BENEATH THE VEIL of Holiday Retirement Corp/Fortress Part 1
The following was written on Wednesday August 8, 2008 at 8:07 PM and emailed to an RD (Regional Director):
"Working in a Holiday Community is much more than just earning a paycheck. One quickly realizes it is a way of life, a concept of sharing, caring, respect for residents, staff, and management, at all levels. This concept constantly infuses an energizing responsibility and it does, or should, bring with it a humbling appreciation of what we do.
This was brought clearly to my wife and me late one night, about 10:30 PM, as we left the office to go to our apartment. Our work was basically finished for the day, except for being 'on call' that night, and we suddenly became aware of how quiet and peaceful the building was. We looked at each other for a moment, then sat down at a table in the dining room and let our eyes roam the area.
Both of us expressed the same feelings a few moments later. We felt an overwhelming sense of wonderment at the realization we were actually being given this opportunity. The two of us were being entrusted with over one-hundred-and-twenty residents' safety and well-being, plus millions of dollars worth of building and equipment - not even counting staff.
Our managers were gone - we were IT until their return, and someday we could actually manage a community ourselves - this is what we were here for.
Anyone who does not experience this moment is, in our opinion, doing the wrong profession. During the most stressful days and nights, when we are nearly exhausted from the long hours and 'personality situations', it is this 'Holiday Concept' which gives us the needed lift to continue.
Actually, our job is simple - all of us who work in a Holiday Community. Our job is to unobtrusively serve our residents in the most efficient manner possible in order to make their lives as enriched as we can. This means keeping them pleased, keeping them safe, and doing so while maintaining a proper budget. There is no paycheck which can imbue this feeling.
We realize, at our age (we both are semi-retired), that the hype and the actuality differences exist, that the changing policies and shareholders bottom line create their own problems. Realizing this we still feel the humbleness of what we are doing. We are Holiday!
The concept cannot be trained unless an individual has a natural 'feeling' or 'touch' to begin with. If they do have it the training takes root and grows. If it isn't there to begin with the residents feel a difference and react accordingly. Without 'the touch' you are just earning a paycheck, but with it you are filled on a daily basis with the warmth of what you do.
(RD's name deleted): Thank you for hiring us."
Next is what was written and submitted at the Leadership Academy in Salem, Oregon the last week of October of 2008. This submission resulted in my being being given 'The Heart of Holiday Award' during the graduation ceremony. I have received many awards during my life, but none can match the humbling emotional impact of this one.
" The Touch"- a concept of applied care, love, and concern for the people around us - i.e. Residents.
After careful deliberation I must report the following:
For the past nine months I found myself growing more and more concerned that actual existence of the 'Holiday Touch' concept was a myth being perpetrated as a clever marketing ploy of nostalgic proportions. I came out of semi-retirement because I fell in love with what my initial research showed as fact.
During the long days/nights, the E-calls, various managers passing through our community, I admit to occasionally considering just calling U-Haul and retiring again. Although the residents at all times gave their love and respect, I felt an indifference out in the field on a day-to-day basis which constantly belied the 'concept' as being real. I began to feel isolated, with no place to vent, no one to ask questions or guidance of. Repeatedly I was told not to call HQ, never talk to other co-managers, never call my RD. My problems/concerns were spoken of only to my wife - who was undergoing the same situation.
She began telling me: "Oregon or Bust, Love." - and it became our goal - to hang on long enough to get to Oregon and see for ourselves whether it was all hyperbole or an actuality. During the months I/we came across an individual we came to consider our 'Faith-Saver' - a disembodied voice on the telephone somewhere in Oregon. For this writing her name shall be private. Suffice to say in the few conversations with her she constantly told us the 'Touch' was real. She had previously proven her word was good - a rarity in this day and age - so we clutched her words to our hearts with a fervor. She gave forth the faith, the conviction, and the hope, which allowed the filling of each day as embodiment of the 'WOW' factor of the concept.
I could write reams with stories of residents and staff examples, but those stories would pale in contrast to what I discovered in the past few days. Home Office is Real! The 'Holiday Touch' is real! It is not a myth, but is alive and well in the home office at Salem, Oregon. In two days and one evening - in a tour where home office opened both our hearts and our eyes - we truly felt the 'Touch'. The smiles are real, the conviction is there, the loving concern is actual - in everyone we meet. I am filled with this completely natural overflow - and I am grateful.
Problems of census, budget, economy - all can be corrected and/or adjusted - all can be dealt with much easier knowing the support and knowledge are truly readily available. In every presentation so far it has been repeated that Home Office is there for us and the residents - and now I can rest easier because you are proving it to us constantly. I can return to the field empowered with the positive conviction all of you share with us.
Our Faith-Saver was right - and we have the Holiday Touch - and we are going to tell them - and tell them again. You, all of you, at Home Office are the foundation of the 'TOUCH' - it is your conviction which fills the sails to power our ships in the fields. We speak the 'Touch', we become the 'Touch', we can thrive, because you keep the concept a viable of faith and energy. All of you at Home Office ARE the 'Touch' - we are the messengers of what you empower us with - and I thank you."
Note: I can now name our Faith-Saver (with her permission). She has become a very dear friend to my wife and me. 'Ruellene' is, and always will be, Holiday - no matter where she goes or what she does.
The third letter was written on December 18, 2008 and mailed via the United States Postal Service to the CEO of Holiday Retirement.
December 18, 2008
Mr. Jack Callison: CEO
Holiday Retirement
2250 McGilchrist St.
Salem, Oregon 97302
After due deliberation and extensive research of Holiday Retirement and Fortress Investment Group I have decided to ‘step outside the box’, realizing the possible complications/results of doing so. My wife and I have worked for Holiday Retirement just over ten months as co-managers. In that time we have worked under three different sets of managers in the same community. Each set of managers claim a different “Holiday” concept.
Our second set of managers signed us off on the Grass Roots book. After a ten minute ride to the hospital and back with the bus driver we were told it is all that was needed and signed off. We were signed off the maintenance part after a single tour with the maintenance man. The dishwasher sign-off was done because I had to fill in one night for a no-show. My wife was signed off regarding the kitchen simply because we used to own a restaurant (same for me). And so on.
Having been allowed only once to muddle my way through Kronos payroll (with the help of home office) I was informed that the manager was not about to have me do Kronos because home office would be calling him to verify it was done correctly. He stated he did not intend to do Kronos twice just to verify, so he would do it. He saw no reason for co-managers to deal with petty cash (he locked the cash box) or PCards, so we were not allowed to do so – he did not believe in a ‘proxy’.
The present managers do allow me to handle Kronos on a daily basis, which is appreciated. My wife and I have the knowledge and background to run the building, but at this point I am unsure whether we could comfortably run the business. We are growing familiar with the ‘Portal’ due to our self-exploring and we know how to call home office for help. I pour a pretty decent cup of coffee and my wife does tours and related paperwork while I handle the building. To date neither of us has ever been shown anything regarding Sysco ordering, nor most other records pertaining to the operation of the business. I handle the paperwork relating to hiring staff and the separation thereof.
So far I have completely revamped personnel files and various other filings on three separate occasions because each manager claimed a different requirement according to Holiday policy. I have read through the books pertaining to the operation of a Holiday Community, but a co-manager would have to be a complete idiot to go against a manager when it comes to operating according to Holiday guidelines; especially if they wish to keep their jobs. Each manager claims they ARE Holiday – and we must forget what we might have learned with any prior managers because their way was wrong. The present managers are to train us in the various phases/paperwork and we realize we will make mistakes. This is part of the process.
How much longer we will continue to deal with these attitudes is unknown, but the truth is it makes absolutely no sense for it to be allowed. This is not how a successful business was built and remained profitable. At what point was each community allowed to become its own tiny fiefdom with its own set of rules running counter-productive to the corporate guidelines. I cannot relate how many managers I have heard use the word “MY” regarding the community – “This is MY building”, “This is MY food", "MY tables", "MY residents”. This MY factor replaces the Managerial position with a sole ownership mind frame. It is not MY community – a manager is only entrusted to conduct community business for the betterment and profitability of the parent organization (Holiday/Fortress). They are Managers – they are not owners.
With the economy taking a hard downward slide the census will naturally suffer (already proven) and unless a “Mickey D” effect is initiated throughout the system – and enforced – then the downward spiral will continue. We are in an Official Recession! Children are taking their parents home in order to ease the financial burden. Homes are not selling, which prevents potential residents from being eager to put out the non-refundable amounts required for moving in. Elderly people are taking in boarders to help meet the cost of ‘getting by’. Holiday Retirement IS a great deal for the elderly, but convincing them of this grows more difficult each day. One of the primes for doing this is having them know, beyond a doubt, each and every community operates in the exact same way – without exception, utilizing the Touch. Offering clients a lifestyle is much more than just renting an apartment and collecting the rent. Holiday offers things which I, personally, at almost sixty-five, would consider for my own retirement.
My wife and I came out of semi-retirement because we fell in love with the Holiday Touch concept – and we are not seeing it. One Manager tells of throwing a glass against a dishwashing machine and shattering it in order to ‘get the attention’ of employees because the glass was dirty – and tells the story with pride. Another one claims every female staff member in every community he has worked made offers to leave her husband for him because he is so wonderful to be around. Yet another screams at employees and residents in anger. Another displays blatant bigotry against Jews and lesbians, especially employees. Others use the threat of eviction when they feel the residents complain too much. A manager buys a pressure washer for the kitchen, takes it home to use it on his travel trailer where he drops and breaks it, but does not replace it – community budget money out the window, and yet another takes pride in the number of co-managers they ‘get rid of’.
This is the Holiday Touch? Yet it is allowed, and apparently even condoned. The elderly residents depend upon management and staff for ‘stability’ in their lives. The Holiday concept personifies this, but the indifference to this concept out in the communities is felt by the residents. This indifference, this MY feeling, results in a growing census problem throughout the company. All of the weekly conference calls being done are meaningless as long as the indifference to the Holiday concept is in practice. The calls are reminiscent of the old Amway meetings.
Soon we may simply write Holiday off as an experience and retire again. We love our jobs and we are appreciative of the residents we are allowed to care for, but we would be failures if we did so under this indifference.
At the Leadership Academy in Oregon I was presented with the Heart of Holiday Award on October 31, 2008, which was most humbling to me. The week long session showed us what the Holiday concept SHOULD be. My question is – why isn’t it this way? When any employee, from management to staff, is constantly under pressure of implied termination that employee cannot perform to their best potential. When threats take precedence over compliments the employee becomes hesitant to display an extra effort. Without the employee’s willingness and eagerness to put forth that extra effort the work becomes unfulfilling and employee turn-over increases, as well as resident census problems.
We recently had the privilege of our RD asking us to cover another community in order to give the onsite management team a couple of days off. The Executive Chef, (xxxxx xxxxxxxx), was coping with a kitchen steam table replacement. His performance during this nightmare was exemplary. The food preparation and presentation never faltered from his usual ability. He is a true Holiday Chef. I mention this because he deserves complimenting for the extra effort put forth by him and his staff.
Mr. Callison – people talk – and the rumor mill flies. As CEO you are in a position where you most likely do not realize the degree of uncertainty out in the field. Managers, co-managers, staff, and even the residents of the communities, are extremely concerned and fearful for their jobs and/or communities. It does not actually matter whether there is a factual basis for the talk – it matters that the unease and fear lend credibility. As the new CEO of Holiday/Fortress, a group barely above ’flat lining’ on the market, you are the unknown focal point. Wal-Mart had the visible icon of Sam. KFC had the Colonel. Holiday had Bill Colson. Each of them was a personal touch for the public and the employees to believe in, to ‘look up to’ in hard times – and in good times. People need such an icon to give their work meaning and purpose. Whether or not the icon is real is not important – it is the fantasy of the belief which creates a belief of its own.
The consensus is as follows: Fortress is going to eliminate a lot of RDs by increasing the number of communities handled by each RD. The recent addendum to the re-hire policy is construed as meaning Fortress is about to ‘dump’ the ‘sweet sixteen’ and several other communities. The addendum is to allow personnel to remain after their jobs are eliminated; causing a fear others will lose their jobs as closed community staff gets transferred. The biggest talk is that Fortress is considering a bankruptcy restructure. People believe the worst; it has a better credibility to explain an unknown.
As the CEO, with your background, you are the ‘fall guy’ – taking the brunt for whatever evolves. Bill Colson (and family) were a constant to their employees, most never saw (or set aside) his business acumen. They believed in him because he did occasional acts of benevolence which were publicized. CEOs, to employees, are the scapegoats – they change rapidly. CEOs are a distant phantom with the authority to effect an instant disruption in employee lifestyle – the ‘icon’ isn’t there. Only you (and Fortress) can create the viability and a semblance of stability to weather the downturn. As it stands now I would not be surprised to learn about employees beginning to leave Holiday starting not long after the New Year. I hope I am wrong.
Fortress needs to create a totally new and modernized concept. The one so far is a remake of Bill Colson - and XL Management is doing a much better job.
On a final note, Mr. Callison, my wife and I have notified our RD of our resignation. We wish you a positive experience as CEO and wanted to express what we have experienced and observed. Actually, sir, we both have researched you and believe if anyone can turn this company around – it is you. We both hope Fortress will give you the time to do so.
Thank you for your time;
(xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx)
Co-Manager
(Community name deleted)
** This blog is primarily for open discussions of the industry, in hopes it may benefit employees and residents (both present and former) in handling concerns and problems. With about ten thousand employees Holiday/Fortress will not care about (or make changes because of) a few comments posted on the internet. But - if and when the number of comments begin to mount up into the hundreds and thousands - a different perspective will take effect. **
From this point I will begin to relate/report what goes on underneath the veil, but by lifting it a little at a time and not all at once. There is no reason to replay Holiday's basic information advertising to the public - that is available at holidaytouch.com - use the standard 'www' first.
Please know that I will honor confidentiality. Any comment can be done anonymously in order to allow input - even a 'venting' if so chosen. I do reserve the right to remove any comment which I (in my sole discretion) deem to be libelous, slanderous, vulgar, etc. The comments are the opinions of those posting and not necessarily the stance of this site.
dlcharles1@att.net or thefreebornman@yahoo.com
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We were managers for Holiday for almost five years. I agree whole-heartedly with the last letter. And I admit that the first were true, years ago. When Fortress had their IPO, I bought shares. I think I'll sell them now -- at a huge loss. We all miss Bill Colson and family.
Larry: I would not sell yet. As I recall just last autumn Fortress paid off the loans for Brookdale Senior Living (BKD). The big dog at BKD is also very high up in Fortress - and Fortress recently joint-ventured with Quicken Loans to refinance (remember). There is still a slight rebound coming for FIG, but don't expect much. Out of curiosity I would be interested why, after five years, you guys left. It couldn't have been the easy work schedule.
LATEST NEWS FROM HOLIDAY..on the internet yesterday.
Stan Brown, president of Rock Resorts and Vail Resorts Lodging is become the Chief Operating Officer at Holiday Retirement.
Not too long ago Jack Callsion, former president of Archstone Apartments in Englewood, Colorado was named Chief Executive Officer.
Both companies these men worked for seem excellent and well run. Lets hope they can put Holiday back on track.
The first step : Weed out the bad regional managers and building managers. Make some bold moves.
We are former employees of Holiday.
3 1/2 years.
Yesterday we heard that a building where we formerly worked had dropped from 95% occupancy ( when we there ) to
70% now. They have had 3 sets of managers and co-managers in 14 months.
Residents show up for breakfast and say "who are the new managers today".
This building has averaged a management change every 2.3 months. This is very unfair to elderly people who move into a place for calm retirement and stability. They need to hire more qualified people. There is no question that many regional managers and building managers are not doing their job to encourage co-managers to stay employed at Holiday.
Get rid of all the bad managers who have had numerous co-managers quit. There is absolutely no question that something is wrong if 3,4,5,6 couples quit the company after working for one set of managers. It is no coincidence.
1 out of 3 or 4 co-managers has to been worth keeping.
When we started at Holiday our first managers were by the book and we thought ( during the 1st two weeks) that we might have made a mistake. We now look back and say that this was the best training we could have received and we thanked them for their excellent instruction. Now they and every other manager and co-manager we worked with (except one couple) have left the company.
6 couples.
Let's hope that Mr. Callison and Mr. Brown can do something to improve the management stability at Holiday. Their 1st step should be to revamp the manager/co-manager system...increase the pay with incentive bonuses...and write to every former manager/co-manager who had worked for over 1 year
and ask them if they want to return under a new system. Remember the census 3 years ago was 95%.
I agree with most of what you suggest, but believe it would also serve Holiday to contact every couple who left since FIG took over, to get a broad sampling of the environment. Instead of trying to hide bad news, they should seek out the truth. Not to cause trouble, but to identify and correct the real problems, who often have names and titles. It was proven that Colson's model worked. It just may not work while being run by hedgefund owners. Too many bean counters, not enough beans.
Both Mr. Callison and Mr. Brown DO have the expertise background from a 'very-upper-echelon-managerial-level' - in renting apartments by the month or year - and renting rooms by the night. What neither of them have is the personal background in renting lifestyles to seniors. Each of them can hire people with the needed expertise, but bottom line they are still number crunchers. The BLSs are the same - they may have been very good at moving merchandise off the shelves, but the 'personal touch' and 'constant care' of the elderly they never dealt with. Mz. Bauer was both of these, yet she also had the 'humane touch' to realize the difference between an inanimate apartment, or merchandise, and a life-style change involving emotions and caring.
In the movie "Josie Wales", with Clint Eastwood, the traitor makes a statement to the Senator, "Don't piss down the back of my neck and try to tell me it's raining" - yet this is what the new Fortress management is doing to everyone.
What is the price for a warm shower these days?
My husband and I were recently fired for not writing up employees during our 6 months as co-managers and 2 months as managers (1 month of which we were by ourselves with only 2 days off), for picking up residents in our personal car when we didn't have a bus driver and leaving a note for a 98 yr old resident who has short term memory loss and poor eyesight -- Holiday just lost some managers who really cared.
wow...i thought it was just in our region look at all these people..thats so sick that h.r is seeing this too and its been months but nothing is changing i want to say that not only are cos effected but so are all the rest of the employees...its all control freaks who run the building playing sick mind games,its not their buildings and they could care less about the residents and the residents are supposed to b the point of all this im tired of dreading going to work everyday being afraid of what sick game will b played (by 2 people who r really just a bunch of cowards)will i still have a job at the end of the day,and if people pull together and get rid of the 2 sickos 2 more just like them come(or worse)im tired of having to watch residents cry and im tired of lying to them telling them everything is going to be okay soon "it will get better hold on" ive been saying that for 2 and a half years ,and just because they can pay rent doesnt mean they should live there it is suppossed to b gracious retirement,but how is it when u cant eat a meal without the person next to u pooping on themselves people who cannot function or survive on there on do not need to there that is also what is bringn census down the residents who still function are tired of everything it is the most un professional place i have ever seen and i would hate to see the place just shut down when something could have been done why is nothing being done if its the same everywhere these places are not prisons with 2 wardens this place is not a concentration camp, and laws are being broken everyday .......by the way how r yall doing im sure u are alot lessed stressed
I took the liberty of changing the name in order to protect you - my wife always called you a "Cool Dude", so I used that. Your name would have spotted you out simply because it is uncommon. We think of you often and wonder how you are doing. We will email you.
Gracious Living??? We were told those words are no longer part of the Holiday mantra. If you look at a lot of the new collateral handouts you will not see the words "Gracious Living."
My husband and I are managers and were trained by the managers from Hell. Not only did we want to quit the first day, but we vowed NEVER to be like them. After becoming managers I would like to say that we haven't become like them. However, the pressure of census, constant new paperwork, doing all the things that others have mentioned on here really tries every ounce of your patience.
Then there are the BLS RDs that think you should kiss the butt of some residents if that is what it takes to make them happy. Try explaining that there are some people who are never satisfied and that one cannot MAKE someone happy -- it is up to that individual. Yeah, right!
The fact that there is no longer any Leadership Academy is very scarey. That is where my hubby and I learned most of the things we needed to learn. Our managers sure didn't teach us anything and they sure didn't want us to get signed off on our Grassroots book.
It does amaze me how a multi-million dollar company relies on a metal box of cards that date back years for their marketing practices. Even the residents in our building make fun of the cookie drop idea. Yeah, I want to be an elderly person and have these people come up to the door and start chattering away!
The Holiday idea of "paid holiday and vacations" is another good one. Just try getting extra time off. You are either going to get them and screw the other couple into working ten to twelve days straight or you just ignore the extra time you should have off.
I also love the fact that we have an RDs (we've had six in less than two years) that finds out that one of your move outs is because of advanced dementia and calls the family and tries to convince them that their loved one is perfectly fine staying at Holiday. That we are "assistive" living not independent living.
I could continue, but don't want to hog up the space. Thanks for listening -- no one else with Holiday does.
Wow, 'everydays'! I guess things have really changed over the last year since we left [none too soon].
The "'assistive' living" remark by your RD is a shocker and would suggest a potential combining of Holiday and Brookdale operations/marketing organizations.
The "Everyday's a Holiday" phrase is what some higher ups think that we should say when we answer the phone!
How about conference calls? Are they a waste of time or what? It seems that the few managers that say something do so to suck up to the RD. "Oh, that's a great idea," or "wow, that will bring people in."
Has anyone noticed how they don't send out the weekly census figures for the whole company anymore. We just get the figures for our own District. This past spring I highlighted the communities that had either stayed the same in occupancy % or were up -- guess what? There were only a handful of communities that stayed the same or increased in the last 12 months.
Conference calls, dull as they frequently may have been, were what the participants made of them. Just about everyone on the call knew everyone else and there was often the predictable if-occasional brown-noser. The RD, after a few brief announcements (and/or an equally brief pep-talk) would go around-the-table, allowing everyone to make a comment about a new marketing idea or brainstorm relating to discipline etc.
It used to be a good opportunity for sharing thoughts, stimulating new ideas and general encouragement.
Only occasionally would it degenerate to a glorified show-and-tell.
The RD was pretty good at keeping things moving along and kept the whole conf call under 20 minutes.
I am curious here. If I was a fireman I would have times when I would have to stay at the station overnight 'on-duty'. A fireman gets paid for this, even if he/she does not have to be awakened to go to a fire. A salaried position has Federal guidelines which the position must fit in order to cover the hours. At Holiday one is paid for forty (40) hours, supposedly scheduled forty-eight (48), and expected to work at least sixty (60) hours. When management is 'on call' why are those hours not counted? Just like a fireman being required to stay at the station (onsite) the management is required to stay onsite to take care of E-Calls (emergencies). Figuring the nights one is 'required' to be 'on call', normally four, this is about forty-eight (48) hours added to the week. It makes no difference whether or not one is awakened by the alarm, being 'required' to be 'on duty' during the night hours is then 'work time'- just like a fireman.
Figuring an average of $455.00 per week pay at 40 hours is $11.37 hourly. At the 'scheduled' 48 hour week it now is $9.48 hourly. The 'expected' 60 hours pays $7.58 hourly. When night 'on-call' hours are added (108 (60 + 48)) it now pays $4.21 hourly.
And you know what?
Those doing the job usually figure this out early on, but find the work so fulfilling it is set aside. What other profession can claim this devotion to the job? The care and interaction of/with the residents takes precedence over almost anything.
I did not personally know the Colson family, never met them, but the reputation of what Bill Colson built is amazing! People I spoke with who did know him spoke highly about him. He left quite a legacy - and hard shoes for Fortress to fill.
My wife and I had considered a retirement in one of the Communities when an opportunity arose for us to instead become employed by Holiday. From the beginning it was known by Corporate that I would write about our 'Holiday Experience' in an honest and forthright manner. I estimated approximately one year to gather enough research to properly write a story, but we figured we could possibly give them six to eight years work if my health allowed. At no point have I found any evidence to castigate the concept. My wife and I fell in love with the 'Holiday Concept' and we always will be. What I found is that the new owners obviously have absolutely no clue what, or how, to keep that concept alive.
From a family owned and family believed, hands-on, profitable enterprise to an 'apartment rental only mentality' which pays lip service to the concept is a big jump. The 'Blue Light Special' employer attitude of bottom line profit to appease shareholders at the expense of loyalty to employees/residents has caused this couple to walk away. A profit is necessary in order for the business to survive. No one in their right mind could argue that point, but when the reach for the profit comes at the cost of those giving the potential then something is wrong.
Now what kind of logic fuels this attitude?
You are right about the hours, pay and fulfilling. But, the one thing I must add is that uniform working conditions do not exist at Holiday Retirement. We worked for 3 1/2 years under 5 managers and everyone was different. 3 had great attitudes and worked co-operatively and the other 2 just wanted to do things "their way".
It is false to list couples as CO- Managers. They are really assistant managers or administrative assistants.
You have no authority as a Co-Manager and you must do it --the other managers way --not the holiday way.
Working under our first regional manager, who was a former building manager was great. He knew what you were experiencing. Ending the 3 1/2 years with a "blue light" regional manager was not good. At the end, all the "blue light RM did was manage by intimidation, threats and unfairness.
There is no question that the census has dropped in our former region because of the turnover in managers and co managers and the unsteadiness within the buildings. Recently a son of a Holiday resident told me " the only thing my mother-in-law dislikes about about Holiday is she just gets to like a manager or co-manager and they either quit or get transferred.".
Mr. Callison needs to work on staff retention as a priority. These older
residents take a real liking to the management staff and confide in them for many things.
In my opinion, the reason for the large turnover is the uneasiness between managers & co-managers. There is no doubt that if you are liked by the residents as a co-manager more than they like the manager---you are doomed...
This attitude needs to change and management staff needs to work better together.
We'd still be working for Holiday if we were allowed to transfer from our last assigned and working with people who were like a dictator and a tyrant.
You wouldn't believe how some managers treat their co-managers.
You are lucky to find someone who works co-operatively.
There is another website where a manager ssys if you have 2 move-outs in one week....you need to rent 2 apartments the following week or you will be fired...
After working for Holiday for several years they give you NO money for advertising and they just want you to deliver cookies to prospective residents. Many times the kitchen staff doesn't have time to cook and the cookies come out terrible.
The jobs as manager & co-manager could be fine if everybody did things the Holiday way and by the book.
There is too much variation and personal feelings put into things and
"finding fault" issues.
Good luck to everyone working for Holiday and hope that someday the Colsons will buy back the company.
In the meantime, if you apply for a job,
make sure you don't work for a regional manager who has been a "Blue Light Special". They have NO IDEA how to manage a retirement home...they aren't even good at selling underwear, bras, socks, tents and ice coolers.
The B.L.S's....the lack of steady properly trained management and the lack of adequate marketing training/materials has led to the massive decline in census.
Many of the regional managers don't even live in the areas that they manage.
Many of them don't visit with residents or staff when they are at a Holiday building. They just sit in the office and talk to the managers and many times the co-managers are totally left out.
Ask a dishwasher or housekeeper "who is the regional manager" and they wouldn't have a clue.
What Mr. Callison needs to do is hire back all the former managers and co-managers and maybe his census will rise to 94% which is what it was when Fortress purchased Holiday. Now it is somewhere in the mid 70%.
Good luck but under the present system of unsteadiness in stable management will continue with the lack of compassion, understanding and attitude this is "my building".
Holiday would be a great place to work if everyone got along.
What makes you think former Managers and Co-Managers would ever want to go back?
This company currently running Holiday is not worthy enough for former people to go back to. The former "good" "Managers "AND" Co-Managers" worked way to hard but with a lot of pride to get their buildings full.
FIG has successfully destroyed a great company that will never rise to the level of the Colson's regime.
Sheryl Bauer is the ONE link missing in all of this and she left as well.
She is the one person that truly ran Holiday and she did a damn fine job. No one can ever deny that.
Fig needs to sell Holiday back to Bart and hopefully under Bart's ownership, he will find some able bodies to pick up where it was left off when Holiday was sold to FIG.
First and foremost the dumb asses of BLUE LIGHT SPECIALS need to go. They were and still are the number one reason why this company has gone down the drain and then came FIG...a Double whammy so to speak.
I truly feel so bad for all residents left at any of the Holiday buildings. Those people feel bad as it is for employees.
Boobi:
Thank you for the comment - good points.
Feel free to offer the web address of any other site you found along these same lines. I will be happy to visit them and offer a link.
The management system is severly flawed, perhaps deliberately. Plausable deniability comes to mind. One of the first reprimands we received as Co Managers was "chain of command". As Co managers we don't make any decision or suggestion without first bowing before the Mrs Manager, who might then check with Mr. Manager for his blessing. Usually, it had to go up the chain to the next level of management etc. There was to be NO communication of any kind between the Co Managers and anybody further up. Interestingly, the Regionals did not communicate with the Co Managers either. Co managers are responsible for anything that goes wrong, but authorized to do nothing. Managers should expect to be reviewed at least annually by the Co Managers, the Executive Chef and perhaps residents. How would things change if the managers knew evaluations would certainly get up to at least the Regional Mgr and perhaps higher? The "Holiday Way" is currently fiction, since it depends on who the local Management couple is.
YOU ARE 100% CORRECT.
Co-Manager is the wrong title to use.
It signifies you share the management role and that is so far from the truth.
After 4-6 months many "Co-Managers" catch on and know whats happening.
They quickly realize there is no uniform system to communications, goals, marketing and day-to-day operation.
Many managers take-it-for-granted that the "co-managers" will get the word.
Many Holiday buildings are becoming independent living / nursing homes.
There needs to be a screening review when a new person wants to move in.
Holiday also needs to promote people from within to regional manager.
Their latest direction has cost the present company millions in lost revenue.
B.L.Specials have there favorites and almost totally ignore others.
How about the managers who were fired because of 20 vacancies. New managers, with 6 months experience, were brought in because of their supposed "great marketing ability".
The building now has nearly 35 vacancies. If an average apartment is $2500 this building is now loosing $87,500 a month rather than $50,000 a month when the previous managers were there. Great move by the regional manager. Maybe the old managers needed to be released, but what about the idea of bringing a couple in that
had only 6 months experience to a struggling building.
Maybe the company doesn't have any working couples working longer than 6 months to promote.
We've heard many times that if you want to be promoted to managers, something might happen in 6 months.
Or how about the managers who opened a new building -- after 6 months they had only 20 residents. These same managers were transferred to open another new building.
That is really poor for a company.
Now we can all understand why Holiday is falling.
Regional Managers who have no experience in independent elderly living...and couples ( with only a few months experience ) managing a facility that has a gross income of over 3 million dollars.
Stability and experience is needed for success in the elderly housing business.
You can't blame Fortress for cutting back due to lack of profit...
But they must change the direction and get Regionals and Managers who strive to make things work and help people succeed.
Get rid of RM and Managers who drive people away. THey will do nothing but drive more people away and continue to have inexperienced Managers with only 6 month of experience. Start fresh with some new/experienced people or even some former couples who have the compassion, The REAL TOUCH, and the proven knowledge about how to treat elderly citizens and run a business.
If you have a few dollars left in the activity budget or food budget at the end of the month--- have an ice cream sundae afternoon or a chocolate chip cookie and milk party.
Having happy residents and providing the ultimate TOUCH is what Holiday needs to return to.
It certainly will cause census to rise and more success for Fortress and Mr. Callison.
I think what Holiday needs to do is to bring a Marketer in every building! Now more then ever. Every competition building has AT LEAST one marketer. The managers and co-managers are asked to do everything from unpluging toilets to hire, fire, supervise employees, kitchen, take care of the residents and their needs, pour tea and coffee, do community outreach, cookie drops,call to DI's and depositors, answer alarms etc, etc, and keep the building full with no money for advertising. Just keep calling the same people over and over again... How could any team can do all with no help in these times? And do you remember the memo that said that the housekeeper is not allowed to wipe off feces in the common areas-this should be done by THE MANAGERS!!!!! AND WHAT ELSE should the managers do? I don't work for Holiday any longer, but I would never come back again! Not under Fortress. Also the changes you are talking about, switching managers around, firing them to bring very new ones this is done because the RM need to show their bosses that they are doing something when they actually have no idea what to do. There are RM that are with the company for far too long and they would do anything just to keep their chair. Why do we need a regional Marketer for? Money thrown out on the window. They are NO help, they just travel, do reports,ask for report from you, email all day long, and annoy everybody . They don't come with ideas, they ask YOU for ideas. Why are we paying them for? More stress for the managers. The only good thing left after the Company was sold, is the residents. I wish I had more time to spend with them. They deserve more than that. I will stop here. 3000 characters might not be enough for my too many years that I worked for Holiday.
Hello to all & My wife & I Were w/ Holiday for 4 And half Years Same Location & Same Mgrs we were co-mgrs & always had facility 100% Most of time. We can relate to most of your Blogs & wish you each Success in your Endeavors afterHRC.. I have one Question--How did these Blue Light--K-mart Regional Mgrs Get into Holiday Retirement??? Big Mistake!! & the one we Had At end Is Gone from Hrc!!
Welcome! Enjoy and join in. 4 1/2 years in one location? How in the world did you manage that? We considered being permanent co-managers - it would have been nice.
We need to have a former Holiday manager / co-manager convention somewhere. We probably couldn't find a place big enough.
I know a place where they just hired co-managers who had run a pizza shop for the past 25 years.
I also know another place that has hired co-managers where the husband was
a Realtor for 20 years and his wife really didn't work.
Neither of them went thru the 8-week training because all of the buildings are desperate for co-managers and there is no one in the training buildings.
DESPERADOS !!!
There is a district manager who also formerly worked for K-Mart. I am sure he has hired all of the Blue Light Specials.
It's been my experience that it doesn't matter where you came from, it matters where you are headed. The DM of whom I believe you speak is one of the best upper managers I have ever met, with a great heart for the business. The problem with many of the blue lights (because it's true, there are many) is not that they came from a retail environment, but that they don't have the necessary heart in the first place. To a point, managing to a budget, paperwork, etc, are all things that can be taught. What you can't teach is a heart for people, especially seniors, teamwork, collaboration, etc. Those things cost nothing, they should be there regardless of budget, census, or who the CEO is. This is what is lacking in many RM's (old school and new) and pretty much all of the new upper management at home office. What would be the harm in saying, hey, these are hard times, we are going to have to make some really tough decisions in order to stay afloat. Honesty would go a long way in improving morale, because right now, everyone is just holding their breathe thinking they might be next. I would have rather been leveled with, and been able to prepare myself mentally for what was coming my way. Maybe I am naive, but I believe people just want to be told the truth. I am not happy to have lost my job, but I would have much rather had a "pink slip" situation so that I could have said my good bye's and transferred my knowledge to others in my department who are now left behind to do more work with 1/2 the man power.
I agree that the DM is a niced guy.
I also agree that every employee I talk with at Holiday is wondering if they are next to be fired. What is also happening is that Managers are condeming many co-managers just to make themselves look good. What better way to have job security then to give your RM the impression things are not going well with the management team within the building. The RM's are saying "I can't fire these managers because we'd have no one to run the building". All RM's need to have scheduled monthly meetings at each builing with the managers and co-managers. Many RM's just pop in with no advanced schedule
and it is usually during the managers scheduled hours. The co-managers are often left out because the managers and RM's don't consider them a real part of the main loop. In my opnion, that is totally wrong and it gives the co-managers no outlook for a bright future.
