Workplace Culture Expectations

At League City Animal Care we value our Workplace Culture as a vital part of the character and personality of our organization. These shared beliefs and values guide our decision making and our interactions with animals, members of the public, and each other. We view our volunteers as a valuable human resource extension of our staff team, so it is important that our volunteers understand and adhere to the following expectations.

CREATE AND MAINTAIN A SAFE WORKPLACE

  • Take responsibility for keeping yourself, coworkers, volunteers, visitors, and animals safe.
  • Be part of creating and maintaining a culture of safety, even when you're in a hurry.
  • Know your limitations and seek help when needed.
  • Bring safety concerns to your supervisor.

STRIVE FOR EXCELLENCE

  • Make customer service a priority and strive to constantly improve the customer service experience, both internally and externally.
  • Be willing to continue to learn and improve oneself professionally through training, reading, and other opportunities.
  • Educate yourself on national and regional best practices in animal welfare.
  • Be thorough, careful, and precise in all work.
  • Think and act constructively and look for solutions to make things better for animals and people.

SUPPORT A COLLABORATIVE ANIMAL SHELTER

  • Practice "we" thinking. We achieve goals together or not at all.
  • Understand that whether as an individual or as workgroups, we all share the same goals and play different, valuable roles in achieving them.
  • Support, mentor, and uplift coworkers.
  • When faced with a conflict with individuals or between teams, focus on the situation or problem, rather than the individual(s).
  • Maintain constructive relationships with coworkers and between teams.
  • Lead by example.
  • Set each other up for success by sharing information, helping each other, and keeping workspaces clean and stocked with supplies.

DEMONSTRATE A COMITTMENT TO HEALTHY COMMUNICATION

  • Communicate with staff, volunteers, other professionals, and the public in a professional, positive, and helpful manner.
  • Respond to emails, phone calls, and in-person requests in a timely manner.
  • Deliver and receive complaints, suggestions, and other communications in a respectful and open-minded manner.
  • Share information that effects others with them in a timely manner.
  • Take a stand to stop gossip, grudges, cliques, conflicts and negativity and be part of solutions.
  • Take time to listen and understand before responding.

BE RESPECTFUL

  • Respect different opinions and workstyles.
  • Respect decisions made and directives given.
  • Show compassion for and have patience with your coworkers.
  • Respect all employees and volunteers equally, regardless of job title, seniority, position, or opinion.
  • Expect differences, know differences are not wrong, and how to handle conflict with individuals or team constructively.
  • Look for the contribution each person makes in helping animals and people in need.

PROMOTE TRUST

  • Take responsibility for yourself and be accountable for your own actions.
  • Commit to working for a safe, humane future for animals and people.
  • Build trust in all your interactions, regardless of who they are with.
  • If you have questions or concerns, communicate them upward, rather than complaining to or gossiping with others.
  • Provide accurate, thorough, objective documentation.
  • Follow instructions carefully and meet deadlines when assigned.
  • Ask for help and training when you don't understand something.

ACKNOWLEDGE THE EMOTIONAL ASPECT OF OUR WORK

  • Remember to have a sense of humor, but never at the expense of others or professionalism.
  • Identify healthy ways to reduce and relieve stress.
  • Take care of yourself, paying attention to your work/life balance.
  • Find appropriate ways to express strong emotions as they arise.
  • Respect others' responses to emotions - they may be different than yours.
  • Treat your colleagues as a member of your Animal Care family.
  • Have fun!

SHOW APPRECIATION

  • Remember why you have chosen to work in animal welfare.
  • Practice appreciation at all levels and every day.
  • Acknowledge people when they do good things. Shout-outs should be a daily occurrence!
  • Thank others when they make your day better and brighter.

BE SAFE AND COMPASSIONATE WHEN HANDLING ANIMALS

  • Treat all animals in your care with patience, kindness, and compassion.
  • Become adept at reading animal behavior to make sound, safe handling decisions.
  • Pursue and take advantage of training opportunities offered at the shelter to help you become a better animal handler.
  • Recognize each animal is an individual and should be treated as such. Avoid stereotypes and generalizations about breed, type, etc.
  • Model safe, humane handling to other staff, volunteers, and the public. You are the expert.