WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Building a Strong Dining Workforce One Student at a Time
By Kenya McCullum A
rgentum research shows that em- ployees between the ages of 16 and 24 make up about 25 percent of the
workforce in the dining sector of the senior living industry. This is great news for the profession as a whole: Not only do younger workers bring an infectious enthusiasm to their job that can be felt by staff members and residents alike, they also represent the senior living workforce of the future. But senior living companies have to snag them first. “We have so many people that have come
to us and they thought they were just getting a summer job or a job after school—and they come in thinking, ‘Hey, I need some mon- ey’—but they fall in love with the industry or with the residents or with cooking,” said Tracy Newcomer, vice president of human resources at Country Meadows Retirement Communities. Making these young people fall in love
with senior living is not necessarily easy—es- pecially when they had plans to pursue other career options—but when organizations make a concerted effort to reach them dur- ing the recruitment process and keep them engaged after being hired, they can reap the rewards of gaining long-term employees that dedicate their entire careers to the profession.
Meeting students where they are As with other groups of workers, recruiters need to find the younger generation where they are and then spark their interest. The following are some ways that senior living communities can find potential dining staff and capture their attention, so they consider working in the industry on a long-term basis:
School recruiting. High school or college students who are not aware of job opportunities can get their first exposure to the industry when senior living recruiters
34 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE MAY/JUNE 2018
Garrett Kistler started working with Country Meadows as a dishwasher when he was in high school. Working part-time for Country Meadows through high school and college, Garrett realized that he wanted a career working with seniors. He quickly moved up to dining room associate, then to director of independent living, and is now a marketing director.
make presentations at their schools. This can help to generate initial interest in working for a community, as well as give recruiters the opportunity to discuss the industry and the different roles available in dining.
Word of mouth. Current employees can be a community’s best ambassadors because they will tell their friends about their job and get other students interested in working there, too. “If staff members are happy in their
position, they’re more inclined to encourage their friends to apply,” said Devon Fassanel- la, dining services director at Cloverwood, a Friendly Senior Living community. Organizations can increase the likeli-
hood of students bringing their friends on board by offering a referral bonus for their effort—a selling point that workers will be sure to mention as they discuss what they love about their job.
Get students through the door. Telling students about how great it is to work at a senior living community is a solid start, but showing them what it’s like is even better, said Newcomer. When talking to students about jobs at Country Meadows, she will invite them to visit the community to see what it’s like, as well as encourage them to participate in the shadow program that allows them to get a firsthand look at what workers do. By doing this, the community sells itself to prospective workers. “I always say, if I can get them to my
[community], they will want to work for me,” she said. “It’s a pretty easy sell if you can get them here.”
Demonstrate potential for growth. More so than generations past, young workers today want to know that there is room for advancement within an organization.
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