Good luck everyone at Holiday and I agree with the above author --- "I remember the good old days".
The accelerated deterioration of "the touch", especially among newer mid-level (regional) management over the last year-and-a-half is truly unfortunate. The shift of focus to the bottom-line was indeed predictable after the Fortress buyout and a genuine cause for concern among most of our fellow community managers and co-managers,
Little did we realize however that "management by intimidation" would become the norm, especially on the heels of the plunging real estate market -- a mere bellwether for the current economic crisis, which each of the principals of Fortress can now -in no small part- attribute to the person in the mirror.
- Google: “Sen. John Edwards” and “sub-prime”
Well put!
You meant to say the "Blue Light Specials" they have for Regionals???? They couldn't make it at Kmart so what makes them think they know everything about senior retirement.
None of these "B.L.S." has ever managed any of the buildings for any length of time to deal with every single issue we as managers have to deal with on a day-to-day and night-to-night basis. They never even made a DI call but yet they demand the managers and co-managers to do it all and fill the building. Nothing else matters just to make "THEM" look good. They don't give a rats ass about managers and co-managers as they think they can get the next set cheaper anyway.
The regionals at HRC are ALL a joke..every single one of them and some of the area directors are drunks.....seen it with my own eyes.
This is just the tip of the iceberg and hopefully more people now dare to say what they all really want to say.
Thank you for letting me blow some steam....it was a long time coming.
Achmed:
You double-posted - I checked to ascertain if they were the same wording, then I deleted the first one.
As this develops I expect others to 'blow some steam' - understandably so - just as I expect there will hopefully be those who are still Gung Ho, even some who will blindly play the lemming scenario right over the cliff.
dl,
people are going to vent, and I am certain there are still some true believers, but at the end of the day Holiday is not the same company, it is no longer a family. sad.
AGREED!
And those that did it all and then some could not become RD's because nobody as dependable could fill the Manager position. Actually you couldnt even transfer to marketing or activities even though you were great at teaching these positions to the marketers and activities for that same reason so you QUIT
When I began writing about our Holiday Experience my wife suggested that I put it up as a blog instead of a single long story, putting small snippits as a comment in order to keep it fresh and ongoing. She also felt the potential possibility of an 'interaction' with others would be a reward. She, as usual, was correct. One of the first things we became aware of when we came aboard was the strictures against interacting with others. At no time was an 'open' and 'straight forward' option allowed at any managerial collective meetings or even on a daily personal level. The best, and often most informative, discussions came after the company meetings were done for the day. Many would gather outside to 'chat' and the conversations became more relaxed.
I never heard someone deliberately being negative about Holiday during those informal chat sessions. What we (most of us) learned was the fact each of us was not 'alone' in our situations/daily problems. A situation or conflict could be tossed into the conversation and numerous variations were offered by those of longer service/expertise who had experienced the same (or similar) situation.
Anyone who has ever owned or managed a viable company/business is aware that the B.S. sessions are often the most productive. Unless one is willing to hear what employees/customers (residents) don't like about something, and do so with an open mind, then there is no way to isolate a problem or potential in order to find a solution.
I agree with lots of what I'm reading on this blog, but can't find any comments that reflect our views. The Holiday Touch is one of our main issues. Why should the managers and comanagers be expected to deliver the Holiday Touch? We are overworked, seriously underpaid and not noticeably respected by our employers. Why don't the multi million dollar owners - past and present - extend the Holiday Touch to the residents and the employees. If the corporation wants us to be "missionaries" working for a belief or an ideal, then why isn't the corporation non-profit. The coporation is predatory and always has been. They get people to manager their buildings who are desperate for a job - usually because they are in their 50s or older. How many managers and co-managers would turn down a respectable, well paying job to stay with Holiday? If some would then their are admirable people and should perhaps pursue volunteer work or work for a non-profit company. Why should we be the only one's with a mission to help the elderly? Our residents get what their pay for and if they get more from the managers/co-managers then those managers and co-manasgers need to ask themselves why they are selling themselves so short. In other words letting the coporation make more money by brainwashing their employees into basically useing their own time and resources to deliver the Holiday Touch to the residents. I say, let the company treat managers and co managers fairly - pay a decent salary for the hours we work including the on-call time. No, I do not find the job so rewarding that I will overlook the inequities that are rampant in this company. When I see the company giving back to the residents and employees I might have a different attitude, until then I will stand by my opinions and would urge others to ask themselves if they are not being used by the company.
You are right Miss Daisy...
Why doesn't Holiday promote to Regional Director from within ? That way your boss will know exactly what the managers and co-managers are going thru. The K-Mart people may know what do in a department store, but what about the actual day-to-day operation of a Holiday building ? In a full building it is almost impossible for everyone to stay within their time schedule. Take dinnertime -- many times servers get behind because the residents have a hard time deciding between the two main choices. ( something the regional managers don't know ) At the buildings where we worked, we put the main item and the 2nd choice on the table cards everyday. It quicken the process considerably.
We'd like to stay longer, but we are looking for other employment. 5 years and 4 buildings. We have always tried to make it a pleasant experience for co-managers so they could be successful. We have heard horror stories about other managers and we can't understand why they are allowed to continue their bad ways.
Good luck everyone...Holiday could be a great place to work with 2 main additions. A marketing person in every building and a receptionist.
We are managers of a community for a long time now and aren't sure how much longer we will stay with them. The marketing budget has been chopped way down and everyone is really nervous. The back biting, bickering, constant threats about census, it's getting to us. We watch residents worry about rent going up and their investments bottoming out. It's getting scary. What happened to The Touch the way Bill Colson believed? We like what you are doing - thank you.
Sooner or later everyone gets to a boiling point. We are burned out after 7 years with Holiday. The change from Colsons to Fortress has been so severe that we can't take it anymore. Activity directors hours cut...chefs being told to use as much leftovers as possible...weekly conference calls have regional directors yelling about census...no one ever says "thanks for doing a good job taking care of the residents"...all marketers & regional assistants fired...home office people quiting one-by-one...as Bob Hope would sing "Thanks for the Memories".
Home office people don't quit one-by-one they are being led go by the dozens and being told if they say anything negative about the company anywhere, anytime they will never be re-hired yet the jobs these people were doing at home office are no longer being done.
Occupancy is now 79% and still going down.
Didn't they say for every 1% down they loose $ 1 million per month? That means they loose an average of $ 15 million per month.
Nothing ever changes when it comes to the Regional Directors or "Blue Light Specials"
It is all they know how to yell at others when the chips are down since they don't know how to fill a building them selves.
Every single "Blue Light Special" should be running a building for a solid month, day and night with the understanding they must get 5 move-ins or else they will be fired.
That means no help from anyone and do all the day-to-day jobs an average community manager or co-manager does in a day.
Now that is my challenge to all these Regional Directors.
Who will answer
ATTN: ALL
Please let all of us know if any "BLS" dares to take this challenge.
Any of you dare to ask this on the conference Call?
This would be a great challenge for the new management starting next week. The building the RD gets sent to should be one of their most difficult properties and they should not get to offer any specials or discounts that regular managers could not offer. This would be a lot of fun!
I have read the above comments with intense interest. I have no affiliation with Holiday. I first heard of the company 2 days ago. I imagined if I were a newly hired Regional Mgr/Dir I would visit my first facility on an extended basis and get to know the residents, the staff, the co-mgrs, and the mgrs in that sequence. I would do functions/tasks as performed by each member of the team, including recruiting new residents. I would ask all of the above people what is working well at their facility and what needs attention ... and what do they expect from me? I would do everything possible to establish and enforce procedures consistently across all facilities; create an environment that helps everyone at the facility to feel like they are on a winning team and happy to be where they are ... even in challenging times like now. I admire the sincere effort that all of you have put into your Holiday facility. I empathize with those of you who have endured the tyrant managers. I believe it is possible to turnaround the situation. There needs to be integrity and positive leadership by example on the part of the RM. Then watch great things happen!
Something needs to be mentioned here. Remember that everyone has a set of rules, regulations, and guidelines to follow regardless of position.
Community staff answers to Co-Managers and Managers
Managers answer to Regionals
Regionals answer to District
Districts answer to Callison and underlings.
Callison answers to Fortress
This is over simplified perhaps, but you get the idea. Each of the positions allow for some squiggle room in day-to-day operations as long as the basics are followed. It does not strike me as being completely fair to lump all Regionals as BLSs. There are some extremely good and capable BLS Regionals - just as there are some bad Regionals who were already there.
Prior to writing this comment I telephoned our former Regional to ask if he had any adverse feelings about using his name and the name of his District Manager. Although I will continue to make mention of both when it is a part of the writing I will not use the actual names or locations without their consent. I was asked to give them time to think about it - and will do so. Both my wife and I found our District Manager competent and he kept his word to us when it counted. The same is said about the Director of Human Resources - he kept his word. We are not 'friends' and never will be such, but insofar as a working relationship they did their jobs properly.
The Regionals are under extreme stress also - don't forget. Fair is fair! Any person commenting on here deserves a fair shake, without exception - and they shall have it. I may not agree with them - and they may not agree with me, or with you, but no one will be subjugated to a preconceived judgement - that would be unfair. We all are trying for an open and "comfortable" discussion of the problems. When one feels a position must be "defended" in order to get a point across then it defeats the purpose.
It is hoped that at some point we have a present or former Regional who will speak of those problems or positives. To most Managers and COs the Regional is the person most dealt with during the community operations. I must agree with Achmed about that and, in a lot of ways, my wife and I will put the blame squarely on a regional. Numerous situations came up where a regional made a determination order and claimed it was ordered by "upstairs" - only to find out later from those 'upstairs people' that they had known nothing about any of it. I also concur regarding a regional playing favorites with friends and promotions, using this to "punish" those who questioned. But it would be prudent not to frighten a potential commenter away because they believe they will be bushwhacked at the pass.
If anyone has suggestions as to how our contacts can be increased with residents, families of residents, more communities, etc. please speak up. The more first hand information we gather the better. Thanks.
That sounds like a good idea. We visited 3 properties -- but due to time constraints they were overnight visits. There is a lot of "talk" for want of a nicer word that generally did not translate into every life as a co-manager or manager. When we tried to turn our building around -- the hostile element burned like wildfire and the end result -- we are gone -- they are still there. I have heard the same story over and over from others.
My pleasure! Please understand that in no way am I against Holiday/Fortress per se. My wife and I love the concept. I am merely attempting to convey that a serious problem exists and they don't seem to grasp the cause, or don't want to. There are fantastic managers, co-managers, staff, home office support, all working for the company. They deserve a fair shake - as do the residents.
This has been going on since I worked there from 2001 to 2006. I worked in HR when there were only 4 of us. At the time, if you even tried to convince the uppers of a problem, you were gone. Happened to me in the middle of the health insurance open enrollment. They allowed their managers (Home office and the field) to "manage their own employees" whether or not it was in a positive manner or negative manner. I am glad I am not there. I can't imagine how it is now.
They just don't get it. They say they do, but actions DO speak much louder than words. They are driving up rents, taking away the special things our residents have come to Holiday for and they wonder why census is now officially the lowest in the company's history! What would be wrong with locking a resident's rent for three years? If my math is correct, an occupied apartment brings in much more revenue than an empty one. Our residents are our best marketers so what have they done? They laid-off the marketers and have pissed-off all of our residents. What will the residents tell there friends now?? We are in a world of hurt! I wish they would change the name of the company! We all know that "Holiday" is gone as we knew it. Let's get a new name, a new logo and a new business plan. I truly think people would be willing to accept that, put down their axes and move forward with a new direction. Just a thought! We love you Bill !!
No they don't get it. I'm inside the company and I can tell you they don't care at all. All it takes is a look at the complaint log; which is sometimes over 200 complaints (use to be 50 or 60) in a week and that will tell you all you need to know. Trivia...How many times do you think the esteemed CEO of the company has graced the Resident Retention department with a visit? If you had 200 complaints a week coming in do you think you'd check in with that department. The truth of the matter is the company is only interested in whether they are up or down and that is the way the reports are given +1 means good week (even though you may have lost 20 residents within your region but you put 21 in) and -1 means a bad week (even though you possibly lost that resident to death or higher care but the people you have are still with you) heck...it's hard to get time off now to attend the funeral of a resident. All they care about is moving someone new into the community. I've given 5 good years and I think I've had enough. Tune in
I am a former resident.
I wrote a letter to headquarters in Oregon and no one has ever responded.( 3months have gone by )
I left because the food was "slop" and the head managers were horrible.
I am not the only one that feels this way...One other resident moved out for the same reasons as me. We both live in our own apartments...eat every meal out and we don't need to put up with the managers meaness. We are both telling all our friends...Don't go to a Holiday Retirement building..Things have gone way downhill.
By the way...another friend told me about this wedsite and I think residents will start giving you comments. I'm passing it along to all my former Holiday friends.
Thanks, Donnieboy:
I am so sorry you did not receive a response from HQ - not too long ago you would have received it quickly. It is hoped more residents will get involved. I wish there was some way we could get it through to the residents that they hold the keys - they write the checks which supports everything.
This just really pisses me off! I remember sitting through the trainings when Holiday used to fly the teams into Salem. I was one of the presenters for HR. I loved the chef trainings at the time. The food was top priority. The residents' well being was top priority. I am glad I don't work there anymore. I got fired for trying to make things better. Shame shame shame. I am going to have to quit receiving updates on here. I just get madder by the day. You don't mess with kids and you don't mess with seniors!
I don't really view this as a surprise. You haven't been back into a community. My wife and I were co's and walked away. The deceptiveness and duplicity of the company is really amazing. There was greater number of people within our building ( I know they prefer the word community, but it is now just a building) who deserved to be in a higher level of care but because census is WAYYYYYYYYYYY down the managers are under pressure to take them.
You folks have me worried my wife & I are thinking of taking a job in the company. I am not sure I have heard anything good from past employees. Please, somebody give us a positive word, so we go into this in the right mindset.
Re-read everything to date. Check out Vault.com - there are some reviews about Holiday there (mostly negative from past and present employees). What do you want in/from the job? Will you be Co-Managers (Salary/exempt) or hourly - what? Managers and Cos live onsite in a one bedroom unfurnished apartment (Cos) and two bedroom unfurnished(Managers)- others do not. As 'management' you will clean toilets during meal times and late at night (ruins a good prime rib dinner). All hourly employees live off site.
Co managers. Salary. We love to work with people. It is all we do know. our life is serving. I think it is a good fit, but as I said there seeems to be a lot of people not happy there. I think it might be an old dog can't learn new tricks. I have taken over companies before and the people that were there, found it hard to march to a different drum. Thank You notmyrealname for the advise. I would like to know more about the company. If anyone else has an opinion please speak.....
Finding the proper combination of management skills, supervisory experience, a caring attitude toward seniors and a rock solid personal relationship is a rare thing. As a result of that, many Holiday buildings are staffed by managers who are ill qualified to lead. That coupled with regional and district managers who have been cast off the retail heap and have no practical knowledge of the job the people under them perform make starting out with Holiday akin to entering a lottery. The lucky winners get building managers who actually practice the "Holiday Touch" and a Regional Director who has worked from "the ground up" and can relate to the numerous challenges a management team faces on a daily basis.
The losers (which are unfortunately the greater number) end up with managers that have massive but frail egos who nit pick their staff into screaming agony and an RD who was laid off from a downsizing retail chain and knows nothing about the hospitality business or what the manager's actual job entails and spends most of his time pushing you for numbers.
dl's letters follow the journey of a wide eyed iniate to a tee. I couldn't have expressed our sentiments concerning the company any more accurately. Re-read them and follow the progression. There is much wisdom in their words. Even now as we come up on our first anniversary of finally being made managers, it's hard to believe some of what we endured to get here. At least a dozen times we been ready to pack up and leave in the middle of the night but always there was a circumstance that somehow kept us hanging on. Could have been fear of change, lack of resources or an abiding faith in the Holiday ideal but now with all the emphasis on money, money, money and less and less on the residents, we are beginning to question our future with the company.
So it all boils down to the luck of the draw. Pay close attention to who you interview with and ask plenty of questions when you interview with the regional. Trust your impressions, there's a good chance you'll be living with the couple you interview with and bear in mind that get a bonus if you stay with the company. The Holiday Touch is a beautiful concept if you manage to find a place where it's still being practiced.
Hi there. My husband and I are thinking of joing this Company, as co managers, then managers. We would like to know the Salary, for each of us would be. It would not make any sence if they were only paying us 25k each per year..as a McDonalds Manager makes more than that. Thank you!!
Janet:
Read the 6th comment down from the top. On average Cos make $455 per week gross - Managers make $500 gross per week. When you become a manager you could earn up to $12,000 bonus - Cos $6,000. California adds almost $20,000 per couple yearly. It is true you basically have no expenses other than what you bring with you.
Your comments above are true...a co-manager couple usually starts with a gross salary of $47,000. Correct me if I'm wrong, you don't get the bonus unless you are 100% occupied and you are exactly under budget. One penny would make a difference.
Janet --if you go to a building make sure you go to one that is almost full.
Otherwise you are under extreme pressure
everyday to fill the rooms.
Does anyone know how many of the 300 holiday buildings are above 95% occupied.
Of all the buildings in my former region
(10) I have heard that the best census is 92%.
Occupancy and census is the name of the game.
Thank you so much for your reply(s). I can not believe they pay SO low for the work they expectr you to do for them. Especially being a Manager, Canada they say it is 60k per couple, so 30k per person to be a manager is just ridiculous. This Company has so much money. You can be a store manager for a teenagers clothing store and make 35k per year. Will it take long before my husband and I become Managers from Cos? What is the average time? Now, they have also stated, they give you a free Luxury suite. Are these suites like hotel rooms, that look like hospital rooms? I enjoy this type of work and has always been something I enjoy doing, but I need to look into this Company more, and see if they pay and treat you as you should be for all the work you do for the Company. Thank you so much you guys!
The co-managers apartment is about
900-1000 square feet. One small living room...kitchenette ( no room for a table and chairs )...one small bedroom and one bathroom with a shower. There is usually an open porch-way on the back with room for 2 chairs and a small table.. The co-managers apartment also always opens in the main dining hall. It is a small cozy apartment, but no way a luxury suite.
As far as becoming managers, it all depends how many people quit the company and openings exist. Right now it seems that being promoted to manager happens quite quickly because of all the resignation. --- 6 months of less. Also it depends on how you get along with the regional manager. Previously the company would pay for your moving expense if they wanted you to be transferred. Now we understand that moving reimbursements have been eliminated. I am sure all the people on this blog will agree, you must make sure that you work with a manager-couple that is willing to train you and is willing to make you successful.
Many manger-couples, in the past, have created their own little kingdom and don't train you the proper way.
As you can see from the earlier comments, you end up working for less than minimum wage many weeks. The couple that works the afternoon schedule is listed from 11:30 to 7:30.
I must say that there was almost no day we ever ended our work day at 7:30. It was more like 8 or 8:30 pm.
If one or 2 of your supper servers don't show up, definitely plan to work until 8:30 or 9.
The schedule and pay is not bad if everyone shows up and does their job.
Because of the lower pay scale for dishwashers, housekeepers and servers there are many times they call in sick and you are IT.
It is very common to have this title
on many days at a Holiday building.
Manager/Marketer/Receptionist/Server/Dishwasher/Housekeeper/Toilet Plunger Person....
One year we thought about going to the dollar store and giving each resident a toilet plunger as a Christmas gift. (Total cost around $120 ) My wife talked me out of it.
You made a mistake on the title ---
Somethime during the week you assume the total title below ...............
Manager/Marketer,Receptionist/Server/Doshwasher/Housekeeper/Weekend Maintenance&Garbageman/Weekend Activity Director/Toilet Plunger Person. Holiday Retirement has a great concept but when one of your employees fails to show-up the only fill-in persons are the Managers or Co-Managers.
You improved the list, but you didn't get it all either. Manager/Marketer,Receptionist/Server/Dishwasher/Housekeeper/Weekend Maintenance&Garbageman/Weekend Activity Director/Toilet Plunger Person.
Please add: Postmaster (selling stamps all day and receiving and storing packages too large for the mailbox), snack bar manager, fill-in cook, master of ceremonies for the daily announcements, birthday celebrations and memorial services; helium balloon filler; night watchman and security officer; safety manager in the event of flood, fire, earthquake, etc; first responder to “e-calls” and 911 dispatcher; and even though the company denies it, personal assistant to help a resident get out of the shower or off the toilet; ( I know, it never happens). Believe it or not, I did not resent any of the above…just the company’s lack of appreciation for all that is required.
I know more could be truthfully added as duties, responsibilities and chores...but there isn't time. Someone had an incontinent moment in the elevator and I have to get a mop!
ONE QUICK CORRECTION...
The Co-Managers apartment is about 500 sqaure feet and the managers apartment is 900 to 1000 sqaure feet. It is nowhere near a luxury suite.
The co-managers apartment barely has room for a entertainment center, couch and one lounge chair. It is pretty tight quarters --- and to put it bluntly there is almost no room for quests if your kids and grandkids visit you.
I want to know who authorized the co managers to have any visitors? Can the RD authorize this, or does it have to come from higher up?
It is mostly up to the manager and co-manager...It all depends on the building manager. Actually it is your apartment and you can have anyone you wish to visit you.
If the guest room was available on dates needed for housing guests of anyone on the management team, we'd simply pencil-in the name on the booking calendar.
If, at any point, a resident asked for the room we'd make it available to them.
We did it this way at all our communities with no problems or complaints.
You must be in a newer building. Our Managers apt. is around 700 sq. feet and the co manager's is 550sq. feet The managers apt opens up into the office. Our building is 22 years old. Sometimes I hate this apartment. We rented a storage unit to hold things that just don't fit.
I guess and life is just what you make it. We have been managers for 2 years. We love our residents and staff. Everyday is a challenge but we love the job and would like to go five star someday. Each year the running of the building and the paperwork has gotten easier. Next year I expect to have an even better grasp of the budget. We are looking forward to new marketing ideas we have come up with for next year.
I've cleaned apartments for a couple of days in a row, served meals, cleaned up messes... sat in the floor with residents who have fallen while waiting for an ambulance, made hospital visits to residents on my day off. We look at our job as managers for Holiday as a ministry. WE love our job.
After many years we still feel it is a ministry, yes the days can be long, but missionaries never stop ministering
to do this you cheat the residents you decide
dont do it you feel great but all it is hours without pay or dependable help
I want to know if bewildered took a job with Holiday?
Beewildered-
I'd suggest you and your wife go for it. If you have "the Touch" -- and most who are successful do beforehand -- you'll succeed. I'm sure (as a matter of fact I know) there are still plenty of good managers left but I can imagine that the regional managers are being put under even greater pressure in light of the current economy.
One thing to always keep in mind is that your current residents should be your best marketing tool. If the management team you are joining doesn't see it that way keep your eye out for openings at another community. Also be wary if there is a history of the facility being a revolving door for co-managers under the same managers.
Finally, burn no bridges.
Best of luck!
"This was inside a Christmas card slipped under our door. This is what it is all about, Mr. Callison - it is what keeps them there... and good food."
"I think Christmas is a good time to say, Thank you from my heart.
When you two came to us last year - this was a sad place, everyone was unhappy. You two gave us back smiles and caring. You truly care about people and it shows.
It has been so good getting to know you - Seeing you get married - again. Your love is so wonderful to see.
Thank you for everything you give to us. It is a joy to have you here.
Love, Nancy H."
I think almost every Co-Manager and Manager couple has received letters like the above. The residents ARE appreciative of what management does WHEN it is done with the touch. My wife and I renewed our thirty year wedding vows at our community last September. It was a beautiful and moving experience because of the love shared with the residents. This is priceless to us! The pictures of the renewal were placed on a disk and loaded into our computers. The staff came in on their own time to join in the ceremony, the Chef made a special cake, the Sous Chef was my best man, and a resident was matron of honor to my wife. The Enrichment Coordinator put everything together for the service and one of the residents, a famous seamstress, altered a beautiful beaded gown which another resident requested my wife to wear (due to its history). The dance floor was set up, we brought in special music, and everyone dressed very formal. WE paid for the service and it was worth every penny.
As this 'story' develops about The Holiday Experience it will, hopefully, give anyone who presently works (or ever did work) for Holiday the option to offer input. Early in our employment my wife and I were involved in a corporate cleansing factor and we survived the resultant investigation. We did so simply because our professional backgrounds allowed us to properly package and present a documented sequence of events which proved up consistently.
We have visited several different communities, conversed with numerous staff members at all levels in those communities, spent countless hours of our 'free time' in informal meetings and telephone conversations, talked with residents in those communities, and researched everything regarding Holiday and its history. This is a prelude required to properly prepare to write any story - fiction or non-fiction. During the interviews I was constantly struck by a glaring fact - not enough attention is paid to the personality quotient of employment. The training requires newbies, with their varied backgrounds and expertise, to subjugate a lifetime of business acumen and play second fiddle to someone who is 'supposed' to instruct you in The Holiday Touch. When the trainer does not believe in the Holiday guidelines himself then the new persons are being improperly trained. This creates its own set of problems which is largely ignored by the company.
We hosted a manager couple who visited with us for a few days, staying in the guestroom. During conversations the couple, with a banking background, spent quite some time telling us that anyone who came aboard Holiday believing in the touch concept was in the wrong business and could not remain for any length of time. They stressed Holiday itself would end up firing someone who attempted to practice the touch instead of concentrating solely on the bottom line. Their stance was that Holiday is operating a feed lot concept which paid better than raising cattle. Perhaps a harsh phrase, but not without its own merit.
Worn Down is absolutely corrrect - it is a lottery! The prize can be worth the work, but the work itself can be depersonalizing and humilating to anyone unwilling to accept the mistreatment of the residents at the cost of the bottom line - and it happens quite often. Worn Down is also correct in the 'wide-eyed initiate' insofar as someone wanting to believe in something so strongly.
I consider myself extremely fortunate in my research because my son-in-law came up through the ranks of a major international hotel chain, presently handling almost fifty properties for them. Numerous conversations with him, and visits by him, were most helpful in my understanding the differences of corporate mindframe. I also recognize a difference in the applications as evidenced when Mr. Colson ran the company compared to the present mentality.
After close to 3 years we recently quit Holiday. The constant moving in a hurry, moving expense reimbursements being cut, resident care being put on the back burner, budget cuts, all of it finally got to us. One of the biggest irritants is the kitchen food and supplies not being ordered at the end of each month in order to bring the kitchen in at budget. We love working with the residents and we were very very good at our jobs. Now there is no loyalty from the company. No longer do we take care of the residents, now we only rent apartments to anyone who can draw a breath. Prices are going higher and higher and services are disappearing. No thanks, not anymore. Blue Light Specials are in control who have no clue. We had forgotten what a sunset even looked like. What we will do for a future job is uncertain but at least we won't have to feel guilty about being forced to lie to the residents who pay our salary.
HR doesn't want anything but 'Gypsies', we aren't allowed to have a life of our own. They don't want us to have property or homes to go back to. They do not give any consideration to free time of managers and co-managers, to any place for a hobby or project. Our days off we have to get away from our community which is expensive or hide in our apartment because residents search you out. Even sitting outside we are regularly approached for help when we aren't on duty. You are right about no loyalty and having to lie to the residents. We are also about ready to say "the Hell with it" - after almost 9 years and 7 buildings.
AMEN We did quit after 4 years and we also moved 4 times in 4 years and the last move we were promised a raise but it never happened(missed evals because rotation doors of RD's) The last place we were the staff was horrible and drove us out (previously went through 14 sets of co's in 4 years) employee managed. Then they denied our unemployment after 10 pages of reasons we quit and we are without a home and without money for 4 months. Didnt turn out like I thought it would after several months hanging in there without co's we still cant collect money we paid to the government for unemployment they still have us by the neck!!
If I may? I'm not certain exactly how to respond here. You obviously have access to a computer, but you write "...we are without a home and without money for 4 months..." What can I do to offer help? email: thefreebornman@yahoo.com
We sold almost everything to work for Holiday (including home)and as often as we moved for our RD we never bought another house and are paying rent for more money than a house payment. We have to find jobs and start over. We saved for a down payment but with the economy we have used most of that to survive. Just pray for us to find employment.
Please email me at toddharder@rocketmail.com, I might have an opportunity for you in senior living management.
THANKS Check your e'mail
You did a very nice thing! Thanks. You now have 'lebenty-seben' gold stars on your crown.
.......and that leaves your residents where? Was there any guilt associated with leaving them to the wolves? Yes, in plain language the company sucks now. The pressures are greater than ever, census which always was a priority has become a life or death issue. There is less and less money being allotted to resident activities, staffing hours and raises are being cut on what seems like a monthly basis and finding people to fill buildings during a bad economy seems like an insurmountable task. That is all the more reason for experienced managers not to quit but to dig in and use their hard learned skills to make the best out of a bad situation. The people who have the "touch" and have run their buildings through the happy Colson years need to ride the storm out for their residents if nothing else. Granted, Fortress knows nothing about the people business so they must either adapt eventually or drive Holiday into the ground then sell it off to somebody who does. The senior care/retirement business is only going to grow over the next 20 years. I can only hope that Holiday will persevere in one form or another and when it finds the right owners again, it will once again succeed. Until that happens, we should use what we know to provide the people under our care with the best personal touch we can muster under adverse circumstances. We owe it to our residents and to the memory of Bill Colson to do the best we can in spite of Fortress.
You obviously are a Regional Director (RD) the way you wrote this.
I have one question for you if indeed you are a RD:
How much more do you (HRC & RD's) expect managers and co-managers to do?
Holiday is not the "PROUD TO WORK FOR" type company anymore.
Don't you dare to bring up Bill Colson's name. That man would turn in his grave if he knew what has been done to his legacy. He would have fired ALL RD's in one shot and most of the area Directors along with them.
You state that the senior care/retirement business will grow over the next 20 years. I wonder where you think the current baby-boomers will get the money from to be able to afford living in a retirment home when companies like Holiday keep raising the rents with 10%, increase the 2nd resident fee to 600.+ p/month.
The baby-boomers did not live a frugal life style as today's seniors did.
Baby-boomers have 401K's and IRA's that have dried up over the past couple of years. Social Security will not cover enough of these expenses.
Furthermore and as I see it, why would anyone want to work in a industry where they are not being appreciated and paid far less than minimum wage.
Managers and Co-manager work harder then they have done in their entire life before they started working for Holiday. It is nice to quote "The TOUCH" but the way Holiday is pressing managers and co-managers these days is worse then slavery.
I have seen managers die "ON THE JOB" due to heart attacks.
And we are only talking about managers and co-manager but what about the rest of the staff in each building. Don’t you think all those people are afraid of losing their jobs because of the enormous drop in census in many of the buildings?
Then they see the “Regional Maintenance Director” show up.
Man talk about a bunch of lazy ass people who don’t do a damn thing. Those people are nothing but a bunch of backstabbing cheats. Why is Fortress not looking into that situation? Fortress is spending a massive amount of money on each of these guys and all these guys are doing is……..NOTHING. They are prima donna’s.
Common people, Holiday is done.
The only ones I feel so sorry for are the residents (and their families). Families of residents are stuck having to move their parent(s) again to be able to afford to live in a retirement home. Many of the current residents in many buildings are extremely upset.
I do not understand why the Fortress people do not see it.
I wonder how many of them have parents living in a Holiday or Brookdale building.
Many of you may not know this but Fortress also owns Brookdale.
No......I'm not an RD and neither my spouse nor I would accept the job were ever offered to either of us. As difficult as the manager/co-manager job can be, I still wouldn't trade in lieu of a job where you're constantly getting complaints from below and pressure from above. RDs are on the road constantly and like the rest of us, do not get nearly enough compensation for the job they perform. Not only that, they don't even get the gratitude of the residents that we get albeit on a sometimes infrequent basis.
I don't agree that Holiday is done. The "Holiday Touch" concept is alive and well and always will be with the individuals who "get it". The concept relies on people not money. Call me an optimist but I think Fortress will either adapt to us or sell us off. They're just seeing how far they can push the boundaries right now. The fact remains that from a consumer standpoint, Holiday is still the best value for the money.
You speak of other staff member's jobs being in danger because of the "enormous drop in census". That is a relative statement. While census company wide has taken a big dip, most communities have fallen far less than ten percentage points which in most buildings adds up to six or seven extra apartments being vacant. Budgets are still set for the year, there is a big push on census.....no one will be getting laid off anytime soon and in this economy that can't be said for many businesses.
So Achmed (or anyone else) two questions spring immediately to mind; What has been your personal experience with Holiday? My guess would be co-manager working under megalomaniacal managers and if that's the case I apologize on their behalf. There ARE still many good managers out there who treat their COs and staff with respect and equality. Massive egos on a management team no matter the position always spell trouble. The second question I might ask would be exactly where you do think these families are moving our current residents to? Their homes? That surely won't last very long; it's the very reason many of our residents move in with us in the first place.
The economy's poor all over the country, spending is down across the board and the retirement industry is no different. All our competitors are down in census as well. Are we suffering worse as a result of Fortresses cutbacks? Possibly, but given the current state of things I think it's hard to tell at this point.
I am glad you are optimistic, you will need that to survive in the coming months, but a couple of areas that you are a little behind in, a drop of 6 units per community at the cost paid for the company is a ton of profit gone for FIG, currently occupancy now at 79.3% and almost 700 scheduled move outs and only a little over 100 scheduled move ins- not pretty, oh- not all competitors are down, some are actually seeing an increase in occupancy, primarily because they haven't lost sight of how important sales and marketing is in a down economy- FIG certainly wasn't smart enough to FIGure that out, laying off the entire sales staff and relying on managers and co managers to perform tasks they are largely not qualified to perform. Good Luck to you, i wish you the best- but you really should have a plan B, funny- your screen name doesn't match your optimism.
Just because we're getting worn out doesn't mean we're done or close to leaving. One can be tired yet remain optimistic. Perhaps it's out of necessity, because even though I can absolutely detest this job at times, it's still the most rewarding and challenging thing I've ever done. I was very good in my previous field and still entertain an occasional outside job offer but have no wish to leave in spite of the prospect of easily doubling my income. Go figure.
I never claimed that FIG was doing well and in fact it will probably get worse before it gets better but it will get better. Fortress will make their mistakes, push their limits and adapt to a business that doesn't respond like a commodity to it's ministrations or it will sell us off. The concept of Holiday will persevere. It's just too good of an outline to let fail in sector that will only continue grow. Out of curiosity, where do your numbers come from? 700 out? In what time period? We have just completed another market survey of area competition and from all the reports I've seen thus far, nobody is doing very well in our region. As far as sales staff goes, you have me there. I had no idea that we even had a sales force. We've always done our own marketing as do most buildings that I'm familiar with. I do know that we've just created the position of Regional Sales Leader. Whether they can help census remains to be seen. As I've said, we've never worked with a marketer so anything they can do will be a plus.
I got the numbers from Holidays April 8, 2009 corp occupancy report, those number don't lie. bye bye Holiday, FIG will split up, gut it and sell off the parts.
