About ‘VOICE’

What is ‘VOICE’, and how does it work?

Voice is the vehicle for change within our organisation – it’s our employee-ownership in action. We actively encourage each and every employee to be a part of making changes to the way we do things at Be Caring, and improve our business.

One example of this was our rebrand from CASA to Be Caring – through workshops and consultations, we collaboratively decided on our mission, values, and even the uniform you see us wearing today!

Sharon Lowrie

CEO

“Our organisation is governed by what we call “Voice”. Voice is made up of nominated representatives from each one of our services, and ultimately I am accountable to that group of representatives. So my big message is that you are important, you are valued, and we really want you to work with us to improve what we do.”

Making a Difference

Our mission is to make a lasting difference to our communities, so they have the opportunity to achieve their fullest potential in all aspects of life. We envision Voice being a huge part of making that happen, by giving our colleagues a say in what their communities would benefit from, and what matters to them. This will be achieved via “Voice Champions” and working groups.

This may include helping the people in our communities with things such as:

Reducing social isolation and loneliness, and helping people develop their social connections
Improving their skills and employability
Improving their digital skills, and being connected
Reducing fuel and food poverty
Improving the local environment

Meet James, Support Worker and Voice Trustee

James Lafferty

Voice Trustee

“I was introduced to Bronwyn Burgess, our Voice Chairperson, and I have never looked back. There have been many changes to make Be Caring what it is today. If you would like to make a difference and help us make changes that benefit everyone, please join us at Voice.”

What does your role as Voice Trustee mainly involve?

My main task is to get ideas off fellow employee-owners, any concerns, and take them back to the board so we can have a discussion about it and see where we can problem solve. And then I’ll take the answers back to the people who have asked the questions.

How do other employees give you ideas to take to Voice meetings?

I’ll be out and about and someone (a colleague) might bump into me and say “Oh, James! When’s your next meeting? Can you take this question”? and i’ll say “Yeah no problem! I’ll give you a call and I’ll let you know the outcome of it after the meeting”. “Perfect”! They’re happy because they’ve been able to get their opinion across, so it’s great!

What do you think the future of Voice may hold?

I think in the future, as we’re moving on as a company, we can get to know much more from our people. We are only at the tip of the iceberg, we haven’t really dug down!

Join us at Be Caring

Do you want to play a part in shaping the future of social care?

We’re looking for passionate people who genuinely care, with a will to make a difference. We offer excellent support, training and exciting career opportunities.

We’re employee-owned, meaning profits don’t come first – people do.

Find Out More

92% of employees would recommend us Be Caring as a place to work

(Be Caring colleague survey, December 2023)