These immortal words from Kermit the Frog in my childhood continue to resonate with me today and remind me that it’s not always easy being a part of this large, amazing organization we call Beatitudes Campus, it is a wonderful and worthwhile journey. I want to share with you today information regarding our finances (and raises), updates on exciting work that has come to fruition recently, and projects to look forward to in the near future.
First, I want to say I am extremely proud of the work that staff and managers have done this fiscal year to focus both on generating revenue and also controlling expenses. Never in my tenure here have we had such transparency and robust discussions around our financial position and I feel the staff here are so engaged around making sure the campus are good stewards of the financial resources we receive from our residents. We are primed to finish up the year with a positive operating income. The reason this is so important and why we discuss it so often is that when we perform well financially, we can do so much more for our residents and staff; it helps us deliver our mission in real and lasting ways.
This positive energy and focus around finances is also what allows us to budget and present salary improvement (i.e. raises) recommendations in future fiscal year budgets and reports to the Board of the Directors of the campus. It is with great pleasure that I can share with you that the leadership of the campus has budgeted a total of 3% of the operating budget towards raises this year and that the Board is in full agreement with this recommendation. This will be split in two ways – 1% will be used to help move over 130 staff members’ hourly wage up to market rates and the remaining 2% will be spread to the remaining staff as a 2% increase for the year. Last year, many of you will recall, the raise came into effect at the beginning of the fiscal year with the hope and the charge of faith in the staff that we would pull together to hit all financial metrics. That plan worked so well that it is another reason this year’s raise is being implemented at the beginning of October 2016. It also comes with the same charge to all of us to continue to focus on our goals this year so that we can continue to be a financially stable community that delivers much needed programs and services to older adults within our campus and great Phoenix communities.
Second, I need to congratulate all of you on the fantastic work around the Campus and Department WIG projects. I have not seen all the results yet, but I’m thrilled by the reports I am getting each week from your respective senior staffer. Programs like CAREcorps and SMILE are being woven into the fabric of the campus and will pay dividends for years to come. I would like to also ask all staff members (and later residents) to be sure to complete the online Employee Satisfaction Survey now active online. This survey will not only help us see if one of the campus WIG goals was achieved; rather, the results will help us continue to shape our strategic plans for the campus and the staff. One takeaway from the last survey was that staff really appreciate a benefits plan that is comprehensive and affordable and it is the most important benefit to those that responded earlier this year. That feedback led the campus to select new medical, dental, vision, short-term disability, and life insurance carriers that all provided reduced premiums to staff this year – that’s quite a great outcome! So again, please take a few minutes to complete the survey at your desk or in the computer lab. We are looking for 70% participation or better to make sure we have a strong read on the wishes and feelings of the staff.
Third, I know many of you have been wondering when we are going to do annual evaluations again and I’m excited to tell you that October 2016 is the month! Your HR department has worked diligently over the last year researching new methods of dialoguing and engaging both staff and managers in a process that benefits staff and managers. Something that is future focused on growth and development, rather than an inaccurate look in the rearview mirror of how someone has been performing recently and applying that to the entire lookback period. More details and training will be rolled out to managers in late September and then the new evaluation tool will be launched early next month. Our goal is to do a follow up evaluation with all staff in April 2017 to see the growth towards goals that are set in October – both personal and professional ones. After that time, we’d love to hear from staff on their thoughts around the new evaluation process so that it can be tweaked for the following year.
Finally, I would like to let you know that your senior leadership has been working with me for the last year on a new five year strategic plan. This is will become a living, breathing document that will guide our work together over the next five years. It includes goals and plans around all the pillars that make our community amazing now and also sustainable for the future. It includes plans for – enhancing resident programs and amenities, further developing our staff, increasing our reach through home and community based services, getting a new phase of redevelopment finally underway, and making sure we are not only financially strong, but sustainable for another 51 years.
Thank you again for your great work each and every day here at the campus. I know it isn’t easy (and often it isn’t fun) being green, running to the next resident call, or watching the pennies, but just know, without you, none of the above would be possible.
My best,
Michelle
P.S. I would love to hear your feedback. Please leave me a comment below!