Engagement: The Interactive Process That Can Greatly Enhance Our Agency
As the leaves begin to fall to the ground, Lifeworks is harnessing the wonderful experiences that recent events, such as our Staff Appreciation Weeks, our Employment Services Awards Banquet, and our Sports Banquet, have provided. These experiences serve as strong reminders of Lifeworks’ identity as a community, particularly as we embark on our 70th anniversary year with a pronounced emphasis on Engagement, involving our staff, the individuals we support, and our families.
Lifeworks is committed to fostering engagement and encouraging input from our staff on the best ways to support them. We also seek to engage with our families, identifying their service needs for their family members. Engagement extends to all aspects of the lives of the over 2,400 people we serve.
While Lifeworks boasts nice, well-decorated, and well-maintained facilities, our most valuable resource in supporting the people we serve is our dedicated team of professionals. As I write this, we are honored to have over 500 individuals on our team. In the coming year, we will make a concerted effort to engage, honor, and recognize our staff, soliciting increased input from them to enhance the services we offer and provide better support to our team members.
To further this effort, Lifeworks has launched our Employee Engagement Committee, consisting of staff members from throughout the agency. This committee will focus on developing opportunities, events, and communication channels to greatly enhance two-way communication among all our staff members. We will engage not only through events but also through tailor-made training sessions that address the interests and challenges of our staff, as well as training aimed at enhancing and strengthening our team as a whole.
Given that families played a pivotal role in establishing our agency nearly 70 years ago, Lifeworks takes pride in being a valuable resource for the families of the individuals we serve. Over the next year, we will continue to engage with our family partners in all aspects of their lives. Our annual calendar of training and support for staff in various areas, oversight and management of stipends from the Commonwealth for many of our families, navigation of service systems, and management of challenging crises all reflect our ongoing commitment to engage regularly with our families. Most importantly, our families know that, in moments of challenge and crisis, staff from all divisions of our agency will be there for them.
Additionally, we are committed to the continued re-engagement of services for the individuals we serve. Over the next year, our goals include having all the people we serve back in their day programs, opening a new residence to increase our service opportunities, and expanding our community supports division in areas such as Adult Family Care, Shared Living, Harbor Counseling, and our Autism and Family Supports divisions.
Lifeworks is often the first place that individuals turn to upon receiving a diagnosis of a disability for their child. We are also a vital resource during life crises, such as housing or food insecurity. When people need extra assistance for their child or sibling, Lifeworks is the place they go. We look forward to utilizing our state and federally funded program supports, as well as our privately funded resources, to continue being there for all.
As we commemorate our 70 years of service and success from now through the next year, we invite you to join us. Help Lifeworks engage with our community by engaging with us. Together, we can make the coming year one of meaningful interaction and progress. We look forward to celebrating and engaging with you.
Warm regards,
Dan Burke
President & CEO
Lifeworks