Beneath The Veil of Holiday Retirement Corp/Fortress Part 2
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Your Story?: Beneath The Veil of Holiday Retirement Corp/Fortress Part 2
An earlier comment made by someone "in the know" mentioned Jack Callison's stance as he walked through Home Office.
Re-reading the comment I am struck with wondering just how in Hades someone can feel pride in the knowledge they have almost destroyed something which accomplished so much good. John Edwards is a large stockholder of Fortress and I wonder what he would think about it. Realizing a profit is necessary for any business to survive, it still does not make any financial logic to apparently set out with the intent to destroy a company.
Is Fortress deliberately setting Holiday up for a corporate discard? Something is wrong here, people - something isn't making sense. The residents are the ones who ultimately will suffer the price, either in loss of care or financial increases - or both. They cannot just be 'tossed out to the sidewalk' - that is illegal. They can, however, be convinced to 'willingly leave' a building - which is not exactly moral, but is legal. The question again comes back to WHY.
Thanks for coming back on. I am in a middle of a discrimination complaint against Holiday and fighting for unemployment and look forward to reading all the concerns. In a sad way is it comforting to read the comments because I realize that I am not the only one that has been hurt. Again, thank you for the forum! ExExChef
It is entirely feasible that some of the comments posted previously may aid you in your complaint. I recall a few which may offer a predisposition of discrimination. Good luck and keep us posted.
Ran into a current home office employee that "is in a position to know" who informed me that Jack received a Million Dollar year-end bonus. I would like to have this verified by other sources, as even those in the position to know, may be influenced by rumor. However, that would explain the cockiness in Jack's strut--Oh yeah, I was there when he was hired, I have seen it.
Also just learned Steve McDowell was let go last Friday. He has been Holiday CIO for 10+ years. And while there are those who have complained about how far behind Holiday is when it comes to technology, please remember that as great as the Colsons were, they fought nearly every technical advancement--not from a position of ignorance or cost, but from the fear that when computers (and other technologies) find their place in Manager's offices, the time that the Manager gets to spend with residents will be reduced--and they did not want that to happen. Now, it appears, FIG would just as soon let the residents fend for themselves as they cut back managers and expect them to work around the clock filling out reports and marketing.
To all of you financially savvy folks out there: Is there a financial strategy in running a company like Holiday into the ground? I mean this as a serious question. If they can get occupancy down to a point where it is no longer feasible to operate the current model, does that give rise to merge the company with Brookdale? Or, if they can achieve some operating loss, can they break the company apart and sell it off in 10-building blocks at a higher price than they paid? I don't know the answers to these questions as I am not a financial person, but this seems like the only rational motivation for the moves FIG has made.
They are nickel and diming our residents into oblivion and he got a MILLION DOLLAR BONUS? Are you KIDDING ME? I cannot wait to get out...
Amen!! Our residents are asking how they're supposed to live when they keep getting a 4-5% raise in rent and no raise in their income!! In act many have lost thousands in the fallen economy and they are FURIOUS that Fortress has no compassion for Seniors on a limited income that is being stretched even tighter than it was before. I have to side with the residents--they're being railroaded by the money hungry vermins in the company!!
Fortress owned Holiday Retirement is a private-pay, for profit business, and as such, places their return on investment before the good of the residents. The cold, brutal fact as far as the powers to be are concerned, is when a resident can no longer afford to live in a Holiday Retirement communitiy, they can move-out and the CMT must find 2 more residents that can afford it: 1 to replace the move-out, and another to fill a vacant apartment to "build" the business. And, they call that "The Holiday Touch."
we were still with the company (original Holiday) when the sale was made final. A good deal of the people still believe what was publised at that time that it was the large real estate deal that made it attractive not the large business deal. We were told, just wait till February 2008 when the lst year is up and everyone bails out at the home office and in the field. Well it happened and now the business is being destroyed and they will be left with real estate to sell off and save Fortress as a whole. Go figure!
It sort of reminds me of Jericho! The madness won't stop till it has all come crumbling down.
I heard today that all kitchen help now needs to have criminal background checks. Its about time.
Secondly, I agree that when we started at Holiday "the touch" was the main emphasis and we fell in love with concept. Making your residents feel good and happy was our main goal. Now it has completely changed. Cut the budget...offer less services...give residents bad food...and ignore giving "the touch".
It makes me sick to hear what is happening throughout the 300 Holiday buildings. We feel sorry for all the residents, especially the ones in our building because we are almost prohibited from "give the touch" and time that the residents need.
Also, the new general manager plan is just another cut in providing "the touch" to the residents.
We heard that Mr. Callison and company was very upset with all the turnover in managers & co-managers and that is why they are trying general managers.
Good luck everybody...we are gone in 2 weeks with another job.
We will miss the residents, but we couldn't take it any longer.
Enjoy the new job - and understood regarding not taking it any longer.
If Callison and the company are actually upset with the 'turnover problem' why don't they prevent it from happening. It truly isn't hard to accomplish. Solution: fair compensation - respect for the individuals - loyalty to the workers - internal promotions first and only go outside if no internal employee is qualified or interested - praise positive efforts and results - chastise only in private - allow staff to do what they are trained to do - do not 'force' a transfer, but take into consideration the individual situations which may cause a refusal of said transfer - include a raise when a transfer is done - accept that employees are not robotic drones but living entities who tire out and wear down. Try this and I can almost guarantee turnover will drop tremendously.
Let me state the obvious here, Bill Colson built a small profitable empire doing all of this. If it worked for him it will still work for anyone - but it must be done across the board. Fortress needs to step back and take a long look at where they are hoping to end up, then revamp their concepts regarding Holiday. Get rid of the high priced pencil-pushers and reinstate people who know what they are doing. Put Sheryl Bauer in charge and let her do what she knows how to do - and back her up.
Well said Mr Charles. Sheryl would indeed be the one I'd want reassembling a "touch" team.
Have been reading with interest the MANY comments regarding "the touch". Yes, Bill Colson built a lot of Holiday buildings, but Larry Claunch WAS Holiday. He actually cared not only about the resident, but the manager as well. When we started w/Holiday, there were only 45 properties and within 3 years it had doubled. Larry new every managers name and which community they were at. He rewarded those that did well. There were trips to Hawaii and bonuses and awards. Some one mentioned that if the new company would be honest and let everyone know the difficulties they were having, it would be better. I agree as that is what Larry and Bill did for all of us back in the early 90's when they had tried to build too many in too short a time.
When we left to go to the "sister" company, Emeritus, we were told we could come back if things didn't work out. We were blackballed by the same person who had told us that. Larry had left Holiday before us (Long story).
Anyway, there is life after Holiday. We work for low-income sr. housing and it is so great not to have to worry about census. In fact our waiting list is closed now. We found another way to help seniors.
You all might as well face it; Holiday is gone and unless you want to work for your current employer, there are other opportunities out there.
You are correct about Sheryl though. We learned so much from her and Dave Abel.
happy to be gone...
My husband & I worked the Holiday as co's for 2 yrs. & then managers last year. But it took it's toll on us & we quit later in the year. Some friends of ours were fired & then we had reason to believe that it could happen to us. We loved the residents & the staff & as far as I know everyone loved us & our way of managing. We believed in treating all with respect & did the best we could to fill the building. But it wasn't fast enough for Fortress even with the recession. We were under a wonderful regional at 1st but then were placed under a new one.
After we quit, within a few months we found out that regional we were 1st under was fired himself. He had been with Holiday for quite some time.
Just this past Friday a former resident called me to tell me that the managers who took our place after we left last year were fired. They were planning to become float managers & were resigning their present positions as managers.
No one seems to know why they were fired. Maybe there was good reason and perhaps not. Holiday, we felt, just couldn't be trusted any longer. We just didn't want to be in that position with both of us loosing our jobs.
We learned so much working for Holiday & it was such an different kind of job. It was a lifestyle but the long hours & being on-call, not having a home or RV or something to go to on your days off was just too much.
We spent way too much money on entertainment & dining when we were off just because we didn't want to be back at the building even if we were off. That being why the managers' stoves were never used!
But as a manager we still were always interrupted or stopped in the hallway or somehow got involved with what was going on in the community. So living there on-site to us was counter-productive because as managers we felt obligated to making sure everything was going O.K. Therefore, we really couldn't rest or enjoy ourselves when we were off if we stayed at the community.
It actually make work better to not have managers & co's because that concept in itself was doomed because of those managers who felt the community was theirs & theirs alone.
We had worked under a few bad managers ourselves & that gone through some tough times because managers thought they could work us to death.
But my husband and I wanted to prove that we could have a great community with co's and staff who liked what they were doing & we could all work together as a team. And we did that and proved that it could be done but it's not so in every community.
Even good regionals can't possibly know what really goes on in a community since he/she is not there often or long enough to know what they truth is in the management.
I actually loved all the drama and told everyone that you never got bored in our positions. Plus for me but it was also very stressful.
There's no way I'd go back though. I love what I'm doing now as a Sales & marketing Coor. for an employee owned co.
I once work for the big HRC...and i was a chef who went and done allot of the grand openings for them. I was not really paid like I was Promised at all, and the general management of each place where I went to tried to get me to stay. but there was reason i did not stay. and his name was Daryl Janacek, the main chef for the home office. he was the best in the world, and i need to find out where he is and what he is up to now. I have lost my eyesight now and i am blind and all I do is blog and right cookbooks. but i need some work to just keep my mind busy. I lost my eyesight after being beaten in the head at the chattanooga unit. yep, that is me... and HRC did not even give me a little red pennie. nor did i try to sue them, i thought they would take care of me but I was very wrong for that thought... but if you no where daryl is please help me find him.
Upset about turn-over????
What, do these people wear blinders?
Do these people not know they are about to drop below 60% occupancy system wide????? Does Callison has his head in the sand all the time or is he "that" stupid and does not realize what all of his "inmates"...ooooops..sorry I meant team players..LOLOLOL.....are just hiding the real numbers?
Does Callison not realize that residents are screaming for help but they are not getting any help from home office as they are a bunch of crooks at home office?
How in the world can any publicly traded company keep on destroying a business they paid 6.8 "B"illion dollars for. Where is the investor benefit(s) or value here?
If ( and we don't need to say "IF" ) the turn-over in field staff is so high, why would a CEO not do his/her own investigation into that situation instead of listening to a HR Dept. head who grill managers for 6+ hours each on their exit interview? Yes ladies and gentlemen, 6+ hours "EACH" it took them to fire those managers and denying their unemployment on top of it.
Mr. Callison, get your head out of your ass and start producing something for the top dollars you earn and that the residents pay you. So far your performance is just like the current government a F-.
I can not understand how Fortress keep a looser like Callison in place and let him destroy a near perfect company they way Callison is.
Callison can not blame the economy all the time. Sure it has something to do with it but not to the level as it has at Holiday Retirement.
Where is the return of value for people who have invested their lives in building for 5, 10, 15 years?
Where is the return on investments that residents make on a monthly basis.
I hope so badly that Callison has parents in one of the worst Holiday building in the system. I hope every RD is being held accountable by Fortress (not Callison) for their inability of keeping staff.
When is Fortress finally waking up?
It almost feels like a ponzi scheme.
I wonder if the Colson family ever got their money.
Residents need to send a message.
Residents give them one month to change things, if nothing changes, move to another community. There are many who would love to have you.
I for one have 25 apartments open and we are cheaper than Holiday and more staff and no cuts anywhere.
My husband and I were never granted an exit interview. We begged to be heard but no one called us.
Who are you working for now?? Are they in need of any caring co-managers?
Hi --We are residents looking at another company's building. Lovely, well built apartments with ample storage space! Only thing holding us here is the excellent food service! We have two good chefs who know that Salem menu planners are not perfect. (As a dietetic minor in my undergraduate degree I find myself rather appalled at the combinations those "dieticians" put together! I know the world has changed but the things they put together are ridiculous! If our chefs ever leave--we are out of here.
Incidentally one of the newer residents said he was asked to sign a lease for three months. Are leases the next thing? At the rate the unable and handicapped are moving into the building, the building will be fully leased--but have no residents! The move-ins will have died long before the lease runs out! .
I really don't want to shop and plan for two meals a day--but it may become necessary!
Good luck all--
1920
Another one bites the dust...Mike Lively
will retire on 01/31/10!!! Who will be next? Any guesses?
Here is an excerpt of the official company announcement...
Date: January 8, 2010
To: Holiday World
From: Stan Brown, COO
Re: Retirement of Mike Lively
Please join me in congratulating Mike Lively on his upcoming retirement effective January 30, 2010. Mike joined the Holiday team in 2002 as the Regional Director for south Texas and was promoted to Managing Director of the Southern District in 2006.
Over the years Mike has built a strong track record of leadership that is reflected in a number of his direct reports, who have been promoted or moved into higher positions. This is due in part to his gift of coaching and ability to impart the wealth of his industry knowledge. Mike’s expertise in assisted living, as well as independent living has been instrumental in him mentoring his teams. Mike’s warmth and incredible sense of humor are his greatest characteristics that, over the years, have brought much laughter and many smiles to his team and residents. We will all miss Mike, and wish him and his family the very best as he begins a new chapter in his life.
Mike is looking forward to his new free time that he plans to spend traveling with his wife, playing golf, and enjoying time on his cabin cruiser, “Fringe Benefits.”
Mike’s successor will be announced in the near future with an anticipated start date in late January.
Stan Brown
Chief Operating Officer
Holiday Retirement
Well it's great to see someone got to enjoy Holiday's "Fringe Benefits". If you all set aside your 2% you caqn buy a boat also. Yes we can all learn from Mike.
We found Mike a very fair district manager while we were employed at Holiday ( during the Colson era). He supported our regional manager and helped us.
People like MIke should be encouraged to stay employed simply because --- He knows the business of independent retirement.
Pretty soon NO ONE will be left from the succesful Colson regime.
It just seems to me that if you have something that works...you don't need to change much.
JUst about all personell has been replaced and I'm sure the next step is the longtime building Managers.
Fortress is trying to run things their own way and so far it isn't working very well....Overall census in the 60%
range.
Good luck but people like Mike Lively should be encouraged to stay...at least part-time.
