Afea has ranked #94 on the Australian Financial Review’s Fast 100 Companies List. The list ranks organisations across Australia that have shown the most growth over the past three financial years.
This is a huge achievement for Afea, being an organisation that relies heavily on workforce, especially during a pandemic.
After 18 months of lockdown, it’s unsurprising that the AFR Fast 100 heavily features online and technology-led companies.
But standing out among all the tech players is human-driven Afea, who have massively scaled up the business and even opened two new community hubs in Sydney.
How did we grow so fast during a pandemic?
People first
Afea prioritised our people.
While many organisations used COVID as an excuse for short-staffing and delays, Afea continued to invest in our people.
People & Culture Manager, Joseph Assad said Afea put an emphasis on growing and developing all staff.
“As thousands of other NDIS service providers closed their doors, Afea enjoyed 40% growth,” he said.
“We worked doubly hard to develop our people. We invested in education and training resources, including employing a Learning & Development Specialist to support our teams.”
Training isn’t limited to NDIS technical skills but also includes character building through resilience training, mental health first aid and communication workshops.
An employee with a well-developed skillset will find it easier to connect to the work they carry out. When this commitment to continuous improvement is amplified among the entire workforce, it creates an overall lift in quality. And this has been one of the reasons that Afea has soared; we’ve become synonymous with quality compassionate care.
No compromises on culture
A strong company culture isn’t something that occurs accidentally. It’s something that we intentionally build and work hard on, and our culture is something we’re proud of.
Founder and CEO, Esha Oberoi, has been recognised with numerous awards in recognition for leading with the heart. It’s important to her that all team members understand the importance of self-care, mental health and wellbeing.
It’s a culture that is fostered from the interview process through to onboarding, and continues through regular team activities such as yoga, Zumba, meditation and dance.
Esha says, “In an era where workers have more remote job opportunities than ever, the employee experience is a key differentiator. Our value-led culture has enabled Afea to grow by retaining happy workers and attracting the best talent.”
Local footprint
Clients have always been at the heart of what we do. Afea strives to make NDIS services as convenient and accessible for everyone.
In listening to our clients, we learned that the demand for services in western Sydney was growing louder. So, in order to better serve these local communities, Afea opened new hubs in Parramatta and Liverpool.
Strategically and physically embedding ourselves in these areas has allowed us to more deeply connect with clients. We’ve been able to better identify specific needs across such diverse and multicultural communities.
Joseph Demetrio works as a Care Concierge in the Parramatta hub.
He says, “One of the best parts of my job is being able to welcome people through our doors. I love getting to know clients and carers and I always hear, ‘It’s so nice to put a face to the name!’. I have no doubt that being able to visit Afea locally has become a positive part of their life.”
With innovative training areas, meditation rooms and creative spaces, our purpose-built hubs enhance the Afea experience for all staff and visitors.
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Afea now has over 85 office-based staff and over 800 carers across Sydney – and we’re still growing!
We’re incredibly proud to be featured on the 2021 Australian Financial Review’s Fast 100 Companies List. Our growth is a testament to all our people – employees, carers and clients alike. Thank you!
