By Steve Moran
If you are wondering why retention and employee loyalty is such a problem in senior living …
In the last week …
I had an email conversation with an executive director who is a reader and who I have known for a few years. Here is what he had to say to me, extracted from a series of emails back and forth. (They are lightly edited for readability and anonymity.)
I am doing all I can to leave senior living and know this is true for a lot of other great people. People, staff, and culture have become disposable, and residents have become commodities based on the whims and subject to the ambitions of useless, scared rabbit, Chicken Little regional directors.
People just don’t matter anymore. I never thought I’d live to see it. Now I want to get out as fast as I can, because I made a promise to myself I’d never work in an industry where the sole focus is raising shareholder value.
Company values and mission statements and cute little quotes on the website and signs on community foyers are like that old 1970s Farrah Fawcett poster: lovely to look at but little or no substance.
I am so sad about it. I built so many communities with passion and mission, which in turn drove the margin. Now it’s margin driving everything.
I am thankful my mission and passion are still intact.
There is something broken in senior living. Executive directors are disposable, being sacrificed and cut in half for inept middle management and lack of leadership. It’s so sickening. One VP told me it’s easier to replace an ED than it is a good marketing person, like it was a joke. … Well, it wasn’t.
From an Activity Directors Facebook Group
Not exactly activity related but looking for some advice. I have been working for 9 days straight as of today and I’m exhausted. I talked with my administrator yesterday about taking Friday off and having a 3.5 day weekend (only working half day on Thursday).
My administrator agreed. I checked with him today and he’s now changed his mind stating our (corporate) boss is freaking out about any managers being off (corporate has stated this week managers can’t call in or it’ll be very bad for whoever called in).
I get that we’re in our window for State revisit and I said if they show up, I’ll come in. But I can’t see how working your managers to death is going to help get an “all clear” on the revisit. This is my first state survey and I guess I’m not getting it. Any advice would be appreciated.
Too Often
I read these stories and these comments, and I am brokenhearted. I get that leaders are scared that their investors will fire them. That the state will come in to find violations and fine the building ,creating bigger problems.
But when these things happen, they tell all their friends about the bad things happening to them. Their friends then go, “I would never want to work in that industry,” and the problem grows.
What Is Worse
Some of you who are reading this are thinking — I can read your mind — “This does not happen in my organization.” I hope you are right. But I know that the executive director has worked for some organizations with leaders I really like and trust. Leaders who frankly would be horrified that these things are happening.
If you are not super hands-on with your regionals, you need to be. Nothing against great regionals, but in both of these examples it is regional leaders who are destroying the culture in your buildings.
Some of you great leaders need to be doing a super deep dive into what is happening at your problem buildings. You need to be looking at whether your regionals are the problem.