Quite a few people have gone that knew the business very well but many were so quiet in their knowledge that many mistakes were made. If you bought a business you knew nothing about that was successful and you had knowledgable people onboard to keep you straight things should have worked. I believe when some of the dumbest ideas came up the "knowing ones" all remained silent so they could save THIER jobs. "Keep your heads down and don't make waves". I also believe that silence told the "unknowing ones" the stupid ideas will probably work. If the silent ones would have spoken up based on their experience we may not have taken some of the paths we stumbled down this past year. The way I see it their collective silence cost them their jobs and put the rest of our jobs at risk. I don't know why anyone would want that type of management to continue. The link between the HO and the communities appears to have been pretty weak.
We found nothing "Lively" about Mike ... boring, and full of himself.
Stan,
Why didn't you just announce who the replacement is...you know they are already aboard.
This as much as anything demenstrates how Salem is out of touch. Mike Lively could only be loved by Salem and his mother.
The only one I can think of that will be next is Don Harris.
Dick Glaunert??
what do you mean....Dick replacing Mike Lively.
Just reading tis blog and WOW!!! Unbelievable...after working for Holdiay as a chef for a while I was under great pressure from management all the time and never allowed to do my job!! I left a 65,000K a year job to "enjoy" the life Holiday had to offer and was constantly micromanaged by every manager that came through. It seemed that every person they hired for management in the building "suddenly" knew everything there was about food-service...mind you none had ever worked near a kitchen before. It was horror!! Thank goodness for the regional chef in my area. It seemed like he was about to crash under all the demands placed on him, but he was always there to help me and the residents out. And he did it with a smile the whole time. If it wasn't for that guy I wouldn't have made it as long as I did. In my opinion they should develop a way to hire and keep qualified Chefs like they had with me and protect them from management dictatorship! I on one occasion disagreed with a male manager decision only to be "branded" a trouble maker by the entire management team. Make one mad and the rest gang up on you as well. I know its not supposed to happen but I am telling you it DOES!! There is no protection in Holiday for any Food service employee and it was because of that reason that I left. I am great now and was just awarded Best New Chef in the city I live in. Seems like I can cook for mayors and governors, but not Holiday management...weird huh? I wish all of you well and good luck in your future!!
This is in response to curious2419 from the last posting. Micro-mgrs in the ktichen are othing new at all, dude. I've been cooking at Holiday for nearly 5 years now and have seen no end of mgrs, both main and co, who know everything there is to know about the food service business. Whenever soemone says about a person who's coming to the building, that "they're really into the ktichen" I roll my eyes.they're ALL kitchen experts. they go to a lousy few days training course or manage a greasy chain rest. for a few months and they suddenly know everything. Even the reg dirtbags who criticize every square inch of cleanliness in the ktichens refuse to eat the food we make. There's no end to the 'experts'.
To rocky...got beat in the head? wow. never heard of that one...how'd that happen? employee or resident? and to let you know, rocky, i wouldn't waste my efforts. they can't lend a hand to you, they need them both for climbing the ladder.
ExExChef wrote:ExExChef wrote:
My fellow chefs,
I, like you have had the same experience with the managment team. I endured it as long as I could because I was determined to prove my worth, because my residence deserved my best, and because I was Latino, I was under more scrutiny. I reluctantly resigned from Holiday as I felt stiffled, disrespected and discouraged. I would still be willing to go back to Hoiday if changes can be made. Right now I am fighting for unemployment, citing I couldnt endure working in a hostile environment and double standards.
Any one have digital (PDF) copies of the Employee Handbook and the Food Service Manual. I have downloaded the digital food service manual from the portal in the past, so I am reasonably sure that is is avail. Please if you have a copy or can get a copy, please, please send me the download attachment.
These manuals are very critical to my reason for resigning. Please, if you can help me out, I would be eternally grateful!!
You have got to really wonder what is going on????
You sure do!!!
Last one out.... GRAB THE FLAG. Looks like another round of "restucturing" is going down this week. This time the I.S. department is finally getting looked at!! This may be the most positive change they have made!! The question is not "Who is next" it is rather... "Who is left" ??
Anyone know where Ed Nilles is now?
Hi everyone here
i spend hours to read all the posts here.With a few exemptions you guys don't see that so called building managers are ignorant people.I have seen 8 sets of managers in 3 years and only 2 of them had some knowledge of building management.The rest are just lazy people looking for easy bills free life.The result is that they turn the otherwise beautiful buildings into hell for the staff.Before blaming everybody first look at yourself what is your knowledge about the job you are doing and how unhappy are the people working around you .We have building managers with no experience or education in any field related to the hospitality industry and as i understand this is the case in most of the communities. So guys don't look in somebody's cup.Don't be greedy you are getting enough for the lousy job you are doing.AMD's get rid of all the useless manager around you.
Good luck!
I have been reading this blog for several weeks now, and I’ve kept my opinions to myself, as I am still an employee of HRC. However, the post made by ‘happyboy’ really has me sitting here a bit irritated. First of all, I’d like to state for the record that you cannot judge a hundred apples based on one bad one sitting in the bucket. There are hundreds of sets of managers that have worked for HRC over the years and your statements seem to be directed to a select few. I’d say that you’d be better off taking your concerns directly to the source, instead of hiding behind an ‘anonymous’ blog to make your case. I will have to break my response into three sections, since there is a character limit.
My spouse and I are currently Co-Managers with HRC and we both feel that we’ve given more than 110% to this company in our time here. When we interviewed with this company, we were told we would get a ‘competitive salary, luxury apartment, three free meals a day and vacation and holiday pay’.
Let’s start with our ‘competitive salary’. My spouse and I make a combined income of $45,000 a year, give or take. Now, keep in mind, that is a COMBINED income. Before taxes, that comes out to about $865 a week, per couple (or a mere $432.50 per person). And, again, I will repeat, that is BEFORE taxes. Our checks are paid out separately, so taxes are removed from both checks before we receive them. Now you may think that’s a lot for two people who get free room and board and our utilities paid, but I will assure you that it isn’t. By the time we cover our medical deductions, gas, phone, internet, car payment and insurance, there is little left for toiletries, essentials and food for our ‘luxury apartment’.
Now, you may be saying “Well, you get to live in a FREE, luxury apartment that the residents pay anywhere from $2500 - $4000 a month for”. HRC contributes a good portion of our salary to the apartment they provide us with, and I have no issues with this. However, you must understand that our ‘luxury apartment’ is far from luxurious. When my spouse and I moved into the approximate 500 square foot apartment that we were provided, it was not only in sad disrepair, but it was also filthy. We spent nearly two days cleaning the food gunk out of the cabinets and fridge before we could place any food or dishes in them. Our bathroom had mold in both the bathtub and toilet. The walls had nails and screws in them that hadn’t even been removed, let alone patched and repainted. Our carpet has been in this apartment for 7 years and it’s in very sad condition. The washer and dryer combo that is provided in our apartment hasn’t been operational for almost three months, and from what we’ve been told “It’s last on HRC’s priority list”. Now, I don’t know how you would feel, but we sure don’t feel that our ‘luxury’ apartment should be part of our salary compensation.
Now on to our three meals a day, that HRC so graciously provides in our salary. If a set of managers in this company were to eat all of the meals that are provided to us, we would be eating twenty-one meals a week in our dining facility. I would guess that very few managers in this company have any desire to spend all three meals of their only two days off sitting in the dining room of the facility they work in. Therefore, six of those ‘free’ meals are now eaten in our apartments (keep in mind that we’re paying for that food out of the above salary). In addition to that, the nights we don’t close and the mornings we don’t open mean additional meals out of our pocket. As a result of this, in a given week, a set of managers will eat approximately twelve of the twenty-one meals that our salary includes. What happens to the rest of that ‘provided salary’? You guessed it … HRC gets to pocket it.
As far as our ‘vacation and holiday’ pay goes, I can factually say that it doesn’t happen. As previously stated by other managers on this blog, you don’t ever really get a holiday off. Managers are expected to be visible for all holidays and special events. We are always told we get to take that holiday off another day, but ‘another day’ never comes. The schedules are pretty much set in stone in all facilities and taking off another day means leaving the other set of managers pulling an additional open to close shift. Upon doing this, the other set of managers then end up taking an additional day off the following week due to being exhausted from working three open to close shifts in a given week. I’m sure you can see the pattern forming here. Vacation time is treated the same way. It seems that by taking vacation time, you end up punishing yourself in the end. If you decide to take a week off, you’ve now left the other managers to run the facility on their normal schedule for week one, then your entire vacation week for week two. By week three, they are ready for a vacation themselves and you end up pulling three or four days immediately upon your return to give them a ‘break’ from YOUR vacation time. I can assure you that after running even the normal management schedule for any length of time, the additional time off your second set takes leaves you feeling like a bus hit you on your good side.
After taking all of this into consideration, keep in mind that we, as managers, are responsible for the entirety of this building 365 days a year. First and foremost, you must manage the day-to-day operations of your facility. You are responsible for answering the phones, doing walk-in tours and taking care of over one hundred residents each and every day. If someone has an ‘accident’ in a public restroom, you get to don your gloves and pull out the cleaners. If a resident forgets their keys, you have to drop what you’re doing and walk them home to let them in. If you have a resident pull their cord while you’re serving coffee at lunch, you must put down the pots and run to their aid. Anytime you have a server, dishwasher, housekeeper, chef or maintenance person call out sick, you get to do their job, in addition to your own. Each and every day, you get to listen to the endless complaints of ‘My food isn’t hot enough, we’re out of creamer at our table and it’s too cold in the dining room’. Somehow, throughout the day you have to reserve time to do cookie drops, community visits and DI calls. On top of all that, you’re doing this on three hours of sleep because you had two emergency calls in the middle of the night before you came to work this morning. Oh, and did I forget to mention that your Friday packs are due today, you’re out of stamps and petty cash (which means a trip to the bank and the post office) and you have a conference call at two o’clock?
While many of us do not have the ‘Holiday’ training that we so deserve, we still give more than 100% every day to the people that matter most … our Holiday Residents. I would appreciate if you didn’t lump us all into one ‘ignorant’ category in the future Mister Happyboy.
I'm sorry for my lengthy entry, but I had to get this off my chest after reading this extremely immature comment from happyboy.
Very well put Frustrated and not to long at all. You hit the nail on the head. Thank you for the detailed message. I am sure so many managers and co-managers feels the same way.
Something you did not mention is that if a building only has one set of managers. My wife and I worked 3 months without co-managers. Did anyone from the home office ever offer to come and help out? Hell no.
And then Mr. Happyboy things that managers or co-managers are all bad?????? He/She must be a complete idiot to make such a statement.
Agreed! Very very well done!
YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD !!!
A vacation for 7 days usually means when you return to work the other managers take 5 to 7 days off. THat means that your vacation turns into covering 24-houyrs a day for 5 to 7 days after you take the time off.
When we gave our two week notice to leave, the managers took 10 days off. Granted we were, in a way, glasd they weren't there, but woring 10 days straight from 7am to 8pm should have resulted in overtime if we were leaving.
All new co-managers should be warned.
YOUR LUXURY APARTMENT IS 500 sqaure feet
and you have a small washer/dryer combo...no room for a dining room or kitchen table...barely room for a couch and recliner.
THIS IS FACT.
We aren't in the hospitality industry, jackass, we are in the business of caring for our residents. Go away, troll.
Happyboy, first learn how to type and 2nd what do you do in the company, because you could not type this and be a true manager, I agree there are a lot of useless managers, but in the businesses I have owned in the past you will find this anywhere. I have seen over 100 managers and co managers come and go and the reason is always very close to the same. We are not appreciated enough for what we go through on a daily basis. Again I do not know what you do in this company but your comment is categorizing all into one group. I know some regionals for Uhaul and they get hundreds of applications weekly for the South from Holiday managers that are willing to take a pay cut just to leave Holiday. What does that tell you?
I would appear Happy Boy had a problem in selection and/or training. After 9 years and 6 properties we did our fair amount of training co-managers. Those we selected generally went on to be managers. Can't help but wonder if we may be dealing with a "manager from hell" that has to have everything his way. I would also point out that the "useless managers" even with the faults made the system work until Fortress "fixed" the problem. We truly feel for all those "useless managers" that are no longer allowed to manage their communities and treat the residents as they were trained.
Lazy....Lazy....I have worked to the point of exhaustion. We've work 90 hours a week for the last 6 months...I have been to the point of tears several times. You work like this because the residents are your extended family. Your compassion is what the company uses to hook you. The residents beg you never to leave them and you get stuck in this job where corporate sucks the life out of you. This is crazy!
Wow that's saying a lot...I've seen these lazy ignorant managers give up so much for a company that doesn't care about the seniors they are there to help or their employees. I've been with this company for almost 2 years and it doesn't take a huge IQ to figure out that you have no clue what you are talking about. These managers give up all personal life and work their butts off doing everything and I have heard where they have left couples to run buildings by themselves with no help for over 3 months, that I'm sorry is not worth the $30,000 a piece and a "free" apartment. Seriously you have a warped sense of lazy. I'm assuming you must be from Corp. because they are the only people, & I use that term loosely, that believe anybody in this company is lazy. Maybe they should get out of their cushy offices & spend some time in the trenches, doing exactly what they expect of their employees 1st hand. Then let them say they are lazy & overpaid, that is such a joke. I feel strongly that our seniors deserve the utmost respect & everybody should try to make their life as easy as possible, It's because of them that we have the freedoms we have, they have been in just about every major war our country has seen, How dare Fortress or any one else Bleed them dry for a quick easy buck. Every person I've worked with and for have busted their backs for the RESIDENTS not Fortress, and I don't think saying "With a few exemptions you guys don't see that so called building managers are ignorant people." How dare you insult people you barely know or have seen work, maybe the ones you've come across have been but how do you justify putting all managers in that category, I'm not even a manager and I'm offended by that comment. You go to all the 312 communities for 2 weeks and then make a statement like that at least you can back it up then. And if you are a manager yourself I'd like to know where you have hours to do anything let alone read these posts!! sorry, but I don't see where managers get any type of break to go to the bathroom let alone read blogs. And I will post my name after my 2 weeks have been turned in & my whistler-blower letter is sent to congress, the labor board, & senate. It's time for the abuse of Holiday employees to stop!!!!!
Ok happyboy you obviously are an AMD.
Most likely you have never managed a building for any lenght of time. You think you "training" will give the edge of know-it-all.
I am going ask you what your real qualifications are so that the folks here can understand why in earth you could make such a STUPID statement on this board. Maybe you came from the Marriot side instead of the Kmart (BLS) side but trust me on this one, You, sir, have no idea of what the hell YOU are talking about.
