OFFERING EMPLOYEE PROGRAMS THAT HELP SENIOR LIVING STAY COMPETITIVE
LCS of Des Moines, Iowa, works with university graduates and places them in a one-year training program to train them to become executive directors of local communities. The one-year leadership training program also helps to bond the graduates together and strengthens their ties to the company, said Mark Heston, LCS’ senior vice president and human resources officer.
whole point of this process is to continually demonstrate and communicate to employees that Vi cares about career development. “Some would say that it’s expensive, but
when you look at our retention rate, and the outcomes we experience, how can we not [provide all these resources]?” Whitcomb says. “It’s about the quality of the care, the quality of the communities, how you take care of your assets—that’s all part of the brand.” A 2016 case study of Vi’s learning and de-
velopment approach by Deloitte’s Bersin unit reports that since it revamped its training ap- proach, resident satisfaction with the service has increased to 94 percent in 2016 from 83 percent in 2010. Their rate of recommenda- tions has also increased to 95 percent from 83 percent, and the company has seen better sales. Aside from Vi’s programs, many other
top workplaces make sure that managers sit down with employees to discuss their career paths and options. At Erickson Living, for example, employ-
ees and supervisors develop career plans to- gether. Supervisors will assign their reports a mentor and direct them to take specific courses and reading material at Erickson University Online. The employees would also engage in several three-day live immer- sion training sessions to enable themselves to take the next step in their careers.
Paid Internships Some senior living organizations have found that offering paid internships and training programs for university graduates is a fruit- ful way of recruiting talent. Harbor Retirement Associates (HRA) of
Florida kicked off a new internship program this year, for example, and St. Joseph’s Reha- bilitation and Residence in Portland, Maine has embarked on a program where it invited
18 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / ISSUE 4 2017
Recent graduates of the LCS one-year training program: (front row from left) Jacob Elliott, Morgan Holien, Kristen Kallas, Heather Kjelstad and (back row from left) Chris Burk, Adam Funk, Jake Cox, Cory Cain.
a few college students to live in its communi- ties for free as interns while they worked as certified nursing aides or resident assistants. LCS of Des Moines, Iowa, works with
university graduates and places them in a one-year training program to train them to become executive directors of local com- munities. The one-year leadership training program also helps to bond the graduates together and strengthens their ties to the company, said Mark Heston, LCS’ senior vice president and human resources officer. Six to 10 individuals a year train through this program, and about 100 people total
have gone through the process. The trainees work at local communities and then gather at LCS’ headquarters for a week a few times per year to take classes from LCS leaders. For its part, HRA partnered with several
local universities in Florida, Michigan, and South Carolina to recruit interns who the company hopes will return to train to be- come executive directors of local commu- nities. The interns work at three different HRA communities for about four months or the equivalent of one of their university’s semesters. They work with and shadow staff in all of the local communities’ departments and work to come up with a solution to a lingering community problem. Kylee Hanson, an undergraduate of
Florida Atlantic University, for example, came up with a labeling system for residents so that staff can better track down and find lost items. Amanda Wilson, another FAU undergraduate at the time of her intern- ship, came up with several ideas to improve residents’ dining experiences. One of them included soliciting residents for their favorite home recipes. Both interns presented their ideas to HRA’s senior leadership and the managers of several of HRA’s 25 senior living communities. The community man-
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