Our Regional Sales Leader job came and went and it was nothing more than a reports gatherer and a rah-rah person. So too the Community Sales Leader position came and then was heard from no more. Now they are promoting FAM - Facility Guide to Active Management -- 1 duty manager and 3 marketers, plus on call nights. More work - no more pay.
My personal experience with Holiday is that my wife and I have spent 8 years of my life at Holiday in 5 different buildings plus helping out many other buildings, in the region, when they were without either managers or co-managers.
We have hired and trained many co-manager teams and send them on their way to become managers in their own building. Some of them are still managers in buildings around the country. I am not a dummy and I am glad you are happy with the Fortress situation, as apparently you seem to be. Trust me, your residents are not as happy.
The concept of the “TOUCH” is gone my friend.
When Fortress demanded the rents to increase by 10% and the 2nd resident fee’s to go up to $ 600.00 p/month in an economy as we all live in today, makes one wonder who can afford a monthly (in a lot of cases) of $ 600.00 increase?
If that is what you call the “TOUCH” then yes the concept of the “TOUCH” is indeed alive and well but for many of us who have worked so hard to get our building(s) to 100% occupancy it is a far cry from having the “TOUCH” these days.
To answer your 2 questions:
1) No need to apologize for anything or anybody.
2) The residents who are moving out are going to the competition or are going to a higher level of care or indeed moving back in with their kids since their kids lost their job and now the money these residents have been paying Holiday is now going to sustain the household of the kids. I would not be so fast to think/say that your competition also is dropping in census as fast as Holiday is. I also know for sure Fortress is suffering from all the cutbacks they made at home office. The most idiotic thing they could ever do at a time when they need all the know-how they can get. Do you think these “kids” at Fortress know how to run a retirement home? And yes… They are all “Kids“ working at Fortress, seen them and met them. Not much substance at all. All looking for the “big bucks”.
Holiday had good programs in place and they were working very hard at home office to make many things easier and easier for the people in the field.
Did Holiday make mistakes, yes they did. An example was that the region, my wife and I worked in, went through 7 Regional Directors in less then 2 years and that included many of the “BLUE LIGHT SPECIALS” I wrote about in a previous message.
That was one of the biggest mistakes Holiday ever made by hiring those idiots into the company and trust me, I am being nice.
I had gotten the wrong impression of your experience from your previous post, thank you for clarifying the fact that you actually know of what you're speaking. I believe that I've stated before that on certain points I'm merely playing "devil's advocate". Like any of the other managers who've been around a little while, we are not happy at all with the changes that Fortress has made. My point is that we need to make the best of a bad situation until it starts to change if only for the resident's sake.
There is no such animal as a six hundred dollar increase to current residents. Rent increases are not matching market rate increases. While market rate is 6 to 10 percent, current resident increases are, to my knowledge, still under 5 percent. We don't like how costs have gone up but again, for the most part, Holiday still has still one of the cheapest rates around for what we offer.
Concepts cannot die. A concept is an idea......an object of thought and just because it falls out of practice does not mean that it is dead, The "touch" is still being applied by dedicated managers throughout the company. The lack of funds or the failure of application at the corporate level does not kill the practice in individual communities. The fact that residents are unhappy by the budget cuts that affect their lifestyle is undeniable but that is when the managers need to step up and attempt to fill the holes in a creative manner. Complaining about "what was" will accomplish nothing. Dealing with "what is" and still keeping the residents happy is the challenge we face now.
Someone in a previous message on this blog wrote something really stupid about Bart Colson. I think he/she wrote “the idiot son” or something to that effect.
Well, let me tell you what kind of “idiot son” (as this person wrote) he really is.
He is 6.8 Billion richer, he took many of the bad buildings with him to XL and turned them around, he hired some of the best people away from Holiday and most important of all he is expanding his company in the USA and overseas. Now if you call that being an idiot I wonder what you might call Donald Trump or Warren Buffett.
Achmed
you are right, the idiot son did make some money ( a lot in fact), but not 6.8 billion. there ere a lot of investors, in fact Dan Baty at Emeritus took away more than Bart. Bart himself does nothing, he took some good people, yes, but he turned his back on some of the very best and only took those that kissed his super sized butt. In fact he took the buildings owned by the Hasso's because they owned 100% and did not wish to sell to FIG- and now, their occupancies are down. Don't worry, without, Bill and Norm to cover his a## he will decide to quit and drive his bently in cross country races. By the way- Donald Trump is a personality not a business man, and Bart couldn't wipe Warren Buffets shoes.
What is your beef with Bart?
Achmed08@yahoo.com
Achmed,
my beef with bart is personal, on a side note, when it comes to caring for the customer/resident I believe that bart's heart is in the right place, but when it comes to running a business, unfortunately that is not his thing. everyone knows that Bill and Norm sold that company because if something were to happen to Bill, bart would not be able to keep it going at the same level.bart would come in most mornings after 10am, depart by 3pm. diod not like talking to managers, did not like going to meetings, did not like much, his psycho gf Holly, was a constant distraction. He would rather deal with the pilots than anybody else, besides everyone knows that Sheryl ran the operations.
Dont know Bart Sheryl was AWSOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow, I have the opposite experience with Bart. Caring for his managers and the buildings. Sheryl Bauer was the absolute best female management person one could ever work with. She was tough when it needed to be but a straight shooter and a class A+ lady.
This lady had class. It is by far the biggest loss FIG had to endure in my book. I agree, Sheryl ran the company.
My wife and I agree also - she truly is awesome!
We did about the same....
3 years. We loved the residents, but the current work schedule is unreasonable for the pay. It took you one day to recuperate after working 5 long days filling in for staff that didn't show up. You actually only had one day off.
What Holiday needs is a couple that works part-time on weekends and
fills-in on Saturday and Sunday --- two of your slowest days. That way the managers & co-managers can each have Saturday & Sunday off and be refreshed for the week to handle the job of MANAGER.
Pay the weekend couple $300 a weekend and the overall benefit to the company would be good marketing and better resident relations. THey can stay in the guest room. Even if this was done once or twice a month, it would be a relief for the managers & co-managers so they can do their actual job of managing a building...
The present system is just not working.
The problem with Holiday is -- it is too BIG. Everything you do is multiplied by 300. For instance, hiring a weekend couple would cost each
building about $15,000 a year.... but it would cost the company $4.5 million. Sometimes when you get too big, everyone suffers when you want change.
Even a $2000 a year pay raise for managers and co-managers would cost Holiday $1.2 million.
Holiday would be smart to pay commission to managers who rent an apartment.
Say you rent a $2500 a month apartment ---after 3 months of paying rent a commission of 10% can be paid..$750.
$450 to the managers and
$300 to the co-managers ( after they have worked for the company for 6 months).
What an incentive ?
Would it make you try and rent an apartment each week ?
Say when a building hits 95%..A 1% monthly commission is paid and divided.
Say the 1% totals $2875 that could be
$1675 for the manager and $1200 for the co-manager.
A great incentive to market and rent an apartment.
This would not only boost moral, but create a tremendous increase in census....increase in total revenue for Fortress and people wanting to keep their jobs because of an incentive.
Right now there is absolutely no incentive to work hard other than a
regional manager yelling at you for increase the census.
Right now you don't even get a Christmas bonus or holiday party.
The only extras you get are many a few more meatballs when the menu item is spaghetti & meatballs.
Holiday needs to revamp things to make the company more profitable and for people to want to work harder and more efficient.
Would you think differently if you were asked to make cookie drops with the potential of earning a $300 bonus for renting the apartment?
I KNOW I'M DREAMING ...but would you work for a company that offered the above ???????
When we attended our annual district meeting, one of the seminar sessions morphed into a lively discussion of the high turnover rate of co-managers. I suggested [as mentioned earlier in this forum] that all manager candidates could be subject to some sort of personality/preference testing, such as the "DISC" inventory that we had all done prior to Leadership Training in Salem.
I had been amazed early-on that this was not part of the interview process.
Using the 600 or so current management couples --of all stripes-- as a baseline, it would not be long at all before HRC, or a professional HR contractor, could easily "analyze and predict" potential successes vs. failures among candidates.
Once the system is in place as a dependabl pre-qualifying tool, Holiday could attract better qualified candidates by reducing the probationary period. As we found in our co-manager recruiting efforts, the six-months-before-health-coverage was THE killer in landing some great candidates.
There are a lot of great tools for professional recruiters. Sadly the process at Holiday is not based on professional HR technique. The process is more "throw it against the wall..see what sticks". The normal process is to quickly review candidates, send them to a facility for a cursory overview with a management team. It the couple still looks promissing, the RD will meet with them and likely make the employment offer. This approach gets lots of people to first base (hired) without realistic expectations and understanding of what is in store for them. What happens next depends on the existing management couple. Do they have their personal act together? Or are they a damaged couple left to dump their psychological pathology on each new set of Co managers?
To all you Holiday people, it is time to wake up and smell the coffee! Holiday is dead and dying, 79.9% overall occupancy, when only 4 short years ago it was 94% Don't blame it all on the economy! The best and brightest of Holiday left long ago and don't pray for Bart Colson to come to your rescue- he is no Bill Colson, actually he is the "idiot son"
I recall Jack Callison's statement that for every one-percent (1%) drop in census across the board it translated as one million dollars loss.
Actually, every 1% is approximately 1 million dollars in revenue per month lost, and the real loss comes in the market value of the company. Fortress, showing great foresight paid 7 billion dollars or approx $190,000.00 per unit for a company that in todays market at their occupancy rate would be lucky to sell for 2.7 billion or approx $90,000.00 per unit. Of course hiring people from failed retail and a CEO from multi-family won't help- these people do not understand the business, they do not understand the customer- they only focus on the dollar. Sad, a once great company that will be all but forgotten in the very near future.
BOO HOO they deserve the loss because we lost something we loved also the lifestyle
Mr. Charles
I am astounded that someone would actually be truthful about Holiday and their problems. My parents have been in a Holiday Retirement home for over eight years now - and we are taking them out of there. The expense of their two bedroom apartment has become so cost prohibitive it is now more economical to have them in a nursing home. Both of my parents are in their late eighties and still very active. Both are mentally alert and able to care for themselves in most conditions. Although the home is touted as Independent Living that is a misnomer. Three times now my parents have been hit by electric scooters (mobies) in the dining room. One of their major complaints has been the managerial turnovers. As my father states it is idiotic to continually move managers in and out of a building when they are doing their job and liked by the residents. What kind of upper echelon allows such? When the service promised falls to such low levels and the price rises to the present cost then it is time to take matters into our hands. At some point someone with authority may realize how bad things have become. When my parents moved into their apartment they were promised that a ceiling crack extending from the living room to the kitchen would be fixed. It is still there. That is just one example of the lies we are tired of. Thank you so much for this blog. We finally have a chance to speak our piece.
I am appreciative of your comment, sir. I agree - it makes no sense to most of us for management to be a continuous revolving door situation. Insofar as this blog, Holiday is (and was) aware that I would be writing about our 'Holiday Experience' from the beginning. When my wife and I did the 'cookie drops' we were often in shock at the beautiful homes potential residents lived in. We would have to be dragged kicking and screaming out of some of those homes. It would be less expensive to hire caregivers and even someone to 'live-in' than to move to a community from some of those literal mansions.
As far as 'Independent Living' I also agree it is not accurate - basically, it boils down to fill the apartments with anyone who can pay the rentals. My wife rented an apartment - everything was signed and money was paid - then the gentleman died before taking possession. What the family had to undergo in order to get any monies back blew our minds. It literally took the threat of them going to the state Attorney General and possible media publicity before the company decided to give any money back. I am not aware of regulations in your state so cannot offer any suggestions, but would strongly advise to first contact the Regional Director of your area and call either Human Resources or Resident Relations at the home office if the RD does not help you to your satisfaction. The managers of the community will have the numbers for you. Good Luck and please keep us posted.
Fortress announced today it will not pay a dividend for the first quarter of this year - the third consecutive quarter of dividends not paid.
Does anyone wonder why?
APRIL FOOLS (just kidding)
Looks like those bundled sub-prime derivatives are coming back to haunt them big time.
FIG will be doing the haunting soon, they will be a ghost a zombie and soon forgotten they are not too big to let fail.
Last weekend we had occasion to host a few acquaintances at our house. The main topic of conversation was Holiday and its effect on present and former employees. I won't cover the entirety, but will touch occasionally upon a common thread brought out by numerous people.
Let me preface it by relating a brag made by a Manager of a community: "I have never had to fire anyone. I just get them to resign."
One of the prime concerns of a community's staff, from Chef to dishwasher, is how a new manager will affect their jobs. A new Manager couple arrives on premises and immediately begins to replace existing staff with employees they want to bring with them from other communities they have managed. Yes, it does happen - and more often than you realize. I, personally, know of a situation where a new manager took over and the first words out of his mouth were that he wanted an employee he had worked with someplace else to work with him at the new community. He then stated the present employee had to be gotten rid of to make it happen. And it did happen, in just over two months. What he did to get rid of the employee was wrong (in my opinion), but it worked.
The staff in place have a legitimate concern, but the residents also feel the same concern. When new managers arrive the personality factors can often be devastating. Instead of initiating new changes slowly, allowing residents to get used to the change, usually a series of changes occur. These changes can be as simple as moving the menu board to a different place, but to the residents it is a major thing to cope with. It is extremely traumatic for the elderly to constantly 'lose' people they come to care for. Then they must cope with how the new 'bosses' will treat and interact with them. Job security (yeah, right) go out the window on a whim.
I recall reading about the six-time FIVE STAR community in Canada in the magazine put out by the company. I believe the managers and co-managers had been there ten years together. Now that is a good team effort. Yet here in the states it would appear the company does not wish for this type of team closeness.
On a different note: I received an email inquiring why I am doing this blog and if it was in hopes of returning to work for Holiday. By re-reading the blog I think anyone can realize re-employment is not our goal. My wife and I are, quite honestly, in rather an unusual perspective. I am a reasonably successful novelist and writer, we both receive our old-age social security, and are receiving a retirement pension from an international company. Our investments haven't all been decimated - (cross my fingers in hopes they never are). Early in our employment with Holiday we found a 'getaway place' for our time off, going there on a regular basis and setting it up for our comfort. We are about 1 1/2 hours from salt water, on a river/lake, with a private pier/dock. We can take our small boat out fishing at any time. When we decided to leave the company we did not have to move back to our home over 800 miles away - we moved only about 55 miles.
OK - now comes the logical question. WOULD, not could, we return to employment with Holiday? As the company stands now I would have to answer an emphatic NO! What we experienced and observed with the company not only showed us why they have gone downhill but crystallized the reasons we, ourselves, would not live in a community. Until, and unless, the CEO puts the residents at the top of his primes then the end result is irrefutable.
The main reason for this blog is quite simple really - my wife and I care. We care about the residents. We care about those who work for - and live in - Holiday and its communities.
DL, would your feelings be different if you were offered the Manager position at a community? Would you have left had you been made managers? Unless I have missed something here, you suffered most of your time like we all have in the co-manager spot and never actually got that carrot long dangled. To play devil's advocate, I have to wonder; Would you still be there? and if not, wouldn't that be going against the well being of the residents in your community? To all the respondents who are considering leaving Holiday for a multitude of very good reasons; What happens to your residents after you leave? Isn't this still about the residents at the Manager level? At what point do we draw the line for self sacrifice? The job itself has been and always Will Be about self sacrifice. My wife and I almost consider it a moral obligation to stay unless they come to drag us out. We'll stay on as long as we can if for nothing else than stability of staff that the residents deserve. We can still do everything in our power to make the best of a bad situation..........who knows what the next managers might be like?
Which brings up a response to Anonymous:
4 moves in 4 years? I've never heard of an RD moving people without their consent. Sounds a little like "the grass is greener" syndrome. Also; 14 sets of co-managers in 4 years? Aside from the math not adding up, that's an awfully high ratio to blame on chance. That in addition to your comment on "the staff driving you out" makes me think that perhaps a look in the mirror might be in order.
Very astute questions.
OK - let me attempt to reply. Would we have made managers - a definite yes applies here. But my wife and I, early on, had a 'meeting' with the upper echelon of Holiday and were offered a tempting future. Believe it or not, we considered remaining for a few years as co-managers only. As COs the bullseye isn't on your back. Had the company honored their agreement for us to remain at our community we probably would have stayed. Since the agreement was broken the rest doesn't matter.
We were in position to advance to managers per our RD - if we wanted it. Doing the simple math gave no monetary reason to become managers - a co-manager makes $455.00 weekly and a manager makes $500.00 weekly (except for California, which is about $19,000 higher per couple yearly). That works out to $9.00 per day and another bedroom. IF all criteria is met the bonus potential is around $12,000 yearly for managers and $6,000 for COs. But yes, we did consider it.
One of the things we both have had to undergo has been the 'deprogramming' of the Holiday Touch. You know what I mean here - at night you are awakened by a sound and you are up, dressed, and heading for the office because the E-call went off - even though you are off work and in a hotel somewhere. Even in a department store we still react to an alarm for a split second of "E-Call". Those type of programs embedded in management have a Pavlovian concept and take time to disappear. I must disagree with you insofar as our 'suffering most of our time'. Neither of us consider that we 'suffered' in any way.
Even now (after three months) we talk about, think about, laugh about, the residents and situations we had. My stance is quite simple, actually. The residents rule! Or, at least, they should. What tipped the scales for us was the lack of care and honesty displayed by the company toward the residents. The constant lies was another. By lies I am talking about the 'excuses' put forward to residents when management or staff were transferred or terminated. Admittedly the rationale was of no pertinence to residents, but to deliberately fabricate stories which people knew was false and expect them to believe was stretching it. The residents, in most cases, are only old - they are not senile.
I will ask you to realize that my wife and I entered into it with a three-fold agenda. One was because of our age we were 'considering' our own retirement to possibly include residency in a community. Secondly, when we initially researched the company the concept struck a chord which we could relate to and I felt could make a good story. Third, my wife was pretty adamant about having me either retire or slow down due to having several strokes in late '07 and the resultant carotid artery surgeries, and yes, I have managed to overcome most of the word association problems experienced by those strokes.
During the research for my story I was told on many occasions by long termers about the 'early days' with Bill Colson. Numerous stories of how the early communities were run by volunteer managers, of how and why the pay scale was revamped a few years ago, of 'the good old days' when the company was purportedly the prime, all went into my files. You state "... who knows what the next managers might be like?...". That is true, but once a manager leaves a community the stance is to concentrate on the new site and put the previous community behind you. My wife and I didn't think we could do this. The residents became an extended family which we took into our hearts - and one cannot just turn-off that degree of involvement - it is what made Colson's Holiday the best of the best. Co-managers can still spend more time with residents than managers can - it is the nature of the job - and to us that was important.
I also will tell you this is another first in my professional career. Never have I been unable to separate the emotion from the story - until Holiday. You stated "...The job itself has been and always will be about self sacrifice. My wife and I almost consider it a moral obligation to stay unless they come to drag us out....". This puzzles me. Why would a person work any type of job which demanded a self-sacrifice factor? Most people work for the financial rewards and/or the love of doing something they are good at. If one desires a sacrifice factor usually they volunteer at a hospital or hospice.
I gave considerable deliberation before deciding to set up this blog rather than writing a 'usual story'. Here I must state I am glad I listened to my wife about it - your comments are sufficient positive proof of that decision. The usual story would have prevented an interaction factor which is being done now. If nothing else comes out of this it will be worth it just to have the different thoughts exchanged by those who join in. Holiday will benefit because of, and from what, the contributors post . Yes, they're reading it, just as they are reading Rob Bell's site on Facebook. The blog is set up to protect the confidentiality of those who comment so they can do so without concern.
Check the latest 'burn-out' graph memo. Let me put forth the possibility that the high turnover rate is not 'burn-out', but is a 'P.O'd.' response.
You state "... We'll stay on as long as we can if for nothing else than stability of staff that the residents deserve."... That is a very powerful sentence/statement! Holiday is very fortunate to have you both! I applaud you.
What dosent add up the previous managers did go through 14 sets of managers the RD called home office to confirm these numbers. We thought we moved to help where needed and maybe move up in the company someday because we did meet our goals census,resident satisfaction, budget etc.. but with the shortage of community managers that is like winning the lottery. We did consent to move for the belief we were helping where needed. Do you know the average number of times a manager moves, I have talked to quite a few managers and 4 is not too out of the average. Like the average life of a manager was what 2-3 years and getting less!
At our community our first set of managers had just become managers a few months before (now terminated). Our second set had returned after a several-year hiatus (managing storage units) and were sent to three different buildings in less than six months before coming to us - now four. The third set of managers have been in more communities than I would believe possible. It happens frequently. Now how can residents get to know them and, more importantly, trust and depend on them in such a short time - and how does it help census to move them so fast?
I recall one set of managers saying, "All we have to do is pick up that telephone and call the RD. He will have co-managers's bags packed and they will be out of here so fast. I'm talking hours here, not days." Certainly makes a newbie feel reasonably comfortable to hear this.
Exactly thats how the previous managers DID go through 14 sets in 4 years it adds up fast. DI was seeing that coming also in their experience. I went through 2 sets in 6 months after that.1 set read the paper, ran for mayor and poured coffee the next set had all sorts of health problems they should of rented a apartment they needed help.Nobody to take their place so RD kept them for awhile to give us our days off. We quit then 3 - 4 weeks later they got fired. Is it starting to add up? Do the Math!! Worn Down
Hey Worn Out, what have the suits at Fortress sacrificed? What have they done for the residents? A cruise for two? big deal. Why don't you tell it like it is, in this economy you probably can't find another job. I know there are exceptions, but it is well known that Holiday now employs the mirror test when hiring new managers- you remember, if they can fog a mirror they're hired! Unfortunately they also have to do that with a lot of the new residents coming in, which accounts for the high rate of move outs. Dl and Anon, good for you controlling your own destiny!
Absolutely,, Its hard leaving your residents and staff and from previous managers this can take time to get over but life goes on.
Oh yes the mirror!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do you know about the mirror?
Read dont be stupids comment!!
Here is a story from The Columbia Tribune you might find interesting.
http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2009/mar/05/retirement-community-cashes-in-on-dead/
The story is also carried on the AARP site.
Here is a follow-up to the above story. They got part of their money back, but it took a state's Attorney General Consumer Protection to get it. The bad publicity ripple effect from this will follow Holiday for years, plus a minor red flag at the AG's office.
http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2009/may/02/columbia-retirement-community-backs-away-from/
Holiday made us do this also and I hated it. If someone raised a stink about it I would not add to it like John Jones did I would have them talk to home office I wanted no part of it and it is NOT in the contract
It would appear the management team never went over the rental agreement with the resident. We always took the time to explain everything -- including the fact resident's death constitutes written notice on the date he passes away.
Of course, as they say, "that was then; this is now." Then we would have merely deducted the unpaid prorated 21 days' rent from any refundable deposits. Now, I understand, there are NO deposits refunded as all up-front moneys are tagged "community fees."
Weasels!
Another point to ponder is why Holiday is advertising everywhere on the internet for workers when they just let so many go. Jobs.com, careerbuilders, monster, etc. - all list jobs with Holiday Retirement. It does make one wonder whether the employees who were let go were 'picked' for some reason, instead of a blanket downsizing.
My husband and I are *finally* managers. It has been a long and sometimes unbearable road to this point, but we made it! We are looking for Co's and scared because what are we going to do until we find them? Our building is huge and our census is actually very good, comparatively speaking. We have a set that is leaving. They were not cut out for this job. No one on the staff, us included, is very sorry to see them go..but, they were bodies to pour coffee so that we could have some time off. That's pretty much all they did...pour coffee.
We are feeling the Fortress pressure, just like everyone else. We are hanging in because of the residents and the fact that we are good at what we do. A friend of mine once joked to me that this is more of a vocation than a job. They're right. It becomes your whole life. There is good and bad attached to that. We do love what we do, though. It's just so exhausting and all-consuming.
There is a new position in the company. VP of Human Capitol, is I believe what they are calling him. His sole purpose is to recruit and retain talent for the company. I am wondering how this will affect us, if at all. I suspect that this position is Fortress' answer to all the negative writing on the internet about us from current and former Holiday employees. It's tough finding new Co's. As soon as you tell them the name of the company, most of them back out. I hope that the "retain" part of the job description will mean something as well. I hope, but I do not have much hope.
We are very close to our residents and every day they beg us not to leave. When we were promoted, they cheered and clapped and hugged us. Where else can you get that? They tell us that we are the best that they have had in years and they fear that, like the other good ones, we will burn out and move on. I fear it, too.
I think that either Fortress will have to level out with some of their policies or end up selling us off. They cannot continue forever with the business plan they are operating under. However...every similar community near us still charges much more than we do,often with even less in the way of services included in the price. Maybe that makes us a lucky building because our competition becomes the less viable choice for many seniors in the area.
We worked very hard to get here and, for now, we are hanging tough.
I am feeling burned out, though, and I am curious about the "'burn-out' graph memo". I have never heard of it.
To all of you on here who are still trying to make the best of it, I wish you luck!
My compliments to you - what a well-structured comment. Congratulations on making managers.
The burn-out chart shows Managers, Co-Managers, and Chefs working for the company and breaks it down from zero to six months and six months to one year. The last one we printed out had a variation of between forty percent leaving in six months and almost sixty percent before one year. I believe it is on the portal.
You may have noticed I shy away from names on here, but I will make an exception. As stated in the beginning, my wife and I were determined to 'Get To Oregon'. Once we did and spent the week there we met individuals who amazed us. Denny Nutter and Nancy Hewett stand at the top of people we will never forget - they are truly wonderful people. We had already met Dave Andrews prior to going to Oregon, but it was even more pleasurable to see him in his 'domain'. Rob Bell is another who impresses with his caring. And anyone who reads this blog already knows how we feel about 'Ruellene', our Faith-Saver. Zak was, well, Zak - that about says it all. He is extremely motivational at any meeting. The list goes on and on.
I understand the Oregon trip is also a thing of the past now - how sad.
Permit me a slight self-deprecating chuckle here - while at the Leadership Academy week in Oregon, during the mid-day meals served to us I noticed the hotel waiters were serving the coffee and tea. On a whim I had the head waitress bring me pots of coffee which I then used to serve everyone in the room. The shocked look on everyone's face as I approached the tables offering "Regular or Decaf?" was priceless (especially those working at home office). My wife and I still laugh about this.
One of the things which I believe causes more 'walk-aways' than anything else is the total lack of respect and company loyalty to people they hire. You may not completely understand the following, but it might help. A full staff meeting was called in a community by the RD. Everyone was packed into the third floor chapel and the topic was RUMORS! During the RD's talk he related this: "If an employee sees Susie, another employee, steal a purse from a resident's room and that employee tells anyone about Susie stealing the purse - that employee will be immediately terminated for spreading a rumor." The RD was asked, "Well, what if Susie actually did steal the purse?" His response was, "It makes no difference whether she did or not, the employee who told about it will be terminated immediately." This puts everyone behind the proverbial eight ball. It throws honesty totally out of the window and creates a fear of its own.
In no manner will I ever detract from the 'Good' people who work at and manage any Holiday community. Most of them do so because they, like us, believe in the Concept and put it above everything else. This I respect. The fact that my wife and I no longer work for the company does not change the love and caring we feel for the residents, for the staff, and for those at Home Office who work so hard to keep it together. With three hundred communities being staffed expect to have some 'bad apples' in the barrel to weed out. At some point I hope to get into the psychological factors of why people adhered to, and related to, the "Bill Colson" aspect which built the company. Without the bottom line there can be no company. In my opinion what Fortress (Callison) must learn if they are to survive is how to use their 'apartment rental' mentality in relationship with a 'people lifestyle' actuality.
Holiday touts they are preparing for the Baby Boomers, but are they really? The BBs will not accept living in a community as it now exists. They are high-tech, computer oriented, sports minded with their big toys, travel oriented world-wide, and credit card raised. They will be more lounge gathering, big screen get togethers, and wireless everything.
Hey dl, where can I find this "burn-out" chart?
Standard sized sheet - line graphs show months and percent of Managers, COs, Chefs having left service - different colors for each. I believe it is on the portal.
since we can't get to the portal anymore -- can anyone get us a copy of this graph?
If Charles can't do graphics here, we can post and upload anything to the recently mis-maligned Google group site (see Files).
Note that only the member who posts a file (or a group manager) can remove it.
Holly Turd, please go away. No one is going to Google so PLEASE stop trying. This is the only site where people feel safe. We don't need Google.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
I agree that Denny, Nancy, Dave and Zak were good teachers of "The Touch".
It is really sad go hear about all the managers & co's that are leaving the company. In order for Fortress to succeed they must fix the management instability problem. It seems to me that many managers are just out looking to put the blame on co-managers. I thought everyone was a team and they would teach each other. Many managers have the view that they are the ultimate dictators in the building.
I agree also that Dick Glaunert is a very good District Manager. Dick is a former K-Mart person. With that know, I must ask who is hiring all of these Blue Light People ? Where is Dick located now ? I know for a while he had the East Coast from The Carolinas to Maine.
Every time I talked with someone at Holiday they tell me horror stories about their RM and the continuing saga of co-managers getting fired or quitting.
There seems to be ZERO leadership training within the company. The attitude seems to be -- hire a couple to pour coffee and cover for me on my days off. There is very little effort from RM's and some building managers to make co-managers successful. Luckily we were trained by 2 managers who taught us everything. They were great ---and by the way have quit. Our problem was the next 3 managers just wanted to run things "their way" and resented us making suggestions. To put things bluntly --- Holiday or Fortress needs to rehire many of the former Management Team members because they are the ones who had the company running at its best.
We also went without co's several times and its not we are hard to get along with, I have staff and residents cards filled into manila envelopes!! Then when you do get them you are tired from your days on end then you have to work more to train them then they thought the job was to pour coffee answer the phone and manage staff so they quit and you start all over in 4 years we did have 2 buildings that were pretty secure so thats 50% of the time.
We rented a apartment just a apartment and there were 4 people in the lobby when we walked in to help. (4) how many hats do you wear with 2 or 4 people?? I held out as long as possible for the residents and MY family time was almost non exsistent and all the sudden all this time was gone but I am getting it back and its wonderful!!!!! Dont get me wrong I did love my residents and staff they were my only family and friends while working there because that is all I had time for
Tired, we are joimimg the company and feel that we can do what in needed to become managers someday. We are very hard worker and do not have very much personal time right now with our jobs. We are wondering if you can tell us if it is really as bad as some of theese people are saying, Is it the time that is needed out of your own time that makes it hard It does'nt seem to me to be all that bad.If you pace yourself you won't burn out, If you are truly doing the job and haveing fun with it.
What realy is the problem? Co's are leaving For what reason? Why do they call them co's and not asst. Managers? You still get some time off don't you an afternoon here or there? A whole day here and there. Play a round of golf and go back to work, Am I missing something something? Everyon I have spoken to has been very friendly and happy. although I did speak to a co the other day and they seemed to be kinda stressed because I asked a few questions about if they were going to become manages after all they have been co's for almost a year. I think my wife and I will be great at this and we are optimistic for our future here. Are there question we should be asking the managers or co managers? Does the cmpany give you the right tools to do the job? I know I have a bunch of question but i am not happy with the way and the tone of some of the comments being made about this company. Even the way DL titled this blog kinda sounds lkie a cult like atmosphere, you know what I mean?? Don't get me wrong I think it is great that he has this platform for people to vnt and speak their minds. Agree? Thanks for your time.
I deleted the 10:50 pm comment as it was a double post. I hope 'Tired' responds to you. Thanks
It is called a Co-Manager because you are purportedly part of a Management Team and not an 'assistant' in the usual definition of the word. A lot of the new name badges now have "Name" and "Management Team".
Standard work schedule for Cos:
Tue - 11:30 am to 7:30 pm - on call
Wed - 7:30 am to 3:30 pm
Thur - 11:30 am to 7:30 pm - on call
Fri - 7:30 am to 7:30 pm - on call
Sat - 7:30 am to 7:30 pm - on call
Sun - 7:30 am - off rest of day
Mon - off
The schedule is subject to change as needed, but that is the standard. As far as questions - what is the average number of E-Calls per week? Census? Staff turn-over? Remember - part of your job is to fill in when someone does not show up to work and a replacement isn't available. If one set of managers smoke and the other does not - can be big problem. If one set is very religious and the other isn't - bigger problem. Do the managers 'work' or do they 'manage' and use you as an indentured servant? Ask what the manager's stance is regarding 'write-ups'. Most managers use them properly, but some use them as a weapon of intimidation.
And yes, there is a 'cult-like' factor involved. It is the belief in what you do and the degree of caring for the residents which causes you to put up with things you would not ordinarily tolerate from a job/company - and you do so completely because you care and worry about the residents. The 'secrecy' of the community and the company will be something to deal with.
It is the most personally and emotionally rewarding profession my wife and I ever did - and the rewards are the residents. There will be many times you will feel completely isolated and wondering why you ever got into this. That feeling will pass. One single resident grabbing your hand and saying 'Thank You for being there' makes it worthwhile.
In most communities the co-managers live on the first floor in a one bedroom apartment. That apartment opens directly onto the dining room. When you open the door you feel like a deer caught in the headlights - everyone is looking at you. You will hear the residents talking in the dining room - and you will think they can hear you in your apartment. And you will begin to use the 'peephole' in the door - trust me on that one. When you cook BACON in your apartment prepare yourself. The odor goes out into the dining room and the residents start to salivate - (they generally get meat twice a week at breakfast - two pieces of bacon average). One other thing - if your community has the wall bank with the buttons for each apartment, and is hooked up allowing you to speak with the residents in their apartments, it also allows the managers to listen to you in your apartment. Simple to have it shut off, but managers were caught eavesdropping on residents and Cos.
We averaged 8 1/2 miles per day walking distance inside the building (usually in a rush) - verified by wearing pedometers. Be prepared to work the above schedule at a minimum. If you are the only Cos, depending on your managers, you may work seven to ten days straight through - round-the-clock (including on call) - or longer. The managers will do the same for you. The company recently began a Regional Training Community for each region. If you get one of these it will make the process more informative and easier. I will offer one final item at this point - learn the guidelines/rules better than the people who wrote them and learn them well. You will sign a piece of paper stating you are in charge when the managers are gone. You will have the authority to make decisions for the company when you are in charge. That authority will be "Monday-Morning-Quarterbacked" under a microscope if you have occasion to need it. Be certain you read everything very carefully on that form.
Good Luck - enjoy! Please keep us posted as your service progresses.
The work Schedule is generally correct with one exception:
The Sunday 7:30 Am is not correct.
As soon as the managers get on duty on Sunday at 7:30 AM they are to switch over the phones immediately so that the co-managers can sleep in.
At least that's how we did it for our co-managers.
If your managers did it the way you wrote above then they were wrong and your Regional should have corrected this upon finding out about it.
Please make no mistake here, co-managers has the right to tak to the regional director when they need to to.
We did when we were co-managers in training and it turned out our managers were alcoholics and we turned them in. They ultimately got fired but then again, we used to have fantastic Regional Directors. I said Directors because when we started at Holiday, the Regional Directors were a husband and wife team. Holiday made the mistake (in my opinion) of taking away a layer of management and that is when regionals became one person. That was another mistake the "old" Holiday made.
