Becoming a more effective organisation
Our ability to beat blood cancer depends on our organisation being as effective as possible, and this was a key focus of 2019/20.
We continued a programme of IT improvements to make sure our staff were able to do their best work. This was about much more than improved technology, as we used the IT improvement programme to give people the flexibility to work in a way that fits around their lives. As well as helping retain staff, this has helped foster a culture where we focus on what people achieve rather than the number of hours they are at their desk. This has been underpinned by a new set of values that make it clear to all staff about how they should be approaching their work.
We have supported this through a programme of internal communications and training to help build a results-focused culture where everyone is expected to take ownership of their area of work. We have also continued to focus on making our work as efficient as possible, and each team has an information board that means anyone in the charity can see what they are working on and how they are performing.
As well focusing on results, we have supported people’s wellbeing. We continue to be a Stonewall Diversity Champion and have mental health first aiders. To ensure we are developing our people, we have looked to support existing staff to lead on new projects rather than getting in external consultants.
We are proud of how this work has transformed our culture, which used to be an issue for us. In December 2018, just 41% of staff said they would recommend us a place to work. By March 2020, this had increased to 85% of staff. Staff turnover has fallen from 44% in 2017/18 to 28% in 2019/20.