I agree who is happyBOY? Why do you think happy BOY went through so many managers? Happy BOY dosent sound so Happy
almost everybody Holiday has is unexperienced. That's why they call them CO-MANAGERS and there is a training session required. The real unfortunate things is that most of the new regional people have no experience at all in the senior liviong industry. How about the new regional in Florida who came from the Barnes & Noble Bookstore chain.
As Achmed wrote... all of the new administrative people should work two weeks in a building to see what it is like. Exanmple...no dishwasher showing up...no night or weekend teenage servers showing up...housepkeepers/servers ( who are paid $8 an hour) asked to work their asses off 5 days a week.
Thats life in a Holiday building.
Bill, 2 weeks is not enough. It has to be at least 2 to 3 months and, when they work as dishwasher which they should for at least 3 weeks, then their pay should at the dishwasher level as well. When they have to serve, also the pay should be at the server wages. When they are in the office, no helps should be given and the pay should be at the co-managers level.
I am convinced none of these "golden boys and girls" will last.
Let them also do carpet cleaning, cleaning up the poop from residents who just id not make it to the toilet in time. The also need to walk the building and picking up trash around the building and speaking of trash, they need to do this everyday as well.
On top of that, obviously, they need to be held accountable for move0ins as well. If during that 2 to 3 month training period they have no move-ins (without any give aways) then they will not get the job as Regional. This counts for both Regional and Regional Sales as well.
Mr, Callison, are you reading this?
In fact you, Mr. Callison, should set the example and do it your self for the next 3 months. I am sure FIG can find some young kid of the street to do your job, Mr. Callison, while you are leaning what it really is all about.
How in the world can youhire a person from a bookstore chain and deal with seniors and have no clue how the senior industry is working?
I don't get it.
Happyboy is unhappy, rude and ignorant.
Sorry! How does he think that Holiday got to be the largest and best company in the business. It wasn't because any of us were ignorant
You should know those of us in Home Office are rooting for the power of this board to potentially make a change. While I wish it were true our motivation was strong enough to lead us to another job position outside of Holiday; well there are just not many opportunities right now. Howevver, I do want you to know we experience the same treatment in the Home Office although it is done under the "exempt" classification. We are glad to be rid of Kai who we directly attribute much of the demise in the "graciousness" of the Holiday Communities. Anything and everything he could do to ruin "The Touch"; a concept he openly laughed at was done. That is why your budget was pulled and when given back to...it was returned at a portion of what he really is. There is the field budget, Home Office Budget, and the real budget...consequently, you're asked to take care of the Residents on pennies, the RD is constantly attempting to manage on pennies, and the Senior Management Team is tossing $150 K salaries around with no remorse while keeping Managers who miss a deadline on their insurance registration without care for an addiditonal year.
It is important for all of you Managers to know that right now there is a rather large group of general managers in training; approximately 36 I believe the number to be. So, contrary to the lie you have been told many of you will be without a job soon (unless there are 36 communities currently functioning without Co-s. There is also a follow up class to this group so, the lie perpetuted by Stan Brown and Jack Callison "don't worry no one will lose their job, as vacancies occur we'll simply fill with a GM " is a bold faced lie. Folks, you should worry!
A game of domino's continues to be played in all that takes place. Now that Kai has been shelved, they have moved on to shelving Martha Smith, who while incompetent in her duties is still nice person. She was brought in to replace the black guy who while no Obama was a nice guy who unbeknownst to him had no power due to the reporting structure of his alleged subordinates. Well, Martha is now working for one of her subordinates, but of course that has not been "announced". She can not be blamed for hanging around since they canned her husband as one of the first victims of the purge of 2009. Sandra Gainor, a nice enough woman is now the person in charge of the GM's. So you have two people who were underpaid now sitting as RSL's ( a position which is clearly not a "on the bus" opportunity in the company getting pulled up to "Director" level doing the same thing they were supposed to be doing as RSL's. While we're speaking of the Director issue; clearly Edwin wins the prize with the utilization of that title. Clearly he comes from a 3rd world country because he has brought in more indian chiefs than even Stan Brown.
What a sad web we weave when first we attempt to deceive.
Some of what you say is true, but Kai is still there. In fact, he is in charge of Sales now, and heading up the new effort of hiring all of these new sales people. And you are crazy or uninformed if you feel Martha Smith is incompetent. She is wonderful, and can walk the talk as she has been in charge of many buildings starting as a Manager, which is something that 99% of upper management cannot say any more. She loves residents too, which is something that 99.99% of them don't seem to care about. If and when she is let go, the loss will be huge.
Happyboy, I don't know what world your living in but it's not the one were living in....You like stirring up the pot.
Drama BOY! would be a better name for you.
Allow me to share something I find rather ironic.
Someone remarked in an earlier comment about the standing of the blog on Google. Finding my curiosity struck I did a tidbit of playing with google search.
Companies spend a large amount of money to have their sites high up on the roster - sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Holiday's web presence is the same. Now, without bragging on you guys too loudly, you should know that your work on this blog has ranked it high.
I used only lower case typing in Google:
Type in holiday retirement -- this blog is #3 out of about 13,400,000
" " holiday retirement corp -- this blog is #2 out of about 2,880,000
" " holiday retirement corp/fortress -- this blog is #2 out of about 3,890
" " jack r callison jr -- this blog is #8 out of about 12,800
" " jack callison holiday retirement -- this blog is #1 & #2 out of about 1,030
You, all of you, created the numbers and we are not 'web experts'. Amazing what ordinary people can do when they become a collective. They have to be loving it!
Charles, it only shows the validity of this blog and what a great job you are doing with it. It is the one and ONLY place where people can vent and let others know what is going on and what potential residents and their families need to know.
Thank you Charles for keeping up this blog.
Happyboy is either a Maintenance guy, Area Maintenance Director or a Regional Sales Leader-- well guess what they all will be next on the hit list.....
Ifthey currently hve 32 in training then they need more. I just found this add which was posted on Jan 08:
General Manager
Hiring Company Industry: Rental & Leasing
Number of Employees: 1,000 - 10,000 Employees
Total Compensation: $100K +
Reports to: senior executive
Location: Portland, OR
JOB DESCRIPTION
Every now and then, an industry, a company and a position combine to create a career opportunity that stands head and shoulders above the rest. This is one of those opportunities. . .
An industry about to explode. . .
There are over 75 million Baby Boomers in the US, and this generation is about to become the largest and wealthiest over-50 consumer group in US history. According to McKinsey & Company, Boomers will account for "roughly 40% of US spending by 2015 and for a disproportionate share of the growth and consumption in industries ranging from consumer electronics and clothing to home furnishings, restaurants, and, of course, health care."
A company poised to capitalize. . .
Holiday Retirement owns and operates over 300 retirement communities in North America. Recently acquired by Fortress Investment Group, Holiday is a well capitalized and stable organization with over $800 million of annual revenues, $6 billion of assets and over 10,000 associates. Under the direction of new management, the company plans to double in size in the near future.
A newly created position at the center of it all. . .
We have created a new role within our organization to serve as the keystone for our continued growth and success. We are seeking experienced sales-oriented General Managers to provide inspirational leadership to our associates and highly personalized customer service to the seniors who elect to call Holiday Retirement "home".
The logical career path for this GM position leads to both regional management roles ($250 million real estate portfolios with over 400 associates) and district management roles ($1.5 billion real estate portfolio with over 2,000 associates).
I wonder if the $100,000 a year General Manager knows they might be :
washing dishes--if the dishwashers doesn't show up
serving meals, cleaning tables and cleanign the floors if the night and servers don't show up
picking up feces in the hallway if a residen has a problem
plunging toilets regularly
personalized service might also include
delivering meals to a sick or recovering person in their room
_____________________________
As far as an industry about to explode ---census has been dropping since Fortress took over...people investment income has been cut...
Holiday has done nothing but cut services since they took over...food is much worse---activities have been cut--
things like washing drapes and replacing old worn out carpeting has been suspended--- bus drivers hours have been cut--- there are no more cookies on the coffee bar or special events that make people feel good.
Apparently, according to the above posting, if you have been with Holiday for many years you have no chance of becoming a regional manager. But, if you are a GM you have chances to be promoted.
Also, if the company doubles in size in the near future, overall census will drop even more. You need to fill the current buildings first with things that make the people HAPPY. Good food and lots of good things happening in the building.
I am confused, the senior executive these new GM types report to is an RSL from a region where the RD was terminated and she now has the Director of Sales working for her. This company continues to recycle people on a monthly basis with no basis. I'm reminded of the wonderful joke Whose on First!
"Associates"? What, Holiday is going Wal-Mart?
Would you be surprised? The state of this company is so sad. God be with us all.
Reality Check time: "Poised to capitalize...double in size..." Sure it is and will - NOT!.
All stats and research already show a severe labor shortage problem for menial jobs. In the next fifteen years it will take, at the least, a sociology degree to be a dishwasher. Just where is the support staff to come from which will be needed to operate the buildings for the industry? Will your grandchild, now about five to ten years old, want to work those jobs?
Double in size? I will safely predict that Holiday definitely will NOT be doing very well if they even are around - little less being a viable option. Remember the old adage "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear".
Well at least at Wal Mart you get what you pay for. Holidays new motto bring your check and we won't leave the light on for you, and your kids won't have an inheritance because here you pay more and get less. Thank you for shopping at Holiday.
Now that is funny! Well said.
More sad info...Now Nina and Corby are finished at the end of January. It was hard for them to keep up with 300 buildings, and they are being replaced by one person??? What is going on?
Is Zak still with the company recruiting ?
what department were they in ?
That's just wrong. What's going to happen when a building shuts down with Norovirus? Is the new GM going to deliver all three meals door to door when the residents are sequestered in their apartments? Nina and Corby were wonderful when our building had Noro. Unbelievable.
Corby was awesome when we opened a new building helping find the right nursing company to rent a studio to be on site (assisted right off the bat but private pay of course)
My fellow chefs,
I, like you have had the same experience with the managment team. I endured it as long as I could because I was determined to prove my worth, because my residence deserved my best, and because I was Latino, I was under more scrutiny. I reluctantly resigned from Holiday as I felt stiffled, disrespected and discouraged. I would still be willing to go back to Hoiday if changes can be made. Right now I am fighting for unemployment, citing I couldnt endure working in a hostile environment and double standards.
Any one have digital (PDF) copies of the Employee Handbook and the Food Service Manual. I have downloaded the digital food service manual from the portal in the past, so I am reasonably sure that is is avail. Please if you have a copy or can get a copy, please, please send me the download attachment.
These manuals are very critical to my reason for resigning. Please, if you can help me out, I would be eternally grateful!!
Good luck I had 10 reasonable pages of why we quit and was denied after Never collecting unemployment in my life. Kinda like social security I probably will never see it either after putting into that pot.
I think to collect unemployment, a company must get rid of you. If you left of your own will, then you are out. Maybe if you would have stayed employed and got a paper trail of complaints against the management then you would have a case. If they didn't respond or retailated against you by firing you; you would have a case. Seems to be after the fact now. Maybe a lawyer can help.
Under the unemployement law, you are correct that if I just quit, I am inelegible for unemployment compensation. I made very clear in the 4 page resignation that I was worn down mentally, physically, in morale. My last possition, I stepped down to Sous Chef as I was floating chef and driving was getting to me. Divisional Chef and Regional chef, okayed the job transfer. But it was agreed that within six months that I you be Exec Chef in one of four communities opening in 2009. The chef I was working was sooo unqualified. It became my job to go the store buy groceries, to change menues, even print off the menues and production charts. In addition, so that our kitchen regress back to its former status of the filthiest kitchen, Only I cleaned the 3 ovens, stove-top, basically the whole line. Sometimes I deliberatly stopped cleaning to test whether the Exec Chef or kitchen staff, will do cleaning on thier own. They Didnt. I was gone 2 times since January for surgery and was out for six weeks at each time. When I returned, the place gone to hell. Residents though empathetic to my help, told me how they wished I was there. The kitchen as usual was filthy. over the course of 11/2008-8/18/2009, when I left, I have been taking photographs of condition of kitchen when I leave and how I find the kitchen to be, whenever I return from my two days off. Daily I filled out the production logs and wrote accurately what I had to do to revise menues. I have couple set of co-mananger that witness my treatment as Exec Chef (treated very hard) and now with this yahoo Chef I worked for been told by regional dir and chef that he is doing well. The guy doesnt even have a copy of the Food Service Guideline. 0ver the past 2 1/2 years I have been with Holiday, my back has been ridden and feet to the fire if I screwed up the ordering. This double-standard had played with my mind because I was working as hard as I could to please my residents and to avdance in the company.
Summary...state low requires me to prove that the my job description has increase 50% to compensate for a 40 or less hour Exec Chef. I have emails that I sent regarding how myself and other employees were being picked on. God willing I will win the unemployment appeal, and then proceed with my civil complaint because I really believe there is prejudism, it took me awhile to accept that, but in retrospect, I was treated as an inferior, in the word of one of our manager "WE love hiring Mexican because they can be intimidated"
There is so much I could write, for all you Chefs out there, you know how demanding our jobs are and we dont get the luxury of sitting in an office. If I work 14-16 per day (normal for me as Chef), 90% of that time on my feet. I rarely had two days off. My last chef had only 1 or 2 times to give a day, but got his day of ltr in the week. I never had that priveledge...It is in these blogs, paper reports and photos that I am able to vent and plan how to sue Holiday/FIG.
Any one have digital (PDF) copies of the Employee Handbook and the Food Service Manual. I have downloaded the digital food service manual from the portal in the past, so I am reasonably sure that is is avail. Please if you have a copy or can get a copy, please, please send me the download attachment.
These manuals are very critical to my reason for resigning. Please, if you can help me out, I would be eternally grateful!!
I have been reading since last year, and my first impression was this was a place for ex-employees to complain. I now know that this sight has a lot of validity. We can't always lament about the past, things change, but when I read that something is going to happen I read it here first. (well almost first)
Holiday advertised for Nina's job a while back, of course I thought they were adding more to the Health Services to help Corby and Nina, but now it turns out that they are being replaced.
Holiday seems to throw more layers on the problem (GM) while totally ignoring the business plan that worked for years and years.
Is anyone from the new "pilot" program reading this site? If so, how is is going with the GM? What are your hours now compared to what they used to be? No more speculation or guessing..what are the real answers to these questions?
