February 2024 Parenta magazine_compressed

Pam McFarlane
Values
Work values are beliefs or principles
relating to your career or place of work.
They describe what you believe matters
regarding your career.
Values are not ‘fuddy-duddy’ concepts.
Values are trendy. Paul Brunson, a
relationship coach on Married at First
Sight, always gets contestants to explore
each other’s values. What values does
each one hold dear? What is important to
them? Do they align? If not, presumably
the marriage is doomed to failure and
more alarmingly for many, fewer followers
on social media.
Paul posted on X on November 28th,
2023, saying:
“One of the most important questions you
can answer is this: What are your values?
Now your values guide everything in this
life. Who’s the best romantic match, who’s
the best business partner, who are the
best friends? These are all based on your
values. But more important than the best
match, your values are your happiness.
So identify what your values are, prioritise
them, and most importantly feed them….
not only will you lead a fuller life, but you’ll
be much happier.”
It is the same with our work settings. It
is suggested that a third of our lives are
spent at work. On a weekly basis many of
us see our colleagues more then we see
our beloveds. If shared values are key to
successful relationships then the same
applies to our work relationships.
Before we talk about drawing up our
own set of values, we should look at core
values, their significance and their impact.
The value of
So, just what are core
values?
It is worthwhile carefully reading the
following excellent explanation given by
Workplace from en-gb.workplace.com.
They say ‘“company values are a set of
core beliefs held by an organisation. They
might involve principles that govern the
business, its philosophy, or how it expects
the people who work for it to act.“
“Values are overarching - they’re not about
a single situation but act as a guide to how
a company should approach everything it
does and its interactions. Values can help
define an organisation’s personality and
help it stand out from the crowd.“
“They can make a statement about where
a company stands and what it believes in.
They can give people focus and a greater
sense of purpose and engagement,
reinforcing a company’s broader goals
and feeding into everyday decisions and
work.“
values
“Crucially, values act as one of the building
blocks of organisational culture, giving a
consistent reference point, even in times of
change.”
What can core values do
for our setting?
Attract talent
We all know that recruitment within early
years has been exceptionally difficult over
the past few years. Having clear values
can make the difference in securing the
right person for the job.
Create a secure work environment
A set of considered values is the basis for
a setting’s code of conduct. Values provide
a guide for behaviour in professional,
social, physical and virtual interactions that
is clearly understood. Having values levels
the playing field and ensures fairness for
all. This helps people to feel secure.
Values also enable settings to identify and
deal with toxic behaviours promptly.
Conversely, managers can positively affirm
their staff for evidencing these values.
This helps staff members feel more
connected to the setting and to one
another and they are then able to develop
a sense of ownership to the setting.
Improved performance is often the result.
Enhance communications
Once values are embedded, all staff
members can interact with stakeholders
in a way that reflects the setting positively.
Bank staff members too, must understand
and adhere to the values of the setting. If
parents are aware of the setting’s values,
they also are encouraged to abide by
these in their interactions with staff. Our
values also trickle down to the children
in our care, making the setting a happy,
healthy place to be.
Formulating your own
set of values
As with establishing our workplace culture,
our workplace values are best chosen
when all staff are involved. There needs
to be a shared platform from which our
values are embedded into our setting’s
culture. A special staff meeting called to
focus on values is a very good way to start
generating ideas.
In creating your values, the following are
helpful to consider:
Be clear and concise
It is essential to keep your company values
clear so that they can be understood and
embraced by employees, regardless of
their level or position in the setting. Staff
members, from apprentices, to cooks,
practitioners, leaders and managers must
know what to expect and understand
what is important.
Keep them brief and memorable
Keep them brief – short and snappy is the
way to go! Values are then easy to recall
at any given moment.
Ensure they reflect your setting’s culture
and check that they accurately reflect your
mission, vision, beliefs, and objectives.
Adapt if needed
Settings grow and develop over time, so
reflect on your values from time to time,
making sure the values are still relevant
and effective. If not, make amendments
that suit your current reality.
What is important for
you? What matters?
The first step in creating our values is by
looking at what is important to us.
Do we value honesty? Integrity? Positivity?
Service? Kindness? Accountability? Unity?
Having a group discussion with all staff
members will bring common values to the
fore. Once these are aired, choose some
(five is a good number) that reflect your
setting’s uniqueness.
Some suggestions are: