WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Eff ective recruitment is part of leadership At the Executive Director Leadership In- stitute (EDLI) held at the Argentum Senior Living Executive Conference in 2018, Traci Hayden, CDAL, heard about the Senior Living Works Ambassador program and signed up. “It became apparent to me how I could
benefi t from the off erings of the program,” she says. “I could network with others on initiatives.” As residence director at Legend Senior
Living’s Regent Park Assisted Living and Memory Care in Wichita, Kan., she con- siders recruitment of associates an essential part of her skill set. Recruitment is part of an ongoing eff ort, however. “Recruiting the right associates, who have the caregiving
heart, is essential to success,” but “education and training is crucial to retention.” Hayden has used the Ambassador tools
(
seniorliving.works) to cultivate relationships with local with local colleges, and she uses uses the customizable slide deck for presen- tations to students. She has recruited from culinary and nurs-
ing programs; establishing Regent Park as a site for medication aide clinical experience has been particularly successful.
Tips: • Set high standards—but off er the sup- port, education, and training to make them attainable.
• Explore becoming a clinical site not only for nursing training, but for other specialties.
Traci Hayden, CDAL Residence director
Legend Senior Living, Regent Park Assisted Living and Memory Care
• Share the resources providers off er. “Leg- end Senior Living provides a good foun- dation,” she says. “The educational and training tools are endless.”
Tremble does so with a lot of enthusiasm,
a lot of travel, and a bit of schwag—a t-shirt or small gift can do a lot in capturing middle schoolers’ attention. He’s also a Senior Liv- ing Works Ambassador and uses tools from the program. Middle school isn’t too young to consider
Darrell Tremble
Regional recruiting coordinator Senior Living Communities, LLC
“The best way is face-to-face” Darrell R. Tremble, regional recruiting co- ordinator at Senior Living Communities, LLC, is a veteran of the workforce hiring and retention effort. He was part of the team that won an Argentum Best of the Best award in 2017, for Senior Living Com- munities’ Explore program. The outreach program was designed to introduce young people to careers in senior living. He now “leads the continuous charge of building educational partnerships across six states in our 15 communities,” writes Nerissa Nelson, vice president of human resources at Senior Living Communities.
career development, Tremble says. In fact, that age can be the most productive—if you’re patient. “In middle schools, we’re not looking for immediate results,” he says. The point is an introduction: Taking away stigma, showing the realities of communi- ties, showing that there are lots of options for diff erent kinds of jobs in senior living. High schoolers more often have ideas about what they want, but a visit can still open eyes. Tremble often brings someone from recreation or human resources along to show that much more than health care training is required to run a community. He ended up in senior living because
he saw his brother’s dedication: Marcel Tremble is vice president of operations at Maxwell Group, which manages Senior Living Communities. Darrell Tremble had a Bachelor's degree in fi nance and an MBA and had been in human resources at the Family Dollar corporate offi ce. Turnover is a comparable or even worse
problem in retail, he says. He feels senior liv- ing has a little more sticking power in terms
22 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019
of retention because of the close connec- tions forged. When students ask employees how this became their passion, many speak of having cared for relatives—and some students can relate, because they’re doing the same. One of his interns from the 2017 project
is now going to Tremble’s alma mater, Wingate University. “I’ll probably see him at homecoming,” Tremble says.
Tips: • When you’re working for the long term, relationships are important. Take time to cultivate these with counselors, teachers, and prospective hires.
• Be real, not virtual. “It’s about physical- ly going to schools and interacting with counselors…not waiting for a response to email,” Tremble says. “The best way is face-to-face.”
• The key to talking to students is keeping it fun and interactive. Tremble creates quizzes and encourages questions.
• Introduce school audiences to nursing as- sistants. They can awe students with their passion and dedication.
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