I to felt the same way. That is until I realized this site contains more information than we currently have access to as employees. I'm sorry to see Nina leave but I suspect this may well have something to do with the builiding in TN which is so troublesome to the company. The building has been mentioned on this site before - Windlands South in Nashville - Is there anyone out there who knows the full story on the building. It's our understanding a HHC company has turned it into a human capital (ha ha..maybe Edwin is over this as well) dumping ground and the residents of the building have to subsidize that behavior. Please update us!!!!!!!
The power of the internet is amazing! I think about all the time we spend branding this company and look at what you have done. I think it's good that people can be aware of where they are sending their parents prior to them actually arriving. What can we do to take the #1 spot on google
Unfortunately they have not gotten around to firing within my department but I am waiting on my opportunity to check out of here as well. Keep doing what you're doing, it's working. BTW, the complaint log was at an all time high last week!
Slippery Jack is going to have to figure out how to fill these building. I can't see it hppening under the current regime and strategy. This is so amazing, I've never seen a company implode in front of me. After Nina and Corky, I believe the next group will be the Resident Relatons group who are 1)protective and helpful (holiday does not like that) to the wonderful peoplein RR who care and attempt to make a difference.
We heard today that bonuses for managers will in part be decided by resident and associate evaluations. What resident or associate would risk a bad review?
I understand that the Holiday Retirement
administration has decided to change the philosphy of the company.
The Plan:
Rent one room, on the 1st floor, to a nursing agency and make the entire 1st floor assisted living. This nursing agency would operate around the clock for the needs of the 1st flooor residents.
The 2nd & 3rd floor would be independent living.
The Holiday bosses think this concept will fill the buildings.
Comment ----
Holiday buildings are getting away from the family atmosphere and they are being operated like a hotel. How would a 75 year old independent living resident like having dinner with 2 or 3 residents from the assisted living floor. The result would be no one talking to each other and possibly a very messy table. In my opnion, this concept will continue to have the overall census drop on the 2nd & 3rd floor. Fortress already owns Brookdale
Senior Living, which is primarily Assisted Living. If they want to saturate the market--- good luck.
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This is already the case at a few of the communities that I have visited. Have you ever tried being a server and get an order from some of these residents??? They have this blank look and just keep nodding. You get them the regular and then they throw it on the floor yelling that they need food. You call the family and the family tells you for what they pay if their parent wants their butt wiped, that is what they expect you to do. And if you don't coddle some of these residents -- the RD is on your case asking why didn't you wipe their butt?
Even if this was a good idea, the 1st floor of each building is not adequately equipment for assisted living. Handicapped showers...toilets and locks on the doors. All building exits will need to be locked at night and someone will need to be on duty at the front door area.
BILL COLSON IS ROLLING OVER IN HIS GRAVE.
Correct me if I'm wrong --- every new executive in Holiday has come from the Hotel industry. Has anyone come from senior housing or assisted living ? I don't think so.
What about the poor independent people who live on the 1st floor ? Will they all be kicked out or forced to move upstairs ?
The moment any bldg of Holiday Retirement has a first floor with assisted living units, please let me know. OSHA would be really interested in this information. In certain states you have to be state licensed to do the assisted living admin.
OSHA has nothing to do with Assisted Living licenses, AL is regulated on a state, not federal level.
"bonuses for managers will in part be decided by resident and associate evaluations. What resident or associate would risk a bad review?"
Does this statement mean that if a resident or associate has a say in your bonus? I have had reviews that said, "I don't know how to get along with the residents" because of one resident in particular. Five different RDs and the complaints would be the same from this resident. Some of the RDs actually gave the resident their personal home number to complain whenever they felt we weren't doing our job correctly. One RD wanted us to sit down with this resident weekly to see what we could be doing differently.
Well. . .I guess I know what would happen with my review or bonus!
Our RD Was like that. I have seen one particular resident go through the dining room and subtly ask neighboring diners about their meals and if he didn';t like the response given he would work the conversation to find one thing that wasn't "right" and get an agreement from the person he talked to and turn the I like it to that was horrible. He was very good and very proud of his daily or weekly communicades to resident relations and the private discussions with the BLS RD and very proud the the RD would side with him and make the managers do what he desires. I've never heard of him being happy with any of the managers. He wanted us to consult this person on holiday business, building repairs schedules etc etc etc...... make him feel in charge.
I know FIG and the Holiday folks read this. I hope they also know that the only reason people blog here is for our love of the residents. I am sure the must confuse the heck out of them. Have you ever seen a sight like this? so many people so passionate about the people they cared for.
Allow me to play the Devil's Advocate for a moment.
To start with I must recognize that Jack R. Callison Jr. is doing a fantastic job! Now, before you get mad and fire back at me - read on. Mr. Callison left Archstone to take over Holiday in 2008. Nosal LLC highly recommended him for the job. Fortress had hired Nosal to find them someone who would run Holiday Retirement. Fortress also obviously listed the preferred qualifications they required to be met in order to achieve what they wanted Holiday to become.
If there is anyone for anger to be directed toward I would suggest Fortress. By Fortress I refer mainly to the powers-that-be at Fortress, of which Wes Edens of Brookdale stands very tall. Mr. Callison is being paid to do exactly what he was hired to do - and apparently doing it very well.
Those of you who have done the research are aware that Fortress is built on a cloud-like structure. Since I am not personally notified about what Fortress plans to do with Holiday I must base most of my conjecture on all available information I can locate. Again, let me state that Mr. Jack R. Callison Jr. is apparently doing exactly what he was hired to do.
Having stated the above let me now state I am aghast at what has transpired - and deeply saddened at what I foresee is barreling down the mountain toward all of the residents, both present and future. I concur with other commenters that Holiday is becoming more and more an offshoot of Brookdale. It is my belief that the financial gurus' opinions of Fortress closely parallel my own - neither they nor I care very much for Fortress and its leaders. Here is a May of 2008 '"flog" (financial blog) I liked -- http://www.1440wallstreet.com/index.php/site/comments/
marking_wes_edens_and_fortress_investment_group_to_market/ .
Thank goodness there are other retirement options for at least some of the residents. Options like Resort Lifestyle Communities and Capital Senior Living can, and will, offer the elderly something better than what they are learning they can expect from where they are now.
IF a building can be filled using the dual factor of assisted AND independent living at the same building it does make financial sense. First you convince the elderly active senior to move into the upper floors. Hopefully it will be a year or two before it becomes necessary to move the resident to the first floor. But either way the money keeps rolling in every month. As I stated very early on "It sure beats raising cattle in a feedlot operation".
But they are NOT dealing with cattle! They are dealing with people! I predict that RLC will experience rapid growth and expansion, as will Capital - primarily because they still believe in putting people first. By the time the baby boomers are willing to move into a retirement home I also predict there will be several new companies opting for those elderly citizen rental checks. And lets not forget that social security benefits in the next fifteen or twenty years will not be as they are now - if social security is still there.
Brookdale took over several buildings in Wa and they were all assisted living within 2 years. They started on the first and then second floor then the third floor. It was good for the $$ but not good for the independent residents. If they stay long enough they will use the services but they are not being treated with the friendly warm atmosphere they had before the take over. Now the staff is very cold and unhappy so that means the residents are not happy. Too bad HRC made $$ and did not go assisted & that was the best part of the company. I am not there but a former employee told me how sad it is to have the company treat the employees with indifference- same as Holiday is now for present employees.
What happened with the Facebook site of Holiday Retirement? I see nothing after November of last year.
Evidently FIG wants all empty facilities....Marketing 101 teaches the best marketing tools are happy residents and happy employees. Since we are devasted residents and know our Mgrs, servers, maintenence, etc concur...we can only feel FIG wants us all to leave so they can market the realestate...not so smart in this economy??
Here's something to chew on: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/06/AR2009050603322.html
It's a financial article that points out the lack of retirement income that most baby boomers will be facing in the next few years. Over the past few dark months, I've been wondering if we aren't seeing the end of "independent retirement living". Simply put: our demographic is dying and the one that will be replacing them does not have the money to fill their shoes.
Most companies don't offer their own retirement plans anymore. Instead, they've been replaced by 401k accounts many of which have met with disastrous ends at the hands of inept account managers or the ever volatile stock market. Couple that with the "me" generations who came of age during the 70's and 80's when instant credit and self gratification were the buzz words of the times and you have one hell of a mess coming down the pike in the next few years. Assisted living will still be a necessity (probably with a good chunk of government assistance) and independent living will be a luxury that most will forsake. Of those who can afford the independent lifestyle, many will instead look at reverse mortgages to help them subsidize their 40 and 50 something year old children who have returned to the nest after failed marriages, foreclosed homes and used up savings accounts have left them with few other options.
All that doesn't even take into consideration the rising cost of health care to seniors which by most estimates has risen by over 20% in the last decade alone.
Even the seniors who live with us now, the ones who had company sponsored retirements, investments and houses to sell are running out of money. This fact I am constantly being made aware of each month as I hand out rent increases and watch the worried tears of a 90 year old resident who "never planned to live this long" and has to constantly check their bank account to make sure that buying a new tv won't put them short on rent the next month.
This post barely scratches the surface when talking about the financial crisis looming in the elder care business. I'd love explore it further but I don't sleep very well these days and need to try for a couple of hours before going on duty today. I say we are beginning to see the death throes of "independent living" what say you?
Good call!
I need your help!
Does any one still access to the portal? I am needing a digital copy of the Food Service Manual and Employee Manual. I had in the passed been able to download the documents and send them in an email. I need these manuals to prove that chefs, managers were not abiding about them. Please help me out. I be mucho desperate!!!
Thanks
A
I wouldn't hold my breath waiting if I were you. What a perfect corporate set up. Wouldn't be too hard even for the lame IT dept. at HO to figure out who dl'ed the entire food service manual in the last few months. There is no reason anybody in a building would have to actually download such a massive file. We just print them out as necessary. You may indeed be genuine but this request smells like a big Oregon troll
A bit fishy indeed. Get a lawyer and they can demand it!
Open a private mailbox at a postnet or postal connection type of private mailhandler/shipper (they are on every corner). Post that address on here if DL will allow it and I will mail you a hard copy from my private mailbox.
name withheld
If EXEXCHEF wishes to post an address or email on here he/she is certainly free to do so. The same goes for anyone else who desires to do so.
As everyone knows I gave my word this blog will protect anonymity and confidentiality at all costs. To achieve this I removed the need to use an email address in order to post a comment. Some still add an address -(and some of the addresses are cute and funny enough to be posted just for the descriptive wording). I do not save any address of anyone who comments on here. There are no addresses or emails to pilfer by someone seeking to gain some type of list.
When I am asked to forward an email for someone I must first post a request on the blog to have the sought after commenter email me their address and permission before I can forward it to anyone else. I then immediately remove the emails. Anonymity is a two-edged sword.
Here's another good one for the new General Manager position --
We were told that we should be going to the local Senior Centers on our days OFF to call bingo since that would make more seniors want to come and live with us. Well, of course, since we have so much off time that would be ideal -- YEAH RIGHT!
I always loved what everyone else thought should also be the managers job!
How sad for the person who doesn't need assistance but would like a first floor apartment for the many reasons any one would like a first floor apartment.
And a side note of a building My Husband and I managed for a short stint.... Becareful Holiday used to allow non holiday contracted personal care providers to have control of the e-call system and master keys and closets in Columbus Indiana. That building was part of the other leg prior to the sale and was set up for AL. but of course the managers prior to us made horrible decisions on who got the have full access to apartments, and master keys to apartments and linen closets and activity room storage with out leases or contracts. When we took over the personal care providers would respond to any one who pulled an e-cord whether or not they were contracted to provide service to that resident. When we took over as managers we were not allowed to have the building rekeyed, only ask the personal care providers to return the keys and pagers to the managers (with out knowing how many keys were allowed out in the first place) and I personally have no clue how many apartment master keys are floating around in Columbus Indiana. The e-call system on one half of the building doesn't buzz into the managers' or co's apartment. We tried to have that remedied but was told it was cost prohibitive to correct. I wish you well for the safety & security of residents of that area.
I was thinking after catching up on the blog today. We all pretty much agree that Fortress doesn't listen to the people that keep their business running. How about we stop writing on the Blog for a day and go on strike? nobody report to work on the same day at all locations ( 300 ) can you image how fast the would start listening to us. Oh we would let our unhappy residents know what we were doing and WHY. Let them try to replace 10,000 associates all at on time.
That sounds interesting, but they would probably fire you. How about everyone calling in sick ??
The only way things will change is if census continues to drop. The Colsons had things in the 85 to 95 per cent category. Now at 60 per cent that means Holiday is loosing big bucks.
300 buildings X 118 units (average ) each==35,400 units. 40 per cent Empty is 14,160.......average unit price is probably $2300.
$2300 times 14,160 empty unints === $31 million per month LOSS. Over a year thats a 372 million dollar loss.
For each 100 unit drop --- monthly it equals $250,000 less revenue. A 100 unit drop per month averages 1/3 unit drop per month for each building.
SIMPLE SOLUTION: return to the Colson way of running a building. All Holiday needs to do is refine the way the Managers and Co-Managers work together and increase their pay slightly. Make is mandatory that all Managers and Co-Managers MUST strive to work for the betterment of the building and GET ALONG.
Unfortunately, the only ones that would suffer from a collective “Managers’ Flu” would be the residents, and they haven’t done anything to deserve that kind of move.
I agree with your “Fortrenomics”. However, the actual company-wide average rent is closer to $2,900, which makes matters even worse.
Believe me when I tell you that I am not fond of Stan Brown’s shift on Bill Colson’s paradigm: “What’s good for Holiday is good for the residents.” But, the drastic drop in census over the past year is not entirely Fortress’ fault. The truth is that move-outs have only increased slightly, and that is due to the depleting cash reserves of our prospective and current residents as they are out-living their money (and 4.5% annual rent increases certainly add gasoline to that fire.) Pension fund losses coupled with downward spiraling Real Estate values have virtually eliminated any waiting lists that any community had, and has had a dramatic impact on the ever decreasing number of tours company-wide.
To help overcome these negative factors, El Presidente has put a laser sharp focus on how to generate new leads by making management teams look at how they manage their Marketing & Sales efforts. The DI box has been totally replaced with a digital solution (www.youvegotleads.com), and they have seriously beefed-up everyone’s marketing budgets for 2010. Will it stop the hemorrhaging? Only time will tell.