While we were managers, we encouraged our co's to call the regional with whatever complaint they might have and could not be resolved amongst us.
Sorry but had to correct this.
It sounds nice, but in actuality....
Although the schedule is supposedly 'standard', in our personal experience it never ran that way. Example: I had to return for a second surgery on my neck to remove cancer they missed the first time. We were due on-duty at 3:30 pm that day and I spent from 6:30 am until 2:00 pm having the surgeries done - checked - more cut away and checked - and again even deeper - until the doctor and lab said it was all cancer-cell free in the surrounding area. Ended up with just over a four-and-one-half inch cut across the back of my neck which was bandaged and I was released. Upon returning to the community we were told our shift started on time. I could not take any pain pills or meds ordered by the doctor because they would make me drowsy.
The managers, twenty years younger than us, were 'tired' and wanted off. Thank God for my wife! She carried the weight for both of us the next few days - allowing me chances to take short breaks and even a short nap here and there. It was Sunday before I could take any pain pills. Try carrying both coffee pots, or the serving trays, when your neck is swollen and bleeding under the bandages (ruined a couple of expensive dress shirts). The RD came in a couple of days later and immediately told me I did not have to button my collar - I could wear the tie loose. He was ticked.
Our schedule for the first couple of months had us scheduled sixty hours - HR made the managers cut it back. Since the Chef came in just before 6 am - we were always up at 5:30 am to make certain the door and office were unlocked. Many times we had to let workers in because the doors were not opened. In our time at the community I can recall only about three Sundays when we were allowed to leave a few minutes early. Managers usually never showed up until just at start time.
When this reaches the point at which I begin writing from my journal you will probably not believe what you read. Do not misconstrue - it was not 'Holiday', but it was human ego.
Looks to me they were a bunch of assholes those managers. Pardon the "french" here.
I am sure there are many many of such horror stories as it is very difficult to blend 2 different couples to work and live together.
We were very fortunate in that we had several wonderful co-managers and we had a lot of fun. It showed in the occupancy.
Sorry Charles for what you had to endure especially after a surgery.
I am sorry you had to go through that and there are alot of those horror stories out there no teamwork without wining selfish co workers. I know of a set of managers he had a I think brain anurism and she was told by the divisional they had 5 days to get out as he was in the hospital. TOUCH HUH!!
That's completely outrageous. I've heard dozens of horror stories about power-mad managers but that one takes the cake. The worst we've ever had to endure was a couple of weeks alone while managers took unauthorized time off or starting at 7:30 am when we had just moved to a new building 6 hours before.
Unfortunately, there are probably a multitude stories out there that could rival yours though I can't imagine many topping that one. One of the things that's always confounded me about the kind of managers like you had is their lack of compassion. They must have had it at some point in their career with Holiday.....why else would they have lasted long enough to become managers anyway? My wife and I have long speculated about just what pushes those types of managers over the edge. So far the best we've been able to come up with is that neither had ever held much of a supervisory position before and the power makes them mad. I place the blame for that squarely on the RD. In addition to being able to read and manipulate numbers, a good RD should also be able to do the same with people. The problem for them is that there are not enough qualified people to choose from.....an age old problem for Holiday, not a Fortress based one. The pay is simply not there to attract qualified couples with time proven skills. (I hate when I argue with myself) There's also the unknown quantity of not knowing how a couple will react when put under pressure. I've personally witnessed a seasoned co-manager couple's descent into manager-insanity over the course of 8 months. Having listened to them go on about what great managers they'd be then watching them crash and burn with no self awareness was a surreal experience. Better management at the grassroots level is a problem that will always plague Holiday as long as it operates under it's current construct.
A note about the 7:30am Sunday comments: The worst we ever had to do was take the phone calls and meal orders that came in before 7:30 and pass them along. In every building that we worked in, the chef was trained to unlock the front doors, open the office and start the coffee. The couple on duty for any day didn't have to show up before 7:30. We never had to leave our apartment on Sunday morning unless it was for an e-call. You folks really got a raw deal even by Holiday standards.
In our experience, the Sunday AM comanagers' schedule you describe would have been nipped in the bud. Neither our Regional nor DM [both former K-Mart BTW] would have allowed it once it was reported.
Incidentally, I think the "Blue Light Specials" are being painted with too broad a brush in this forum.
On the Blue Light Speicals we agree - I can immediately think of three in particular who are, and would be, a boon to any company. KMart lost diamonds when they left.
In Canada, my Co-Manager cross-over days are 7 am to 3 pm and 11 am to 8 pm ... and the full days (Friday and Saturday) are from 7 am to 8 pm.
Just an FYI ...
I know that the job market is tough, and you have to do what you need to for survival, but don't count on this being a long term engagement. Other than being promoted to Manager, there are no other opportunities for you for advancement.
Try taking a extra day off you built up RE: vacation or sick and watch your so called team squirm when they have to work double time that is why we left no family time or restful vacations
In response to "beewildered"
I am really sorry that it has taken me so long to answer this post. Consider it a testament to the insane amount of hours that we have been working.
Yes, sometimes it can be bad. You are working where you live..and the staff and residents are, of course, aware of that. This becomes especially difficult when you are the Manager. Expect knocks on the door when you are supposed to be off. It can be very stressful and you will end up doing things that you, more than likely, were never told about during the interview process. There are also so many personality factors to consider. You will spend SO MUCH TIME with your spouse. I have seen people really crash and burn because of that fact alone. You also need to get along with the other managers. Some of what the people here have written..regarding the egos and managers going power-crazy are true. There is also the obvious pressure of a bad economy. Seniors are hanging onto their homes longer because they cannot afford to let them go for too little. The fear of running out of money is a very real thing. You may need to get 20 years of rent out of that house sale. The pressure is on to get those move-ins anyway. It is a business, after all. They did not buy us out of the goodness of their hearts. We need to show a profit for them.
All of that aside...it is a very rewarding job. The residents are amazing and you get to be a big part of their lives. We are a community...a family. I have never been more exhausted from a job, but I have never been more fulfilled either.
Why do so many Co's leave? The reasons vary. Some cannot handle the stress on their relationship. Others cannot agree with their Managers...some of their complaints in this area are valid, some are not. Some get impatient for their own building. Even if you are ready to move up (in your RM's mind) it does not mean that you will right away. There has to be an opening. There are a great many factors involved. Sometimes it's more about being in the right place at the right time, as opposed to being the best team for the job. My best advice is this: spend time in a community...a couple of nights in one of our guest rooms. Talk to the managers, staff & residents. Ask a lot of questions and pay attention. This is a big move and you want to be sure. It's not right for everyone. If the managers do not readily share some of the more negative and stressful aspects of the job with you, I would be wary.
I love my job, but like any other job it has it's good and bad points. You have to be ready for a greater commitment than some jobs out there require.
Good luck yo you!
Very Very well put.
You wrote it the way it really is.
All managers and many co-manager do love their job. That never was/is the question. The residents alone know what you deal with on a day to day basis. If you love them, they love you more that you possibly can give them.
Thank you for putting it down the way it is.
Good to see your comment - have been hoping you would do a reply. Thanks
It all depends when you have been managers for 4 years and want to take your earned time vacation and your co's throw a fit because they have to work for you (not realizing you had worked 2 months without help 24/7 while the company kept the $$ saved for nao having to pay co's for the pentance SALARY!! while they feel they are working enough! I took 1 real vacation in 4 years and because my son got married. I am a people pleaser and dont like to have anyone mad that I have to work with then when I quit I had 196 hours built up and they taxed the living crap out of it. Talking to other managers this is a real problem in at least 90% of the buildings and get this they did away with relief managers tells me why it took corporate so long to fill these positions when someone quit so not only the residents are getting pick pocketed so is the staff!
they now are paying one person in yucaipa $62,000 t bark order as the gm and has no idea what the holiday touch is all about! Salaries for manager couple and co's are a joke now compare to this salary.
Congratulations, tired_but_trying!
I remember when we got our first community as managers, we had "baby-sat" the facility for several days prior to our appointment. We replaced a couple who had had no co's for almost 6 months. We went two more co-less. It's not easy but we always found the residents willing to help with some of the menial tasks - envelope stuffing, table-toppers etc.
We even had some willing to do tours in a crunch. Believe it or not we had the best success recruiting co's (twice) through CraigsList, having rejected at least two sets of candidates that the company had referred to us.
I am one of those slightly strange individuals who keep an extensive daily journal. Ask me what I did on a certain day ten, twenty, even thirty years ago - and my journal lists weather, telephone call numbers/times, with who I talked to and why, where I went and what time I left and returned, etc. etc. I started it many many years ago because I was involved in a court case wherby an attorney was brought to trial for misconduct. The charges were reduced because a single document did not have a time stamp. I left the courtroom determined this would never happen with me. Over the years my journal has aided me in numerous legal, business, and personal situations - as well as fodder for my life. It is also fun to read over something written years ago and realize that we survived what, at the time, was considered a devastating hardship - but reading it now it seems humourous.
And the same goes for our time with Holiday. As we read over the journal my wife and I can 'relive' the moments (both good and bad) - moments of answering a three a.m. E-Call only to interrupt an elderly gentleman in the shower who had accidentally pulled the cord. Since modesty goes out the window at such a time all were embarrassed. Why the alarm can be heard everywhere in the building except in the room it originates from is beyond me. Or the lady who was out of toilet paper and pulled the cord for room service - on a regular basis, even for light bulbs. No amount of persuasion could make her stop. Even to the elderly gentleman stepping out of the elevator at 11:30 pm wearing only his undershorts. He was locked out of his apartment because he had left his key in a lady's room. When we suggested he simply return to her room and get his clothes and keys he replied he had already been there three times and one more time would kill him. So we escorted him to his room and unlocked his door. And the same for those moments when things went bad, like the building closing down when the electricity went off and the fire doors slammed shut, or the sweet elderly woman having seizures during breakfast.
My journal allows us to verify things and eliminate second guessing. The point being I am not relying on mere memory for writing about our Holiday experience, but from my journal. Anything, and everything, can be tracked accurately because of this - from company managerial meetings at hotels to one-on-one meetings with managers, RDs, staff, residents - all of it. This is what I do and this is what makes it fun.
My dear grandmother did this also and it has been so much fun reading when we go home for the holidays. One of the funniest things we read and laughed about was they played cards alot and would write Ella got HIGH or Marcella got HIGH in the journal. If back then they would of even known what that was!
We first posted our resumes/cover letters online and were offered twenty-seven possibles within a few days. We chose a state where our son was buried and my wife grew up.
We were due to start on a Tuesday, but were unloading the van and U-Haul on Sunday morning at the community. After unloading we were called into the office by the managers where we listened to a rather unusual 'welcoming speech'. The manager wife came up and hugged me when I first entered the building, stating she had recognized me from my book jackets and web site. Expecting a fairly standard "Hello and Welcome" type of greeting we were surprised when the male manager began by warning us not to get friendly with any of the staff. He stressed several 'pertinents' about staff, residents, higher-ups.
He started out by telling us to shy away from (xxxxxxxxxxx), the Activity Director, because she was bringing a sexual harrassment charge against him which was unfounded, according to him. He then went on to explain his position at length regarding this. Part of his rationale was the fact she was Jewish and had been spoiled in her upbringing. He warned us he was working to get her fired, but had to be very careful because of the harassment problem. Next he told us about the housekeepers and which ones were 'out to get him fired', so stay away from them as much as we could.
By this time my wife and I were sneaking glances at each other and wondering if we should have been so quick to unload the U-Haul.
He then told us about problems regarding the kitchen staff who were 'out to get him' and needed gotten rid of. One was a tattooed lesbian who was causing him problems and had contacted home office about him. We were to keep our eyes and ears open so we could write them up to protect him and his wife. Next he told us the residents would "suck the life out of us if we let them". Here he held up a hand and stated we should always remember the community was not a democracy. He was in charge and, due to his natural instincts about the hospitality business, the company listened to him before they dared to make any changes. He and his wife went on to tell us how the residents came to them with silly complaints and you had to pretend to listen, but they didn't really listen. The best thing to do was just to nod your head and forget about it.
By now my wife and I were really giving each other the glances.
He went into the fact we should use the telephone in our room only for local calls and never, ever, use it for personal long distance calls. I informed them we carried cell phones for our use. He then gave us a lengthy history of themselves and their attributes, claiming the company searched them out because of those natural gifts (As time went on my research proved this part was fantasy).
Finally we were told not to report for work until Tuesday at 11:30 am, but could come in early to do the paperwork if we wanted to. We could eat in the building and spend the time getting settled. The manager wife said she had already told the residents they would have new co-managers, one a retired nurse and the other a novelist - and they were excited to meet us.
We went to our apartment, looked at each other - and started laughing like a couple of idiots.
Oh thats funny but very true. The last building my husband and I managed the RD had a staff meeting (us included) telling them we were there to help and just before the meeting he told us the staff had alot of problems and we would be the right ones to fix them. SO called CHEF was cheating residents on food service. Regional chef and his boss did not support this because that is another hard spot to fill Food budget was at 2.90 if that tells you anything. ! desert on night cart no second vegetable etc...Head housekeeper thought she knew it all using wrong brushes for carpet cleaning machine because my husband was cleaning filthy carpets after 8PM for our wonderful residents. I could go on and on NO ACTIVITIES ALSO because of manager BUDGET and bonus, holes in sheets were to be put to the bottom of bed OMG Maintenance could not turn around a apartment in 1 month and more his regional did not support us on that we called him 1 speed (to ourselves) We couldnt believe it. We had 3 previous buildings and staff loved us but these people were OUT THERE! Well, the rest of the story the staff ran us off they were backstabbing and resentful because they had not had structure (believe me we took BABY steps with them) No support from next RD or Home office so we resigned giving out 2 week notice. God tells us to forgive and I am trying but they took something we enjoyed and shoved it into the ground. It was hard to discipline because no co's and we were only 2 bodies. After 10 pages of how we were treated we were denied unemployment and went through 14,000 in savings since then to get the hell away from them and in our testimonial for unemployment HR didnt want to deal with this.Again NO SUPPORT! It took about 2-3 months of being very depressed about the situation because we thoroughly enjoyed what we did and gave it our all. RESIDENTS WERE SPOILED AND #1. Right befor we left a dear couple that was going into training had spent a couple Sundays interviewing us to see if they wanted to be in the training program and they even wrote a letter saying whenever a resident needed us big or small we dropped everything to serve them. And we all know from lack of respect for managers this care is going down the toilet It is so sad
My husband and I are very strongly considering co-managers positions with Holiday. We would be going to a training facility for 8 weeks before we are sent somewhere as co's. We were told that typically it only takes 6 months to a year before we would be managers. Is that not true? It sounds like this is a horrible company to work for. Is that true. My husband and I have both held managment positions for years and we have found that there are two sides to employee/management issues. We will both be leaving industries that have been hit incredibly hard by the economy and we have both worked for managers who have huge ego's. As a manager I have been accused of having a huge ego as well. The company I last worked for was going through difficult times and my position was eliminated. We would be downsizing our personal belongings considerably and giving up a beloved chocolate lab. Before I read these posts I thought the positives would outweigh the negatives but now I am not so sure. The reality is I have been out of work for several months and because my husband is in sales he is MAYBE making minimum wage. I am to young to retire but seem to be to old to hire in some employers eyes (age discrimination is alive and well.) This is a very important dicision for us. We need a position that allows us to pay the bills but would give us an opportunity to feel good about what we do. WE ARE NOT INTERESTED in working for a company that will fire us arbitrarily or for a company that does not care about employees. If employees feel beat up and worn down, how can they possibly be positive and caring with residents?
Need to decide soon.
Thank you
Glenas:
I would not be so blase as to offer any type of decisional factors regarding potential employment. With that said, here are a few things to consider. Read everything again on here. Comments are made by both present and former employees, both pro and con. Each undergoes a different set of circumstances.
As a couple you will put a little over three thousand dollars a month in the bank (net). If you are not tied to a particular region consider California. You can add another almost twenty thousand dollars yearly as a couple for doing the same job. And yes, Holiday CAN fire you in an instant (it is in your contract agreement). Your agreement with the company is an 'AT WILL' employment (both sides). If you get fired do not plan on a 'notice of termination' - with luck you may have four or five hours to get out.
It is an extremely rewarding profession, even with all of the problems. The residents make it such. Insofar as 'egos' - most of us have them or we would not consider working there. Managerial promotions are determined by your Regional Director at his whim.
One set of friends just quit after about two and one half years because they did not wish to transfer far from their home. Another set of friends started only a few months back and were just bumped up to managers. Lots of variables. Be prepared to move on a moment's notice (usually a few days).
My wife and I were called on a Wednesday afternoon and told to be four hundred and fifty miles away by Sunday. We explained to the RD we preferred not to take the transfer - and were informed we had no choice. My wife replied to the RD we always had a choice - and we decided to leave the company instead. Please remember that we are an elderly couple, not so eager to pack and move like we used to be. Do we have regrets? Not a one - except about the residents.
I read the posts on this site again and there are many more negative than positive. We have visited with two sets of property managers, a regional director, the recruiter and two properties. Of course you can never know for sure what it will be like until you get there but we have found everyone to be professional and the managers seem to love what they do. As I said, I have had my share of disgruntled employees over the years and most of this sounds like those same disgruntled employees. It does sound like you have several friends who work there. Have you given them any positive feedback?
Of course you have an ego or you wouldn't have launched the website. So I guess I am looking for some unbiased (which I don't think I will find on this site) input.
If I may also answer the other post to my query. It does sound like managers are fired arbitrarily. I actually have 3 dogs, two of them very small and the lab. Think I can get away with 3?
GO
First of all, it all depends on what area of the country you and your husband are thinking.
As for your dogs, Again depending on the age of the building, you might want to re-consider even taking any dog with you. When my wife and I started, we were in an older building and the co-managers apartment was smaller than a shoe box. After 2 months, we had to put our dog (in the age of 13 years old) to sleep due to the small space that was available for him to live.
It was a real heart breaker for us.
If it is a new building, the apartment might be bigger and pissibly you could keep the 2 smaller dogs.
I hope this helps.
Glenas:
No one is 'unbiased' - ever! In some manner we all start out with a 'preconceived notion' - which changes as our experiences/knowledge change the format. My wife and I are an excellent match - she looks for the good in people and I look for the bad. Fortunately, she finds more of the former than I do of the latter. She is a retired nurse and my background includes law enforcement, plus being a licensed professional bail bondsman (with a 100% recovery rate). She is gentle and I ordinarily am not.
Oh, when you are allowed to set up your insurance pay special attention to the life insurance part. Take as much as you can right away. After that you will need a doctor's exam to increase it. You can always lower it, but raising it is hard as we get older.
I cannot answer for my friends - they will have to do so.
I disagree with you on a minor. I would not label any comment done so far as a "disgruntled" employee, by anyone. If one single comment helps you in your endeavor, pro or con, then it was a positive. Thanks and Good Luck
Glenas -
This company will not fire you arbitrarily. They really can't afford to, provided you turn out to be decent managers. Just make sure you get to know as many people as you can in the organization.
As far as your ego goes, just make sure you blend it with some humility - above all maintain your sense of humor and don't be afraid of making a mistake once in a while.
BTW don't let them tell you that you have to give up your lab, as long as he's housebroken and you can tend to his "periodic needs."
Holiday IS pet friendly. We had a large dog with us the entire time - even took him with us to baby-sit other buildings.
Good luck.
I agree with NotMyRealName in so far as long as you are a newer building, it really should not be a problem. Holiday indeed is a pet friendly company.
You have read many messages on this blog and a lot of them are negative however, there are a lot of positives as well working for Holiday. If you have a good set of managers who care enough to train you well and let you voice your opinions from time to time and you both can interact well with the residents, it can be a great job.
For us "old timers": there have been to many changes over the last 2 years. That's why a lot of us are in some ways very negative.
You need to read between the lines.
Yes the company can fire you arbitrarily. That little phrase "Holiday Touch" -- will cover whatever it is that you did or didn't do. They can fire you for that - I know - we just got fired for not displaying the "Holiday Touch" or their version of it.
one of the reasons my managers fabricated was,my job was driver and not helping residents.No picking up meds,groceries,post office,or helping them with dr. appointments. That was not what I was payed to do. So I was fired.5 years, and there wasn't a day when someone didn't say " what would we do without you".
I spent quite some time this morning talking with acquaintances at the RD and above level. You might find it intriguing.
Due to the economy, plus the mortgage/foreclosure problems across the country, it seems an unusually large number of people are applying for employment with the company. In a large number of cases it appears they are simply trying to get a roof over their heads and a chance to build up a savings cushion - a fresh start.
Several times I was told those charged with hiring are being especially concerned about this. They realize an extremely small percentage will even stay several months. I inquired whether or not this was a surprise. It wasn't.
It is to be expected when times are bad that people grasp at straws, but sometimes give up more than they are getting. A temporary 'quick fix' , so to speak. There is an old adage -- "You can't run away from your troubles - they always follow close behind"
Morale is down, according to those I spoke with, and the near future has them worried.
ABSOLUTELY
I had inquired long ago --even as we were being interviewed-- why some sort of preliminary assessment of management applicants was not administered; Myers-Briggs Personality Preference, Kinsey Temperament Sorter or the like. Not difficult to administer and go well beyond a background check.
Given what you cite, DL, it seems such standardized pre-qualification might be most appropriate nowadays -- could also save a lot of potential HR trouble ....and would justify a more attractive, shorter "probation period" before eligibility for benefits kicks in.
It certainly SHOULD be done! But, now only Chef, Management Team, ER, and Bus Driver are required to have backgrounds done in an Independent Living Community. Purportedly because the expense was too high and the resident safety concern too low. That has always concerned me.
Earlier someone posted that what was wanted was only warm breathing bodies - (the mirror test). From what I have seen in almost one year of working and research I tend to agree.
BTW - your comments are appreciated. I enjoy the way you write.
I dont think they thought this one out the main background checks should most DEFINITELY be done on management, maintenance and housekeeping these people have access to all of the apartments!!!!!!!!DUH.
If your comment is in reference to my inquiry about employment with the company I can assure you that both my husband and I have been in management for years, have taken and given numerous personality tests, selling skills tests, motivation tests, math tests, english tests, management skills tests and did well on them all. We have made significantly more money than the position offers but we are looking for a position that will allow us to work with seniors, utilize many years of marketing, selling and managing and make us feel good about what we do. If we decide to work at Holiday we intend to stay. I have read between the lines and I do feel that from everything I have learned that the concept is still sound and the work environment, challenging but rewarding. That is what we are looking for.
NO - No - No!!
No reference intended whatsoever. I am surprised you even considered such. I re-read it several times to see how it could be phrased differently. But the facts do speak for themselves - and it makes perfect sense in these times.
In our case, even though I hoped for a story out of it, the extra money every month most definitely was welcome. It bought my boat - and our 'getaway'. I did not 'plan' how I would write our Holiday Experience - it evolved.
If this blog does what I am hoping for it is conceivable that more positives will be commented upon than negatives - it will find its own level. This is a 'NICHE' blog - of no interest per se to anyone not knowledgable of Holiday/Fortress. Feel free to relay to the company people you talk with about it. Who knows, they may wish to add their viewpoint.
Lastly, if this helps to alleviate any problems and 'bump' the stock price even a little - wonderful!
For your background !! Why do you believe it is good money several people I have been in contact with since they left Holidat are making ALOT MORE $$$$$$$$$$$$
Good money? Not even close. A person could make more money pumping gas for minimum wages at a corner station, especially when you add in the over-forty-hours overtime at time-and-a-half.
You're absolutely right, the money sure ain't that great, but on other hand you have no mortgage, property tax, or major homeowners liability to worry about, among the various other property-owner's burdens.
Considering that your expenses are at an absolute minimum ["nothing but a liquor store budget" as was pointed out to me by an early poster to this forum] it makes for a great way to dump all your major and minor debts, plastic especially.
Plus you need only one car between you.
But if you jump too fast and sell your home and downsize and it dosent work you have to replace alot and start over.
My "testing" reference was specifically in response to DL's mention that the RD he was talking with this morning had commented that a number of applicants were coming out of the woodwork -so to speak- and being recently-unemployed were applying just to provide themselves a "roof over their head", for the short term only.
Clearly this is not your objective.
Sorry for any confusion.
...then again, "if the shoe fits..."
Looking back, I think it was the things we were not told about the job which irritated us. We realize most employers would rather not divulge negatives to prospectives. Over the years my wife and I would always inform potential help of the downside. We wanted them to know their job from all angles.
I don't care how much we liked the job itself, there is nothing nice about having to leave your meal in the evening and go clean up fecal matter. When an elderly person loses bowel control in the elevator and along the hallway, it has a tendency to take away from the glow of the job - and it happens a lot.
When a resident is a Holocaust survivor and suffering dementia it can get 'tedious' - especially when she constantly wanders away. Numerous times she was found in the middle of a busy street. Why she was never hit by a car we don't know. Was her family ever talked to about getting her somewhere else so she could be constrained a little. Yes, conversations were done, but carefully. Whenever it was mentioned the response was that it was not our responsibility. As long as her family paid the rent let it alone.
We had a resident , now deceased, (about 300 pounds plus) who needed help to use the bathroom. It took two people at a minimum, one to hold her upright and another to physically rotate her polio-braced legs at the toilet, then pull her clothes down. We would wait outside the door until she was ready and then reverse the procedure to get her back onto the mobie. Sometimes this would occur two or three times in a single night. When the new managers arrived this stopped, as she was finally informed the company frowned on helping like that. She was forced to get outside help for the bathroom, sometimes calling 911.
At one point we were meeting with the Regional Director, the Divisional Director, and HR. All had flown out for the meeting and we were covering numerous items. I related the problems observed of housekeepers charging residents to do their personal laundry while clocked in on company time, of maintenance charging residents for extras which he was paid to perform, and how housekeepers could make a sideline business by 'working' residents for their furniture and other items. After covering the possibilities of every community's potential for the same problems we then got into the lack of security.
Security, or the lack thereof, is my personal pet. At one community the managers related how a man walked in the building with a stethoscope around his neck. No one questioned him as he moved about the building stealing. According to the managers he entered unlocked rooms, stole things, walked out , and no one had any clue who he was. At our building two males entered, each one going to a different floor and knocking on doors. Them we caught. It was common to do my security walk at night and find exit doors propped open with bark chunks or stones wedged under the door. Caregivers did not want friends and family to have to enter via the front door (locked at night) and sign in, so they would prop the exit door open late at night.
The response to the meeting? A few weeks later I was informed that the Divisional had simply stated, "I don't want to hear about that, I have enough on my plate."
This is what I meant regarding an 'Indifference'. My wife just told me that the above makes me come across as being 'overly picky'. If so, it isn't intentional - but in attempting to synapse months of something into a few sentences I can understand how it might 'read' to others. Touting the 'Independent' factors of the community covers a myriad of circumstances.
DL, you hit the nail on the head here.
The RD’s don’t care and don’t want to know what really is going on in buildings. They have never had to work in a building on a long-term basis, day and night shifts. They go home for the weekend and don’t want to be bothered with your problems. All they care about are the numbers.
At one point Holiday was going to install security cameras in the kitchen due to food theft. All the wiring was done but the cameras were never installed. Each building was charged for the wiring. Security cameras around the buildings were never even discussed.
You talk about stealing stuff. How much food do you think get stolen from the kitchen by staff on a monthly basis? How much stuff is taken by Regional Maintenance people. I know of one of them who build his entire house with stuff that Holiday paid for. One of the things we always told our residents is that they are not allowed to pay any employee for anything. We told the residents this during every resident meeting just to remind them. Even during the holiday seasons we told them not to give a penny to any employee of the building. Sadly enough many resident still did pay employees while such employees were on the clock.
Any good manager would walk the building every night before he/she went to sleep just to ensure all outside doors were locked and checked that no one (residents) was sleeping in the common areas. The TV in the common area and residents computers was shut off.
You made sure the water pressure was where it should be and in cases of buildings having water softeners you made sure the salt pallets were up to level. You also made sure the maintenance room was locked. However, isn’t that the same as you would do in your own home?
OH, YEAH - the kitchen!
That could be an entire chapter all by itself. Good call, Achmed.
Interestingly enough, in eleven months my wife and I only received a single write-up, and that was after we had already given our resignation notice. A new part-time server had failed to wear her safety shoes one evening and slipped/fell in the kitchen. The shoes she had on 'looked like' the proper shoes, but I failed to check the bottoms. My wife filled out the incident report, but did the wrong form (not the new one which couldn't be found by anyone). Long story short - we were written up as a major violation of company policy.
What 'hurt' both of us was that the new girl told the managers no one had ever informed her about wearing the shoes. The managers took her story over ours, even though her file showed she had signed off the videos and acknowledged being told. The server who had helped her try on shoes at her hire was not believed either. This readiness to throw co-managers to the grinder is what hurt. The managers told us to forget about it - the write-up didn't mean a thing. Then why do it in the first place? I'm sorry, but an official write-up goes into the file and stays. Yes, it bothered us and I disputed the write-up.
If I had a nickel for every pound of food taken home from the kitchens I would be a very very wealthy person. That is bad enough, but how about a chef throwing rolls into the garbage can because he determined them unfit to serve - and the manager taking them out of the garbage can and serving them to the residents. Yuck!
Let me return to something. Regional Training Centers! The company takes managers from a community, ones who have been around a few years and are supposedly doing a good job. They are put in charge of training new hires with the NEW HOLIDAY METHODS, but they do not themselves know the new methods. What happens when the new Cos leave the training centers to transfer somewhere which has managers in place NOT trained the new way? Does anyone actually believe a new set of Cos are going to butt heads with their managers because of a training difference? I can visualize a new set of Cos telling their managers, "Well, you're doing it wrong. The training manager we had said to do it this way and you're just not doing it right."
Uh Huh, that should go over easy.
What about when a building desperately needs help and the managers let the staff were non skid shoes from Payless until Shoes for Crews (joke) get there. As far as shoes for crews go they should of found a store that carries proper shoes and reimbursed employees for them I spent alot of time returning those shoes and ordering others for staff. Sometimes by the time they got there for servers they had already QUIT thank goodness Holiday gets good rates from UPS
I definitely agree with you. We often matched the sizes to fresh hires because the turnover rate piled up shoes. The new hire would be ancient history by the time their shoes arrived. The part time server did have the option of wearing the slip-ons, but just didn't. BTW, she was OK, took a few days off - refused to get a doctor's slip - and disappeared back to her regular grocery store job.
Since we are no longer employed by the company it is actually immaterial about having a write-up. However, it is part of the overall situations regarding lack of loyalty/respect to employees.
I am curios about the cruise promotion, have any of you had anyone get excited about it? I have been really pushing it and no one seems to care.
People see it for what it is: a gimmick. People don't want to move into a place where rental increases are 10% yet everything is being cut to the bone.
Achmed,
I am currently in the process of looking for a place for my mom, and it is very confusing because everyone is making some kind of offer. Can you elaborate on the service cuts at your company?
Sorry for the late reply but have not looked at this blog for several days due to my anger at Holiday.
You wish to know about cuts that everybody is talking about, well here goes:
Rental increases up to 10% plus a 2nd resident fee increase to $ 600.00 per month if applicable, then:
cuts in Activity Director’s hours per week
cuts in bus driver hours
cuts in housekeeping hours
continuous management changes to keep the salaries low
cuts at home office “support” people
Do I really need to mention anything else?
Holiday’s concept is/was fantastic. It is the management “TEAM” (manager “and” co-managers) that set the tone in a building.
If you have under appreciated management teams, guess what the tone in the building is not going to be what it should be and unfortunately that is going on in just about all of the Holiday buildings. The pressure is tremendous to fill up the buildings yet they have cut staff, support staff to the absolute minimum.
There is no appreciation from Regional Directors since those folks have never managed a building for any length of time so they have no clue what the management teams have to deal with on a day-to-day basis. The have never had to scoop up poop in the middle of the night or clean a carpet or many carpets per day or having to cook 3 meals per day for 130 residents.
One of the things we found rather interesting was how much alike the communities are. As we went to different communities on our visits we were struck by how residents at one community would 'remind' us of residents at our community, or at another one.
Every community has "The Butterfly" - the color coordinated lady from her hair to her shoes, always very brightly clothed, who flits around in a daze. She is colorful, vivacious, even chatty. But she is always, just like the butterfly, alighting on a new spot every couple of minutes, never remembering where she was before.
Then there is "The Court Table "- the one where the 'judicial reviews' are held at every meal by the three or four residents who have been there 'since the building opened'. They are quick to point out any real or imagined flaws of the other residents, the staff, or management. But underneath the 'court opinion' is a sense of humor to make your day.
And "The Sleeper" - residents who arrive in the dining room two hours before the meal to make certain no one gets their personal chair - and falls asleep.
There is always a "Mr. Unhappy" - the guy who doesn't want to be there and is constantly harping how great things were where he used to live. His temper has a very short fuse. Often he throws chairs, threatens other residents, dumps his food on the floor, and generally creates some type of disturbance.
Let us not forget "The Glutton" - usually a male, driving everyone crazy with his diatribes for more food. Double and triple servings are never enough for him, ordering, begging, dealing to get more food. At every resident meeting he is the most vocal and always demanding better food service.
And, of course, there are "The Gamblers" - always having the office make copies of letters, tickets, even money. They believe the Nigerian scam is not a scam, and the notices from various sweepstakes they get to send money to are promises of riches they actually will receive. The gamblers even manage to borrow money from other residents to support their own habit.
There is always "The Routine" - Usually a woman, who has been there forever and any change, no matter how insignificant, drives them nuts. They let you know when anyone is doing something wrong, not the way they feel it should be done. They will call Home Office on a regular basis to keep everyone aware of what is wrong at 'their' community'. This one can tell you the names of every manager and co-manager couple who ever worked there - along with their personal problems and how they rated with her. She is the one who compares you to all the others before you - and can never understand why the company moved the ones she liked, or kept the ones she didn't care for.
"The Worry Wart" will tug at your heart - and your sanity. She is the one who pulls on your sleeve during meals, or calls you late in the evening in your apartment. Her worries are always the same - she heard that the residents held a meeting to vote her out of the building, or she believes management staff are determined to send her someplace else. No amount of positive response can convince her for very long that none of it is true.
And "The Loser" - always losing her apartment keys and wanting another set. Her dog hides them on her, someone is taking them from her hiding place while she is gone, etc. Then she shows up at the next meal with her key ring around her wrist - until the next time they go missing.
My personal favorite is "The Medium" - the one who calls you to check her closets because an entire family is living there, or sits on her bed talking to someone and not understanding why you can't see and hear them. Many times the 'voices' would turn out to be only the resident hearing announcements on the hall speakers. They couldn't understand the words through their apartment doors and walls, but they definitely heard someone talking to them, and only to them.
But underneath it all you realize that they are only attempting to 'cope' with being out of their homes, away from family and friends, plus being with a lot of people they feel are older than they are. Most of them wouldn't live anywhere else. By their own choice, or by their family's choice - this is Home!
And you love them to the Nth degree!
