Chris Floyd: Celebrating A One Year Work Anniversary!
Quality in human services has a direct correlation to quality humans delivering those services, and experienced, committed staff who stay in their jobs over the long term are critical to a strong workplace culture. They serve as mentors to new staff, and establish a consistent trusted presence with individuals supported by LiveWorkPlay and their families. We are now sharing a bit more about our staff team on their annual workplace anniversaries. Join us in celebrating an August 21 first year work anniversary for Chris Floyd! To help get to know him a little better, here are some questions and answers about Chris.
What is your favourite memory of this past year at LiveWorkPlay?
There are so many memories it is hard to choose just one favourite memory. It is truly an honour and privilege to work with all the different members I have supported at LiveWorkPlay. In the past year, I think what is most important is the relationships I have built, certainly with the people I am supporting, but also with my colleagues, as contributing to the team is very important.
A favourite memory is a particular person I have been involved in supporting who is incredibly engaged with their community, I really marvel at the different ways they contribute and are so connected with other people, and it really stands out because being included has a lot to do with how other people value someone. By the frequency and type of greetings this person receives, I can see how important they are to others.
What brought you to work at LiveWorkPlay?
It all started when I was a student in the Developmental Services Worker (DSW) program at Algonquin College. My communications professor Cecelia Taylor is a past chair of the board at LiveWorkPlay, and she shared a link with all of her students for a summer employment opportunity to do job coaching in support of people with intellectual disabilities.
There was a lot of competition so I was very excited to be one of the four successful candidates. Thank you to Cecelia for being an extraordinary professor and mentor to me!
I learned so much about how to better support people with intellectual disabilities, and what was really important was understanding how LiveWorkPlay supports people to learn and grow by taking risks and making mistakes. Nobody ever moves to their own apartment, gets a job, or makes a new friend without taking some risks and making mistakes.
After that summer I went back to school, and then there was an opening for a Community Connector position in 2017, and of course I applied! The work is a bit different, supporting people with just about everything except employment, but I think I had a strong foundation to get started, and it’s been a great year.
What are you looking forward to in the future at LiveWorkPlay?
In the future, I look forward to continuing to grow as an individual and as a team member at LiveWorkPlay. I also look forward to supporting members to follow their dreams and help them to remove any barriers that may get in their way. There are always learning opportunities and one of them is to attend the upcoming annual conference for Community Living Ontario, so I am looking forward to that in September.
What do others have to say about Chris?
He is very observant and patient which is really important for doing great person-centred work.
He is funny and also sneaky funny, he has a great poker face when he’s setting up a joke.
Chris is at the top of the charts for his elaborate daily updates with the staff team!