In spite of (and as a result of) their initiatives, when the economy does turn around, Holiday’s long-term problem will be the growing Resident dissatisfaction and rapidly declining employee morale. Poised to double in size? I think not. Stay tuned.
You've Got Leads is being managed by A Place For Mom. They now have access to all the DIs for every building in the system. Think about it...
It wouldn't surprise one bit if Fortress has a vested position in A Place for Mom.
We had nothing but problems with APFM. Information was inaccurate most of the time and contact was also.
APFM is the lamest excuse of a group!
Yes, nothing but problems. Their references were horrible -- people that had very little income, people who needed extreme medical care, people that would curse you out when you contacted them.
Then, when you would call your APFM rep you would be told, "Yeah, we wrote them off, but thought you could chase them down." The best one was when our RD kept getting on our case because our APFM rep hadn't been to our community for her free lunch and tour. Our APFM said, "Well, maybe I can get to your place in 3 or 4 months."
Of course our RD thought that APFM was the best thing since sliced bread. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that Fortress and APFM were in bed together.
The cost for any move-in that comes from A Place for Mom is 70% of the full month rent. If Holiday gets all of their move-ins from APFM than it is costing them a fortune.
We used to have a rule-of-thumb where we would anticipate losing 3 to 4 residents monthly would -- that was in good times.
If "the Holiday touch" were to be re-instituted immediately, I'd estimate it would take at least twice as long for a new team to rebuild as it has taken for FIG to destroy it.
Should be interesting to see how long this arrangement lasts. The APFM finder's fee used to be a full months rent - with no accounting for allowances, credits or incentives we may have applied to close the deal. There was the occasional conflict when we already had a DI in hand prior to APFM's sending us the same name. We learned quickly to check all APFM leads against existing DIs.
Please send documentS I requested to my email: Antoine3dd@yahoo.com
I really appreciate any helP.
If you need these proprietary documents for litigation purposes, your attorney can obtain them through a subpoena, and not put any current Holiday employee at risk of losing their job in your behalf. Good luck.
Why don’t all current and past managers write a letter to the resident leaders of their buildings-you know who they are-the ones who volunteer and take charge, and explain to them what is happening to their managers and of the impending price increase of 4.5% to 6%. Have them demand an explanation from the company as to why their loyal, loving managers are being replaced by young, yuppie, MBA’s. Also, inform them that it was related to me that on a regional call in Oregon, Regional Sales Manager Betty Aberg said, “In the past we’ve concentrated on taking care of residents. Now we are concentrating on move-ins.”
Please write immediately and anonymously to encourage these leaders to rally the residents- for their own sakes as well as ours and ultimately Holiday’s.
-Still in the trenches after 10 years.
tru dat. heard it myself. I was appalled.
We were told over a year ago by our RD that we were not to have events for the purpose of the existing residents. They did not need to be entertained. The only reason events were to be conducted was to bring in possible move ins!
We thought then that the message was pretty clear -- who cares about the existing residents? Just worry about the people who could be moving in.
Home Office Marketing still doesn't get it! Move-ins come from our residents who are happy. If your residents are happy they will fill your building with their friends. Also our move -in are on a sudden need basis. Mom or Dad falls and can no longer live at home. The dollars spent on posters and thousands of mail outs are wasted dollars.
But, we do as we are told and do special events to try and bring the public in. We also do special events which will appeal to our residents and add door prizes for our residents to be in on the drawings.
I do not understand what Fortress is doing with raising rents and market rates and cutting back services and people will leave because of it. I am trying to rent apartments where previous residents had a dog and it wasn't entirely house broken. I can't change the carpet. Just have it cleaned. They say. Many residents have vision problems and the lighting in the apartments is very dim. Too bad!! I have a dark and dangerous parking lot. No new lighting even though someone fell in the rain last year because he couldn't see and was on the ground for 30 minutes before someone found him.
Is Holiday a tax shelter for Fortress???? Let's keep it running at a loss on purpose!??!
Lower the prices to a 2007/2008 level and let me fix up the damaged apartments and I think I could have a full building. In Oct. 2008 I was above 95%. The economy for the whole country sank and so did my census.
Fortress is probably banking on attrician of long time residents that remember better days. Remember when you worked there or when you started .... at how fast the resident base weren't aware of former managers and staff and events etc. It won't take too long for the current behaviors and treatment to be acceptable or normal in the eyes of the resident pool. Right or wrong attrician may just work to change the climate.
10 years...you deserve a metal !!! Do you know what a Holiday is (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter). That is the real problem with Holiday Retirement. The Managers and Co-managers never get a bunch of holidays off. Your basically have NO LIFE when working as a manager/co-manager. Never a full weekend off or even a three day weekend when a holiday falls on Monday.
Go luck Mr & Mrs 10 YEARS. maybe someday you will able to remember what memorial day weekend. July 4th weekend and Labor day weekend are all about.
I always get a chuckle when reading this type of comment throughout this blog. Having worked for 25+ years in hospitality/retail management before joining Holiday Retirement as a Co-Manager, I remember 60-80 hour work-weeks, and, yes, even having to work on major holidays (can you say doing an inventory and month-end/quarter-end/year-end reports every New Year’s Eve into the wee hours of New Year’s Day?) I don’t see this as a Fortress or Holiday Retirement “problem”, but rather an aspect that comes with most industries that sell a product or a service to the public. Our clientele expect us to be there for them at their convenience, and when we accepted this job, we knew the expectation of our positions.
Going on 4 years with Holiday Retirement, I have to strongly agree that this lifestyle career (not unlike that of a fire fighter or paramedic) is not for everyone. And, one of the advantages of working the same schedule as my spouse is that having both Saturdays and Sundays off every week does not have much meaning to us. We can make any consecutive 2 days off our “weekend.” We even schedule 3 days off in a row during a holiday week for both couples at our community, then work two 6-hour days with our three open to close days (a 54-hour week plus three overnight on-calls), and everybody is happy. To make our time-off fair and balanced, we alternate working the major holidays with the other couple. And, as for vacations, we schedule those far in advance with our Regional Director for him to arrange a floating management couple to cover so we do not have to kill ourselves during or after the vacation of either couple.
But, as I said earlier, this lifestyle is not for everybody. If you try to compare this to a Monday through Friday job and must have the actual holidays off to be happy, then you would be absolutely right in saying that you do not have THAT life. But, if good planning/scheduling and time management do NOT exist in any non-standard work-week occupation, then you definitely will have NO life.
What a bunch of crap! Floating managers???? Yeah, right! Our RD said, "in your dreams." If one set of managers took a vacation then the other set are on their own.
Or how about when the comanager leave and you are on your own 24/7 for two months?
And firefighters and paramedics get paid for that shift whether or not they are answering a call. Then they have real days off. I do not thing that the job as managers can be compared to firefighters and paramedics.
Yes, I too, always get a chuckle out of responses like yours that seem to think that the majority of managers are just whiners and do not know how to budget their planning and time management.
This was obviously written by someone in Marketing at Home Office. This is NOT reality. What you say Achmed?????
What Floating Managers? I have said this before, my wife and I once worked 3 months solid as we did not have any co-managers. Now keep in mind, if your bus driver or your activity director calls in sick you, as manager with a CDL lisence (as required by the company) ALSO have to drive the bus for residents who need to go to the doctor(s) or shopping or what have you on top of the daily ruotine type of work.
Before FIG bought HRC, there was only one set of "Floating" managers in the region. They liked certain buidling and disliked other. If you happen to be in a building they disliked, they always would find an excuse not to come. Your RD kept promising he would take of the managers with pay raises etc. etc. Obviously when increase time came, they always forgot the made such promises.
The bottom line of it all is this:
If you like(d) what you are/were doing then you cope with it all and get it done for the "TRUE LOVE" we all have for our residents. And that is what HRC was and now FIG is banking on.
The one thing that can change all of this is to get a union inside.
I persoanlly am not a believer in unions however in the case of FIG/Holiday as well as Brookdale, I trully think a strong union will be helpful and then FIG can suck it up with the unions. All Canadian properties are unionized.
Because of the new structure from FIG into Holiday it only will take one person from a union and all the US communities will be unionzed as well. I have no doubt about it. You than will have fair wages and FIG is screwed.
Who's going to pay for the increased costs due to a union? The residents. I'd say so much for those "fair" wages, but then, maybe Fortress is too big to fail!
The residents are all ready paying by suffering through overworked and burned out managers/staff and they are still getting the privelge of rent increases. I believe a union could help create a fairer working condition and compensation package for employees. Right now managers/employees have no one to help protect them and are forced into situations and are continually forced to work in conditions that compromise the work requirement structure with an imperfect - inplace system that exhibits a non caring or inconsiderate behavior pattern. Bottom line its all about the dollar and people are expendable. They save money on working you on your free (free for HRC) time and will be happy to replace you with someone else when you are used up.
Reminds me of a paper napkin? All nice and crisp and folded neatly at the start of the meal and then someone grabs you and and scrunches you up, rubs you into a mess and then tosses you on a dirty plate to be discarded.
fair wages with a union -you are dreaming my friend.once unionized a building will be paid the lowest possible increases-while other non-unionized buildings will see a slightly higher % raise-trust me on that.
We all received $0.03 to $0.12 raises. Woo-hoo! Feels like we are already in the union.
Understood, except I do not have an attorney, nor am I yet in litigation, I am merely fighting for unemployment. I fully understand the concern, but I am fairly certain that there that this "proprietary" material is available on line, I am just asking for a backup copy.
It is NOT available online. It is only accessed through the portal and nobody is going to risk downloading it to send it to you. You should have saved all your manuals and documentation given to you when you were hired.
Today is a rather lazy day for me and I am sitting at my computers doing research. Several programs are constantly searching for various topics of information and here is one which you may find interesting to scroll through. While it does not give any actual pertinents it is informative in its own manner. I have a feeling that Callison's speech would make most fascinating reading. Just below the date click on Senior Living Roundtable Program.
http://www.hotelschool.cornell.edu/research/chr/events/roundtables/senior.html
Note the title of Jack Callison's input. Also note the slanted participation insofar as a prime being leaders of the hotel and resort industry (rent a room by the night) instead of actually being involved with, and concerned about, senior citizens and lifestyle living.
I find myself wondering why a CPA would be placed in charge of a company like Holiday Retirement. Corporate CPAs are usually esconced in a cubicle on the 7th floor, albeit a large cubicle if they are the boss. Reading over Callison's background nothing jumps out which would offer a rationale to the CEO position. From what has been offered so far it would appear he has little "people skills", apparently displays an overblown self ego, does not recognize his subordinates as being worthy of his attention, and could give a damn about the residents who pay his salary. This still leaves a few traits which could be positives. After all - he got the job! He possibly could have a phenomenal figure column mentality with a highly tuned ability to brown nose his superiors. But the bottom line always raises its ugly head in the real world and unless the profit line is in the black the job is in the red.
No, not personally picking on the man, but merely curious what went on behind the closed doors to get him the job. As the CEO, and as a CPA background, it still behooves one to display some type of recognition, compassion, or emotion regarding the well being of others - all the way down to the building janitor. So far no one has put forth any comment regarding such a part of him. Apparently he does not even want to know about complaints by residents. Can he truly have such a big head that the only image of himself he sees is from his own distorted mirror?
In over a year there should have been some type of financial betterment with the company other than elimination of employees to shore up shrinkage. Something along the lines of, say, increased residency in the communities. Interesting! He reads the blog - this I know - yet so far not a single comment has been offered by the company in an open and constructive manner - not one. The ability to speak on their own behalf is there, as is the interest from the blog population. I am aware that corporate is trying very hard to determine who writes from home office, hence my hard line on anonymity. Wouldn't it be so much simpler for the company to assign one of their people to speak on their behalf - other companies do.
Fortress Investment Group is the stop line. Remember back in '07 when Fortress opened at about $30.17 per share? Now it is "rebounding" (?) and is worth about $5.10 per share. That's a long way from the low in the $0.70 range, but a very long way from the opening high. I know of at least one resident who invested most of their money in Fortress and now can't afford to live in a Holiday community. And it is noted that, at least online, Brookdale Senior Living is listed as a 'competitor' of Holiday. Ironic when you consider Wes Edens and Fortress.
Yes, indeed Charles after doing some casual research and reading, your summary was pretty much my take as well on Jack and the current situation.
Clearly, with the creation of the General Manager position replacing the lead management couple and drawing from hospitality labor pool and using hospitality-like principles to restructure and re-fill the Holiday buildings is such an error in mega proportions on so many different levels that Jack and Stan need to have their urine checked for illegal substances and a CAT scan for brain damage.
Although, personally I had several issues with the couple Manager and Co-Manager Teams as we knew them but really in most cases the stronger agent or in some cases the more dominate personality of the couple became the de facto General Manager. This Management Team combination has if fact worked for years albeit with mixed results across the board. If a couple didn't come to the company jointly armed with business, sales and marketing skills--which most couples really didn't-- it realistically took them 3-4 years or longer (if they could hang on that long)to acquire enough of the requisite skills to operate a community effectively.
To be sure, there is a basic, inherent conflict and sustained organizational dysfunction with the labels/titles/terms of manager/co-manager--one person is and has to be accountable and in-charge all the time whether they are on site or not and that individual sets the tone for that particular community environment. Moreover, whatever personal differences existed between the combined management teams right or wrong (unless immoral, illegal or contrary to loosely prescribed company guidelines) all other managers should have yielded to and supported the "lead" manager of the fearless foursome.
In most communities and in most cases I assure you that this did not happen. In most communities internal conflict was standard operating procedure. It was seemingly in the staffs' and residents' best interest to pit or play the managers against each other only for different reasons. The staff loved having a revolving door of managers, it resulted in a management team that would never be there long enough to hold them or their performance accountable. The residents would naturally always have their favorite managers based on a variety of reasons, however in as much as they tell you they dislike the management turn-over and believe me they truly do but they love to get wrapped up in the excitement of the drama and inner-community conflict which eventually undermines the intent and authority of the de facto General Manager/ Senior couple.
My point although far from a ideal system I believe it could have been tweaked through better hiring, training and fine tuning or adjusting the Management Team structure, rolls, titles, job descriptions and another management imperative-the management couple should have always been responsible for hiring their co-managers--not the RD or trainers.