I'm not sure, DL, that all communities are that similar,... mainly because every "character", as you've sampled above, is truly unique. This resulting matrix of each community yields its own specific color, hue, timbre, aura, or whatever you want to call it.
The mix makes the community and, sadly, you can count on losing three or four of them per month -- death, higher lever of care or whatever.
My wife and I ALWAYS treated every single one of them -- be they fairy queen or sociopath -- as we would our own parents.
My wife and I stumbled upon your blog and have enjoyed all the "wonderful" experiences. It only took us 7 months to leave the company. We went from co's to marketing managers; traveled to 7 cities and butted heads with the former head of marketing for Holiday. My wife did another stint as a marketing manager in a local facility. Same problems and finally they eliminated the marketing manager positions. Great company!
Paul: Are you, by any chance, the Paul who won the bet by naming everyone at the tables during the meal after a company meeting on the coast? If you are it was money well spent. You have a phenomenal memory!
Most of the marketers we met knew how to do their jobs. I recall the weekly conference calls when the RDs introduced a new marketer and how they literally glowed about them. Then the company tied their hands so they could not properly do their jobs. We have a couple of close friends who started with Holiday as marketing. They have been through the wringer also - marketing, put on hiatus, brought back and moved, moved again, - decided to become COs, moved, moved, moved again, and now are new managers. All of these positions in about ten months and under three different RDs.
We were fortunate to have met marketers who definitely had the proverbial "Touch", some did live in the buildings. But - there were (are) a lot of managers who refused to listen to the marketers from the git go.
As stated in my letter to the CEO - the weekly conference calls are useless. What ordinarily transpired was a set of managers making 'gestures' and faces, writing quicky notes about something said, and generally poking fun at the various voices heard on the conference call. "This one is nothing but a suck a--." "That one is an idiot." "That woman's voice is like a fingernail on a chalkboard." "My God, do those idiots expect anyone to believe that drivel?" These were common responses.
The harsh reality is that the 'higher-ups' don't have a clue what to do.
Remember Callison's initial greeting memo where he wrote about how many communities he had visited? In his 'letter', dated Mon 12/08/2008 at 12:49PM (sent out from Nancy Brostrom on behalf of Jack Callison) he went on about how well he was treated and how great the buildings and residents were. He also stated, on page 3, "I'm a firm believer in candid straight talk....." We'll see how much of a believer he is as this develops - and will he actually "Listen"? On page 4 he stated, "I do want to clearly articulate that financially, Holiday Retirement is a very solid company and you should sleep peacefully at night knowing that. In fact, Holiday Retirement has never had a brighter future than it does today. Statistics show that the target demographic for our business will grow at an unprecedented rate over the next 10 years and the company is set to capitalize on it by growing our presence across the U.S. and Canada. And you have my word that the "Holiday Touch" will remain as the cornerstone in everything we do, just as Bill Colson would expect it to." (Bold face/underline is mine)
That proved itself very quickly, didn't it?
I will use something my son-in-law told me when he visited us at a community. He stated he grew irritated when he arrived at one of his hotels and could see signs of a hasty clean-up preparatory to his arrival. It made him extra 'picky' because he strived to 'just appear without notice, usually going out of his way to do so'.
Someone always picks up the telephone to give a 'Heads-Up" a big shot is coming. Callison never got a real look at a community in normal operation - each one was 'on show' - all spruced up because of advance notice.
Wow that was a quickie 7 months huh?
Let me ask you this, did you spend any length of time managing a building “before” they sent you into marketing? I dare to say YOU DID NOT.
How in the world can you market the TOUCH if you never even lived it?
And I am sorry I am not trying to be negative against you but you must understand that it is very upsetting for management teams to have to deal with marketing people who have no clue what it is like to live in a building. It is the same as Regional Directors coming new into the company (mostly Blue Light Specials - ex Kmart people) telling management teams how to run their buildings.
Achmed,
in my 6 years at Holiday, it was true that a lot of the best marketing people had been former managers and co managers, but there were also some very good marketers that came from other fields, the Touch is not something that can be easily taught, you have to be born with it. You are currently experiencing that right now with the FIG people and the blue lights- many of them only treat the touch as a slogan, not as a mission. I respect your loyalty to the Touch, I cannot however respect HRC/FIG.
Last night was one of those 'just can't sleep' nights. I was sitting at the kitchen table reviewing my journal and logs regarding this blog and our time with Holiday, wondering whether I should continue with the blog or cancel it. I found myself puzzling over exactly what I felt, and hoped, could be accomplished by it. I know why I started it - because numerous acquaintances had remarked that they had no place to interact with others about the work they do and the company secrecy was bogging them down.
Ironically enough, earlier in the evening my server had developed a 'glitch' which caused unknown numbers of blogs to close. I was notified of this by several people via email and Facebook - contacted the server and it was quickly fixed. I had awakened about 1:30 AM and couldn't get back to sleep. For some reason Holiday was in my thoughts. My wife soon heard me 'trying to be quiet' and also got up. For the next two hours we sat, drank coffee, and discussed my concerns. (She is such a wise and wonderful woman.)
We have been gone from Holiday since January 03 of this year, yet still 'feel' the pull. Mostly it is because of the residents we came to love, but also it is the 'naturalness' of the concept which locks itself into you and just will not go away. We are of the age whereby we COULD be residents ourselves. If the interaction of those who read and write on this blog ends up causing even the tiniest positive change in the manner of care for employees and residents then it will be worth the cost and time. As it stands right now we can honestly give the opinion we would NOT want to be a resident.
There are communities out there which are truly fantastic places to be, of this I am certain. I would be most intrigued to hear about them. Bill Colson created a wonderful commodity and it grew tremendously. But now it isn't the same and I don't believe any possibility of Fortress allowing the time and effort needed for its continuance.
One of the drawbacks of this, to me, is my inability to pull from the broader spectrum. Most of what we experienced came from the communities within our own region. There were opportunities to garner a larger feedback situation as we traveled outside the region, but it was limited. At all steps I want to have a 'fair and balanced' report for this and it is you, the readers, who are most qualified to give that balance.
For the next year we shall see what develops - it's paid for and locked in. Thanks.
Keep this going DI. Perhaps an occasional message on the Holiday Facebook board about this blog would help. It indeed would be interesting to see more people current and past that could write stuff on this blog.
You are doing a great job with it.
As for your feelings about missing the residents, trust me it will stay with you for years to come.
It is amazing to me to see the occupancy dropping week after week. in all of the buildings.
I read some of the Blog this am. Truly, life in general begins with the writer's attitude whether with the company or away.
So many persons who are no longer with Holiday live with the attitude that the company did something wrong or, because of major corporate changes, etc., they are no longer with the company. Bunk! What about their personal accountability? Many of the people that are no longer with the company were non-performers and pressure is on to weed out those who can not and desire not to perform. This is true with any corporation.
Bob and I are experiencing corporate support as we perform to make changes in a community that needs the holiday guidelines brought into place. The hard part is correcting what others allowed to go on.
We continue to believe in the company and we have expereinced many phases of Holiday. Consumers, marketers, co-managers and managers and there are very few with in the corp that have experienced Holiday this way! For us, we love the positive side of life and look for it everyday!
Hugs to you, old man, and your sweet bride.
N & B
Thanks.
When I received the above I requested for it to be written here in the blog and offered to NOT post their names. Below is Nancy's response to my request:
"If you use it please use our names. Bob and I support right, and listen and understand "hurt" from those that feel wronged. We all have to look in the mirror.
Bob and I are always open to sharing our Holiday story with those that would like to know of our experience with the company. We became friends with you and Linda, as well as many others, because of our employment with Holiday. We value friendship, regardless of where everyone is today. We are friends. Thanks Holiday!
Time is our problem. We do not have much to give away because our residents and our community come first. Everything else is secondary, but we will respond as time allows."
Bob and Nancy are just about the greatest people you could ever know - and they are very dear friends of ours. As Managers of a Holiday Community they bring the "WOW" concept to everything they are involved in, just as they do in everything else. Bob's marketing 'slogan' has proven itself over and over and I will post it here. It has worked for me and it can work for anyone.
"Tell them what you are going to tell them.
Tell them.
Tell them what you just told them.
Then tell them again.
Tell them again!"
There are always 2 sides to a story or personal experiences.
We all have experienced great times and not so great times.
Holiday was a great company under the Colson’s direction.
No one, and I truly mean no one can replace Bill Colson.
The vision that he had was wonderful and made some money at the same time.
He understood that residents came first.
I truly think the problems started when the so-called “BLUE LIGHT SPECIALS” came into the company as Regional Directors. The animosity that that created amongst Managers and Co-managers is what drove a lot of Managers and Co-managers away from the company. FIG made an 6.8 Billion dollar investment in the greatest company in it field without giving this company the same vision and touch as it was under the Colson structure. Keep in mind, FIG also owns Brookdale Retirement so they are not new to the concept. The only current problem I really see a huge lack of leadership in Holiday.
While there are the requisite "few bad apples" in every barrel, let me assure you that two of the three "K-mart alumni" we dealt with directly were top-notch managers and always had "the Touch". Any shortcomings of the third were attributable to a type-A style.
Achmed:
Our third set of managers often told us about Bill Colson - albeit in a different stance. They stressed a meeting held in Hawaii (and photos of it) claiming Colson gave a speech that Holiday would always remain in the Colson family and the employees never had to be concerned about the company. They claimed news of the company sale made the rounds within one month of that meeting. Could this be factual? In my journal I have almost a full page regarding their story.
During the initial stages of research I found it interesting how much information is available on the internet. I love the internet! For a 'pencil-pusher' Jack R. Callison, Jr. has an almost meteoric rise in the corporate world. I found pages and pages of plaudits concerning his 'business ability' - but very very few mentions of his 'humane side' -(so far I have found none). Colson, on the other hand, is often mentioned for his acts of kindess, with his business being simply listed as a secondary.
During the 10-day trip to Maui (during the month of May) it indeed was rumored that Holiday had received an offer to be bought out but we all were told that the offer was declined. We all saw Bill Colson there and we all saw how truly sick he was. Bless his heart.
It was our understanding that various people were there from different companies who were looking at Holiday Retirement as a possible buy-up.
All we knew, at that time, was that an offer was declines by the Colson family, yet indeed
Some of us knew a bid package had been send to various companies to take a look at Holiday Retirement and after that process 3 companies were chosen, some were competitors, some were foreign banks and some were investment companies. During either October or November a conference call was scheduled with Bart Colson during which he announced that Holiday was indeed looking for a buy-out. We all know the end result.
On a side note, it really was a wonderful trip. 1,287 people were flown over and we all enjoyed our time there. I really thing all of us were in amazement the entire time. Many of us had never heard of a company doing such a thing for it’s employees. I can honestly tell you that we ALL WERE PROUD TO BE PART OF THE HOLIDAY RETIREMENT FAMILY.
As for your 2nd part:
If you can recall Carl Icahn what he did to many companies then you will see Jack R. Callison / FIG. I will not go into details for time will only tell. For now, they are riding out the economic downturn. After the economy is in a continued up-turn, trust me, things will dramatically change. Just study the various corporate raider of the 80, 90 and early 00
Thank you!
Doing the research on Colson for my story the Hawaii trip came up a few times - always positive. I have to relate that during my years as a writer I occasionally took on a "Ghost Writer" job or two, sometimes writing for a business individual. Never, repeat NEVER, have I ever found anyone who did so many truly nice things for people. From his employees to total strangers Bill Colson would quietly help out. Repeatedly I ran across stories of such and, when people attempted to express their gratitude, he simply and modestly 'shrugged it off'. Amazing man - on this I agree.
And I concur also with the "2nd part" you wrote of. Yes, I am quite familiar with Icahn - and see a similarity.
I want to recommend something for every one to read:
The Greatest Salesman in the World by OG Mandino and part 2 The end of the Story.
You all will truly enjoy these 2 small books and I am sure you will understand your mission.
Well Fortress lost $67 million during 1st qtr.
See Yahoo finance and then click on FIG.
I do not understand why no one is writing anymore.
Is everyone afraid of loosing the severance package money? You'd think that is behind them now.
True, Achmed.
Fortress also states they will not pay out a quarterly dividend for the first quarter - the third consecutive quarter of not paying. It is retaining the capital for 'potential' future investments opportunities and working capital. They reported a loss of $286.7 million (.71 cents a share) and revenue dropped 39 percent to $122.3 million from a year ago. Fortress says its first-quarter loss widened on a $35 million of investment losses and charge for a balanced sheet adjustment.
It is rather ironic that when stock fell to .78 cents a share it was a good buy - sold at $7.48 per share - made a nice tidy sum . And just in time because down it goes. Oh, it will bounce some for awhile - after all, Fortress is a diversified investment group. Holiday is only one part of the whole. I maintain that a non 'people-minded' company cannot (and will not) be capable of a positive growth factor in the long term.
Can someone tell me if you are no longer getting the occupancy report for the whole company? I am only recieving the numbers for the division we are part of. Does anyone know what the total occupancy percentage is? and why this change has been made?
Is the entire report no longer available as a PDF on the portal?
you tell me
I can't because I'm no longer an employee. I was under the impression you were.
Perhaps someone among us who is still on the HRC payroll can bring us up to date.
I am not surprised to learn that residents at communities have started petitions to complain about the rent increases and other problems. The move-out increases are directly related to such. At one community a brand new apartment complex directly behind the community is gaining numerous Holiday residents. A large one-bedroom apartment with a full kitchen - and a private garage - for a thousand per month - quite a savings.
I also understand that home office is getting more calls from dissatisfied residents - wonder why? Employee dissatisfaction is growing and resultant write-ups are too.
When will someone realize it is possible to increase residency even in a bad economy - IF you treat people with respect and deal fairly with them.
I am not surprised either to read this Charles.
Seniors are being hurt by the economy and then this idiotic rent increase is just ridiculous. I have heard that a lot of communities have increased their rent by as much as 10% and the 2nd resident fee to 600 to 650.00 per month.
For certain resident that means a monthly increase of well over 600.00.
Now you tell me, do their investment, they worked all of their lives for, pay them that much? Hell no. FIG is in financial trouble so they charge these increases to resident to recoup some of their losses. It is shameful.
Achmed,
I heard from a HRC manager that they are starting to seriosly discount the rental rates on select apartments in struggling buildings. Have you heard this as well? If it is true, are they raising the rents on current residents in order to coverthe losses on the discounted units?
No, I am sorry I have not heard any such news yet. They'll try anything but it won't work just like the cruises. That did not do it either.
The parking lot at "our" former community seems to become emptier every time I drive by the place.
Meanwhile, the competition -and there is plenty around here- have beefed up their advertising in all media.
Speaking of 'competition' - I have often wondered why Holiday is so adamant against advertising. The 'word-of-mouth' stance is good, but modern day mass media coverage has become a mandated necessity in business. When the competition has billboards touting their product, when signs on buses show the product of your competitiors - why doesn't the company climb aboard the wagon?
My sentiments exactly, DL. Having come from an earlier life that relied heavily on our determination of effectiveness (or not) of print and live media, I was truly surprised that local ad budgets were virtually nil across the board.
We originally had enough budgeted to cover a 1/64-page block in a couple of the local church bulletins, but even those got cut back. Consideration of
radio and TV were out of the question.
I've long been under the impression that Salem has always been rather gun-shy regarding any long-term media-buys either on a local or national level.
many of us were truly excited when it was announced Bill Longworth had been hired to head up HRC's marketing, but I can imagine he quickly became frustrated in his efforts and unfortunately decided to move on.
At our community we were extremely fortunate to have an Enrichment Coordinator who was friends with numerous local, county and state politicians, famous sports people (especially football), as well as television and radio personalities. She brought in more media coverage for us than you would believe. Unfortunately, she left for greener pastures - and deservedly so.
The flack she caught each time she attempted to gather such publicity was sad, as well as being counter productive. The same for a resident who single-handedly brought more move-ins to the community due to her political and business acquaintances. We recently learned she moved out of the community and into the apartment complex mentioned earlier. It is a fact that seniors ride the mass transit systems in metro areas. How nominal is the cost to have a sign on the bus which a senior looks at every time they ride. I surmise it would be much less expensive than hiring department store people as marketers - which did not take long to fail.
Wasn't it P. T. Barnum who stated, "Without promotion something terrible happens -- Nothing!" ?
Ditto with the community where we were.
In one conversation with my son-in-law he inquired as to why we continued to even care about Holiday and its problems. After all, he said, we no longer were employed by them - we had voluntarily ceased our relationship. A very good question!
My wife and I have given this a lot of thought ourselves. Holiday was the first, and only, employment in my entire life which got into my heart and my head to such a degree. We lived with the residents 24/7, we ate with them, we cleaned up after them, and we cleaned some of them. We shared their lives to a great and personal degree, we met and got to know their relatives - just like a family. We became a family.
We became very close friends to some of them - and still are - just as we are with many from the home office. Several of the residents and staff call us on the telephone or email via the internet. Holiday frowns on this, but it happens. No, we do not stop by the community for a visit - Holiday is totally against this. Friendships last - and friendships, like family, stand on their own. As we hear about residents leaving or dying it causes concern to us because we still care about them. I have friends scattered across the world who I also care about - and we worry about each other, help each other, support each other. Why wouldn't the friends we made at the community deserve the same? As mentioned earlier, the Sous Chef was my best man at our wedding vow renewal ceremony at the community - he is my friend. He will always be my friend and we will stay in contact.
During the research I constantly am "on the alert' for news stories concerning Fortress and Holiday. Below is an address which has an interesting financial report. Wes Edens is head of Fortress - and of Brookdale Senior Living. Fortress owns over 60% of Brookdale (BKD). The May 2008 article covers the 7 Billion dollar loss by Fortress. Interesting reading. Note when the company began and where it sits today. Does the word "Ponzi" come to mind?
http://www.1440wallstreet.com/index.php/site/comments/
marking_wes_edens_and_fortress_investment_group_to_market/
My husband and I left Holiday after 3 1/2 years of being employed by them. We started our employment when it was still owned by the Colson's and left shortly after Fortress bought the company. We saw the writing on the wall and after a few short months of Fortress's reign we saw where they were going with the company. Well, that's another day and another posting.
We made 100's of new friends during our time with holiday. And you are right, at the end of the day the residents are what makes the job worth it. They are the ones that fill your heart with warmth and love. They are the ones that fill the void if you have lost a parent or loved one. The residents, their children, their grandchildren and their friends become your family.
So to answer the question why do we care, we care about the well being and happiness of the people who brought love and compassion to our hearts and who asked for so little in return. We are still in touch with several of the residents, via email and mail and even the occasional visit to the building(which, as you know, had to be blessed and approved by a RD - than God our RD is still there and liked us!)
We will never forget our time with Holiday or the many friends we have had the privileged to get to know.
Thank You! Well put!
I was re-reading a few posts and found myself getting angry after reading this post and a reply to it regarding contact with residents, family etc. I was especially disappointed that Holiday "frowns" on this contact after employees leave, and in the following post a visit had to be approved by an RD. Who do these guys think they are? They pretty much own you body and soul while you are on the payroll, but after that..why? If a resident wants to stay in touch, how can any corporation dare have an opinion or a policy against sucha a thing. This is still America and people can visit or speak to anyone who wants the contact. Just a further illustration of the arrogance of middle management.
Just talked to my last building 6 move outs and nobody likes the mangers. 2 dogs on 3rd floor also replacing soiled carpet but I guess thats worth the huge rent and desperation
Here in ours we got people moving out fast. New managers and new co-managers and the residents dont like either couple. They are mean to everyone and we got people who moved in when the building opened years ago who recently moved out. It is getting hard to stay when no one seems to care anymore.Hours being cut, less workers cause budget cut so we have to cover more rooms. After 7 years here I am looking for other work.
I slept late today, thankfully in my own bed, in my own home, with absolutely nothing on my agenda but rest. In a few days my partner and I will begin looking for employment and we will be more careful what we believe from the next employers. We heard about Holiday, the touch, yadayada and it sounded great. We are both naturally gifted with a love for people and the hospitality to willing serve others. What we could not know is that at Holiday, nothing is really what it appears to be. The marketing is clever and the deception is world class. Get them in no matter what it takes. Offer free rent, or trips, or moving costs etc, just get them in and make it hard to leave. The technique for capturing managers is also clever. Find a couple somewhat down on their luck, having lost a job or better yet their home. Offer to solve all of their problems regarding food shelter etc. And get the new co managers as far away as possible from their family and support system. Make your managers and co managers absolutely dependent on Holiday for everything so they will become bond servants to the corporation.
The relationships that can develop between residents and managers is awesome. It happened right away and we fell in love with the residents. It was the most difficult part of out decision to leave and we still feel saddened and guilty about running off. But our physical and emotional health did not permit us to continue and we prefer to have no money vs. continuing to work under the management system at Holiday. Fortress is surely destroying what the Colson family built. I think it would be a wonderful irony if the Colsons or some other investor could buy the assets at a deep discount and re-establish the True Holiday Touch. Current management doesn't give a damn about employees at any level. All are replaceable. The number one topic of conversation amongst residents is guessing how long the newest managers or co-managers will last. Warning to those considering employment as co managers: Have an exit plan before you sign on. Have some money available to get you home. Agree in advance that your spouse, marriage, health are all more important than this job. And always remember, Lincoln freed the slaves.
I applaud you - and your partner!
Very aptly done and so true. What you describe is why I maintain Holiday does have a 'cult-like' setup. The deliberate secrecy, the carefully maintained isolation of each employee belies the hype of the 'words'. The constant threat of firing, of immediate removal without opportunity to say good-bye to the other employees and residents, the 'believe what we say and do not ask questions' attitude is exactly how a cult operates. You nailed it right on the head! I am so sorry you two had to experience such.
May I inquire how long you served and how many different communities were you in? I am not certain precisely how it was during the Colson years, but during our tenure it was as you described. If only the Holiday we experienced at Home Office in Salem, Oregon could be the way it is in the field - then it would be worth the effort.
Again - I applaud you! I hope you find a new direction quickly. One point to offer - be very careful about the storage building manager opportunity. Consider checking out sites like: working couples dot com, etc..
In a better world the corporate hotshots would actually listen to the 'workers' and do something - in a better world. I retired from a company who did so and they were a pleasure to be a part of.
I would like to add here that I just checked the stats on this blog (something I don't do often) and so far over ten thousand separate 'hits' have occurred. These 'hits' do NOT include web crawling bots, but are actual people reading your comments. It is gaining ground rapidly - thanks to you, the readers and commenters. For a 'niche' blog of a specific topic this is quite good. We're getting there, keep it going! Thanks.
The latest I am hearing is that many buildings are being sold off by Fortress.
Makes one wonder what about the entire staff in such buildings let alone the residents.
My husband and I wanted to move to KC because of family for 2 years and a brand new set of managers were promised Kc after 3 months of training and 3 months of filling in for buildings that managers had quit! We were fill ins in 4 buildings averaging 7 months to 1 1/2 years for 4 years and ended up quitting
EXACTLY!!!!!!!!
As I see it, one of the biggest problems with FIG is their refusal to accept the old Holiday business plan. They are constantly trying to "build a better mouse trap". No doubt because they thought that profit percentages weren't high enough. Their misguided attempts at marketing are giving our communities an auto mall feel. "Move in and Cruise in" and "Birthday Bash Celebration" have come with pages and pages full of rules forcing managers and the A/R folks to learn new guidelines for inclusion into rental contracts each time, while trying to infuse communities with a carnival like atmosphere complete with garish buttons that the whole staff is supposed to wear and loud, tacky posters to adorn our walls.
They've also been "improving" policies and procedures so much that it's getting to be a full time job to keep up on them. Used to be that getting an M-1 approved took as long as sending 2 faxes. Now with the improved electronic format, between filling out the M-1 form that no one sees anymore and duplicating the whole thing in an email (because Blackberries can't read forms) the whole process takes a half an hour and you're lucky if both the RD and AMD read it first time around and approve. Most current managers could go on and on about how much extra time these new P&P have added to what is already an overcrowded office day. Anybody who's managed a building knows how difficult it is to get a half an hours worth of uninterrupted time but the new suits in Oregon seem to have no concept of the demands that the 30 to 50 residents who walk into or call the office each day place on our time.
Too bad corporate won't realize that we should be offering lifestyles to residents not used cars to drivers
I had to laugh out loud at the last line of your posting. The most recent "manager" put in place is a used car salesman. I guess FIG knows what they are peddling.
Then when you quit you are qualified to be a USED CAR SALESMAN
I am curious to know if these "promotions" are working? also, what do you tell your current residents, whom I am certain have had a rent increase when they ask to be given the same special as the new residents moving in. When I worked for HRC, I remember Bart saying that we were not a company of policy and procedure, but a company of principles and guidelines.
I have acquaintances who are in the same business as Holiday Retirement - renting or selling lifestyles to senior citizens. This morning I spoke with several of them by telephone and each of them expressed the same sentiment. They hope Holiday and Fortress continue doing exactly what they are doing now - sending business to their competitors. One of them went so far as to state that lately Holiday has done more to increase his occupancy than he and his company (a competitor company) could have done by themselves.
The residents are old, but they are not stupid or out of touch, (for the most part). The reason many stay with Holiday is that it is too much trouble to consider moving. If a smart competitor offered a painless moving solution, I believe you would see 10-20% defection in less than 90 days. Getting a rent increase and a noticeable decrease in service and benefits makes no sense in this economy. Residents are seeing reduced hours available for the bus; reduced hours and services for the enrichment coordinators; minimal staffing for housekeeping (hours cut again last week) and elimination of entertainers who had been coming for a long time. I can tell you, residents are not staying for the food either. You can only put so many different sauce combinations on chicken and pork. It is still chicken and pork. There is a huge opportunity for any competitor paying attention.
Since no one dares to bring up the subject:
Is anyone on here aware about how long FIG is paying the severance packages for?
Seems to me that a lot of people who were let go with a severance package should start to be able to say “something”. A lot of good people especially those from home office should be pissed off enough to be able to start telling us all what really is/was going on over there. Many of us are very interested in knowing how the HR people (who are a bunch of rats and take great fun in firing people) treated you all.
I thought everyone was employed "at will", essentially without any sort of management agreement - meaning there are no restrictions as to ones activities following employment.
NOTE - There was no "severance package" ever mentioned during our HRC/FIG experience. Is this something new?
As I understand it Holiday gave only Home Office staff the severance package - not anyone in the field. I also believe part of that package was a non-disclosure agreement, but for how long is the question.
Searching through the internet I found an interesting site of a senior living option. Check out the visible "Freedom Dining" option at this place. http://www.rlcommunities.com
This company provides a far superior lifestyle and is competitively priced versus HRC. A small company, but has growth plans.
There was a non disclosure agreement required to get the severance pkg. Home Office Employees are elegible to be hired back with full seniority, vacation accrual level, etc, if hired back within 6 months, but there is no end date for the non disclosure.
And you think some of these folks will be re-hired within six months?
Hell, rumors have it that the next round of people are going to be let go.
Very doubtful, but with unemployment in Oregon at 12% now, I bet some are holding out hope!
I believe the six months is about over. So far I have not learned of a single person rehired. Does anyone actually believe they will suddenly decide to hire people back because of the time limit - that is bad business? Why do this when it costs more?
However, the next day after the time limit runs out, one may be hired again at a lower rate of pay with the probationary period again in effect (a new hire). This makes a modicum of sense but I wager it won't happen either.
I would love to somehow hear Mz. Bauer's take on everything. She is one exceptionally smart person!
Two quick comments re benefits. My spouse accepted employment a few years ago, with a family owned business, pretty good size and well known. The hourly pay was not great, but the benefits appeared generous. After a few weeks, it became obvious the strategy being employed; out of 50 employees, less than 10 qualified for benefits because of turnover, voluntary and otherwise. This was well known within the company, but not to outsiders. The owner wanted benefits for himself, family and a few close employees and it cost almost nothing since he didn't keep people long enough to qualify. From the turnover ratios discussed in this blog, 40 percent of co managers don't last 6 months, so they cost nothing for benefit. By year end 60 percent turnover wipes out another chunk. So there you have it. "Full Benefits!" in the recruiting ads. Big carrot....long stick.
The "NEW" format for doing business - from Wal-Mart to KMart - replace long termed full time workers (with their higher related costs) using new hires and part timers (lower benefits and health-care costs). Millions of dollars in 'initial' savings.
Wow, DL! I took a peek. While the Freedom Dining is available only at two of the six communities currently, it looks like they started by taking more than a few pages from the Colson's book. Did you notice Resort Lifestyle Communities'[RLC] very close alliance with its sister company, Cameron General Contractors.
To wit:
"Cameron is responsible to locate, purchase, zone and develop properties, delivering completed facilities to RLC.
Resort Lifestyle Communities provides the day-to-day operations, management and marketing of our communities. Both companies are over 18 years old, and began formulating their designs, financing, and operating strategy for Senior Independent Living Communities in the mid-1990’s."
Like I said, Wow!
Agreed! Colson set the pattern- and proved it. I was also struck by the proximity to HRC. XL is the same, but the Colson presence is touted. The difference I noted is that RLC appears to be forward thinking regarding the future and baby-boomer needs - while HRC has chosen a stance of backward mobility. Colson pioneered and the rest came aboard, learning from what he did.
DL,
Thank you for the plug for my company, RLC not only appears to be proactive- we are! Although Freedom Dining is currently offered in our 2 newest communities, we are in the process of converting our other 4 communities to similar dining programs. In addition to Freedom Dining, we also offer 24 hour a day Concierge Service, Valet Parking, 150 seat theater, in house bank, in house sundry shop and a state of the art fitness center. All of our apartments have full kitchens and washer/dryer hookups and large walk in closets. The apartments on average are very spacious, we only offer a couple of studio units in each community, with the majority being 1 and 2 bedroom, but we also offer 3 bedroom units in our newer communities. We do have live in managers, but no co managers, instead we have the Concierge team as well as a dining room manager.We are a small but growing company, we currently have 4 new communities under development, with plans in the future to start 6 new communities per year for the foreseeable future.
It wasn't actually a 'plug', per se.
Permit me a chuckle here - on RLC's homepage they state a "distictive" lifestyle - one of the first sentences on the page. Could they possibly have meant a "distinctive" lifestyle? Rather a large 'goof' on a website being used to attract customers. It puts the entire company up to a lower standard when read by a prospective by not proofing before publishing. I'm not being picky - it jumped out at me.
I listed RLC because when I read over the entirety I was rather impressed. I'm wondering the rationale for the 150 seat theater room and has it paid off. I think it is a great idea! The seating is comfortable for the elderly, with couches tastefully arranged. Someone was obviously doing their homework. The Freedom Dining is a great idea also - elderly residents hate getting up early because they are up most of the night.
May I attempt to 'spot you' here? I gather you are also an HRC alumni and, if so, it would be interesting to read your comparisons between the companies, including their treatment of employees and residents. Does RLC seek to cater to a higher clientele than HRC? Valet parking, concierge, etc. - nice! Are their onsite managers treated with respect - and does that same respect get passed down through the ranks? The free local move is a very nice touch, should be paying great dividends. I also like the Finance Options - another service which can be of interest to prospectives. From what I can ascertain this company seems to actually CARE about residents - am I correct or not?
Welcome to you and my gratitude for your comments.
DL,
Thank You for pointing out our typo, it is being rectified immediately. I will address your questions in the order you asked them. The theater has paid off tremendously, not only is it a comfortable space for our residents to watch movies, sporting events and entertainers, it has also become a meeting place for the surrounding communities. We make the theater available to professional groups for training and seminars as well as community groups such as homeowners associations, little leagues, schools, churches etc. for programs large and small. One of the neat features is that we even provide special devices for the hearing impaired to better help them enjoy the activity. The Freedom Dining does provide our residents the ability to dine on their schedule not on our schedule. As far as my past employment, I did indeed work for HRC for nearly 6 years in the home office. Making a comparison is not easy, and may be a little unfair since I am quite certain that the HRC I worked for no longer exists. My time at HRC was very valuable to me and I hold onto many fond memories. I made a lot of friends at HRC and still have several of those people in my life today. The Holiday Touch back then was never used as a marketing slogan, it was a way of life. I can't speak to the HRC of today, but I am very certain that there are still some "true believers" from the old days that are still there and I wish them all well and I am rooting for their success. At RLC we treat our residents and staff the way in which we would like to be treated, with respect, compassion and dignity. As far as the customer, I wouldn't say it is a higher end clientèle, as much as a clientèle that wishes to receive a high level of service, yet still feel like they are getting good value. The free local move has been a marketing standard of mine for the past decade in this business and it is a terrific tool to help our customers make the transition as effortless as possible, we do offer other incentives from time to time, but I don't do "specials" or price reductions. I believe an incentive should only be used after the value has been built and the "sale" has been made, the incentive should be used to make the "move-in" happen a little faster. The Finance Options has been helpful, and we will continue to look for other resources to help our customers embark on their new and improved lifestyle as soon as they wish. We do care about our customer, they are our reason for being, without them there is no RLC, and I will tirelessly work to help them realize their dream of a fulfilling retirement.
Thank you! Allow me to plagiarize "notmyrealname's"statement from an above post -- WOW!
You just made my day. From the precision of your postings I would imagine you have touched a chord with the other bloggers on here. I tip my hat to you. Thanks. Your words have the ring of truth.
My pleasure, btw- the typo on the website has been corrected. Thanks again.
Interesting. FYI - several days ago I emailed RLC for two reasons - one was to request their permission for me to set up an actual 'link' to them because of the positives I see in the company. Second was to suggest they proof before publishing and used the 'distictive' as an example. Nothing was done or replied to as of today, yet you manage to get it corrected immediately (I just checked it).
Whomever you are and whatever your affiliation with RLC you just accomplished something in a few moments. This could not happen in the HRC of today. I am impressed. It is my hope you continue to join in.
If you don't mind, could you email me with the address you sent your email to, I would like to ensure that our systems are working properly, as well as to discuss a link to your site. I will participate from time to time, I check your blog on a daily basis, as well as several other senior living blocs, sites and portals as part of my daily ritual. Thank you DL for establishing this forum, I think I would have enjoyed working with you.
Hey Jerry F, glad to see you are doing well! Last talked to you at So. Salem HS parking lot. I had a stripped shirt. Things are very odd at HO. No communication, no encouragement, no nothing. I think like with Sheryl, they just want us to go away. Everyone is looking or bailing out to either Bonneventure Senior living or Hawthorn. Everyone else is grabbing life vests!
Hey Current
I remember that conversation. It is sad to see a once great company fall the way HRC has. I remember having a talk with Bill Colson, and he gave me some guidance on how to make business decisions at HRC. he told me "Before you make any decision ask yourself two questions; 1. Is it good for our customer? and 2 Does it benefit the company? If the answer to question #1 is yes then the answer to question number 2 is yes, if the answer to question number 1 is no, then the answer to question # 2 is no.It is that simple." He also told me that the most powerful person at HRC was 5 foot tall, had grey hair and on average was 82 years old- the customer. Hang in there Current.
