May I Have Your Retention?

Getting to know each other is probably one of the greatest opportunities we have at beatitudes Campus.  This includes discovering the histories of neighbors and learning about the staff who are here to serve you.  As we get to know each other, parting becomes more difficult as we grieve and miss some one we grew to appreciate.  it affects you and it affects staff as well.  The longer someone is with us, the closer we get and the more caring we can become as we uncover what makes them smile, the passions that drive them, the sorrows they may be experiencing and the dreams they are climbing toward.

I have heard a million times how much residents miss a particular staff person when he or she moves on from our Campus.  That is one of the major reasons why retaining our staff is a number one priority for us.  We hire the best of the best because we know they will serve you caringly and with love and compassion.  For the last two years we have concentrated on doing all we can to create an environment where coming to work at Beatitudes Campus is not for just a paycheck, but a chance to be part of a community which will bring joy and a greater quality of life than one could have ever imagined.

Did you know, though, that administratively we have just a small part to play as compared to you the residents?  Because we care, we routinely check with all of our employees to see what brings the greatest satisfaction to them as they serve our community.  Do you know what the one response that came up over and over again more than any other when asked “What types of things make you feel most valued and appreciated?  Their pay check?  Their benefits?  Their managers?  Those do play a part and they are important.  We always walk the fine line between sustainable and marketable wages and our trying to minimize our annual increases upon our residents.  But believe it or not – that only came up two or three times.

“When people say thank you,” “When the residents tell me and my coworkers how good of a job we do on the carpets,” “Praises for good work,” “appreciation,” “That smile from a happy resident,” “When people go and eat and say “that food was bomb!,” “Having a resident tell me how much I helped them when they didn't know what to do or who to ask for help,” “I feel appreciated when people say ‘he did a good job!,'” “When the residents say I do a good job and smile,” “When my hard work and minor details are noticed and not taken for granted,” “Being complimented/praised when doing a good job,” “Getting compliments about work,” “Acknowledgement of work,” “When the residents tell me how much they love me.”  Those are just a sampling of the number one responses.

It is you, the residents, who make life so good for our employees.  You never know who is having a bad day, suffering a deep loss, on the brink of crying inside, struggling with whether this is the right place for them, and it is your words of appreciation and showing that they are valued that can make all the difference in the world.

This is your community and ultimately the staff that are here, all 450, are here because of you.  They might be able to get paid more somewhere else, but they are here because of you and the way you appreciate them and value them.  You heard it straight from them.

People leave for all sorts of different reasons, but please know the more you care for, recognize, acknowledge and appreciate the people around you, especially the staff, you make a huge difference in their lives and increase the joy they experience when coming to the Beatitudes Community.

That's a lot of power that each of you has!  You can make a difference in who chooses to work here or see their work and themselves as valued, simply by showing that you care about who they are and the work they are doing.  The more you do this the more we will have people begging to come to work and to live here, and for longer and longer times.

So now that I have your retention, just know you are an amazing part of this community with the power to transform lives whenever you touch a life with a kind word or smile.*

Author Info: Rev. David Ragan, Sr. VP Resident Services

Rev. David W. Ragan is the Senior Vice President of resident services at Beatitudes Campus.