary efforts

Staff achievement awards are a great way to help attract, retain and motivate employees. The top staff at one of the bigger providers all go into the draw to win some pretty magical prizes.

Above: Caterina Hill celebrates her $2,500 win with colleagues from Bupa Morphettville.

By Stephen Easton

Achievement awards are a great way to let staff know their hard work is valued by management – and with $90,000 in holidays literally ‘up for grabs’, they don’t get much bigger than Bupa Care’s Legends program.

Last Friday, 828 outstanding employees went along to gala dinners in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide, each with an equal chance to win one of 18 holiday vouchers worth either $2,500 or $7,500.

All had qualified as Bupa Legends by achieving commitments they set themselves under the company’s Personal Best program, described by managing director Paul Gregersen as “key to Bupa’s reputation for excellent care”.

All of Bupa’s 4,000 aged care employees across 47 sites around Australia are encouraged to make commitments under the Personal Best program, which is implemented in slightly differnt ways in each facility.

Those who “consistently achieve the highest level of resident care” by achieving their commitments become Bupa Legends and go into the draw win the travel prizes, according to the Bupa website.

“These commitments are often small yet significant gestures such as making time to help a resident with a personal interest, or bringing fresh flowers from home to brighten up a resident’s room,” Mr Gregersen said. “It is all about expressing care in a personal way.” 

Above: Bupa Berwick’s Sarah Marriott receives a $7,500 prize from Bupa Care Services’ director of operations, Glen Hurley.

Expectant mother Sarah Marriott from a Melbourne facility, Bupa Berwick, won a major prize that she plans to use for two holidays – one to the Whitsundays before the baby arrives, and another for her first family holiday.

“I’m really excited, I never expected to win,” Ms Marriott said. “I’m almost five months pregnant so it’s a great chance to have a little holiday in the Whitsundays before the baby comes.” 

“I just do little things around the home like take the residents out, or help them with doing something they enjoy. It makes a difference and it makes me feel really good when I do it. That feeling of satisfaction just makes you want to keep doing it.” 

In the next 12 months, other Bupa employees plan to jet off to Spain, Vietnam, Fiji and even Antarctica, and for some winners it will be their first holiday in as long as 12 years.

Administration officer Caterina Hill (pictured under headline), from Bupa Morphettville in Adelaide, said she was humbled by her $2,500 prize, and plans to take the family to Hamilton Island.

“You can’t work in this industry and not be affected by the people you work with everyday; that’s reward enough,” Ms Hill said. “It’s wonderful to be recognised.”

Click here for a full list of winners and image galleries from the gala dinners, as well as videos of Bupa Care Services staff explaining why they go the extra mile for the residents.

Two lucky staff who won travel prizes came from Melbourne’s Bupa Bellarine, a facility which has also received external recognition, picking up three of this year’s Better Practice in Aged Care Awards.

After winning two Better Practice Awards in 2008, Bupa Bellarine was recognised this year by the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency for their own unique implementation of the company-wide Personal Best program, as well as a palliative care protocol known as the Liverpool Care Pathway and for Walk Around Australia (click here for video), which encourages walking as an enjoyable, social form of exercise.

Tags: accreditation-agency, awards, better-practice-awards, bupa-care-services, human-resources, recognition, staff, workforce,

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