It is too bad, but Holiday Retirement is falling apart. Advice to the CEO & COO - fire the bad regional managers and the bad building managers. I just heard today that one building has gone thru 5 or 6 co-managers who have all quit the company after working with one current manager-couple. This building was formerly 100% occupied for years...now it is falling. No, it is not the economy -- its the bad managers. The regional Blue-Light-Boy has no idea either about what is going on. The food has turned to --- good one day --- leftovers with gravy the next day -- more leftovers with a different gravy the next day Activity directors have had their hours cut from 40 to 32...no cookies on the coffee bar...lack of personal touch from management. ( they are too busy listening to the regional managers yelling at them for census ) In this bad time, managers should be having regular staff meeting once or twice a month. These meetings should be like the WalMart meetings...upbeat and full of compliments. The managers should be saying to the co-managers --" I'll give you a 3 day weekend off next, but with one condition --- you give us one the following week". On a day when everything went good, gather the housekeeper/servers after lunch and say --"you did a real good job today and made everybody happy".
The negative attitute at Holiday needs to stop immediately before it sinks to the bottom. Right now it is just about floating. No stability in mananagement staff...food worsening and fewer activities and happy times.
Amen, brother! You have my vote for RD or higher. Let's put some Magic back into the Magic Kingdom. Even Mr. Scrooge got the message by the end of the book. Let's hope somebody at the top can read.
THIS JUST IN:
Vail Resorts executive to join Holiday Retirement
Associated Press - May 22, 2009
BROOMFIELD, Colo. (AP) - Vail Resorts Inc. says Stan Brown is leaving as president of RockResorts and Vail Resorts Lodging Co. to become chief operating officer of Holiday Retirement Corp., a retirement housing provider.
Brown's departure is effective June 19.
Here's more:
http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/05/18/daily69.html
Look at MTN (Vail) stock chart - not too solid - and go back to 2005's articles. I would surmise Stan Brown is market hopping, but this is pretty standard with CEOs, COOs, and CFOs throughout the system. This group of top echelon appear to stay with a company anywhere from six months to two years, then leave with bonuses and stock options. For them it is an 'always win-win' - lower tier corporate raiders. The last thing they care about are the rank and file workers - they are concerned only with building their own reputations, not a company. All the media hype is usually to cover a 'lateral promotion' . Think of them as 'City Managers' of the corporate world.
It is the exception, not the rule, for this tier to ever commit for a long term. To rebuild, or turn around, a company takes long term thinking and loyalty - something not there with the 'raiders' .
Did you notice that in addition to a new COO, which by the way Mr. COO, HRC's customers stay longer than 4 nights. HRC is also looking for 3 upper level marketing people- a department director, online marketing director and director of partnerships. Funny, considering back in the early 2000's one guy ran the whole thing and occupancies were at 94%!
I worked for HRC for many years. I still cry when Bill Colson's name is mentioned or I think about him. What a great man!
I don't believe the negative comments regarding Bart are true. He was, and I personally witnessed, mentored by his father that few must have never known. It was a true father-son relationship. Bart did and does care.
There are good and bad things in every company. Believe me, I am a product of the corporate world. I really never felt in the time I was with Holiday that it was the corporate world. If you ran your building within the guidelines on a 3 Star (or 5 Star) basis as you were expected to do, no one bothered you. It was the greatest experience in my working years, which were many.
I have retired now and did work under both of their regimes (HRC and FIG).
Thank you Bill and Bart.
As I sit going through my journal I am struck by the deliberate acts of disrepect and downright mean responses often displayed toward the residents and staff. Acts which, if not outwardly condoned, are largely ignored and, at the least, tolerated.
One day, during dinner, the female half of the managers was having to serve. She bent down, picked up a bussing tray, and totally lost it. The next thing anybody knew there were bussing trays sailing across the kitchen. Apparently she had picked up one that was wet and her blouse sleeve got the wetness from the tray. Six trays were sent sailing in her anger, accompanied by rather strong and unladylike words. As all the trays hit the floor one of them bounced, and connected with my ankle - resulting in a pretty decent cut and swelling. Then she grabbed another tray, ran a towel over it, and stormed out of the kitchen. The kitchen staff froze, staring at each other for a few moments, then just shook their heads. They were used to the blowups. The final outcome was a mumble by her husband that there must have been 'some misunderstanding' about the event.
This same manager husband was asked by a resident for help. The resident used a walker and was caught in the doors while trying to get outside for a smoke. She is a very frail little old lady and could not push the doors away from her walker, being wedged in between them. The manager walked up to her, looked at her for a moment - and said, "If you didn't smoke you wouldn't have got stuck." - and walked away without helping her. I was nearby and caught the byplay of this, helped the lady outside and asked a staff member to keep an eye on her when she was ready to come back in. The lady told her daughter, who took it up the ladder. The manager's response to my 'interfering' was an attempt to loudly chastise me in front of the dining room. Didn't work!
In the past forty years I have never lost my temper. I came very close on one occasion when this same manager caused my wife to cry. The last time my wife cried was at our son's funeral - and it takes a lot to get her to that point, but he did it by being mean to the residents. He wasn't just mean, he was deliberately controlling cruel. The man walked around with mental mirrors attached in order to bask in his own brilliance. He and I had a few quiet words in private immediately. He questioned if I was threatening him after he learned his neck could be twisted 180 degrees if he ever made my wife cry again. I calmly informed him I had never threatened anyone in my life - it was a statement of fact he could count on. At a later date, during the corporate 'meetings' this was brought up - to his chagrin.
My wife does not accept being referred to as "sweetie", "Babe", "sweetheart", or "sweetness". Definitely not by a manager - and most emphactically not when the terms are used to elderly residents - who do not like it either and pay the bills. She does not use profanity at all (even at me when she is mad), and she politely called another manager on his constant use of the "F" word during staff meetings. The staff had previously tried to get him to stop being so vulgar, but to no avail. He responded that when he called women by those names it was a sign of respect where he came from. He said his use of the "F" word was to get his points across. Being called on it by her during the meeting upset him greatly. The next morning we were pulled into the office and told to close the door (you know that routine) - then he went into a lengthy rail about being called down in front of staff by a co-manager. We listened to him without interruption, then both of us informed him the next time we would file a formal complaint with HR. He quieted down and the meeting was suddenly over.
When I begin to put the journal online these will be included in more detail. I believe it will be interesting.
The above situations are perhaps not common in the communities, but are not a rarity either. How hard is it to keep such from happening? How did any company get to the point where a lack of respect to co-workers and residents is ignored, where problems are swept under the carpet rather than solved quickly? I realize managers do not want an RD to know they are having problems, and RDs do not want the District Manager to know they are having problems, and so on up the ladder. But a problem solved while small cannot grow into a bigger massive problem.
The best marketing tool available, bar none, is a contented resident who tells a friend or two. This is touted by the company, but it is not ACCOMPLISHED by the company. When a resident, or a resident's family and friends, have primarily negatives about a community those negatives spread like wildfire. All of the hyperbole put out gets shot down with a single situation.
We, my wife and I, have often discussed options. Why isn't there a 'wandering couple' whose job is to go quietly around to the communities and walk in the door totally unexpected. Give them the authority for instant corrective action when needed. Once word of such a couple got around the potential of a visit by them would have far reaching effects. Rather akin to a speeder barreling down the Interstate and seeing a cop car parked. The fact of it being a 'fake' or 'decoy' car is immaterial, it still slows the speeder down.
"Wandering couple" or secret shoppers etc is a great idea for keeping people on their toes. I remember years ago when Sam Walton was alive (Walmart founder), he would casually show up at stores unannounced and chat with store employees. It accomplished two great missions, one was accurate first hand information about his stores, employees, business etc. Second, employees were blown away that Mr. Walton cared enough to show up in person with no fanfare, no special put on a good show for the boss...etc. From his humble beginnings to the largest retailer in the world. Visionary leadership makes all the difference.
You have that correct. His belief that more sales and happy customers were brought about by happy employees has been proven time and time again. His life story, like Bill Colson's, is filled with acts of kindness toward strangers and a deep abiding respect for others. You did not work 'for' them - you worked 'with' them. Sadly, after the demise of both of them, each of the companies quickly set these concepts aside - and the results are showing.
Good point, thanks.
I think we need a special place for the Journal of Unbelievably Awful Things that happend while on duty at Holiday. And if you are like me -- there were phone calls on our days off (emergency -come back right away (dishwasher didn't show)) and text messages to step out of the movies (housekeeper work plan could not be found), etc, yada, yada, yada. Some are humorously stupid and others are instances of unmitigated gall and general arrogant BS!!!
My parents have been residents at a California Holiday facility for a few years. They just made arrangements to move to a slightly larger unit with the understanding their rent would go up by $50 per month. After the move they were informed that it would, due to market conditions, actually be an increase of $600 per month. We're going to be looking into this, with an attorney if necessary. With vacancies in the building and given the large drop in real estate market conditions in California, a decrease would be more in order.
Hey, it makes perfect economic sense to the bean-counters. If your customer base begins to diminish you just raise your prices to make up for it.
What could be simpler?
Except it seems like you'd have a better profit situation with all apartments occupied. Has anyone heard of informing a resident about the $600/month increase, after they switch apartments?
The Laffer Curve concept has been around since about the 14th century. It makes total sense, so no wonder those in control won't follow its doctrine. I recall a recent article about a person who owned a chain of movie theatres. Business was down, way down. His competitors were raising the price of tickets and complaining because business kept going down. This owner said he sat down in his study one night and had an epiphany. Why not lower the price of tickets and offer extras to offset the lower price.
He studied it, put it in motion, and found his business increased almost immediately. He added more items in the theatre concession, even raised the prices on popcorn, candy, and soda, and people bought more concession items because they got in cheaper to start with.
I also vaguely recall a memo out of home office regarding this same problem. As I remember the memo - it argued the "Laffer" doctrine, claiming HRC would lose money that way. It took the stance it was less profit potential to freeze or lower the price than it was to have empty apartments.
Randy: Even before we left HRC the paperwork was out regarding your (type of) situation. Present residents would have a 'freeze' until their rental anniversary, then the new increases would go into effect. New residents would have the increases up front. Reading your comments I wonder if the managers might have pulled a tad of 'sleight-of-hand' with the paperwork in order to keep residents. Without you going into slightly more detail it is only a possibility. It could have been an 'incentive' which was short-lived only.
My wife and I drove into the city this morning for shopping and enroute we passed a community. Out front were two moving vans loading furniture - loading, not unloading. Visible from the highway was a sign stating 'apartments for rent'. The place is really looking run down. Budget cuts and repairs? Sad!
Right you are, Randy.
Why am I reminded of Arthur Laffer and his theory on taxes -- which altogether too many politicians fail to grasp -- Simply stated tax revenues are more likely to increase when tax rates are decreased than when they are increased.
It's the difference between arithmetic and economics.
Would you be interested if you received this cover letter at your company?
"Holiday Retirement Corp.
To Whom it may concern:
My wife and I have been interested in your company for some time now and desire to become live in Co-Managers. Due to conversations with (xxxxx xxxxxxx), a friend of ours at a Holiday facility, we are eager to initiate the process to hopefully be accepted by you as the company of choice. We have talked briefly with Regional Director (xxxxxxxxxxx) via telephone and are most interested.
At age sixty-three I am in very good health and physically active. We are people friendly and have experience caring for senior citizens. We both have business and managerial related skills which we feel would be a benefit to your company. I am a published novelist, computer literate, and publish online. I have always worked at least two jobs simultaneously and long hours are a norm.
We are not ready to be 'retired', but are very interested in a lifestyle change which would enable us to be beneficial to those who have chosen to enjoy their own retirements.
Sincerely,"
The above, along with resumes, was sent online to Holiday. As mentioned earlier, we received numerous offers within a few days. We were hired over the telephone for a particular community in an area we desired, and the rest was set in motion. The managers who 'accepted' us asked if we would waive a personal interview because our credentials were "perfect" - (looking back we realize it only meant they needed a breathing body to pour coffee and lock up so they could get some days off).
At no time did we fill out an actual application for employment - our personnel folder contains no application. Which brings me to this point - what is it with the 'secrecy' of the managerial personnel folders? Our first set of managers (the male) literally ordered us to read his folder, repeatedly doing so. He bragged that no manager had ever received a higher yearly evaluation by a Regional Director. Finally I gave in and read his eval in his presence. It was truly great! Down the road I had occasion to ask the RD why he would have given such a high rating to that person - to which he responded it didn't happen. It turns out the manager apparently redid the eval, rating himself so highly, and inserted it into the folder. The initial eval, according to the RD, was much less than satisfactory.
After we had read the folder both manager files suddenly disappeared from the locked drawer. When questioned we were told Holiday decided that managers's files were to be kept in the managers's apartments, not in the office in the locked drawer. I found it amusing that both of them possessed the bare rudiments of any education, yet they touted to residents and staff how brilliant they were - (making up stories).
The next set of managers never put their folders in the office at all, and so on. What is it? Are they afraid co-managers will read them? It makes no sense. One set of managers even removed our folders from the office, claiming Holiday requirements of keeping them in their apartments also. When these managers left the community on a sudden transfer they took their files with them.
I lay claim to being nothing more than an elderly person of varied life experiences and education, nothing more and nothing less than anyone else out there. We left our home, sold our businesses, traveled over eight hundred miles - because we felt such a strong affinity for this "CONCEPT" that we desired to be a part of it. Even now, while I am writing this, I feel the 'pull' of the Concept! It touched both of us to such a degree that I do not think the 'Concept' will ever totally go away.
Isn't that amazing?
And I concur with "Wonderland" - it does make us mad that we are prohibited from returning to the community to visit people we came to love, with a few very close friends. We can meet them somewhere 'outside' of the community if we wish, but were told not to return to the community in order to prevent upsetting the residents so they can 'move on' with the next set of staff. I understand the rationale behind it, but I don't agree with it.
In my entire working life this is the first company I ever heard of that would 'promote' someone, transfer them hundreds of miles away, and not offer incentives for the promotion and transfer. Usually some type of monetary 'raise' is included. When the RD tells you to move to another community you would think better salary would be part of the move, but Holiday doesn't do this. Time has proven that staff will do the transfers without anything more than the initial 'pat-on-the-back' and the purported ego fulfillment of serving the company and residents.
When FIG took over there was a wholesale change in the organization of field management. From the perspective of all the facility management teams within our region, this was a change much for the better and long overdue - but that's another story entirely.
After that, however, the first shoe to hit the floor was the departure of Joe Gambacorta [sp?]. The final shoe was that of Sheryl Bauer, who was the single remaining vestige of "the Touch" - remaining near the top of the Holiday food chain at the time we decided to leave.
If the new folks at Salem do decide to do a belated "exit interview" of former managers, we would gladly participate, if only for the sake of all the residents that we got to know and love. I'm not sure what real hope there is otherwise for the company.
TOTALLY AGREE.
Exit interviews were never done. Why ? Because they afraid of the answers? The 2 new bosses would do justice to do "belated" exit interviews to find out why the company has slipped. We loved having 130 grandmas & grandpas
in each building and we feel bad what they are now going thru.
Do you really think FIG gives a damn to hear from former managers? The Blue Light Specials gives them all the answers, right?
Yeah, wonder when they will start telling the truth.
Any couple looking for a co-managers position in TX?
Please let me know and I can help you.
e-mail me at: achmed08@yahoo.com
Did anyone notice the press release about Fortress taking over the management of D. B. Zwirn? About one hundred of Zwirn's team will come aboard Fortress. Zwirn imploded back in February, with Daniel B. Zwirn writing personal checks of around $50 million to keep his leased offices open. Google it, or look at the FIG report press release, then follow through on the research about Zwirn (another Hedge Fund) - interesting reading.
Fortress stock going down - again - and as usual. So what do they do? They latch on to another loser to play 'catch-up-raider'. Poor Holiday is going to pay an even higher price before all this is over. And, with government regulations on hedge funds in the works, there is a lot of investor nervousness.
I have noticed a couple of interesting coincidences with regard to Brookdale and FIG. Fig mysteriously rose from the dead just a short while ago to spike up in price above $5 per share, and the company issued a bunch more stock at $5 for working capital and debt repayment. A couple of weeks later, Brookdale stock has mysteriously climbed in price and BKD does a large stock diluting offering to pay down debt etc. FIG still owns 51% of BKD after the offering. Since Holiday would fetch firesale prices on the open market, perhaps BKD could "aquire" Holiday, thereby bailing out FIG. Between the two companies lawyers and accountants, they could make it near impossible to figure out who got screwed. Clue: it will be the public shareholders, like always. (Oh well, this must have just been a bad dream...back to sleep now).
Achmed asked whether FIG really gives a damn about hearing from former managers. The answer is rather ironic.
If anyone who has commented on this blog owned a consulting business hired to evaluate a company - that company would have paid out an exhorbitant amount of monies to learn what is being offered here by all of you for free. There is an old adage, "Something's value is usually determined by its cost." Holiday's (FIG) 'cost' is much more than the financial loss of residents. That 'cost' is tallied in loss of employees and goodwill created by those employees. I can guarantee that the competition is taking your words to heart - the emails I receive show this.
At a turnover rate of 40% to 60% in a year's time it adds up to a tremendous loss. Figure Holiday has, what, ten thousand employees company-wide? That means, at only 40%, four thousand of them will not last the year and must be replaced, along with the 'training costs' inherent in the jobs and the bad publicity. The problems can be solved - and at a cost positive result - but first the problem has to be addressed, not simply ignored.
Each member of the management team earns an average base rate of $26,000 for Managers and $23,660 for Cos (yearly base rate). An Executive Chef at Holiday starts at a base of about $40,000. The maintenance man makes more money per year than a member of management, as does the average Sous Chef. Plus, they get to go home each day to a family and a life separate from their jobs, including hobbies.
An example: As of this date I have never received any type of response to the letter sent to the CEO Jack Callison - not even a "Thank You" or a 'buzz off' response. Putting myself in the position of a company CEO and I had received such a letter from a customer or employee, that letter would have immediately received an answer by return mail or a telephone call. Over the years I have received responses from giant companies, as well as tiny businesses, as a customer because I took the effort to contact them about a product or problem. I consider it terribly rude to ignore such, both in my business life and in my personal life. No one is so busy they cannot take the time for a response to a customer or employee - no one. My wife and I have corresponded with Presidents since we were young and always received some form of response, even if it was only a 'form' letter sent by a publicist or secretary.
When the Clintons were in the White House I was invited, as an artist, to do some work for them. That work was displayed in the White House and later sent to the Smithsonian where it will reside from now on (probably in a forgotten box in the basement), but I received responses for doing it. It is called 'simple courtesy'. And Holiday appears to have lost 'simple courtesy' with their employees, period.
In an above comment I can offer a prime example of 'courtesy'. I had offered the web address of "Resort Lifestyle Communities" because their website impressed me. Jerry F. responded with a most rapid, courteous, and professional reply. He immediately addressed a 'problem' (albeit a minor to him) and corrected it. It truly is that simple to do in most cases. He now personifies his company to everyone who ever reads this blog, and does so in a most positive manner which will have far reaching effects. Now, what is so hard to understand about this concept by Holiday?
By the same token, what do you suppose the FIG response would be if a bunch of former managers wrote to them?
http://www.fortressinv.com/site_content.aspx?s=17#
DL,
thank you again, I enjoy reading your blog. I am currently at our community in the Northland part of Kansas City and it is just a great place, the residents are very happy and having the time of their lives.
How about you ?
How about me? I am in heaven, I work with a group of people, from Ownership to the community level that truly share my passion for serving senior citizens. I have been in the senior housing industry for nearly 20 years and to this day I wake up every morning excited about going to work, because I know what I do has a positive impact on someones life.
Take Care.
I just noticed they need a dining room manager!!! It pays better than Holiday
Jerry I was there and it is a wonderful property. Unfortunately for me they were fully staffed.
Does anyone wonder why none of the new "Fab 5" in Salem have not moved to Oregon? Two are from Colorado, one from Arizona, one from Chicago and another from Alabama. Interesting....
You mean that none of the top company officers are working at the Salem, Oregon office ?
If that's true....watch out everyone in Salem. They probably are going to move the corporate office to Pakistan or Costa Rica ....
No. I understand they work in Salem, but none live in Oregon. They all commute....
Does anyone know the current overall company occupancy ? I'd be curoius.
Phil, you raise a good question I've asked before. Are census reports [by district region and community] no longer available to managers on the portal?
At the end of April, the Census report was no longer available to be be put on the Portal and was further broken down and distributed only by Districts. The only people to see the entire report are the top dogs.
Wow! That tells me a whole lot -- especially confirms my suspicion regarding the loss of any knowledgeable leadership in Salem.
During my research on Holiday-(after Fortress bought it)- I heard the new CEO quietly referred to as "The Demolition Man". Every day it becomes more clear why the nickname. Also, from the other top dogs jumping on the wagon, it appears "The Wrecking Crew" is aboard and poised to garner the dollars before the doors close. Ah, so nice to have friends who share the pickings.
About now the Home Office in Salem, Oregon must be starting to look like a skeleton staff. Brace yourselves for the downward spiral of field personnel - there's a tornado blowing through.
When I stated in my letter to him (Callison) that our research showed he was the person who could turn the company around, we meant doing so in a positive and growth oriented scenario. What happened to 'growth oriented' - 'positive'? It would appear, sadly enough, that "He speaks with forked tongue" (Kemo Sabe).
Denny - Rob - (Rob) - Terry - Sorry to hear the news.
DL
It sounds like Holiday just lost about 70 years of solid, touch practicing experience."Lost" is probably not the right word- discarded is more appropriate. If I were a home office employee from the Colson era I would be looking for another job, I don't think Salem is big enough for FIG.
Well just found out 3 more long term employees were let go from home office. One of them 20 years and just seems like they get thrown away like dirt.No compassion but oh-my-god...... if they "dare" to speak ill of Holiday they get punished.
Trust me gang, there is a "far better life" beyond FIG/Holiday these days.
Good luck to all 3 of you, Rob, Rob and Terry.
And Denny and Chuck
Yeah I just found out about Chuck. Yet again another star falling from the skies of the corporate world of Holiday.
Chuck was one of the very very best in the company and I personally have had the great pleasure meeting Chuck many times during my tenure with Holiday.
Same goes for Denny.
That region finally had a Regional Director who came from within. Not sure what made him decide to resign but yet again another loss for Holiday. I wonder how long Martha will stay.
Denny has been in the training department at the Home Office for over 10 years. Anyone who has gone through Level II, Level III or Leadership Academy most likely has fond memories of Denny. He was a Regional Director before then and one of the last to have maintained a 100% Region.
It was not his decision to resign...
I worked with all of these people, and they are all terrific, dedicated customer focused professionals. If any senior living providers in the Salem or Portland area need some help- just wait out front of HRC's parking lot, because the best in the business are coming out carrying cardboard boxes!
Please do not publish on blog. I am a Holiday Touch resident. Our community is having many of the problems your site mentions. One question, who is the head person for Chefs and food managers. We can't find who the contact is.
Thanks
Anne
----------------------------------------------------------
(To the commenter: Please note I edited out your last name. I left the rest of the comment as you wrote it on the blog.)
1-800-370-8331 Extension 7227 Resident Relations - If they are still a viable entity. When we were with Holiday every resident was given a refrigerator magnet with this number.
In order for this blog to work properly every person who comments MUST know they have the confidentiality to do so. My email addresses are at the top of this blog, but will list again. When you submit the comment it displays on the site since I do not "moderate" each comment before approval. At that point it can be either deleted by me, edited, or left as is.
dlcharles@windstream.net or thefreebornman@yahoo.com
Last person I remember in the Director of Food Services slot was Michael Midgley.
Hope this helps, Anne.
Michael Midgley is correct
Thank you for the information and for letting me participate in the blog. We learned tonight that our current managers (here for about 8 months) have been relieved of their duties as of tonight and told to leave by no later than Friday by the RM. He's being transferred too after only a few month's tenure. The residents are confused and disheartened that they are not in the loop at all.
Anne
Anne:
I removed your last name again. You do not have to use it.
Almost every word on this blog is there because of YOU - and all of the other residents living in a Holiday Community. Feel free to join in at any time with your thoughts, your concerns, etc.
Does anyone know an RM named Ronnie Moye or Jean Anderson? Is Ronnie a "troubleshooter?" He came and is going so fast, I wondered if he was not a true RM at all, but sent by corporate to "fix" things?
Yes, he just terminated long-time Managers at Lakeshore Commons in NC. They had taken their building from 60% to 100% for 4 years and now are unemployed..... Look out is right!!
Correction Lake Shore Commons in NC has been 100% for years,it was the reason they built The Woods at Holly Tree.THE WORST MGRS IN THE WORLD HAD THAT BUILDING AT 100% I worked there
Watch out everybody.
Any manager...regional manager or chef could be canned at anytime. You are better off staying as a co-manager. The regional managers are under so much pressure to increase census that they will probably do anything. How can you have good managers in every building when 1) so many good people have quit and Holiday has no desire to talk them into staying or hire them back and 2) there is absolutely no training department and all co-managers get is on the job training ( which really takes 1 full year).
Fortress is banking on everything touch to turn into gold. THe senior housing market and a loan to Michael Jackson. Unfortunately the Michael thing is not going to work out because of his recent death. I am sure Foretress was banking on his planned world concert tour and big bucks. Probably the home will face forecloure. Who wants it besides Michael. Pretty soon they will be saying the same thing about Holiday -- who wants its besides Fortress. If census continues to decline there will be layoffs in housekeeping, the kitchen, you'll have part-time maintenence & activities...and the managers & co-managers will do all the bus driving. Be prepared folks -- The name of the game is money, money,money... and the only way to get it is by filling apartments.
No training department...
No marketing .....
Just plain old cookies...
Here is a marketing tip folks. Contact very medical professional in you town and tell them what you have to offer. Leave good brochures, not the ones Holiday has will basically nothing in it. Also leave the medical staff some donuts or fruit...not the cookies that turn into crumbs from the kitchen.
GOOD LUCK FOLKS.
Maybe Fortress's next step will be to bail out Bernie Madoff.
One problem with this...while the country is urging people to be less obese, eat nutritionally, and watch carbs and fat so it takes less medical support for us all, the menu here is so loaded with carbs, starch, fat, and sugar (cookies are the least of it), many doctors (5 reports so far and I've only been here 8 months)are telling our residents who have any health problem at all (diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems, etc., and which senior has none of these) to stay away. I've been told it doesn't take a special diet, just nutritious food. They're missing the golden opportunity to say they have healthy food to attract people. They can't claim it here...I don't know about elsewhere.
The above post from a resident brings up an interesting hope. As this grows it is hoped that word gets around to the communities and the residents themselves begin writing about their Holiday experiences - both bad and good. All of the concerns expressed to date come down to "what happens with the residents?". My wife and I are extremely concerned about what the residents are going through and what their options are.
There is a resident in southern Florida whom we know. That resident has not only watched her tens-of-thousands shares in Fortress lose value, but has her rent raised. She got hit with a double whammy by Fortress. I can see no way, under present conditions, whereby the communities can continue as before. The growing exodus of residents will not be halted because of hollow meaningless phrases put out by the new management. And where do they go - those residents who are feeling the economical pinch?
Eliminating positions at home office, where everything begins, is about as sane as bungee jumping from a high bridge without attaching the cord first. Now how do the new people get trained? Oh yeah, let's just train them by whomever happens to be at a community. After all, the residents don't complain too much.
How do you get the information out there to the residents that they REALLY DO have control! It is THEIR money which pays all the bills, THEIR money which speaks loudly. Everyone - and I literally mean everyone - depends on THEIR money to be able to serve them, even the hotshots upstairs now.
With a 30 day notice to move out, the residents should look for a better place if they are truly not happy.
You are 100% correct and you know what, a lot of residents are doing just that.
I just moved one in from a Holiday building and she is sooooooo happy to be out of the Holiday building. She was depressed to see what has happened at that building and how really nasty the managers are. the co-managers, she said, were really nice but they just quit.
You hit it right.
The residents are all suffering.
In my limited contact with some current Holiday people all I hear is :
"all they do is keeping raising my rent"..."the quality of food is getting worse"..."there are fewer activities"..."we are having a constant turnover of managers & co-managers".
All we can do as former Holiday employees is to wait and watch the census continue to drop. I know one building where the managers are just plain nasty to some of the residents.
Why is this tolerated ?
I know a Regional"Ble Light" Manager who knows nothing about retirement managament. He has never worked in a building or experienced things like
---only having one server at night----not having the dishwasher show-up on Sunday morning---combine these two about situations with an E-call at 2am and a mistaken e-call at 5am.
Where is Bart Colson .....offer to buy it back and make lots of money.
We are still having problems. The newest managers and co's are "Book" crazy and ask nothing about resident's likes and dislikes. Another question: Is there anybody possibly/remotely like a dietician connected with these menus? The food keeps getting fatter, cheaper, higher carb, lower vitamins, and sometimes even nasty and spoiled.. Residents met with the Chef and Regional Food Manager here today. They think they can tell us anything and we won't call their hand. They don't nutrition from anything!! It's simply gotten to be a case of "I don't want this place to literally kill me!!"
Wow, is it really getting that bad?
I spoke with a resident who previously lived in a Holiday building and she told me that once a week they had a good dinner and then for the next 3 to 4 days the same food but with different sauces.
That is such a far cry from what it used to be at Holiday.
Menu's came from home office and they all were very good (for the most part depending on the Chef obviously).
But, as long as residents stay in the building and don't move, Holiday/Fortress will keep on doing what they are doing and taking the money and screwing the residents.
People have and make their own choices. They can live at Holiday Retirement of something far far better.
Contact JerryF or my self we each work for different companies but I can assure you there is a far better way of living these days.
Good luck.
I don't know what part of the country this food problem is in?? We on the east coast are not seeing these major changes in the food dept.Our meals are excellent,we don't miss a meal!!!As far as some of the horror stories concerning the way managers are treating the co's,this has been going on for years long before Fortress came in! We have been on board 11 years and could never understand why the co's were treated so badly,we went through this treatment.So its not all Fortress or the BLS
I'm with JR on this one. After more than a year on the outside, we touched base with the chef at our last facility. He advised the managers we worked under are gone and it's like a new job; food is not an issue, the new mgrs offer to help in the kitchen, and the residents [albeit fewer of them at this point] are a lot happier. Per-meal costs are stable... I would imagine -at least I hope- the scenario Anne describes is an anomaly.
Anne:
If people way up on the chain of command are at fault, it's likely out of ignorance of the situation. The problem more likely local.
Sorry JR, but I am talking about east coast buildings where the food is "that" bad including the horror stories as well.
Does anyone know what the name of the computer program that we posted rent is is called? I know Kronos was for payroll. I need to know for my resume also any other software programs managers used
"Notmyrealname" is correct. The "Deposit Journal" and "Census" applications were custom developed in Lotus Notes.
If you do not know the name of the software you used, do not use it in your resume. Also--Deposit Journal is not really something that you would call a skill or should list in a resume. Kronos & payroll would be good to add. You probably also used Word, Publisher.
All my wife and I can recall as a name is "Deposit Journal". I think it was an application developed in-house.
Thomas McClendon or Rob Bell (both on Facebook) may be able to provide more info.
i am having a hard time reading all the negative comments regarding Holiday Retirement "then and now". It appears most negative comments are made by cos and positive by managers. The concept of both "then and now" was and is managers train those cols who want to be trained and those who don't leave. If you all want to hear horror stories give me your website and I will make them available to you if you have not previously heard them.
Salaries: You don't pay rent, house payment or utilities. The value of a two bedroom plus the second person is a fair value for managers and a one bedroom plus the second person is a fair value for co's. You don't drive to work. Your car can be used for only pleasure when getting your car insurance. Savings vary as to location. Insurance and 40lk are great benefits. Total package is worth twice what the $$'s in your pocket were or are +. You don't pay taxes but on the cash portion of your salary. That is a great benefit ($40,000+)less than if your were getting it all in $$'s. When you took the job, your were told the salary, benefits, etc. You agreed to the package. So what's the beef?
As far as the plungging a toilet or cleaning up the mess in the elevator during a prime rib dinner, gee whiz, that could only happen once or twice a year, since you could only afford prime rib when using the special event budget.
When do you really work 40 hours a week as a Manager or Co-Manager ?
Co-Manager:
Sunday -- Off
Monday -- Off
Tuesday - 11:30 - 7:30 (reality 8-830)
(on call all night )
Wednesday- 7:30 - 3:30 (reality 7:15-4)
Thursday-11:30 - 7:30 ( reality 8-830)
(on call all night)
Friday --7:30 - 7:30 (reality 715-8)
on call all night
Saturday 7:30 - 7:30 (reality 715-8)
Total 48 hours working
Reality ---50-55
On call Tues,Thurs,Fri,Sat-can't leave.
Nights off Sun,Mon & Wed. 3 out of 7.
On Tues, Thus, Fri & Sat you really are confined to the building during your
regular shift and then on call all night.
You must be a regional manager.
Expect that a dishwasher, housekeeper/server, night or weekend server doesn't show up at least once or twice a week.
Expect to empty the garbage from all three floor laundry rooms on Saturday.
If the Manager is on vacation you work
7:30 to 7:30 every day and are on call every night. When you are on call you can't leave the building and are stuck their all night.
REALITY OF THE JOB...
50 - 55 hrs weekly working.
On call 48 hours a week.
98 to 103 hours --- work & on call.
Yes, you get basic free food.
The accommodations are big enough for you --- the couple only.---if you want visitors or have kids/grandkids-- good luck...you can enough fit a blow-up mattress in the living room.
Also what building did you work in regarding plunging the toilet ?
It was not a big deal, if it happened during your normal working hours.I would say it averages 1 to 2 times a week.
No, I'm not bitter, but-- be honest when you hire people to be a co-manager. Also change the name from co-manager to management team member or something else. There is no way you are a "CO". Tell about the real hours and the on-call time.
Also expect a night or weekend server/
dishwasher or housekeeper/server,not to show up at least once a week. When that happens --YOU fill in.
How many regional managers have worked as managers or co-managers in a building ?
Oh, don't forget, that because the housekeepers and maintenance men are so busy with their own jobs, that the managers and co-managers usually carpet clean all the rugs. (The Whittaker Machine---all it does is spread dirt around....it NEVER picks up any dirt. Its like using the same water 20 to 30 times in your washing machine).
THIS IS REALITY...
Maybe Holiday Retirement should start a TV show entitled ---I'M A MANAGER -- GET ME OUT OF HERE.
pleease! We were not ever regional managers in our many years of service! Yes SERVICE! You had to buy into the program to be successful and as I stated before you have to want to be trained or be gone. When you signed your job description, you signed on to everything the job required. This included everything as far as filling in for all other job descriptions, lifting, nite calls, hours, etc. you had the opportunity to opt out at that time. I am not saying that is all a "bed of roses", but you have known what was expected of you. Did you read the managers job description and yours. The only difference was the managers were in charge and you answered to them. THEY DID NOT ANSWER TO YOU!. Did you management team have team meetings once a week as were required. This was a venue for you to air your problems and try to make things better for the residents! Your concerns regarding your performance and grievences should have been taken up at an individual one on one. Schedules are schedules. When you had enough time to take a vacation, the managers had to work for co's. Managers and Co's work 48 hours a week scheduled and whatever it take in excess to get the job done. By the way, housekeepers would clean your apartment if asked and it was company policy. When it comes to Whittaker, read the instructions, clean the carpet, let it dry and then vacumn. The dirt is encapsulated and you vacumn up the beads of encapsulation so they do not redistribute themselves when walked on. You must vacumn.