Great writing Charles. What about the premise that Holiday Retirement was built upon ---- The Grass Roots Philosphy and Gracious Retirement Living. Almost every building is turning into a nursing home because managers/co's are being forced to raise census. There was a day when many buildings were full and even had a waiting list. Now, the only things that matters is --- is the potential resident breathing and does he/she have money to pay for the apartment. Four years ago we were in a building that had great independent seniors. Now, at the same building, THere are 28 vacant apartments...there are also 20 electric wheel chairs and 25 walkers at dinner. 4 additional residents are also being helped with meals by aides. Some of the independent folks are now afraid to ride on the elevator in fear of people run into by an electric wheel chair. Mr. Callison, Mr. Brown or whomever needs to tour the buildings and see what is happening.
By the way...the article about Holiday waiting for the baby boomers. Remember these boomers are only 55- 65 and probably won't need a retirement home for 10-20 more years.
Another by-the-way--- I recently heard from a former resident who was paying $2400 a month for his apartment. He left Holiday because of the poor treatment from the managers and the bad food. This guy now lives in a $750 a month apartment...budgets $30 a day to eat out($900 a month) and he still has $750 a month left over. He plays poker once a week ($10)..bingo once a week ($10)...to the movies once a week ($10) and to church on Sundays ($10) donation. ($160 a month)...He stills has $590 left. Utilities cost about $100 a month....Still $490 left. He's as happy as a 2 peas-in-a-pod or a 3 frog-on-a-lilly-pad.
This has been discussed before. There was a reference to a community in Nashville TN, Windlands South I believe that has a community which is filled primarily with people who are on walkers, scooters..etc. Has anyone uncovered the "truth" behind that building. I heard it is what caused Nina to be fired; her desire to speak truthfully about that property. We all are aware there is a problem but the information is closely withheld. It's the reason the previous RD was uh..given a different region - he lacked the ability to manage the managers and the community properly.
Does anyone have any indication as to the time-frame for the timely demise of HRC per se?
Somehow my first point made was that I knew that these documents were available on the portal. Check it out. I can tell that you are uncomfortable with helping. Fine, but dont discourage anyone else. I find this blog to be very helpful and hopefully a network of support. Please dont block my intentions.
Someone is working to help you - just be patient.
I told you I have all the books,I was a manager,who never threw anything out...I'll help you
Wall of Shame!
Thank you, C. Dowd Ritter for retiring… now your companies stock can finally start going higher again… um, open space, looks like it is time to reshuffle the deck on the old Wall of Shame… who gets bumped up to Ritter’s spot?… We have to give that vaunted position to Wes Edens… yep, this is our man…Edens is the founder and the co-chairman of the Fortress Investment Group (FIG)… like I do not give a FIG… which just yesterday it announced that it will not pay a dividend for the sixth consecutive quarter… I am taking a real dangerous stand here with this pick… because everybody knows that private equity guys like Wes Edens throw incredible parties out in the Hamptons… but lucky for you, I am a Jersey Shore guy, so I do not care about being black listed…. plus it is the middle of December, so maybe Wes will have forgotten about this before summer rolls around. This is what Jim Cramer wrote. Dec.2009
I still get e-mail from residents where were managers I have now been putting at the bottom of by my name that I am a fan of and then the link to this blog instead of writing letters. This will be told by them like wild fire. Also I have talked to the Chef and he said they have a young GM and it is not working out. They are down 40 Apt's.
All employees are looking for a new job including the Chef. Sad!!!
Comment to livingthedream, Holidays, are you serious? It isn't a Holiday when you have to work extra hours before or after to cover the time the other manager takes off. You are working more hours to have time off. This my friend, is not a Holiday. I'm just saying, don't advertise it as Holiday Pay. When in fact, it is not! For it to be real Holiday Pay, you would either get the extra 8 hours of pay, or have a floater come in and work your shift for that day! Not the way it is being done now!
I agree with you 100% on your definition of how a 'real' Holiday should be paid. But, as I mentioned, that is the nature of our business, for better or, as in this case, for worse.
I just started reading the blog...... I have been with Holiday for a few years now and it sickens me as the way we are going. I just heard of several RD's loosing their job. Some were nice and I am sure some not however, most came up through Holiday as managers, co-managers they for the most part understood Holiday's way of life. We now have RD's that don't know if they are coming or going where do we go from here? Who is next?
Please share the blog with other mgrs, cos and chefs in your regions. Just think of what an impact we could make if we were all in communication on the blog, our strength lies in numbers. As we all get replaced with GMs, and attempt to collect unemployment the blog could prove very useful.
I am sorry. I put in many years with Holiday and listened to this stuff every day. Co managers would sign on for health insurance only. They couldn't and didn't carry their workload, too many hours, too little pay
etc. The only thing I can say is that now Fortress has figured out how to clean house.
This blog has gained a national reputation and it isn't helping them at all. If they successfully institute the GM program all the preious Holiday employees will be gone and so will the blog.
I for one worked hard, enjoyed my residents and did not mind working more hours to make them happy and to keep them healthy.
I have said it once before, "If the job isn't for you, "GET OUT" now, you are going to be eliminated anyway. The proof of this, is all of the above in this blog.
Rather an all encompassing statement.
After your "... many years with holiday..." would you, yourself, now stay in a Holiday Retirement community?
I will argue your stance about the health insurance, using us as an example. We did not need, or want, any of the benefits offered by Holiday. The company I retired from pays all of our health benefits - no co-pay, no charges to us at all. We went to Holiday because we felt an affinity for a concept to be identified with. That concept has disappeared. Co-managers, like managers, are mostly hardworking people just trying to do their jobs. I will say the same for all staff at a community or at home office.
Fortress has not figured out how to clean house. Fortress is displaying a "wrecking ball" attitude in an effort to stave off the collapse they know is coming, but that attitude is speeding up the process. Whatever reasoning led Fortress to purchase Holiday Retirement it turns out to be very obvious it was not to continue a Colson-built concept of a profitable endeavor. I tend to concur with a previous comment that Fortress is probably attempting to expand on the Brookdale manner of business.
The problem with doing this is that Brookdale is on limited time also. The retirement industry itself is gearing up and revamping in preparation for the 'baby boomers', but a big surprise awaits. Fortress rode the bubble back when it was easy, but Fortress does not have the "financial guts, the stamina and knowledge" to survive the economy for the next few years. Overextended, borrowed to the max, asinine investments, and a collection of stockholders who want their money simply because they direly need it.
Insofar as the blog itself being closed - wrong. Let's say that not a single person ever wrote anything on this blog again. Does anyone actually think it would cease to exist because of such? Already there is more than enough input by present and former employees at home office, as well as in the field, by residents past and present, expressing their concerns, to ensure the blog will remain a viable information locale for as long as I, personally, desire for it to be online. (Chuckling here) - I spend more money on a carton of cigarettes than this blog costs me for an entire year. I have been offered a sale of this blog but am not interested in doing so. It started as a questioning personal and has become a place for others to express themselves in safety from a company retribution effect. I am amazed at the results to date, but it proves The Touch is real and still can be a profitable concept.
If, at some future point of time, I get too old to be capable of caring for it then the blog will be offered to someone else who can do so. A nice thing about the Internet is that as long as information remains available - someone will search it out.
A very large number of the people on here ARE the future of the retirement communities. In ten or twenty years from now can most of you safely predict your financial situation will likely allow you to afford an apartment in a retirement community? Remember, just like everything else out there, the cost of an apartment will also appreciate accordingly.
Horay for this blog....Only found yesterday,as a former manager,co-manager and marketer with Holiday,I'll write everyday if that's what it takes to keep people informed..Keep this blog going " Charles"
We have been managers for two plus years and around the company for over 8, and as I read all these comments I think what has happened, then I remember, its called greed. Isn't greed one of the 7 deadly sins? Greed will continue to send this company on a downward spiral until it either goes under or they wake up. Under is my guess. The sad thing about all of this and reading all these comments is, the residents, this is suppose to be there golden years and now with social security being frozen and large amounts by many being lost in investments they are worried what they will do, yet we continue to raise there rates year after year and charge potential new residents more each year to move in. The company nationally is at a all time low in census yet they continue to raise those rates. Wouldn't good business be keep the rates lower and maybe save residents from having to leave for financial reasons then to have an empty apt. with no income. The company still thinks people are beating the doors down to get in. Well I could go on and on but Thank You Mr. Charles for this blog its nice to see we are not alone in our frustrations.
This "cleaning house" policy wasn't around when I hired on, and this blog IS necessary to keep us informed as company policy seems to be to keep us in the dark.
It's criminal to see hard working, dedicated people being treated like chattel.
Heard today that the building in Myrtle Beach has been without co-managers for 3 months.
What's going on....
Anyone hear who is replacing Mike Lively ?
Ive got all my books,food all....You are welcome to them....
http://wintergames.ap.org/story.aspx?st=id&id=7bd21bb6e3f84453864c8efa626e4479
ahhh things get even worse for fig
Good Catch! Have been waiting for this to happen. It was a foregone conclusion.
Fortress, like many other hedge fund scenarios, initially convinced others to "trust" them in handling the money. Back then the bubble was flying high. When the bubble burst it came down to simple economics - supply and demand. Profits are becoming harder and harder to obtain and costs more difficult to justify. This is happening all across the board, not only with Fortress.
There is, however, one major difference. As the 'belt-tightening' becomes even more prime companies are going back to that old fashioned concept of managing their own money instead of allowing some over priced percentage hyped group to do so. Wesley Edens and his entourage have made so much money they will never have to work. The problem now is that the money tree is drying up for the forseeable future. It is easy to reach for elusive potential when the coffers are overflowing, but the costs of maintaining the hopefuls gets more expensive by the day.
A company, any company, which deprives its stockholders of consistent dividends only has one direction to go - DOWN!
Mention of Wes Edens brought to mind a very interesting site which is interactive and a lot of informative fun. One can truly spend a lot of time doing research on this site. Check it out!
http://www.muckety.com/Wesley-R-Edens/6049.muckety
Just a qucik calculation....with a 6% mortgage. The monthly payments on this place would be......
$8 million a month at 30 years
$10 million a month at 20 years
My goodness.
This is from a woman's view and what I'm thinking maybe way off the road to what Fortress is traveling on!
1. They have taken the only thing that Holiday was built on and stood for THE TOUCH! Holiday stood out from all the other Retirement Home because of the TOUCH.
2. Hitting the residents with a high rent increase so they can pay Jack to look pretty setting behind his desk,and all the new heads at HO to come up with these crazy ideals that are not working.
3. They are looking for a way to make a quick profit so they can blindside some new investors or sale some building off.
4.Are maybe they are still hoping for the BABY-BOOMERS. LOL
5.Are maybe turn the building that are in high tourist area into resorts! RIGHT!
6. Who knows but something wicked comes their way and all I can see is the a down fall for Holiday that will just be another Retirement Home with a low rating!!!
They will never know what they had with all of us the ones who had the TOUCH and knew what it meant, and loved showing it.
You said it...The Touch...The Family atmosphere...The personal interaction..
They all are gone.
Getting rid of everybody that made things work in the past is just plain ignorant.
It is totally sad for the remaining residents. I talked to one yesterday in Florida and she said --- "this hasn't been the same place since you and your wife left...nobody knows my name...the food is terrible and there is no family atmosphere".
She also added that their place looks like a nursing home.
And it will continue to look that way. After all, anyone who can stay on their own will continue to live on their own in this economy. Are you kidding me? Rush to move in to play bean bag baseball? The communities where the seniors are going offer at leisure dining, apartments which reflect style, hardwood floors, happy hour...All things not offered by Holiday. Let's face it, Stan Brown and Edwin Zepherin have ruined this company with their hospitality approach. There is no value in holding on to long term residents, just replace them with another one. During the weekly calls with management, the number we reported up to the illustrious Regional Sales Leader (talk about a dead position) was simply a + or a -
No conversation concerning the residents, their satisfaction, what their needs were (are). None of that. Simply who was out (not by name; just by numbers) and who was in. No value in knowing there name either they wouldn't be there long.
From James Cramer--CNBC in early January 2010....
Segment 5: Wall of Shame Update
Cramer announced that Wall of Shame member C. Dowd Ritter, who is the CEO of Regions Financial (RF), did shareholders a favor and decided to retire, so there is an open spot on his Wall of Shame. He gave the spot to Fortress Investment Group (FIG) founder and co-chairman Wes Edens because the company has not paid its dividend for 6 quarters in a row
well this is a nice holiday touch,i love top read this kind of stuffs,well anyway thanks for posting keep rocking
From all indications, Jack Callison has one job and only one job. That job is to dismantle HRC by any means the he (FIG) can conjure up to get the job done.
WHY???
I am a resident.....looking toward to being an EX- resident in the near future.
From what I have been told a lot of the new GM's are leaving right after they start. The say the money isn t worth it
If you are reading the blog, and in a building with a GM in place, could you clue the rest of us in?
I am in a building with a GSM as well as the Youve Got Leads DI system. So far, the GSM is out in the community sending us lead sources such as realtors, health agency reps, etc. Something that we already have. Our GSM is not in the building often and her presence has not affected my schedule as a co. It may be early, but I don't see her replacing me or the managers in any way. But, I'm not sure the money is well spent. Time will tell. I just don't know if Holiday has the time/money to spare.
The community that I live in has been under the GM Manager concept since May 4, 2009. Originally the management team consisted of a General Manager, an Office Manager, and a married couple as co-managers. However within 2 weeks the co-managers were transferred and never replaced. The current monthly Activity Calendar lists 4 people (all female) as the management team with no indication as to their title or job description. Only 1 of the original management team is still listed. As a side note there has been on 1 person from the management team on duty for each of the last 2 weekends.
Pericles - could you please tell us, before May of 2009 did you have the standard Manager couple along with a co-manager couple?
subscribing
"Seven Things About The Economy Everyone Should Be More Worried About Than They Are" -- interesting article at http://www.niemanwatchdog.org
I hold to the stance that the economy has a very very long way to go before it can be called "recovered". I also steadfastly maintain that the future of the retirement for Americans is going to be a lot different than either the generation of my parents or my generation. My parents retired comfortably. They were able to live and do the things they wanted without sacrificing a lifestyle. They learned from the Great Depression and the World War to save, to live frugally.
My generation, on average, cannot do so for various reasons. And the "baby boomers" to come will be in much worse financial lifestyle shape than ever. Yes, there will always be those who are rich and those who are poor. The major difference, in my opinion, is that the 'middle class' is shrinking at an alarming rate. And it is this middle class which fills the apartments of the retirement communities. This middle class, throughout history, has been the backbone of the country. It is the middle class which supports the taxes for all of the various programs.
