"Best Possible Day" is a phrase Necco Center's Residential Director, Tim Holmes, has used for many years to talk about ways to improve a person’s quality of life. Noting the relationship between an enhanced quality of life and Necco's mission to build families, Tim decided to join his philosophy with Necco’s Corporate Culture and Hobb’s Principles of Re-Education.
The idea resonated with staff from across the company. It quickly became a full-fledged campaign called, (you guessed it) "Best Possible Day". The campaign centers around the premise that by practicing our corporate culture and Hobb's principles, the staff and individuals we serve will have the best possible day while in our care.
The campaign kicked off in May with the corporate culture principle “The Team”. Their mission? To literally build a bench. To get the job done, a multi-disciplinary team was formed that included dietary staff, skill builders, maintenance, and clinical to name a few. The teams had to problem-solve, communicate, and work together creatively. After it was constructed, the teams decorated the bench using a Hobb’s principle. Unanimously, the team chose “In growing up, a child should know some joy each day and look forward to some joyous event for the morrow”. Handprints, swings, owls, turtles and other things that bring joy to a child now decorate the brightly colored bench.
The “Team” theme and bench building is scheduled to last eight weeks to give all staff the opportunity to work together in a new capacity. It will then be replaced with other corporate culture principles, such as “Fun” and “Customer Service”.
“These are activities to help staff have something tangible; they can see it, live it", Holmes proudly declared.
The momentum of Best Possible Day does not stop with the theme teams. Necco Center has also created a way to listen to staff, truly practice Meritocracy and improve staff retention. Enter ideanet@neccocenter.org, an electronic home for all “brains in the game”. “Idea Net” communicates to staff that Necco Center administration is listening to ideas and implementing them. This project helps to encourage senior staff, or staff who have been employed for only a day, to share ideas to make the Best Possible Day.
Ninety–one ideas were generated at its inception. Staff weren’t asking for golden chariots, crystal chandeliers, or even catered lunch every day. Instead, their ideas were modest but effective at improving the quality of life of those they serve. To date, Necco Center has installed soda and snack machines and ordered a new transportation van. All of this was made possible by the staff who spoke up and shared their ideas on how to improve life at Necco Center. Each of the staff who submit, receive a cool bracelet as a thank you and a visual reminder to themselves and fellow staff saying “I want us to grow and improve”.
Necco Center has many more ideas in store for this campaign, including a blog, buttons, and parties. It will be the Best Possible Day because the best is yet to come! Stay tuned!