At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Taylor Stocks (Edinburgh-based Support Practitioner) wrote to Futures with a bold and impactful idea in response to a very real and current staffing issue.

Taylor proposed “Extra Incentive/Pay for Overtime, Cover and Weekend Shifts… as a temporary to possibly permanent measure as a result of recent staff shortages throughout Carr Gomm.”

Taylor explained that “a lot of cover shifts or overtime has been asked for/required as of late and as a result of a staff shortage, with several members I’ve talked to (including myself) struggling to find the incentive to take on extra hours – especially for those of us working full-time. A few of my colleagues and I have discussed the possibility of a temporary pay increase of time and a half or double pay to be paid to those who pick up urgent shifts, cover shifts or weekend shifts. I believe this would encourage staff to take on more shifts during times when services are short-staffed and likely provide a welcome bonus to full-time staff taking on overtime or weekend work. I believe the extra pay would be easier to budget during staff decreases as a result of fewer staff members being paid throughout.”

In particular, “the idea is to pay time and a half (1.5x the normal pay rate) or double time (2x the normal pay rate) to staff members who are taking on urgent cover shifts – alternatively, weekends if paying extra during weekdays isn’t possible. This would encourage staff to take on more shifts as a result of the extra money. This would be useful not only while there are staff shortages but while regular staff or on annual leave or staff are short for any reason in specific services.“

Taylor believes that “the ultimate outcome of this idea is to prevent strain and stress for those looking for urgent cover shifts as well as ultimately encourage staff to take on urgent shifts with the incentive of a pay increase. Staff turnover may also be slightly improved as a result of a pay increase during general staff shortages.”

Following discussions at the Exec and the Board, it was agreed to introduce enhanced payments for additional hours worked, as follows (quoting Lucy):

“From 1 April, we are introducing overtime payments of ‘time and a half’ for support practitioners working hours in excess of full time (37.5hrs/wk), as recognition for the commitment and dedication of those colleagues that cover extra shifts due to absence or short staffing… “

“Continuing to uplift and enhance salaries and benefits is an indication that we are managing the organisation prudently and that we continue to develop and undertake new work.   At a time like this, our careful management really pays off, and we can withstand a challenging environment.”

This outcome, of course, benefits individual support practitioners, teams, management, and ultimately the people we support. The Futures Group is delighted to award Taylor’s idea as the one that stood out for us as a bold one with a true organisation-wide impact, benefitting both staff and people supported.

It was hard to choose just one winner from about 40 brilliant new Futures submissions, but in the end, Caroline’s idea stood out in two important ways: It would have the biggest organisation-wide impact, and it was ambitious.

Caroline suggested that we “include ‘compassion’ in our principles and values” to “address the current deficit within our values which communicate ‘kindness/caring’ aspect of our support services and staff” – “in line with the new Health and Social Care Standards”.

This sparked a conversation about our organisational values and quickly developed into a plan for an organisation-wide Big Conversation About Our Values. Following a year of deep conversations among all staff, people we support and other interested parties, Carr Gomm added both “Compassion” and “Kindness” to our values.

This is testament to Carr Gomm’s commitment to receiving and acting upon bold suggestions from the workforce. Through the Futures programme, Carr Gomm employees truly have the voice and power to steer the organisation to new frontiers.

Barbara noticed that she relies on her well-practised listening skills in her support. She suggested that Carr Gomm offers specific training on Active Listening to support practitioners. What’s more, Barbara developed the PDG herself – including the presentation, notes and handouts!

Through this award, we celebrate Barbara’s talents and generosity in sharing them with all of us.