On the QVT blog today, we meet Mary-Anne, the compassionate and visionary Director of People and Culture here at Quo Vadis Trust. In our interview we delve into the heart and soul of our organisation that is dedicated to transforming the lives of individuals living with mental health challenges, and find out more about Mary-Anne’s career background, what makes a great employee for our charity and how our charity supports staff to have a fulfilling career…
Hi Mary-Anne, tell us about your career background and your current role at QVT?
I started my career in HR when I joined the L&D team at News International (The Times and Sunday Times newspaper) back in 2000. In 2004 I relocated to Amsterdam and worked in publishing for Reed Elsevier then took a career break to have children. In 2010 I moved back to the UK and resumed L&D, this time as a freelance consultant which suited me whilst my children were still small, but in 2013 the opportunity to join the permanent team as a standalone HR Manager in a local company came along. I worked there for 5 years, developing my HR skills and making some great friends along the way. I always wanted to work for a charity and to ‘give something back’ so when the time felt right to move on, I started looking for my next opportunity and applied for a role at Quo Vadis Trust. I joined the team in April 2018 and have really enjoyed shaping our culture and doing all I can to ensure that QVT is a great place to work. Feeling that I am supporting our amazing frontline team with the crucial work they do gives me great satisfaction.
What makes a great employee for QVT? What qualities to you look for when interviewing candidates?
It is more important for me and my colleagues that we take on people who have the right values and attitude towards their work. It can be difficult to know what someone is like based on a short interview, however we ask questions that hopefully elicit responses that make it easier to assess how someone will act in a given situation. Our values are dignity, excellence, respect, integrity and kindness, and when we listen to a candidate’s responses at interview we are looking for those values to be evident. For me, kindness is our most important value as if you demonstrate that, everything else falls naturally into place. I love hearing about all the good work our frontline team are doing – they are just amazing.
What are the key challenges in HR working within a mental health charity such as QVT?
First and foremost in my mind as the HR lead at QVT is our team members’ wellbeing. Working in mental health is extremely rewarding, and that’s what drives our frontline team, but at times it can also be draining, so it’s important for all our managers to be aware that frequent one-to-ones and daily check-ins with their team is crucial. We have a Wellbeing policy and most of our managers are qualified Mental Health First Aiders, so I feel we are doing all we can to support our team. We are also registered as a ‘Mindful Employer, so we receive frequent resources to help support our efforts in looking after all our team members’ mental health.
Mental health can be a high-stress field to work in. How do you help to create a supportive and resilient work culture for staff at QVT?
Aside from the efforts already mentioned, for me the most important thing for any employee is to have flexibility and a good work/life balance. We do everything we can to accommodate flexible working requests, and I often hear people saying how much they appreciate everything we do as employers to help them feel in control of their lives, by enabling them to alter their working hours where this is possible, or work from home if needed. In return I feel we have a loyal and agile workforce.
What do you think makes QVT special/ anything that QVT does well as a charity?
Well there is so much I could say here! But at the heart of QVT is its people, who every day are working so hard to fulfil our purpose which is to create a supportive living environment for adults who are considered to be ‘at risk’. We work in partnership with other local housing associations and I know that we are very well-respected amongst our peers, who seek out our guidance on best practice. We are also very responsive to local need, for example we recently increased our provision for care leavers when approached to do so by Lewisham council. Finally I realise how lucky I am to have such great colleagues. New joiners to the organisation are always blown away by how warm, friendly and welcoming everyone is.
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
It sounds like a cliché but there is nothing I enjoy more than quality time with my family. My sons are aged between 7 and 16 and they all make me laugh every day.
Thanks so much, Mary-Anne! You can read other interviews with QVT employees, as well as our charity’s news and helpful articles, over on our blog.