Prior to the GM Management concept, the community that I live in had 1 married couple as managers, 1 married couple as co-managers. For a year before the change this community was a training center for co-managers
When we were hired some 7 years ago,there was also 1 manager couple,1 married co-managers,we all went to Salem for training....
After the blog was archived, I stopped receiving emails on new postings...Now I have checked subscribe to entry & blog. Is that what I'm supposed to do in order to start receiving emails again?
Thanks for any imput I receive.
I apologize for the problem. Closing the comments on Part 1 is what prevents notification regarding Part 2 because 2 is a different entry . Unfortunately a resubscribe is necessary. Again, I apologize. So far I am unable to ascertain the reasoning and am seeking a solution. Please bear with me.
This is only a bit off the beaten path, but still pertains to the future of "Independent Retirement Living", the baby boomer generation and our country as a whole.
This is a very long article, but it is the best one I have read to date, written by someone whose education and career has been devoted to studying this stuff.
http://bit.ly/8WGXBH
The bottom line is this. If there is no recovery any time soon and a plundering government remains at large, what are our current residents or families of residents who support their stay at Holiday, going to do??
N.W.
Here is an excerpt from the latest news to come out of Holiday Retirement:
Jan. 25, 2010 - Roger Aufieri will be joining Holiday on February 8, 2010 as the new Executive Vice President/Managing Director for the Southern District. In his new role, Roger will oversee 71 Communities spanning Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming.
Roger spent the last two years as the Executive Vice President of Operations for Remington Hotels in Dallas, Texas, where he was responsible for all operational functions for a portfolio of hotels throughout the U.S. He also worked as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for HEI Investors in Norwalk, CT, after serving 12 years as the President and COO of White Lodging Services in Merrillville, IN.
With White Lodging Services, Roger was responsible for achieving premium results in market share, guest scores, and profitability for a portfolio of 90 hotels with $350 million in annual sales. He developed a strategy for staff disciplines in marketing, sales, revenue management, engineering, and field operations to consistently exceed the brand results in numerous key indicators. Roger also held a variety of positions with Marriott International for 13 years, including opening five hotels as General Manager.
I think the key word is Hospitality. It appears the people they are hiring are experts in making certain on a daily basis that people's need are met.
I hear this Aufieri guy is great and should bring great value to the management of Holiday
If Roger is reading...Here is some advice.------
1.Hire back every manager & co-manager working during 2005 & 2006 when the company census was near 90%.
2. Allow you 71 buildings to revert to the old food budget so that meals are a priority. "The best way to get to a
senior is thru their stomach". Remember every time you have your grandpa, grandma, aunt or uncle over for dinner you always give them a good home cooked meal.
3.Respond to resident complaints and concerns. Ignoring them just lets bad things continue to happen. If you get a letter about something bad in a building follow up on it and give good customer service.
4.Talk to you managers, co-managers, activity directors and chefs and remind them to "give the touch" and to" give them a pickle" when they ask for it.
5.Re-create an atmosphere in your 71 buildings as a "family"...have the managers and co-managers treat every resident like a grandpa or grandma.
Good luck sir and if you hire back those 2005 2006 people you will be successful.
Well folks, it almost sounds like Holiday Retirement soon will become Holiday Hotels. With all these people being hired from the hotel industry one can only wonder how these people think they can run a retirement company.
It is one thing to sell hotel rooms but an entirely different thing to sell a "LIFE STYLE".
Amazing, amazing, Amazing.
That's all I can say.
Well said!
i was contacted by a holiday recruiter about a co-manager position with my wife. any information you want to give me would be helpful.
Stand by. We'll continue to see the demise of Holiday Retirement. What Stan and Edwin are doing is no different than what transpires with professional athletic teams. New Coach means new asst. coaches and a reshuffling of players. Jack (Team Owner) has turned Holiday over to Stan (GM) who in turn is bringing in his team of coaches (MD's RD's) all from hospitality who already speak his language and are accustomed to his expectations. Edwin brings the same with his infrastructure choices...makes you wonder how much longer Cynthia Stutsman will survive.
They have effectively shelved Kai by banishing him to special projects even though he maintains the ear of Jack for long range/term planning.
What a mess they have made of this company. What a sad commentary.
Almost all co-managers work the following schedule:
Sunday off
Monday off
Tuesday report to work at 11;00am and work till 8;00-8:30 (after supper) on call all night
Wednesday up to work at 7:00 to 7:30 and
get ready for breakfast. Work until 3:30pm and then time off.
Thursday report to work at 11:00 am.
Work until 8:00- 8:30pm ..on call all night.
Friday report to work at 7:00-7:30am and get ready for breakfast. Work ALL DAY until 8:00-8:30pm. On call all night.
Saturday report to work at 7:00-7:30am
and get ready for breakfast. Work ALL DAY until 8:00-8:30pm. On call until;
6am.
The building managers are off from 3:30pm Thursday to 6am Sunday.
The co-managers are off from 6am Sunday to 11am Tuesday.
Depending on how many residents are in your building...everything is o.k. unless a work doesn't report to work.
Example a dishwasher...You fill in for those who don't show up.
All supper meals and all weekend meals have teenagers as servers. If you are lucky you can get reliable help. If not, you end up serving the meal.
It all depends on what you want.
It is a fact that you are on call 4 nights per week for resident emergencies
and things like letting people in the front door at 1am. The schedule means you have three evenings and nights off per week.
As far as holidays go...if you are teamed with fair managers, you usually alternate weekends. For instance, one couple takes Thanksgiving off and the other takes Christmas off. YOu NEVER get all holidays off.
When a manager goes on a 7 day vacation, you, as co-managers cover 24-hours a day for 7 days. Usually, again, if you have fair managers you get an extra day or two off when they get back.
By the way, the co-manager apartment is generally 500 square feet with a small living room, kitchenette and bedroom.
There generally is a small washer/dryer
on top of each other. Don't plan on bringing lots of furniture.
You get to eat the food that the residents eat...but to be honest, on you days off you probably want to stay away from the main dining room and kitchen.
During each meal, the managers or co-managers pour coffee three times each meal
Good luck...
Is Holiday using recruiters? Are they hiring with in at all? What are the recruiters recruiting for? Co Managers, Marketers, What else.
Having read the blog,and served nearly a decade, we share in so many comments.
Don't shoot across the bow, focus on Fortress. The destruction of the corporation as we knew it, is their gameplan. The settlement of the objective is still unclear. More in the future.
Official announcement was released today of the "resignations" of John and Lore Di Salvo, Eastern Divisional Chefs effective January 29, 2010. Wouldn't it be a surprise if their replacement is from the hotel industry? If it weren't so sad, it would be funny.
i met them at the cia years ago.nice people.HUGE mistake bringing in hotel people for that area,as they would have no concept of feeding people with the pittance that chefs are provided.
Unbelievable. Lore is strict but a very, very good person. Just...wow.
Good? Are we talking about the same person? In my epxeriences with her and over the years there's been several, she was nasty, rude, and obnoxious. Then there's the CAA she "helped" with one year. I was working in the kitchen the whole time she was there. Most of the stuff she marked off as "not clean" she never even looked at and other items she wrote as "not clean" were out-right lies. Just wow is right.
What's next at Holiday. Taco Bell or Burger King $1 Cheeseburgers for lunch.
It is probably better than some of the slop that is being served today. Food quality has dropped to an all time low. I can't belive some of the poor quality meals that are being served.
would that be bad?
WHAT be bad?
After reading this blog, it is difficult to beleive anyone would want to stay in facility that was managed by the bloggers on this site. My god what a bunch of negative miserable group. How could the atmosphere of any residence be good with these people working there.
So duke exactly what postion do you hold within this company??
None, because only a fool would work in the bitter enviroment you have created for yourself. God as my witness I do not work for this company nor do I know anyone who does. You need to close shop on your blog leave that miserable company and find something positive in your life. Only you will be the one to decide if you are miserable or not.
Hey Duke, you try running a building, keeping the residents safe and happy, managing a staff of 35-40 people and have absolutely no support from your superiors and home office. You try to tell a resident who just received a rent increase they can't afford that everything will be ok. You try to keep order in the face of constant chaos, belittleing, and have the human value of our most precious commodity, our residents, constantly and continually demeaned by home office people who think they are disposable and without worth. I would like to have you spend one day in my community, or anyone else's community, and see firsthand what Fortress has done to this company. Come to think of it, you are either a Fortress troll or a home office yes man/woman lackey. Go away. You are a pompous jerk.
You say you don't have time to care for the residents. Why don't you use the time you do on this blog making yourself unhappy to spread a little cheer into the greatest generation that ever lived at your facility. Your whining around on this only serves to make you more miserable.
No one who is, or has been associated with Holiday would be interested in posting on this blog, particularly to give advice about which you claim to know nothing.
The new order at Holiday is bent on getting rid of managers whose first priority is spreading love and cheer into the greatest generation.
I have a novel idea!!! Why don't all of the experts on this blog just buy Holiday and then they can run it the way they want.
Sadly, managers and co-managers do not earn enough money to invest in much of anything.
You still don't get it. Why people post comments on this blog. There is a collective shared experience of witnessing first hand the double talk of new management. And that is, bragging about the Holiday touch, while systematically changing the corporate structure to eliminate it. The short-sighted and greedy approach to maximizing profit by cutting staff and budgets and raising market rents to cover the outrageous salaries of upper management who never lost a night of sleep to an E Call, or plunged a toilet.
It's hard to wrap your head around the concept that no good deed goes unpunished. So it's comforting in a way, to know that one is not alone. You might keep that in mind on your way up, because if it doesn't work out, you may need some fellowship too.
I'm in I have a little money to invest. Hy Vee is employee owned and Holiday is not by far a grocery store but I'd like to know how this works at Hy Vee or am I way off?
Hey Dukey, if you don't work there or know anyone who does, then why the hell are you even reading this blog or posting on it.
Duke most of us have already lost our jobs for the reason of caring for the residents. You get some managers in there that as co-managers where wonderful and residents loved them bur when they become managers they change just like the superiors do and for a RD to say nothing is opened for discussion is beyond me! So we are not wasting time on here at work we are unemployed looking for a job and by the way we are the "Babyboomers"
Hi Duke:
I can certainly understand your concerns. Unfortunalty in the spirit of freedom of speech I welcome your comments right or wrong. I can only speak for myself. I did not enter the company in a negative manor. After 3 years of belittling, and a host of other behaviors no person let alone employee should have to endure to be employed I have beyond earned the right to find comfort and commeraderie. When you are a manager you usually are an Island. When I first hired on it was discouraged to contact other managers. I Can say my husband was very good at blowing that out of the water. Much to status quo desire to divide and concur.
I loved my "home and family". I grieved and am still grieving for the friends I am not allowed to visit at thier homes as holiday has a policy to not allow former employees back on HRC property. My husband and I left voluntarily and were not fired, we found we could no longer "sell" the new lifestyle being touted and were unable in clear conscious to enforce many of the new things being required ei: the "30 day notice" Which could be a 59day+ notice. We were business minded people and loved the concept of the Touch and maybe having the honor(if we were lucky) to provide just one more person something meaningful one last time.
Even the most positive people can take only so much. So please continue to speak out.
an additional note:
I think we are negative, but mostly sad and hurt about the loss of something, something we've put our hearts into and that it was great and that it could have been better.
But please feel free to beat on us some more as if HRC hasn't done so enough.
Oscar, in all due respect, may I reply. May I understand, are you currently employed with Holiday? If not, your social life cannot be governed by Holiday in that regard. The only way legally to restrict a visitor of the residents is to post at the entrance of the community, a sign stating No Vistors Allowed. The conduct of a visitor is always governed while on the property.
Duke, you claim not to work for Holiday or FIG so how would you know what managers and co-managers go through in a day/night? I have read your smart-*ss remarks today and I am in the firm believe you are one of the newly hired idiots from the hotel industry trying to take another dime from this company without any proper experience of how to run a retirement community. If you have nothing to do with Holiday or FIG, why would you even bother to read this blog or leave a message on it. You have no idea what you are getting your self into by leaving idotic messages like yours on this blog.
So please, if you have nothing else to contribute of any substance, do us a favor and go back to your playboy web site and enjoy your self.
Please note: It is 9:15 PM Central Time so I am doing in "MY" time, not the company's time. Got it?
Looks like thats where DUKE went Achmed! He found a challenge and quit
You can always tell when someone is losing an argument they always resort to name calling.
Name calling you are the one that calls yourself Duke? What other name were you called! HUH?
Duke,when you learn more about Holiday, you will run to the nearest exit and go back to Fortress, Which by the way you talk came from anyway,Rats leave sinking ships,Right!!
When will they begin to replace the RSL's? The woman we have in California is singlehandedly driving our residents out of the buildings! That is a move which needs to take place quick
RSL's like you describe will not be replaced. An RSL is basically a hired gun by home office. They do not do their own thinking. They request reports and activities from the community managers, and forward that data on up the pipeline. They weren't hired to be warm & fuzzy.
I know. I couldn't believe it, either.
The "Official" word from Home Office on all the "resignations" is that the Company is "Going in a New Direction", and the person(s) "resigning" are not part if that "new direction"! Well, perhaps HO is doing all of them a huge favor because I predict that the "new direction" is DOWN!!
when HRC had a Marketing dept. their census was in the low 90 percent range. Maybe they should bring back Jerry Flentje and his methodology. I guess cutting those expenses were'nt the smartest decision after all.
you must be out of touch. the marketing department they have now has expnded under the leadership of one of Kai's cronies. Stay tuned for spiralling downhill disaster. Be careful, you too could be the next winner of a move in cruise in promotional voucher (flopped program fom 09
We were told by our RD -- who came from retail background -- that even though he did not have a background in working with the senior citizens or with independent living it didn't matter. He said, "selling an apartment is just like selling a pair of jeans." I know that I probably didn't earn any points when I said that first, we don't SELL apartments and that if you aren't happy with the pair of jeans you will put them in the back of your closet and nothing changes in your life. Buying a pair of jeans does not change your whole life as a move into a holiday will. The bad part --- he looked puzzled like he didn't get it!
After his first visit the residents complained to us that he only wanted to hear bad things. Many complained that they were cut short if they answered and told about positive things happening in the community. He did spend LOTS of time with the usual complainers however.