We never felt that we should be a part of I'M A MANAGER-GET ME OUT OF HERE. If we had we would not have spent so many years with HOLIDAY RETIREMENT! If you feel that way, you need to be gone and let someone who cares take over you position with the company. Managers make the company by following the guidelines. MANAGE a property by taking ownership of your building, is the name of the game. We were exremely successful managers, because we studied the company's philosphy as written by Philip Ausmus and following the guidelines.
name unknown:
You are living/dreaming in the good old days of Holiday PRE FIG.
Yes it was a great company to work for at that time. Yes I agree, you took ownership of the building/residents/staff and everything that came with it.
And by the way, It was not Philip Ausmus but Stan and he wrote the Grass Roots manual for Holiday Retirement.
Today's Holiday Retirement is a much different company who does not give a rats-ass about any of the above mentioned items.
sorry, philip is in his family tree.
I agree with the below comments that Holiday was much better before the Fortress days. Good, well qualified people running the business. There are many bad regional managers and building managers who need to be replaced. Why do you make someone a full fledged managed with only 6 months experience as a Co-Manager. If it's because you have no one else then you must be desperate.
Many good people, with great potential have left the company simply because of lack of communications with the manager, regional manager and human relations. If a good couple working for the company for several years decides to resign, why doesn't someone ask them WHY ?
I heard yesterday that one regional manager said that every building in his region had operated in the RED for the first 6 months of the year. A simple answer is because of low census and no rental income. The best way to get residents is to have totally happy residents in your building. That can not be accomplished by constant turn-around with managers & co-managers and cutbacks like food quality and activity director hours. 10 vacant apartments a month results in a minimum lack of $150,000 in revenue over 6 months. Why has Ford and Chrylers gone under. It is simply because Toyota, Honda and Hyundai have been making cars that people WANT.
All Holiday needs to do is give people WHAT THEY WANT and they will fill buildings.
Suggestion: Have spaghetti & meatballs once a week for dinner....replace the Avocado sandwich with a foot-long hot dog and french fries...give people more of WHAT THEY WANT. Another good evening meal would be tomato soup...a full grilled cheese sandwich and a little pasta salad. Have more sandwiches at supper...but make sure they are real good sandwiches just just one slice of the main item. Serve a good chef salad at supper. THE BEST WAY TO MAKE OLDER PEOPLE HAPPY IS WITH GOOD FOOD.
Good luck Fortress and Company. They only way you will be happy is to GIVE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT.
We used to have the chef pick a monthly [+/-] "secret Saturday" when we'd have fresh Dunkin Donuts instead of whatever the pastry the Salem menu suggested for that morning. We'd place the order Fri nite [typically a random assortment of 8-10 dozen] and pick them up at 7:45 AM. DD gave us a real good price.
After a while all Saturday breakfast headcounts grew - and we knew more residents were getting a better start on the day.
Perfect Idea...We used to have foot long hot dogs ( good quality dogs) every Wednesday with french fries, coleslaw and a dill pickle. There was also a make-your-own ice cream sundae for desert. We went around with ice cream and toppings on the carts. 3 servers and 2 managers.
It drew the biggest crowd of the week
for supper.
We were told by the regional manager that hot dogs were not "gracious". I said "what about avocado sandwiches or a tuna melt..what's the difference". He got mad and made us take hot dogs off the menu...people wrote letters and we were able to put them back on the menu after two weeks. The regional manager was not happy with the whole situation but we tried to convince him is was --THE RESIDENTS SPEAKING.
We also had a make-your-own omelet buffet once a month for breakfast with sausage, bacon, home fries, a fruit cup,
and English muffins. Yes it took a little extra time bu the residents loved it and that drew the biggest crowd of the month for breakfast.
All you need to do is something like these two things two or three times a week and the residents would love it.
It doesn't take much imagination --just common sense and some BALLS to change the regular menu.
It doesn't take a $350,000 a year consult to determine WHAT RESIDENTS want.
Let me guess..... this Regional Director of yours was a "Blue Light Special" person, right?
And..Mr. Hot Dog, I would also guess you are somewhere in the Ohio Valley North?eastern USA? If that is true, (and I am just guessing here, you do not have to answer) then I know that RD very well.
All those RD's have no sense of what it really takes to make the residents happy.
Do they really care???? Hell NO they don't at least the majority of them.
We have spaghetti & meatballs, we have grilled cheese sandwiches & tomato soup, we have fried chicken at least every other week . . . our residents are happy, but that will not fill the building. Yes it helps, but it is not a cure all. (And yes, I've been doing this more than a few months). This is a different economy & even our competitors are suffering (they have called me to tell me about their census & the pressure they are also under with their competing companies). Our building is giving our residents WONDERFUL amenities, service & food. We are in the black, but we're not even close to where we should be percentage wise--but the answer is not black & white. There's a lot more too it.
THE BEEF is..... the company benefits you living on site and you make it sound like it is all about our benefit. I am looking to manage a apartment complex and it pays 36,000, 20% off rent IF YOU WANT TO LIVE THERE 40 hours a week no on call hours and if my employee goes on vacation I have 2 1/2 leasing agents 1 assistant and 3 maintenance and alot alot of the major maintenance and housekeeping jobs are contracted out. Plus the rent is under what your value is estimated for your employees apartment. POOL GYM TENNIS COURT LOUNGE DOG PARK >>>>>
go get the job
Going for it!!!!!
Here is a website you may not know about yet:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=63157984760#
Rob Bell started the site on Facebook for Alumni of Holiday Retirement. It is an open site and anyone can join. Rob does ask that it not be used for 'venting', but instead as a means for present and former members of Holiday to stay in touch. It is a most interesting place to visit and join. There are some great people there and I highly recommend it.
On another note, allow me to offer a slightly different stance for a moment.
Jack R. Callison, Jr. is the new CEO of Holiday Retirement, Corp. - this we all know by now. His past record of accomplishments is quite impressive throughout his career. Realizing the confusion, hurt, and personal devastation being experienced by those who were 'tossed' out, I empathize with them. In my letter to Callison I wrote we believed he could turn the company around - and we still believe this. Understand that by "turn around" the meaning is restricted to bottom line profit only - not human feelings or caring.
It is common for a "clearing-of-sorts" to take place whenever a company gets a new leader. This "clearing" always causes exactly what it is causing here. Very very seldom does a new leader keep everyone aboard. We all are cognizant of this reality. What puzzles me is why there was no time given to say the good-byes - no advance notices. We all know it happens constantly in the field, but at Home Office?
Since Mr. Callison has not so far graced us with his presence on this blog we can only surmise. Consider this an open invitation for him , or his spokesperson, to comment at any time (Chuckling here). The addition of the other 'higher-ups' he brings with him at the cost of those being replaced is also confusing.
My wife and I cannot even begin to imagine why any company would willingly lose people like Denny, Ruellene, Rob and Rob, Terri, Sheryl, Rick, Chuck, etc. The knowledge loss of a particular corporate structure which these people have is of an unbelievable magnitude - including the support feeling they gave to those in the field. Those individuals at Home Office had a way of supporting us 'out there' which is gone now. There is no way new bodies, at any level, can begin to fill that void - but they will try.
Did anyone catch the report about Fortress Investment group, (described as "Specialists in distressed debt") taking over Michael Jackson's loan from Bank of America to the tune of about $270 million?
We were 2 of the 75 marketing people fired in Nov last year on a conference call.When they did this the amount of paper work we recieved was unreal, they had to have been prepairing for this for months.We did get a severance package.We were also given 5 days to vacate the property, and were to have nothing to do with employees or residents.Then they created a new marketing dept with one person hourly, not couples that lived on the property. All this after 10 years of service,we were rehired at a lower pay rate and agree with most of the comments made to day on this blog! We have heard that Bart is waiting to take the company back when Fortress gets through destroying it! We were also told Bart said all the changes they have made were at some time tried by Bill Colson and did not work so Fortress has to do there own thing, they can not learn from the old guard.I have no love for the BLS as they know not what they are doing. One made the stupid comment runing a Holiday building is no different then running K Mart.The one thing he hates is having a burnt out light bulb.I guess he saw so many lights out at K Mart he thnks by keeping all the lights burning it will save Holiday.We knew & loved Bill,Sheryl was/is the kindest,loving person we know and when she left the Holiday touch went with her.I can not help but think the letter DIcharles wrote is what has created the new push to get The Holiday Touch back in to play?? Mean while we hang in there waiting to see what will happen doing the best we can to make our residents happy giving them the Holiday Touch we still have it. Our building has been 100% for 10 years is now at 83% The last company census we saw a couple months ago, there were 5 buildings at 100% We love what we do and who we are doing it for.Tired of the conference calls and the BS that goes with it! At our age there is nothing out for us,so we will hang in here as long as we can.
JR
JR, I have deep respect for the way you have written your comments.
Everything you wrote is exactly true including the burned out light bulbs.
The current regime at FIG under direction from various BLS’s BS’ers is all anyone needs to know that the current company indeed slowly is going down.
I can honestly tell you that many residents in many building are shopping for the best possible deal they can find and then will leave.
As for Bart – Cheryl and many other who were at home office, it is a tragedy that FIG let all of them go. The current CEO has no clue how to run this company and it is my believe, like many others, he is not running it at all.
The BLS “good old boys” are running it and they have no clue.
You hang in there and don’t give up.
Your residents needs you.
JR:
I second Achmed's response. Well put!
I third your comments above. We are about to call it quits. It is true that many residents are looking elsewhere for a better deal and BETTER FOOD.
Just wait: If census continues to fall
there will be cutbacks in maintenence and housekeeping/server hours. The Managers & Co-Managers will be probably be assigned to work 1 or 2 days each week serving meals, cleaning rooms. emptying garbage and renovating vacant rooms. Mark my words.
Have been following this blog with interest. My husband and I are considering employment as co-mgrs. I have a question. I am very active, healthy and can more than carry my share of the work, but my husband has some mobility issues. He needs to use a "scooter". Do you think there is any possibility we could be hired? Just curious if you have heard of any co-mgrs. with disabilities.
The job involves a lot of hands on serving coffee at every meal & covering if someone does not show up,washing dishes serving meals etc. I don'e think he would be able to do the work required.Sorry
Thanks very much...this is what we need to hear. Are there any jobs for just one person? Sounds like most of those have been eliminated. I would love to work with Seniors.
They have an activity person in each community, and have/arte hiring a marketing person for some locations.You should apply,the big issue is where do you want to be? City/State ??
I will work anywhere in North Texas. I do have administrative, hospitality, restaurant and property mgmt. experience so sounded like a good fit.
Thanks again for the input.
Saltlifers: Please contact me via email. Your letter to me was very powerful and emotional. I would love to post it online if you will allow. I tried to contact you but it kicked back. Thanks, dlcharles
I have contacted you through thefreebornman. Yes, please post online.
Thanks, saltlifers
dlcharles,
I applaud you for your letter to Mr. Callison.
Let me say first and foremost, I loved my job, I believed "THE TOUCH", until 2 1/2 months ago.
My husband and I applied with HRC Jan. 08 and we received 3 offers, 3 different communities (Santa Clara, Tahoe, Topeka).
We chose Santa Clara, I gave notice at work (hospice), we gave EVERYTHING to our children and grandchildren, packed 2 suitcases apiece, got on a plane and our new life had begun March 1, 2008. We instantly fell in love with the community, the residents, staff. We felt we had come home.
We worked two weeks straight, 24/7, on call alone after second night, we were told HRC way. When we did get time off, we studied manuals after manuals after manuals on our own time, we were told HRC way. If we asked a question about how things were being done vs. what the manual said, we were told to "sit down and shut up, we're the managers, not you" ... this happened more than once. But we believed in THE TOUCH and we loved our residents. We had been there approx. 4-5 weeks and received a call from our RD about calls he'd been receiving from residents and staff about managers .. put us between rock and hard place ... answered him honestly ... within a week to 10 days they were transfered to another community to redo training as co-managers. We had the place to ourselves, 24/7, little training had actually been done other than reading the manuals, common sense. After a couple weeks a couple came in, looked the place over, walked up to my husband and myself and said, "WE are the new managers, we'll be back the end of the week to take over, DO NOT make ANY decisions, schedules, NOTHING, until we get back, then we'll let you know what you can do" ... Here we go again ...
We also find out we have a new RD ... Well to make a long story short they lasted about 4-5 weeks and they were let go ... We had the place to ourselves, 24/7, little training had been done ... they said the last managers had not trained us right, they would start training us all over again .. the right way ... their way.
Our new RD made the announcement to our residents that my husband and I would be the new managers, we received a standing ovation from our residents, something that our RD said he'd never seen before. He said our residents must really love us ... We felt the same about them ... They were family, we adopted 92 moms and 21 dads. Our residents were our first priority, whatever they needed ... even if it came out of our pocket ... our residents did NOT do without .. we lived, breathed and slept THE TOUCH. We sincerely loved our residents. We had been there 8-10 weeks approx. but we loved our jobs, our residents, everything .. Due to immigration problems (on some long time employees) we lost our exec. chef, maint. man, prep cook, housekeepers and servers ... My husband and I with NO co-managers, 24/7 cooked, cleaned, fixed problems in building, rented apts., paperwork to corp, etc. by ourselves for weeks ... we were exhausted. If it wasn't for the girls at corp. (payroll, A/R, A/P, help desk) I'd went crazy ... very helpful with questions, on how to do this or that ... they were life savers ... was in daily contact (lots of times in a day) ... BUT we believed in THE TOUCH and we LOVED our residents ... After 7 months in Santa Clara we asked for a transfer closer to our children ... I never cried so much in all my life when we left ... I still get calls and letters from Santa Clara residents ... They made such an impact on me ... I will always love them.
Sept. 2008 we enter Topeka community, our new RD was great, told us this community had been having some problems (management) for a long time, 26 move outs in one month, VERY unhappy residents .. My husband and I knew we had our work cut out for us, a lot of long hours ahead but we believed in THE TOUCH and before long you could see an immediate change in the atmosphere, residents were happy, laughter everywhere, residents coming out of their rooms to see whats happening ... You see my husband and I dressed in costumes (MAID MARION AND ROBIN HOOD) and we'd give out little gift things. thorton bucks (money) ... we brought creativity, energy, FUN ... We were making a difference in our residents lives ... resident satisfaction all time high ... NO complaints ... our RD was happy, we had fixed problems and the residents adored us in a short time, because we loved them and showed them THE TOUCH in everything we did for them ... Life was good in Topeka .. we made great improvements ... We felt good!
Jan. 21, 2009 we received our yearly performance evals .. My husband and I were very pleased with our evals ... excellent evals ... it showed our efforts, our hard work .. we felt good, life was good! Things could only get better .. or so I thought ....
April 13, 2009 our RD showed up after lunch, asked if we could talk privately ... RD, my husband and myself went to our apartment .. Our RD had a termination paper he had to give .. to me .. not my husband .. to me..REASON: not filling out time adjustment sheets correctly ....This is the first time anything has come up, NO ONE in over a year said I was doing it wrong, NOTHING! BELIEVE me if I'd known I wasn't doing it right, I would have changed ... I NEVER knew, I was NEVER told ... until I was relieved of my job ... the job I LOVED! My husband resigned his position, because I was not allowed on property.
I felt (feel) betrayed .. I gave blood, sweat and tears for HRC .. my heart was broke .. how could this be happening!!!
I felt (feel) I let our residents down .. who will take care of them now .. who will be THE TOUCH for them now??
There is not a day goes by that I don't think of the residents there, I still get calls and letters from them ... THE TOUCH that my husband and I worked so hard to show our residents that they deserved ... has once again ... disappeared. All our work ... GONE!
The reason I wrote this ... isn't because I'm angry, but because the residents deserve better .. Stability is important to them, security whos taking care of them.
I didn't fail HRC, HRC failed me .. If I'd been properly trained in all aspects of HRC paperwork, THE TOUCH would still be in Topeka.
Thank you for letting me have my say, maybe someone will read this and the people HRC hires will get proper training, and have a better ending to their story.
Sincerely,
Paula
EX-Manager for HRC
Paula:
Again I express my gratitude to you for your comment.
The emotional hurt is obvious, the puzzlement stands out, and the desire remains strong.
Very powerful and moving words!
With all the comments being made on this website I suggest we all form a committee and create a T.V. show entitled --- "Take This Job And Shove IT --I ain't working here no more". Paula's comments sound reflect the same feeling most of us have ---- there is no way many of the Regional Managers are qualified for their jobs.
Paula, were you ever trained how to fill out time sheets correctly ? If you weren't trained how can someone hold it against you. The ethical thing to do was to have payroll or he RM correct you to make sure you were doing things right. It seems to me that RM's have a quota on how many Managers they must fire each month. Unfortunately they are not firing the right ones. If it makes you feel any better the Fortress Investment stock on Friday was $3.25...after having a high year of $13.85 during the past 52 weeks.
You should go back further and see what FIG was when it went public as compared to what it is now. See Yahoo/Finance/FIG
MONDAY---July 13th---Fortress Investment
stock opens at $2.83.
In the April issue of Vanity Fair there is an article about Fortress investment that indicates that things are not so good.. You can read it on line.
Vanity Fair--April issue--article on Fortress Investment.
It is very revealing about the company. Other articles and comments on the web say that Fortress almost went bankrupt in January 2009.
I literally felt nauseated after reading this, absolutely incredible. I hope you find peace in your future endeavors and hope that your letter did not fall on deaf ears/blind eyes. I shutter to think of this happening across North America.
I have found peace finally...with this site. Thanks to all of you.
Thank you for putting your experiences with Holiday on paper. I know from my own experience that it is very hard to leave a property only to be fired for no good reason at all.
First of all, the RD made a mistake by going into your apartment to fire you. According to the manuals, RD's are not allowed to go into managers and co-managers apartments.
You have great cause to sue Holiday.
Your reviews (per your writing) were great then they need to produce a minimum of 3 write-ups (which are signed by you) in which they gave you warnings about the same "mistakes" you were making. I am sure no such write-ups are on file anywhere.
You must contact a lawyer as soon as possible because it is time Holiday Retirement needs to understand they can not “toy” with peoples lives and emotions.
You never know, it might become a class action lawsuit because perhaps many more previous managers and co-managers would joint such a lawsuit.
Topeka building has always had issues. The residents in that building are amongst the most difficult type residents you can imagine. At one point, many years ago, a resident physically attached the manager (wife). The manager filed a report at the police in Topeka against the resident. The RD at that time (yup, you guessed it: a Blue Light Special) demanded the manager retract the police report and apologize to the resident.
When the manager refused to do so, the RD did everything in his power to have these managers fired. Even after a re-alignment of regions in which that building should have been turned over to another RD, the BLS RD kept that building until he finally was able to fire these managers, I might add here as well, for no good cause. That same BLS RD is still with Holiday today.
Your story is exactly what many new co-managers go through when they start at any building. The first thing the managers do is take vacation and leave the property in the hands of people who are barely trained on the security system let alone anything else.
Paula I wish we could of worked with you and your husband. We had a awful time in 4+ years finding a team that shared our beliefs in taking care of OUR seniors. They wanted to pour coffee and answer the phone(some couldnt even do that they had excuses or something which some how prevented their lazy butts from serving tea, really!) I would of gave blood for a set as awesome as you!!! I have often thought why not get some passionate managers together and make some of the buildings employee owned they may get pretty reasonable to buy! We did treat it like our own and gave the hours like we owned the business.
anonymous, thank you! wish we could have worked together also..we would have been unstoppable! OUR residents would have the team they deserved. Again thank you.
Wow that is a tragic story.
I have been to both Thronton and Las Brisas and both could be the best and the worst giventhe managers. Las Brisas is particularly beautiful.
What happend to you was absolutly tragic, mind blowing incompetance on HRC's side.
Thats what it is all about!! (for anyone thinking of working for Holiday) not enough help and alot of obstacles. They have 3x as many people running a regular apartment building where you go home at night. Too bad they burn out the good ones and when you tell your RD they act like DUH because they have never done it and they should be the shoulder to cry on and understand maybe if they had some type of compassion people would hang in there when calling SOS. Leaving a building is the hardest thing I have ever done 4x but can still keep in touch and am remembered because fortunately the good managers did have THE TOUCH and should of made more effort to keep them. Missed 2 raises in 4 years because changes in RD's
We were wondering if our Apt was bugged. Our managers have mentioned things that wife had discussed the night before. We thought it was coincidence. Guess I will be checking that out on Tuesday and demanding that it be disconnected if it's active.
Simple to have maintenance disconnect the wires. If you have the wall bank (as mentioned in earlier comment) and can listen/talk to residents in their rooms - then your room conversations can also be heard in the office. Usually, if you listen quietly, you can hear a slight buzzing or static sound when your apartment is being 'monitored'.
Thank you all for the great information. We just discovered HRC today and were very excited about the concept particularly since our resumes would have fit so well with the background skills described on the home page. I love the internet since it allows people to see what they would be in for and prevents companies like this from hiding their own evil, greedy and ultimately fatal shortcomings. Again, thank you all so much for your honest input and helping prevent us from making a terrible move. Our jobs already suck (which is, of course, why we are looking for other positions) but this would obviously have been "out of the frying pan into the fire". Best wishes to you all.
Were can I find Rob Bell's FaceBook site. Google doesn't seem to bring it up when I search (other than some singer). Thanks!
http://www.facebook.com/friends/?ref=tn#/JBell54
I believe you are probably referring to the Holiday Alum site that Rob set up. Here is the link:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=63157984760
Go up about 24 comments to July 25 - addy is posted
Wife and I are seriously considering applying with the "other side". If accepted what do you think we could expect when we turn in our two week notice?
If you are not in a position to know what to expect, I would not worry about it. Rather, I'd focus on the positives of your Holiday experience during ALL your interviews.
BURN NO BRIDGES!
You might even suggest to the "other side" that you may need more than the traditional two weeks, just in case you are asked to stay on while your replacements are found - or to help "train" them, etc.
Remember when you used to be able to look for job openings by state and see all the openings Holiday has. Now you have to register, pretty private. I would be ashamed also if I had lost so many good managers.
To all of you that replied to my experience with HRC...THANK YOU!
It has been a difficult 2 1/2 months.I have been told by other people to SUE HRC..thats not me..I prefer to work for my money..
YES, what HRC did, was WRONG in so many ways.I would like to put this behind me, find a new job (have been looking aggressively, no luck yet).Husband and I are looking for something like HRC, we moved to Florida because husband went back to work in construction (it pays the bills)but with this economy even with construction its touch and go.
If possible...could someone let me know other companies like HRC, we loved that job and would love to find another company to work for.
Again THANK YOU to all of you for your input and support.
I have loved your story. I feel very much like you. I dont necessarily want to sue HRC, but I want them to know how bad they wronged me, how bad they wronged you, and how they wronged every other person who remains silent. Sure, I may find this blog to be a way of venting, but more importantly, what you write, what other write are therapeutic and cathargic. I needed to know, my family needed to know that I am not a blabbering, disgruntled, ex-employee. I loved my peoples. I think of them often. Poetic Justice would be that I could return or compete against HRC in a higher level management which I hope to get when I complete my Masters this May. God Bless you and every one for writing!
I have some questions for any of you that worked for Holiday during both the Colson era and the new FIG era; 1. What would you say is the biggest change at the company, why are things seemingly so bad now, and what made them so good before? Did you get a cut in pay? benefits? Do you work more hours now? Do you think that HRC would be experiencing such a significant drop in occupancy if HRC was still owned by Bill Colson? Most importantly, if things are so bad, why do you stay?
Most didnt stay or are looking to leave and some just cant leave because of the economy.
The biggest difference is the lack of knowledge and understanding from the Regional Manager level. During the Colson era, may Regional Managers came from within the company. They promoted good people that had managed a building to RM. That worked very well.
Experienced RM's knew what was right and wrong...what resident relations was all about...and how hard everyone works to make a building successful.
The first thing our RM gave us when we were hired was a book by Bob Farrell called "Give Em The Pickle". That was the philosophy of our RM and we loved it. He left the company because of illness and our region started to fall.
Just before we left, we had a regional manager who visited our building 2 times in 8 months. During those visits he talked with 1 or 2 residents for an hour at a time and never sat down to talk with the managers & co-managers jointly. Also one morning the RM left get-away certificates for the managers & co-managers. He left them on the office desk with a note --"sorry I can't stay --I'm in a rush". We were pouring coffee and didn't even realize he was there. In 8 months, he never talked with any employees.
We resigned from HRC after 3 1/2 years. If the RM had just talked with us about an experience we had, we'd probably still be with Holiday and working hard to keep the buildings full and residents happy. We tried to talk with our RM for one month and he totally ignored us. So we said --- Good bye. Gave our two weeks notice and left. There is absolutely no communications between the building management team and the RM except for the intimidating. threatening, hostile and harsh weekly conference calls. Our previous RM had us share marketing ideas on each conference call. The new RM invites zero positive participation from the management teams.
There is no question that HRC would have better occupancy is still owned by the Colson family. They know the business and what kind of people to hire to make it successful. Many people thought Joe Giambalvo was an easy guy, but he knew how to treat the management team and make them happy.
Advice to the new owners:
TELL YOUR RM'S TO OFFER MORE
COMMUNICATIONS & SPEND ONE FULL
DAY A MONTH OR IN A BUILDING.
TALK WITH THE EMPLOYEES AND
RESIDENTS. FIND OUT WHAT IS
GOING ON.
Also Fortress needs to make sure that each new co-manager couple is properly trained. You can't expect a current building manager to handle the training or 2-4 couples and then run their own building. Have a training person in a designated building.
Also Fortress definitely needs to conduct exit interviews when members of the management team leave. Right now I know a building where 4 sets of Co-managers have left the company after working for one Manager-couple. Unlike other people we have worked with, this couple does nothing to try and make co-managers successful. Under their leadership, we know of no
co's who have ever made it for promotion. They all have quit
I echo the above comments and just want to add --- R.E.S.P.E.C.T. is what the current management at HRC needs to learn. We had the same experience with the RM in our region. He hardly ever visited our building and just yelled at us every week on the conference call. In one year our RM never had a meal with us at our building. We never had a joint meeting with the RM, Manager & Co-Manager together. Thats what you call extremely poor communications. After 7 years with HRC we left. Luckily we had time to find another job together.
If there had been better and more professional interaction with the RM we would still be with HRC. Today I am told that there are many threats of termination. If your maintenance man doesn't have apartments "show-ready" in a day-or-two, after someone moves out, they say he'll be fired. You don't get people to perform with intimidation. Thats what is happening at HRC now.
If GD wants the real story -- call all of the managers & co-managers who have quit in the past 2 years. Have them do an exit interview. Just call the ones who had worked at HRC for over 2 years.
I can't believe the comments by Paula on this blog. After he dedication and hard work she was totally shafted.
I always thought you needed 3 written warnings before termindation unless it was like a felony crime.
I stay in contact with some residents and workers at buildings where we worked and almost all of them say " we have a real (A-blank...H-blank) as a Regional Manager.
Have there been any cuts in staff hours? or in services/amenities? What do you think is the number 1 reason (besides the economy) the occupancy is shrinking? Does anyone know what the Occupancy rate is at now?
The bigest change is managements attitude,and lack of respect.Yes we work more hours,as the workload is heavier and they expect more then one can possibly do in a day.Dollars is what they are looking,with no regard as to how they get them! I do feel Bill Calson would have done everything possible to keep residents and would not have raised the rents like we have seen.Why do we stay,where do we find work????
So... has everyone gone to sleep, or afraid of big brother? I can't believe I have only had two responses to these questions.
Like Bill and Cheryl above, we also worked under both ...and left - of our own accord, by the way - a year and a half after becoming managers and training two sets of co's, one of whom now have their own building. We still correspond with both sets regularly and will always regard them as good friends.
GD, you'll find my response to virtually all your questions in among my earliest posts in this forum - specifically this one:
http://blog.dlcharles.com/2009/02/23/holiday-retirement-corpfortress--beneath-the-veil.aspx#comment-1850368
The reference to John Edwards relates to the sub-prime mortgage mess that continues to impact Fortress in proportions that none of us plebiscites can likely fathom. Speaking of which, I have no fear of "Big Brother" but also choose not to be perceived a burner of bridges.
Who is BIG BROTHER?
Perhaps certain people are afraid of telling/writing here of what they really feel as they (might) still be employed by Holiday.
If you really want to know all of it, why don't you read all these postings here. You'll get a pretty good idea how piss poor FIG and RD's are treating all of the managers and co-manager. Does it answer your question as to who is the better party to be at the helm of the company? I don't think you need to ask that twice. It is pretty obvious who that is.
Anyone hear of FGAM (Field Guide to Active Management)? Seems to be something in the east and I'm not liking what I hear. Is it going company wide?
To all who read this blog, I salute you for letting your feelings flow. Most of you are managers from the field and to hear your stories, is absolutely gut wrenching at times.
I am a former Home Office employee. Someone who had the opportunity to work there while the Colsons still ran the show. While I was there, it was required for Home Office Employees to attend an all day Grass Roots training. Here, we learned of the core values of the company: its mission to care for our seniors. “If you aren’t serving the senior directly, then you better be serving someone who is.” And, “if it’s right for our resident, than it is right for the company.” These were the fundamental principles engrained into the Home Office environment. We were made aware of how challenging the manager’s jobs are and to be patient, and assist them in every way we possibly can.
Senior Housing is a very unique and special industry. It is not, and is in no way similar to renting an apartment to an individual or family (CEO). It is not, and is in no way similar to providing hotel/motel rooms (COO). It is not, and is in no way similar to operating a region of Blue Light retail stores (numerous RDs). Inviting an 85 year old widow to live with you, who has survived the Depression, who has seen the horrors of World War, who has lived in the same house for 40 years, who has prepared meals for herself and her family everyday, who has grown paranoid in a neighborhood of faceless neighbors; is no small task! And then, after you have gained her trust, moved her in, introduced her to new neighbors, involved her in the enriching activities you have to offer, responded to her e-call when she simply couldn’t find the light switch; After all of that, your RD comes to town to give you a pink slip because you didn’t record your payroll variations correctly—I can’t imagine.
There are still a lot of wonderful people at the Home Office, who care about the company, care about the residents, and care about the managers. But, “The Touch” that was once a way of life, seems to have lost its glow and has been relegated to a term that is thrown about to try and inspire the masses: “The Touch” is a Philosophy of living/working/caring/communicating/and connecting. And until you embrace it, until you feel it in every aspect of your life, it will be merely words that will fall on the footsteps of those who are overworked, ignored, criticized, and disconnected.
I really do hope that Holiday regains its luster. The next 20+ years of aging boomers will provide an incredible economic boon to the Senior Housing industry. I’d hate to think that “The company that Bill built,” the pioneer of all senior housing, will allow itself to be eclipsed by its competitors simply because they lost site of what made the company: Providing The Touch everyday, to everyone.
Does anyone care to post a comparative of duties performed/hrs. worked ? What percentage of daily tasks are managerial ? What percentage of tasks are non-managerial ? Total hours worked on weekly average? Former and current managers/co-managers are encouraged to respond. Spread the word !
Manager schedule:
Sunday --- On call 7am--actual 7:30 --finish 8:00 pm on call all night
Monday --- 7:30am finish 8:00 pm on call all night.
Tuesday ---7:30am to 3:30 pm
Wednesday ---11:30am to 8:00pm on call all night
Thursday ---7:30am to 3:30pm--Off Duty
Friday ---Off
Saturday --Off
Total: 49 1/2 hour working
34 hours on call
_______________________________________
The co-manager.
Sunday --off 7am
Monday --Off
Tuesday---11:30 to 8:00pm--on call all night
Wednesday---7:30am to 3:30pm
Thursday--11:30am to 8:00pm On call all night
Friday ---7:30am to 8:00pm on call all night
Saturday ---7:30am to 8:00pm on call until 7am
Total ---49 1/2 hours working
46 hours on call
You work at each meal for about 1 1/2 hours pouring coffee and helping serve.
Part of your day is devoted to marketing and making calls to prospects. You need to do community visits and leave them with marketing material.
You are generally kept busy all day with management duties, resident concerns, requests and resident relations.
If a housekeeper, dining room server or
dishwasher fails to report to work--- You are it. If the phone rings between 6:30 and 7:45am it is usually someone calling in sick.
Being on call means that if a resident needs anything, you must respond to their room. They all have emergency pull cords.
I always was under the impression that the management team must be dressed professionally with men--shirt/tie...and women professional. I was recently in two buildings and the whole management team had on polo shirts.
It is a great job if the management team & regional manager have respect for each other. If you treat all the residents fairly and kindly they love you. Many times you replace their children and they become very close to you.
Many times because the lack of co-managers you get burned out for working 24/7. Even if you work 2,3,4 or 5 weeks straight, the company doesn't give you any additional compensation or days off. With no co-managers workjing the company is saving a minimum $800 per week and it would hurt them to slip you an extra $500 per week to keep the building running and the residents happy.
Its not a bad job if everybody gets along and shows up for work.
Thank you. The schedule sounds accurate but how many folks worked the schedule as opposed to working 65 to 70 hrs per week? How many folks spent the bulk of their time doing non-managerial tasks because hourly workers were absent and or had their hours cut to the point that "management" staff spent the bulk of their time filling in for hourly workers? I speak from personal experience and know there are many others in this situation. How many co-managers out there are not given authority to make management decisions? This sound familiar to anyone?
To clarify my last comment about working 65 to 70 hrs per week, I would like to add that these totals do not include on call hours, nor are the hours reflected voluntarily offered. It's heart wrenching to witness a "for profit" organization taking advantage of good, caring people. I know what "The Holiday Touch" means to the sincere and decent people on this blog. Harvest management on the other hand, is exploiting this phrase for free labor. I will continue to help others and have considered volunteering my time to a "non-profit" organization so that my acts of kindness can remain pure. Possibly a blog should be started under the name "Behind the Mask" of Holiday Retirement. What they are doing is criminal and possibly falls under RICO. Now is the time to speak up if you have been missled, used up, exploited, and/or threatened with loss of employment for opposing these violations of the law.
Thanks for the responses to my questions, as a concerned customer I see that a lot of people are moving out of our community with no one moving in. Is this happening everywhere? Is Holiday losing customers everywhere? Our local manager will not tell me how the company is doing as far as growing or losing business.
I sat through 12 interviews with my RD to fill a new marketing position (after hours) hired a marketer and he started at 35,000 yr no nights or weekends PLUS get this I had 4 apartments rented for move ins on the 1st of the month in the mean time he started and was given on top of his salary for 40 hours 750.00 per each of my move ins!!
Also we went to a company meeting in Dallas and were so Happy we got a call our 5th apartment was rented in the month and we told our RD and DM the DM said THEY ARENT MOVED IN YET! Well they all moved in then our RD brought a fine print paper in saying it didnt raise the average census for the year it had been 1% higher before this and we did NOT get our measly 500.00 to split with co's.
Oh but he did tell us he really wanted to give it to us well he did give it to us you know where!!
