When we talk about going the extra mile, none fit the bill more than Balhousie Brookfield’s Home Manager, Lisa Thomson.
Always looking for ways to make work fun and give her team a boost, Lisa came up with a selfless way to put a smile on her colleagues’ faces. She organised a raffle with a difference – the winners will have a shift of their choosing, fully paid and covered by none other than Lisa herself.
And, so the residents don’t miss all the fun, all the money raised goes straight into their comfort fund.
“It all started when I was speaking with our Managing Director, Karen Johnson,” says Lisa. “She mentioned that she remembers somebody doing a raffle where they offering shifts and I thought it was a brilliant idea. I suggested it to the staff before I could talk myself out of it. I said if they win they can sit at home or in here, put their feet up and I’ll do their work for them. Suddenly there was mass interest!”
To offer an extra incentive to the team, Lisa suggested there be two winners, so two people would get a shift covered by Lisa. Lisa could have signed up for being the cook, working in the activities team, laundry, domestic or as a carer. As it turned out, Lisa is going back to her roots as a Carer during her charitable shifts.
The two lucky winners are Senior Carer, Steven Smith and Care Assistant, Abby Ryan, who are absolutely delighted with their win, especially after buying lots of raffle tickets.
“All the staff jumped at the idea,” says Steven. “I think I spent £30 on raffle tickets as I was dying to see Lisa do a senior shift again.”
“I was very excited,” says Abby. “I did put quite a bit of my wage into the raffle, so I was glad that I was one of the winners.”
While there’s been a lot of fun and laughter about Lisa taking on the shifts, she’s only too happy to do it and continue to grow her great relationship with the team.
“I have been a Carer and a Senior Carer so I know exactly how much your manager doing a shift for you, would mean,” says Lisa. “Things like this bring the team closer together, so it’s definitely been a positive thing. They’re already working on ways to make sure I work hard on that shift!
The raffle has proved such a hit that Steven has volunteered to do a shift for one of the Carers, just like Lisa. “They are starting to do it for each other which is a brilliant thing,” says Lisa. “I would do it again, but maybe not too soon! I need time to recover from this time round!”
Besides all the fun and feel-good, the raffle raised £100 too!
