The Great Place to Work certification programme is designed to build and sustain high-trust, high-performance culture in organisations. Through the programme, organisations that excel in creating, supporting and delivering this high-trust work environment are certified.
The programme allows organisations to accurately assess where they are as a business, and a culture. The insight and feedback can help align and focus people strategies. This is especially true for those organisations that commit to and embrace the framework to build both success for their people and the business.
The programme also provides a mechanism for organisations to leverage and develop their internal employee value proposition, along with their external employer brand. This plays a critical role in both retaining and attracting talent.
Our Lady’s Hospice & Care Service, who provide specialist care for people with a wide range of needs from rehabilitation to end-of-life care in people’s homes across Dublin and north Wicklow and in its two facilities in Harold’s Cross and Blackrock, where one of the organisations that achieved certification in 2020.
“We are delighted that Our Lady’s Hospice & Care Services has been officially certified as a Great Place to Work. In what was an extremely challenging year, it is wonderful to be recognised for the work of our committed team who remain dedicated to the patients and families we serve,” says chief executive Audrey Houlihan.
As Ireland’s largest specialist palliative care provider since 1879, they are committed to realising their vision to provide the highest quality in person-centred palliative care for all who need it across south Dublin and Wicklow.
“Our staff and volunteers understand that each person has unique needs and our core values of human dignity, compassion, justice, quality, and advocacy are at the heart of all that we do. This certification is a tribute to each of our 700 staff and 400 volunteers who support our patients and families across our three sites of Harold’s Cross, Blackrock and Wicklow,” says Houlihan.
VHA is another organisation that has achieved certification, celebrating the achievement in November of last year. VHA is an architectural firm based in Sligo, Galway and Dublin, who work throughout Ireland on residential and commercial projects.
“VHA are delighted to be certified as a Great Place to Work. The process has given us greater insight into what our team most enjoys about being a part of VHA and where we can improve,” says managing director Paul Hannon.
Reflecting on VHA’s first foray into the Great Place to Work certification programme, Hannon remarks that “GPTW is a straightforward, inclusive process that opens doors for future conversations and enhanced teamwork”.
The team in Great Place to Work would like to congratulate Our Lady’s Hospice & Care Services, VHA and all of the organisations who were successful in achieving certification over the last year and look forward to working with many more organisations over the coming months.
In addition to each of the 2021 Best Workplaces, we are delighted to recognise the following organisations as certified as a Great Place to Work:
- Our Lady’s Hospice & Care Services
- Citco
- Science Foundation Ireland
- Synergy Flavours
- Irish Coast Guard
- Expleo Ireland
- Promed
- DLL Ireland DAC
- Osborne Recruitment
- Mainstream Renewable Power
- Lundbeck Ireland Limited
- VHA
This article originally appeared in ‘Best Workplaces 2021‘ a Special Report from The Irish Times, published March 2021.
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