That was the straw that broke our backs to QUIT
I am angry with FIG I feel they robbed us of our passion for serving seniors
It seems like everything FIG does lately makes good people quit. FIG is totally stupid in not paying people a bonus for renting an apartment. So many good people have quit the company it is very sad. The lack of experienced people managing buildings has taken its toll on census. There seems to be a strong attitude that "we don't care" if you quit the job after 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 years of dedicated service. Apparently FIG is baking on the fact that Sunrise Senior Living may file for bankruptcy. FIG thinks all of the Sunrise clients will move into a Holiday building. First, it isn't firm that Sunrise is folding. Second, Sunrise is predominately Assisted Living and Nursing Homes. If FIG wants to change the independent living aspect of Holiday, then maybe they can accept the Sunrise clients.
Has anyone heard if Holiday is still planning to build any new buildings this year ?
If FIG is waiting for the babyboomers to get old and need an independent retirement home. They should rethink because many kids are just having their parents move near them. At $3000 a month at Holiday, they can spend $100 a day on food and daily living.
Many of us have the passion to serve seniors and love the Holiday residents.
It is too bad there are so many inferior RM's.
We saw the same thing happen to a marketing person in a new building.They were cut out because of a percentage point,no one got a bonus.
I'll bet the RD & DM got their bonus!
I think Fortress wants to get rid of the old timers,then they will not hear how it was done before them.The new people will not be exposed to the real Holiday Touch only the Fortress version.
I want all of you to know that as of this moment (Friday July 10, 2009 @ 7:47 PM) almost sixteen thousand people have read what you have written on here. That is very, very good for a "Niche Blog" spread by word-of-mouth only. You are becoming a force to be heard! I congratulate each and everyone of you for your efforts.
Keep the word spreading and make it grow. I can also tell you that some of your viewers are from FIG, as well as HRC, and the "competition". What you are saying is how it is!
I received an email inquiring what I wanted to gain from this blog. In all honesty - Nothing at all from a personal standpoint. If there is ever a 'gain' of any type it will be that some changes happen in the corporate mind structure because they actually listened to what you say and take some suggestions to heart. Hey, it could happen.
If it doesn't, I will comfortably and safely prophesy the demise of Holiday Retirement/Fortress in the not-too-distant future.
NOTE: Before I could type this and upload it the count was wrong - it is OVER 16,000.
Thanks for starting this Charles. This is a way for people to express THE TRUTH.
Please correct me if I'm wrong....
Many of us would still be working for HRC if things were done the original way and many of the buildings would have a better census because of that.
All the new (untrained) people is one of the big reasons census has fallen.
You can never replace experience and dedication.
Bill:
Thank you! It has been, and still is, truly an honor for me to have done so. Reading all the comments written on here I am constantly struck by what a great group of individuals we were a part of for a time. My wife and I have talked about the "What-Ifs" and will say "Yes", it is possible we would not have resigned if we had been treated in a more humane manner. By this I primarily mean the company keeping their word to us.
During a corporate Human Resources investigation we handed a District Manager our written resignation, but agreed to remain until the investigation was over (will be included online as this develops). We had been with Holiday barely two months at this time. Our RD came up to me and stated he was sorry we were leaving and wished there was something he could say to make us change our minds, but it was only a 'formality' without any sincerity. The investigatory meetings continued and my wife and I were asked to attend a different meeting. At the table were the District Manager, our Regional Manager, and the Director of Human Resources. We sat down and were surprised to be asked by the DM what it would take for us to stay with Holiday.
I replied insofar as I was concerned - Nothing would change my mind. Then I admit to adding a 'qualifier' by stating, "If you can convince my wife I'll go along with her decision." From that point on I literally sat quietly as they and my wife started dealing. End result was the managers would be out of there, all write-ups against certain individuals (written by those managers) would be removed from the employees's files because of bias by the managers. We were offered an upscale training potential relocation or staying where we were. My wife stated we liked the community we were in and were willing to stay as permanent Cos IF, repeat IF, Holiday brought in a set of managers who knew and operated THE TOUCH so we could be better trained. Without so much as a missed beat the DM asked my wife if she would accept the managers being re-trained at another location. She responded she did not think it would make a bit of difference in their Gestapo-like methods to attempt re-training, but as long as they disappeared from our community so they could not hurt the residents anymore she could accept that -IF they were monitored closely. Bottom line - she and Management reached an agreement. I was asked if I stood behind what I had told them - and I did - we stayed. The managers were not re-trained, simply sent to another community as new managers until their termination, along with the biggest crock of bull dookie being fed to the residents I have ever heard about why they suddenly were leaving. The residents didn't buy any part of it!
We stayed by hanging on to the "Oregon-or-Bust" spoken of earlier. This blog starts out with three 'letters' of sorts. I received the Heart of Holiday Award because I dared to speak the truth - and those at Home Office who judged the submissions at Leadership Academy chose to recognize that truth and give me credit for having stated it. That took courage on their parts - real courage!
We left because we were ordered to another community over four-hundred miles away under the guise of, "I try to have Cos be at three or four buildings before they become Managers." We had approximately ten minutes to make a decision of acceptance or rejection. (Now remember that Holiday claims a transfer or promotion can be refused without any adverse or retaliatory action by the company.) When my wife declined the offer we were told there was no choice. She responded there is always a choice - and the rest is on the blog.
We went through a very close situation like that with our regional. Time after time he told us we were next in line to become managers, but each time someone else would get the position. He always had an excuse why we didn't get it and said next time was ours. We worked as cos in two states and moved every time he told us to. Almost three years we waited then we quit. We work regular jobs now and have a life again, but we still miss the residents at every community we worked but grew tired of the lies and being used.
WE basically had the same situation. We were offered one managers job, but refused it because the place was like a nursing home. There we 12 open apartments and we needed to take another 12 residents out because they should have been in a nursing home. We were transferred to another region and nothing happened regarding us becoming managers. We ended having the managers-from-hell. They forced us into looking for another job and we luckily found one. They actually did us a favor. At our last building only 2 visits from the regional manager in 8 months. Never any good words while we were 100% for 6 months. Now the building has 10-12 openings. They have had 3 or 4 co-managers in 1 1/2 years. Unstability creates the census to drop --- no question. After 4 years we resigned and sadly left the residents whom we all adored. There is another thing wrong with Holiday now --- many buildings are not getting along as a TEAM. The managers say "its my building" and you do it my way. We stay in touch with some residents and it sounds like Holiday is becoming a nursing home. If a person has a heart beating and they can write a check -- come on in. This is ruining Holiday. The real independent living people don't want to live in a nursing home. In one building they deliver all three meals to 6-8 people every day. I always thought there was a policy that meals would only be delivered for recovering from a sickness or operation for a responsible length of time.
If you those FIG and Holiday people dare to identify themselves on here, perhaps we would have a good dialogue going in which people could express their true feeling without being penalized of loosing their jobs yet being able to say anything they want and perhaps those folks from FIG and Holiday could learn something they otherwise would not hear about. The sad thing of it all is, Holiday sold the company to FIG. It will never be the good old Holiday again where managers as well as co-managers (in certain areas) were able to speak up. FIG has a much different idea of running the company. What do you expect of a "failed" Wall Street financial company. The Colson's and co. got 6.8 Billion and left the company and as much as I sit here, type my little fingers on this key board complaining about how it used to be and what the screw-ups of Regional Directors, Regional Maintenance and other folks are doing to the current Holiday, NOTHING is going to bring back the old HRC EVERRRRRRRRRRRRR.
I hate it as much as all of you do and as much as I would love to see the old Holiday mentality coming back, I promise you it will never happen.
We can only hope that the upper management from FIG realizes that they have a bunch of idiots as Regional Directors running around destroying their investment.
And who knows, maybe that is what FIG wants!!!!!!! FIG certainly has not answered Charles's letter did they? They have not come on this blog and openly communicated with all of us, did they?
So all in all, if you still work for Holiday and you hate it, get out and MOVE-ON as Marilyn always said.
If you want to stay, LEARN HOW THE KISS THE ASS OF YOUR RD as they control your destiny. FIG does not care about you. Holiday does not care about you. So why do you care about them. Love your residents and do the best you can.
And the weekly conference calls?
Put it on speaker, walk out of the office and come back later and hang up. of tell the RD you have an emergency and hang up. Simple. Done it many times because we got sick and tired of them whining about occupancy. Screw them. They have never done what we are all doing on a day-to-day basis.
And as Charles said, many many people are reading this blog. As long as you keep this going and being able to vent a little, enjoy your own life. You eat for free, you get all the coffee/tea/juices you can drink and have no expenses other than what you want to spend.
Go with the flow and just stop caring so much about Holiday. They don't care about you.
Do to them what they do upon you/us.
Or.....we can all collectively leave the company. I mean every single manager and co-manager teams from every single building all on the same day and time.
Do you think that would send a message to those idiots? Yeah yeah I know, the residents are getting hurt.
You can also do another thing.....unionize like it is in Canada. FIG would sell the company in a NY minute.
Achmed:
That is a GREAT COMMENT! I am applauding you (for real).
Your comment puts it all into a nice neat little package and even ties the bow around it. Great job!
You may not believe me about this, but there are actually companies who start a company blog or forum where any employee is able to do exactly what you just suggested. Those companies found out very quickly how beneficial it was - morale went up, costs often went down almost immediately - because the workers were LISTENED TO and given respect for having some intelligence.
D. L. Charles
AMEN !!!
wow the traffic on this blog has slowed down
Must be because now a lot of people have become afraid of writing something since they now know that Holiday manaement and FIG management are reading these blogs.
I have checked with out side IT companies and was told that as long as you do not use your own name, no one can find out who you are.
Obviously, the management people from Holiday and FIG have ignored my challenge to come on here and openly discuss what is on people's mond.
I did not expect them to accept the challenge anyway but still people have become afraid.
It just shows how the management operates at Holiday:
Management by Intimidation.
Achmed:
You may be correct - I hope not. There may also be another reason, but first let me clarify. I set this blog up with the safeguards to protect anyone who chooses to comment. In most cases no email address is needed, any name one makes up should work. One does not have to 'register' as a member or give out personal information to post a comment. The only person who can remove a comment, edit a comment, or make any changes whatsoever to anything on here - is ME! - and I only do so when the writer double posts or requests for it to be done. No one can track, trace, or otherwise find out who anyone is on here unless that particular individual chooses to let themselves be known. At least every other day I save all files on this blog to a flash drive in order to always have a backup. It is set up as a "No-Holds-Barred", "non-Marquis of Queensbury rules" to allow anyone the opportunity to have their say whether positive, negative, or anything in-between.
Confidentiality is prime - and I will always respect the right of confidentiality. Sadly, all of the above cannot convince those who labor under a conviction of subordinate behavior. I started with GoDaddy several years ago, after using several other host servers, because Bob Parson (owner) is a man of conviction. As long as the GoDaddy strictures are observed by me, as the 'lessee', no one has the authority to remove it or attempt to control. His employees feel toward him the way most of you felt about Bill Colson.
Also understand it is natural for 'slow periods' to occur. People will grow tired of the 'same-o, same-o' - it might even slow to a halt. But again, even if it does it will still remain online via this blog for a long time. Insofar as HRC and FIG reading what is written - wonderful! Like Achmed, I will again offer an invitation for them to come aboard and have their say - and will offer them the same protection as everyone else. Will it happen - probably not. I will go even farther and offer an "online chat time" of their choosing.
I was a chef with Holiday Retirement for over 7 years. I did everything from PM cook to floater to executive chef. I was always put into buildings that needed help. Lots of help at my final post. The managers did not like me or the fact I was trying to get the building in line with Holiday Guidelines. In fact they told staff and residents that they didn't want me there and would fire me at the first opportunity they could. Well their chance came on June 15th. Many other chefs in the company were very angry that horrible managers with a threatening manner were allowed to stay while I was terminated for doing my job according to Holiday standards. My regional chef was not aware as she would have done everything possible to keep with the company. I was a highly valuable asset in my experience alone now I stand on the brink of bankruptcy about to lose my home. Meanwhile those managers continue to get away with their spiteful dictatorship of the facility. If I were to ever call a resident a backstabbing traitor or my staff and resident "F...Ing idiots" I would leave immediately with my Regionals and Divisional at my doorstep packing my things for me. This is what happened to me. I was very loyal to holiday before the sale however now I have seen better facilities for lower cost and will never refer anyone to Holiday again. Thank You.
A real manager would of really begged for a person like you ! My last chef cheated the residents like crazy. As far as being bankrupt I am am almost there also, I saved 20,000 to leave the hell hole situations they put me in Last community I managed yes it did have problems and probably still does) after 4 years of dedication. I am down to 3,000 that may last 6-8 weeks. After all of your experience you should be in demand for more pay. God looks out for everyone I have become more spiritual and trust in him and this week 3 - 2nd interviews I never thought it would turn out and was worried and depressed. Now I have a good problem deciding where I want to work. It will happen to you also get out there and market yourself like no other!
As a former floating and Executive Chef, I totally know what you are feeling. The same BS for me too. But I really believe there was more of a personal vendetta against me. I feel for my residents because they are suffering from the fallout of my leaving and the quality of food that has become the level of cafeteria or nursing home.
Check it out and start a discussion:
http://groups.google.com/group/holidaytouch
Why start a discussion on Google? This site works just fine and I feel much more secure on it then Google.
Do you really thing we ALL are that stupid?
If you want to try to find out who some of the people are that are commenting on this blog than just come on here and identify your self.
If anyone is stupid enough to leave messages on Google, they will be able to track it.
This site is protected and no one has to be afraid of being found out who you are.
So, Holly Tudge, you are not dealing with idiots. This blog is perfectly ok.
ATTN: Anyone wanting to leave a message, do NOT do it on Google.
It is the same for employees who are told they are safe to go to their HR to help them solve sexual inapproiate behavior. They get fired and are never able to have resolved, this happened to one of the manager here.
Yea Disillusioned I agree this is the best and important people that count are on this site!!!
Holly did you read the restrictions on that site???? Apparently must be a corporate site EVERYONE IS FORBID to post then who can you tell me
Anonymous - If that is your real name - you can establish and retain your anonymity on Google just as you do here. I did.
Why would you want to go to Google when this blog is perfectly ok for everyone?
Why do you insist on moving to Google?
Can you explain this?
In my mind you must have some sort of reason to have us move to Google When I trust this site as well as Charles much more then what you are trying to do.
You don't like it, then you talk to the hand on Google by your self.
People feel much more secure here.
Bye Bye to you, Holly Turd
Description: for google!!For unofficial but rational and respectful discussion and expression of opinion -or inquiry- regarding the operation and management of Holiday Retirement and its communities. Posting is restricted to current, former, or potential employees or residents.
The restriction "...to current, former, or potential employees or residents."
would not seem to exclude anybody, if you really think about it.
If I may:
Checking out the site I am puzzled by there being no opening 'blurb', or entry, by the initiator. Clicking on the "more group info" at the lower right corner brings up access rules. The use of the word "managers" leads one to consider more than one 'moderator', plus one can apparently only post a comment if a member, then one must be a member to view the member list. Reads like the standard Facebook or My Space format. Join in and invite your friends social type online event.
If it turns out to be a plausible it will make me a happy camper. I might even join in, but I have a problem with being on a 'list' of any kind - am on too many as it is now. Heck, I spend more time deleting or hiding all of the quizzes and 'joined things' people do on Facebook which gets posted on my wall than I want to. I like my 'privacy' - and if I choose to break said privacy it is my choice, not a strictured criteria of membership.
If the 'unofficial group' is potentially corporate, and it insists on a member sign-up then count me out. I did subscribe to it and will see what happens. The more sites such as this one which spring up and grow then the more 'clout' affecting Holiday/Fig.
Anybody can view group content
Only members can view group members list
Anyone can join
Only managers can create and edit pages
Only managers can upload files
Only members can post
I guess everyone has choices (former employees)but I opt NO! I think most of us do.
Holly - anonymous of course isnt my name because most dont use names on this blog as you have noticed.
Nope, no discussions at all yet; but it looks like two of us have already joined, anyway.
Leave a notation of your status* in your profile. Ask to become a MANAGER so you can invite others.
*STATUS - with respect to your relationship to Holiday [i.e: position, past or present maybe even a resident]
seems like Holly is trying to distract people from the good work this blog is doing, and by doing so dilute any power for change it may achieve. Just like any pest, ignore her and she will go away.
The conversation that Charles has started is just fine....
The new one seems a little scary to me, from the aspect that it is being organiozed by FIG or Holiday. I just checked it and nobody has responded. In fact didn't I read somewhere recently that FIG was hiring someone to deal with anti-internet sites & comments ? If Holly wants to get something going, she should start some comments herself and then that should be followed by some of her friends.
I appauld the comment by "missing the good old day"... It is unbelieveable how Holiday Retirement has badly changed since the Colson days. THE Blue Light Guys are running it right into the ground. These Regional Managers should not just be hanging around the individual builings when something goes bad. How about when something good happens, the RM says the building Managers & Co-Managers I'm giving you an extra day off. I'm working for you. ( I know I'm dreaming )
Reply to The Dreamer can be found at the Google Group site.
DL- time to delete Holly Trudge, even her name makes me angry.
Holly needs to talk to herself,no one should reply,why kill a good thing.
Bart Colson visited a building underconstructionlast year and made the comment to the marketers that Fig is trying to recreate the program. The problem is they are trying to do things that we tried years ago and they did not work!
The BLS could not run KMart and they killing Holiday.I know of one building that had new co's running the building with no help,mgrs were on sick leave this went on for several months.The BLS went into the building twice never for more then a few min.When a new mgr was hired they were transfered.They never got a kind word for the RM.That building is at 79% was a 100% building for years.Your comment about a RM working for a day or two covering for mgrs was at one building a promise from the BLS if you can do this I will cover for you for two days!!! They did what he had asked but never saw the RM when it came time to do what he had promised.This blog is a great way to vent & most everyone is doing just that.I feel Holly is in to bed with the Fig group???
Everyone please:
Give Holly a chance. It is hoped that more sites develop in order to offer a larger variation of discussion potentials. I am completely in favor of this. When this blog began it was no more, and no less, than a single individual's placement on the internet -- YOU made it into something feasible, not me.
And the same can be done on Holly's discussion group, or any other which starts up. There is not, and never will be, a 'competition' with another site per se. Sooner or later there will have to be a site set up by HRC simply because they will have no choice. All of you, along with almost twenty-thousand readers now, have created a conduit of information regarding senior lifestyle care, salary, work ethics, etc. which is beginning to reach others. This "reach" goes beyond just Holiday and Fortress. It has created a spotlight on the failures of the "private-corporate-greed-driven-senior care industry", with its effect on every level of residents and employees.
Thank you!
Yea but we love your site DI dont wanna have to search all over to communicate whats good for this one should be good for everyone.
DL, Although I understand your posturing, I agree with Anonymous; the more we can keep discussions in one place, the easier it will be for all involved to read and comment without going to numerous other locations.
I believe most of the comments left on your blog have been professional and not just venting. We are all mature adults and have the ability to raise issues and concerns without sinking into unsubstantiated allegations and malicious rants. All of us are here because we developed a stronger sense of compassion for the residents of Holiday managed communities. We truly care about there future and we are worried that the new regime changes are adversely affecting these wonderful people. FIG and New Holiday need to listen to these comments--and rather than just write them off as the rants of disenfranchised former employees, they need to understand that we understand that this is a business and tough decisions need to be made, but at what cost? Would they make the changes they are and treat managers the way they do if their parents/grand-parents lived in a Holiday Community.
Let's keep our comments live, keep them professional, and keep them here.
I thought you might find the following rather humourous - or maybe just a little strange.
My wife and I have been sitting at the kitchen table this morning having casual conversation over our morning coffee. She is trying to get over a terrible cough and feels awful. Anyway, we're sitting at the table, looking out the window at a very large water moccasin slither its way across the yard toward the field out back, when my wife glances up at the wall clock and says, "Well, it's 8:36 AM. Right about now we would be getting ready to sit down for our breakfast if all the servers showed up."
I looked at her in puzzlement for a moment, then it clicked - she was thinking about the community again. We have been officially resigned since January 03 of this year, and away from the community just over six months, yet we still feel the pull of the concept. On a daily basis I cannot begin to add up how many times we relate something from, or about, Holiday. Either we are both "over-the-wall" or failing to completely move on. I'm not sure which it is. Ironically enough, almost the same thought had been nibbling at the back of my own mind just before she said it.
What is it? What is the beckoning strength which continues to draw a concern for the residents and staff, plus why does it do so? We left the company, but the pull hasn't faded completely away. Why hasn't it?
I retired from a company after over thirty years and do not experience thoughts or concerns about co-workers and company. I put a lot of people back into jail as a bail bondsman, but I never think about them anymore - same with the time when I was in law enforcement. Once I finish a novel I am "done-with-it" and it gets tucked away. What creates such a difference that we have not been able to do the same with Holiday? I truly would like to know.
I am a reasonably intelligent human being, fairly well read and educated, have studied psychology - yet so far it eludes me as to this clinging concern. After my wife's statement this morning the conversation then centered on various residents and staff of the community. Not exactly a positive conversation for a lazy Saturday morning when the weather is too unsettled to take the boat out for some fishing and my wife isn't feeling well.
How did "THE TOUCH" get so embedded in us that we appear unable to let it go? Someone help me out here, please.
I know what the pull is for me, and although I am a former home office person, I think the idea is the same. To FIG "The Touch" is a tag line, a motto, a buzz word. To "old" Holiday, it is an ideal, a possibility, a goal. When I first started, I thought I was dreaming. Every bit of training I had, every meeting I went to, there was one constant - What's good for the resident is good for Holiday. There was no mention of money, money, money, just family, working together. Of course we knew it was a business, we weren't working in a dream world, but if you take care of your residents, of course they will stay in the building, and bring their friends too. I started in a department where I had hourly interactions with managers. I was trained to always treat them with the utmost respect. Always to keep in mind that my job was from 8-5, and I got to go home. The manager on the other end of the line though didn't have that luxury, and could have just answered my call after cleaning a toilet, giving a tour, or finding a deceased resident in their apartment. It wasn't up to them to make my life easier at Home Office, it was up to me to ease their burden in whatever way I could. That was a number of years ago, but those early lessons stuck with me, and changed me. Could we all really work together for the betterment of the person next to us? Could I make the manager smile while they were on the phone with me, and could they in turn put that phone down and make a residents day a little brighter? The challenge was to remember that there was an elderly person out there who had worked and saved their entire life, and was now choosing to use it to pay my salary. I owed that person something in return. I owed them my very best, every day. The feeling that gives you is undescribable. We had Bill, Bart, Sheryl, Denny, Mark, and so many others to remind us that the expectation was the same from the top down. They lived it every day. I saw these people in the hall daily, they didn't sit up on the third floor behind closed doors and make major decisions without looking into the eyes of those who were affected by them. I know that the new employees at Home Office over the last 2 years don't get those same lessons, but there were enough "Old" Holiday people left to show them by example. To talk of Bill and share his vision on an informal level. With the major "lay off" in February, and subsequent firings, there are so few "old" Holiday folks left that the lesson is being lost. New lessons are being learned though, and as much as I miss my co-workers, I am not sure they are lessons I would be able to live with.
A tip of my hat to you! VERY well done!
Here, here... I still say they made a big mistake by not renaming the company when they had the chance. After blowing $1.5m on a new logo that was already in use by another company, why not start from scratch. Let the employees know that there IS a new direction, tell them what that direction is, let them know that they are all available to come on board, but if they do, let the old Holiday go! It is over, it is time to move on. Quit trying to BS your way along. What is wrong with effective communication? Actually, what is wrong with just plain communication? To not know ANYTHING from day to day is horrible. To hide the census results is stupid! How can a team join forces when all they are given are blinders to where?? The people that have been hired in the office are clueless. The H/R guy is not approachable and very difficult to communcate with. The decisions he has made tell enough story. Where did he come from? Come on Jack, stand up to the plate and make the RIGHT decsions! PLEASE!!
This is one of the best posts on here describing what Holiday used to be about. Home Office was there to serve--MD's served--RM's served--Mgrs. & Co's served. PEOPLE FIRST, product second and profit was what resulted from focusing on the first two priorities. Now profit is what matters and people are simply instruments to achieve that goal. Before this mindset came along, I can remember talking with my own spouse about how the leadership above you were such great people that you WANTED to do good, for them. No one needed to rule with an iron fist (at least in our case--it was just a delight to work for who we did!) I'm very sad to hear that there is mgmt. out there who have not espoused this same attitude. I think people that manage with harsh words and threats aren't truly leaders, as those who lead also know how to motivate and inspire greatness in those around them.
I will say that the negative attitude toward the "Blue Light Specials" was sort of funny at the beginning of this blog, but has become somewhat of a derangement as you continue reading. I don't know who is being referenced but can assure you I know a couple of so-called BLS's and they are fine people. The one I've had closest contact with is a true leader, gentleman, full of "The Touch" and a person who LOVES the residents! So it really is unfair to keep lumping a group of people together who may be NOTHING alike. I'm sorry for the bad experiences that you may have been subjected to--but what you describe are personal problems not necessarily related to where a person worked before or what business they were in.
I'm of the opinion that you've either got "the Touch" or you don't. If it's not in you, it's not really something anyone can train or force upon you. Rude people come from ALL OVER THE PLACE--not just Kmart.
The frustration on this site is no doubt very valid. Trust me, I'm a nobody and am completely frustrated with the turn this company has taken. Holiday Retirement used to be a VERY SPECIAL company that was an absolute PRIVILEGE to work for. It has turned into a fairly run-of-the-mill place now, where folks are ALL putting in long hours with dwindling personal lives. Family life is something that the corporate machine does not take time to consider. I'm disappointed about things myself.
However, some of the things that are being said and praised on this site make me scratch my head. There are some really rude, bitter and borderline obnoxious comments. Yet you may wonder why you never got promoted?? I'm with you on being angry when people treat you badly; honest, I get mad, too. But you can't act as badly as the people you're complaining about and expect to accomplish anything productive. You may rattle people's cages and get them to join in (the ol' misery loves company), but you're just making yourself look bad and taking away your own credibility.
I'm merely a "color commentator" who's been quietly observing.
I absolutely agree with you. To say that all of the RMs/DMs that are "outsiders" are not doing their job is incorrect. Most managers that I have talked to believe that an "outsider" is any RM/DM that wasn't first a community manager, and that the only way to lead their people is to have been a manager before. I disagree totally. There is one DM in particular, and could be the same person of whom you speak that came from the retail world, yet he is just filled with the touch. It wasn't too long ago, maybe 4 or 5 years that almost every regional had been a former manager, yet many of these folks were let go (while Holiday was still owned by the Colsons) because they were horrible managers, who ruled with an iron fist and refused to hear any new ideas or input from their managers because they had "been there done that" and they thought their way was the only successful way. You are exactly right, the touch can't be forced on you. And if you have it, it's important to keep it constantly renewed. It would go a very long way if a so called Blue Light were to come in, talk with the managers and say, hey, I've not run a building before. Show me what you do. Have them shadow the managers for a day or two. Poor the coffee, call bingo, plunge the toilet
Attitude Determines Altitude,
I must say you do make some excellent points.
I am one of those people who is harping very hard on these BLS people simply and only for ONE reason and ONE reason only. They get onboard with Holiday Retirement (and we all know who is brought them into the company) however, those former Kmart people come into the region and start telling managers and co-manager (who have been in their buildings for many years, in a lot of cases) what they should do and what they should not do when those folks from Kmart have not spend a solid month running a building day and night. They start telling you how to make a DI call??? When we challenge them to show us and make some of those DI calls they run away.
These Kmart folks have no clue how to run a building yet they are coming into a region with such a force that it has become a joke. The respect level for those Kmart people is nowhere to be found. I always believe that one has to earn respect. Obviously that works both ways but those “new Regional’s (ex Kmart and now ex Marriott) have to power to fire people instantly. I have been in a region where we went thought 11 regional directs in less than two years. Each one of them had different opinions as to how a building should be run. How much do you think a manager and co-manager couple can take?
So yes I agree, those BLS people are all lumped together. I am sure there are some good ones to yet…. Don’t come into a region make all sorts of promises, don’t keep any of them and think you have earned the respect.
So many times managers have been promised a simple thing as a review and a salary increase based on such a review and than those reviews were never done let alone a salary increase being given. Those BLS folks have promised so much and never followed though on their promises. Seen it many, many times.
So if you wonder why we make so many jokes about the BLS people, the reasons are very obvious. One of the VERY best ex Kmart people a lot of us know is Dick Glaunert.
There is absolutely no doubt about the heart and soul that man has poured into Holiday Retirement over the years but….. The difference here is he cared for his managers/co-managers and pooled all managers/co-managers, in his region, together and work together to make his entire region one of the best regions in the country.
You can only do one thing for Dick Glaunert and that is respect him with a capital R.
That does not mean the rest of these BLS’ers earn the same respect.
You get what you give. If you give BS then you get BS.
Same goes for FIG. They give BS so they get BS. It is clearly seen in the census of the entire company, which by the way also counts for Brookdale. People who work in buildings at Brookdale feel the exact same way as currently is felt at Holiday Retirement.
Your points are valid in many ways but see it from the other side as well.
Oh, if only all the RM/DM's were like Dick Glaunert. He is such a quality person, I have such respect for him. He gets results, and doesn't beat anyone up to get them.
Hear, Hear! I could not agree more.
Would you believe he came from K-mart?
You couldn't meet a more caring person than Dick Glaunert or one who treats those who work for him any better. THAT'S a fact and I pray that those at the home office realize what a gem they have in him! It would seem that he is adored by all who know him.
That being said, he also hired a couple guys from Kmart who have those same qualities. And, if I'm not mistaken, in Dick's former region, the RD's were actually trained by doing some of the duties of the managers, including renting at least one apartment. Let me say again, grouping these RD's into one negative lump isn't fair. There actually ARE RD's who would do absolutely ANYTHING for the residents and take very good care of their managers, including going out on a limb when necessary to defend them. There are RDs who I've heard actually have their team take over the dining room on occassion so that the managers can go out to dinner. These guys truly have "the touch" and it's a shame more of the RDs, from what you say, are night-and-day different from these guys.
As I said before, true leaders inspire and motivate to bring out the best in those around them.
It was obvious things were-a-changin' last fall when home office decided they weren't going to even give their employees in the communities a holiday turkey anymore. That was an ominous sign that "people" just fell down a number of notches on the proverbial totem pole. There are few things that home office can do to personally show their appreciation and that was one small gesture. An easy assumption to make is that management at that level doesn't understand how to relate to regular folks and what that small token meant. But...I suppose to be fair, we really don't know what kind of pressure Fortress is applying.
I just wish we could rewind the company back even two years, when this place was exciting and you were proud to work here. Now like far too many companies, you just wonder what's coming next.
I'm really scared for the future of Holiday. They can make all the profit in the world, but if they don't come back around to putting "people first" (residents AND employees) they will still be an ultimate failure in the most important sense. There's just so much more to life than the all-mighty dollar.
These are the things that I wish Callison and Fortress would realize, if they were reading this. Of course profit is important; you need it to run the company. But more importantly, how many people's LIVES, HAPPINESS, FAMILIES are you holding in the palm of your hand while you attempt to amass great sums of wealth? Every decision you make has a ripple effect that is being felt. Oh, how much more to life there is than "proft", spreadsheets, "the books"..... Holiday Retirement until recently was a company that understood that. They made a tidy profit while "doing the right thing". It's sad to watch a gem like that being ruined.
Wow, thank you. You put it all down in a nut shell and very well written.
For those of you lucky enough to have been able to go to Maui, wasn't just a fantastic trip?
That is what Holiday Retirement was all about. You worked hard, you "played" hard and we all were PROUD TO BE A PART OF IT ALL.
Thank you again. You wrote this very well.
I worked with Dick Glaunert when he first came on at HRC. He was easy to get along with and communicated professionally. He is a quality person and a very good manager of people and situations. Dick, if you are reading this, I hope you are faring well and take care.
Anyone that agrees with anonymous please comment
I agree. This blog is one of the best items for people to communicate with each other.
As I have said before, you want to go to the Google blog, trust me, they will be able to locate you. It is said that an IT person at Holiday was promoted to the executive office a couple of months ago.
Perhaps this same person is now trying to have everyone go to the Google site so that we can be tracked.
This site is safe and no one can track who you are.
Charles has done a fantastic job with this blog.
THANK YOU Charles for making it possible for people to stay in touch with each other.
FIG and the New Holiday can not stop anyone leaving messages here.
I know they'd love to be able to track it just like they listen-in to all phone calls made out of the offices of the buildings.
I am a friend of a resident. His managers are so desperate to keep tenants that they threaten the home care companies that have offices in the complex. If they lose more residents because of failing health, their companies will be OUT, too. What a stressful situation for EVERYONE!
What an impressive building and grounds. What a wonderful concept; however,the economy is not making the FIG bottom line green, and how can the apartments be filled when the area is over-built and has vacancies?
Perhaps the whiz kids at FIG will ultimately realize that it could be in their best interest to cut their losses and run... NOW!
I'd guess the value now could be reasonably placed at just over $5 billion.
And it just keeps getting better!
On August 11, 2009 Daniel Mudd, the person who headed up Fannie Mae's problems and was pushed out by the government take-over, will bring his "special abilities" to Fortress as the new CEO. Wesley Edens feels Mudd has the knowledge and ability to handle Fortress company investment strategy - and will pay Mudd $1.9 million and stock options.
Hello? Is anybody out there at Fortress paying attention to business? I always believed company top executives were supposed to care about the company and its employees.
One thing must be said about the paper tigers at Fortress - from the initial public offering to the present - the 'Magic Three' took their monies first. Now that the top positions are filled with such high caliber individuals "we can all sleep comfortably at night knowing the company is in safe financial hands". Where have I heard that statement before - oh, yeah, Jack R. Callison, Jr. said something similar when he came aboard as CEO of Holiday Retirement.
Here's a question which repeatedly comes to my mind - Where do these bozos find so many mindless investors who believe the drivel handed out by the slick snake-oil pitchers? With the expertise available in all of the HRC employees perhaps several should consider their own investment management group.
The more research I do with this the more it is beginning to stand out that there is a "good 'ol boy club" out there wherein the members take care of each other at the investor's expense. (You got caught running company A into the ground - not to worry - you come with us for awhile at company B and we'll pay you a fantastic salary plus stocks, then we'll both go to company C - just remember about 'paybacks' if we ever need it.)
What has happened to Jack Callison if Mudd is the new CEO.
The more you hear about FIG -- the worst it gets.
I understand there are very few buildings at 100% and the census just keeps dropping. I am a former Manager and must say that we don't miss the job at all. Long days...long nights...no life...and uncaring Regional Managers.
From the beginning to now there has been a 100% change in attitude. The RM 5 years ago would call us every week and say thank you for your hard work. We proposed to him that every month the manager couple and co-manager couple each get a long weekend off. Fri-Sat-Sun-Mon. His response was "do whatever you need to so people are happy and they show enthusiasm to get the job done". We felt that having 4 days off
once-a-month was something to look forward to. It happily lasted 6-8 months and both manag