I bet his jeans made his butt look fat from his wallet
Does anyone know where the new GMs are being trained? Our region is short handed (no co's) we are told they are in training will be here in March.That's when we think the GMs will come out of hiding.
Just talked to a friend and yes I believe it is going down then
They are being trained in Salem
I heard April
The Eastern Division was slated for 6 General Managers to begin January 1st as a 90-day pilot program to get the "bugs" worked out. To date, this has not begun. That is supposed to be followed by a farther reaching implementation of General Managers in April to replace management couples as they "leave" the company instead of replacing them with another live-in manager couple. Home Office says that there will always be 1 set of live-in managers in these communities reporting to the GM. We'll see how that works out for them.
Changing the Management structure is going to do one thing: It is going to make the residents unhappy. There will be a definate decline of customer service...socialization and "the family atmosphere" that Holiday has been built on. What each building really needs is two sets of managers and one full time marketing person. When we were managers the one big thing residents liked was our interaction in activities, events and our treatment of them as a grandma or grandpa.
What Fortress needs to do is have training on how managers & co-managers should react to each other.
Good luck...but cutbacks on staff & customer service is just going to pull the census even lower.
Here is an excerpt from the latest news to come out of Holiday Retirement:
"Mark Prince will be the new Managing Director for the Midwest District starting February 22, 2010, and he will oversee Communities in Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Utah, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana.
Mark joins Holiday Retirement after working two years as the President/Principal at Welbourne Management in Greenwood, IN. Mark was responsible for all the day-to-day operations, as well as overseeing multi-family, retail, and office management projects. Mark also spent 19 years in various roles at White Lodging Services in Merrillville, IN, concluding with the role of Vice President & General Manager for the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown.
Mark brings great experience in process management, as well as mentoring many managers that continue to work in a variety of industries today. Mark’s past success and experiences should complement our "Holiday Touch" perfectly.
Looks like the common denominator joining all the new management hires is the following line on their resumes:
"No, I never ran an independent retirement community, but I did sleep in a Holiday Inn last night."
I'll bet Mark will Jerk a knot in some of your tails.
Permit me to once again clarify: While the comments are not moderated there must be some type of prevention against personal attacks on individuals. This is not allowed. So far the blog has developed because of issues regarding a company/corporate change and the inherent conflicts or positives resulting from such, plus the impact on senior residents . Please keep it that way.
Duke - attempting to be an instigator is not the way to get points across. Neither is posting as Earl. Remember "Duke of Earl"? I remove all email addresses on a regular basis for anonymity. There are a few individuals involved on here whom I have come to know and trust. I occasionally contact them for their opinions when something comes up which might require editing or removal. I do not ordinarily arbitrarily make the judgement call myself without their input, but will do so if necessary.
To date it has been necessary to block only two IPs and remove three comments. Very low numbers!
One of the things which I have been both warned about, and waiting for, is for corporate to have a "tweaker" (for lack of a better word). I also realize that sooner or later some bored kid or adult will stumble across this site and attempt to have some fun. It happens all across the net.
If corporate wishes to openly offer comments they are definitely most welcomed.
Thanks,
dlcharles
Sorry DL I am just so mad that this company has cost me so much money to leave the chaos. I am happy now and will refrain from stooping to some comments level but maybe someday I will get over it. I still LOVE my seniors and feel I am only ONE of the great losses to Holiday
You're doing great! The reminder was not directed toward you at all. My wife and I have been gone from Holiday just over one year - and we miss the residents.
You know, some people just love to "stir a pot" and sit back and watch it boil. Seems to me that is what Duke enjoys doing. He probably doesn't care either way what this blog is trying to do; just wants to create negative responses for the shear attention he gets. I say, ignore him! He will eventually get tired of it and find another blog and people to irritate! I sure hate the fact that he uses the nickname of one of my favorite stars, the late, great John Wayne.
I am still waiting for this company to announce "the new opportunity" which has been extended to Martha Smith. I mean really, any retreaded tire at some point has to be put aside and retired from duty. What is it that she has on the company, specifically Kai? He bypassed several more qualified RSL's to be promoted to the DOS role; yes, I would be one of those. Even with our amaaaaaaazing world class Human Capital department allowed that to go through with no evaluative tool to determine who would have been the person best suited for the opportunity. Who knows what deal was cut on that one. Now as we understand it she is reporting to another RSL who used to work (or possibly still works) for her since we have not heard anything to the contrary. Is there a reason the company is afraid to acknowledge her demotion? Are they afraid there will be some retribution from within the company on this issue? Stay tuned
Moving on, this is another question for Jack or Kai. Can you advise us, the lowly RSL's who get no respect from you or the company exactly what our role will be with the GSM's you've decided to place within the company. Let me make sure I understand this - the GSM will not report to us, they will make more money than us, they will not travel as much as us, and we are a resource to them...but they will make more money? Jack, Stan...does that really make sense to you. Can you clarify for us what is unique or special about the GSM's other than they are new to Holiday and most of them have no experience or knowledge about the Senior Industry? Would that be the reason you are bringing this position in at a pay rate 15K higher than ours? Do you really thing it is fair to expect us in our position to drive throughout our region; working 100+ hours a week, attending the non ending every going, poor attending programs for the 50K pittance we are paid when your bonus for dismantling the company is significantly higher? Or could it be this move will allow you to dismantle the RSL's as we have heard?
Thiese are just a few of the questions we'd ask you if we were given the opportunity to participate in this "organic" (we know you like that word) growing company)
We're puzzled Jack. We can't believe you intentionally joined this company to wreck it did you? Don't you believe there should be transparency in not only our actions, but yours? Are we really asking more than we should to want answers to these questions.?
For sure there is more we could address, but I will be in Dallas and others will be in Hartford and we will be listening and all that happens will be reported here.
Before any RSL gets upset about being downgraded by the new GSM position I think you all should think how the RSL position downgraded the CMT. All I heard was after the RSLs come on board they will be able to train and coach the "incompetent community management teams" so THE PROBLEM will be solved. RSLs have been around awhile now and the numbers don't show much to cheer about. Maybe the CMTs were even worse than Salem was originally told and it's just taking a little longer to straighten them all out. Or maybe the recruiting and selection process for RSLs wasn't all that great.
And by the way your 50K pittance is about 15K more than the "pittance" a manager makes and I don't think any RSLs have rented any apartments or pulled any night calls. Maybe we shouldn't look at what's "fair".
It takes both of the two (2) managers' salaries combined to make even close to 50K.
Profound! The organizational chart in reality should be flipped upside down. The generating force for the revenue comes from the residents and the management team, the community. No other management entitlement mid and upper produce one dollar in revenue, they only spend it. So when we hear comments about income, everyone needs to consider how the management team feels, for they have never been considered in that regard. A good management team works long hard hours and often under difficult circumstances, much more than outsiders realize. With nearly a decade of employment, we have been there and done that. Our residents were always first which didnt fit the new Holiday game plan. SO SAD!!!!!!
Excellent reality check! Either one generates revenue or one spends revenue generated. The new upper echelon spends but doesn't generate, although the collective stance of the 'good-ol-boy-club' is that they WILL eventually do so.
Posted today in the UK: http://www.snowboardclub.co.uk/news-9070.html
Notice the numbers and locations of the various resorts, then check the weather patterns for the areas.
If you recall, under old HRC, ALL home office employees were "OUR" support people. We (as Community Managers AND Co-managers) were treated as their clients as they knew WE generated the revenue. Touchless, you made an excellent point.
I have always challenged the "Blue Light Specials" now the Holiay Hotels Regionals to make one DI call that generates a new resident.
I challenge any new Regional person to run a building by them selves for 2 months and live under the pressures they put upon the Managers every day.
They also are to receive the same pay as the Managers and no bonuses either.
So far none of the BLS'ers ever took me on and proof they could do it and I am convinced the new Holiday Hotel Regionals won't take me on either.
Hell, HOW MANY NEW RESIDENTS HAS MR. CALLISON GENERATED IN ORDER TO EARN HIMSELF THAT BIG 1 MILLION DOLLAR BONUS?
It seems that almost everyone on this Blog lays blame to upper and top management at their lack of experience of "Being in The Trenches" in the roles of being managers and co-managers within a Holiday building. The written attacks against Danny and Martha Smith both indirect and direct are totally unfounded. They both started with Holiday as co-managers and worked to be managers of a Holiday building.
We've had the opportunity to meet Danny and Martha and to work with them throughout our career with Holiday. I will say that Danny has The Touch. He has always done what was best for the Residents, no questions asked. His efforts while with Holiday surpassed every expectation that I would have put upon myself. He is a good man.
Martha, in my opinion, has to be the best person to reach the top spot in what she does. She is caring yet strong, supportive but demanding, knowledgeable and diverse, but her best trait is that she can fill a building! Martha is tough, strong, decisive, aggressive and will do what it takes to help you succeed. The problem is that you don't listen to her. You blame your failure on her success. Martha has contributed to the success of both the old Holiday and new Holiday due mainly to her unwillingness to accept failure in both herself and her team.
Shame on anyone for thinking anything else about The Smiths
Having known and worked with the Smiths as a Community Manager for the last 4 years, I resoundingly 2nd this emotion!!
Look for a replacement for Martha to be named any day now. Another Hotel special on the way
There is no doubt Danny's demise had nothing to do with his performance. It was simply a sign of times to come. Martha is nice woman and certainly a good person. Collectively we (other RSL's ) don't feel she is a bad person, just a poor choice for the role she eventually moved into. Even now, while we know she is no longer the Director of Sales, it hasn't been officially announced to all and that is a sad concept. Probably because they (Holiday) are trying to keep from being sued for the way she was placed in that position. Go figure, it took place after Danny's abrupt seperation and she was the least logical choice for the positon and while a great Community Manager she was not the right fit for the job.
I guess that's why they're called "overhead".
I have been aggressively pursued by a recruiting firm Holiday hired to hire staff for the new GSM/GM position. Thank goodness I found this blog, as I have now informed the hired recruiter, and Jim Elliott, Holiday's recruiter, that I have taken another position outside of senior housing.
Below I am pasting a job description that was emailed to me by the hired recruiter, Govig Senior Care, Scottsdale, AZ. Janette Smith.
The pay was described as following: You are first hired as a GSM for 16 weeks at $45k, plus bonus (would not divulge how that is figured) then you return to Salem and are "trained in HR, payroll and obtain YOUR ADMINISTRATOR'S LICENSE" and the salary is immediately bumped to $62k, plus bonus.
Initially the GSM/GM trainee markets for two separate buildings, then as they become the new GM, they are "given" one specific building.
After working for Sunwest Management's gang of thieves, I never again wish to be associated with people who willingly lie, cheat and steal from seniors.
Best wishes for pursuing your dreams as you walk away from Holdiay. May God protect and Bless our seniors!
Job Title: General Manager (General Sales Manager during on-boarding/training experience)
Reports To: Regional Director
Your browser may not support display of this image. Summary: Holiday Retirement is seeking high energy individuals with extensive experience in grass roots sales and marketing and operations leadership. This GM role has recently been created to take advantage of the explosive growth in the senior living industry which will grow exponentially each year due to the aging baby boomer population. This opportunity offers interested individuals the ability to get in on the ground floor of an exciting new era of explosive growth in a well capitalized and stable organization under new management with over $800 million of annual revenues, $6 billion of assets and over 10,000 associates. In order to capitalize on this opportunity, we are seeking experienced sales-oriented GMs to provide inspirational leadership to our associates and highly personalized customer service to the tens of thousands of our seniors who elect to call Holiday Retirement “home”. The logical career path for this GM position leads to both regional management roles ($250 million real estate portfolios with over 400 associates) and district management roles ($1.5 billion real estate portfolio with over 2,000 associates).
This new role starts off with two weeks of formalized classroom training which will acclimate individuals to the Holiday culture, the senior housing industry, and our localized grassroots approach to sales and marketing. This time period is designed to equip you with the background and skills to be successful in our industry right out of the gate!
Next, our on the job training continues in the field with the rare opportunity to earn unprecidented sales bonuses under the title “General Sales Manager”. As a GSM, you wil
Sounds like a GREAT opportunity. Then you take credit for 150 move-ins and become a "Ruby" GM. Get 6 more communities to increase occupancy and you move up to "Sapphire" GM. Then get rid of any remaining old Holiday managers and you advance to "Diamond" GM. After that the sky is the limit on this new opportunity to grow with the leader in senior assisted? housing.
So you sold Amway too?
I haven't yet but I may have to if we can't survive and turn this around. It will be that or maybe "Welcome to WalMart"
Managers, Co-Managers, RSL's, and RD's: Please, lets not start a war of words between us on the blog. All of us are professionals and care about seniors. That's why we do what we do. While we are fighting over salary's, the number of hours we work during a week, the titles of our positions and the decisions made by the executive team at the corporate office, they are implementing a new "operating model" that will eventually eliminate positions, whether it is a manager, co-manager, RSL, or RD (all have lost good people in each role). Let's stay focused on our seniors and continue to serve them in whatever capactity we can while we have the opportunity. I know that's what I signed up to do.
I agree with you waitaminute. All of us are in the same situation. Each of us have been placed in a compromising situation which in turn breeds hospitality and we tend to take our frustration out among ourselves than on the rightful party; The management team at Holiday.
As an RSL we were not told the CMT's were incompetent. In fact, we were told they were very nice, compassionate people who simply were never hired with any discussion concerning their sales ability -- in the prior economy it was not a requirement of the job. So, we were all hired and brought on to serve as trainers within each region--no different than the role of the Regionals on the Chef/Maintenance roles. The regional chef simply provides input as a resource to the Community Chef. The same is true of the RSL position. Most of us have sold, many have trained and our role is to assist you in tactics to close your sales. However this situation was thwarted from the beginning. Little did we know the precursor to our position DSL's had been a failed position prior to our signing on, probably a direct result of the failure of Holiday to align the positon properly. Let me explain. When we (RSL's) signed on our first day at work was in a meeting where the beginning of the dropping census had hit rock bottom. Fortress and Jack created this need for a meeting of "just RD, MD, and RSL's (keep in mind we're new) to have a come to jesus meeting on what we were going to do differently to come out of the slog...so to speak. After some time Jack returned to the room like a conquering hero and we agreed we'd do what we could to make it happen. everyone swore allegiance to working as a team and after 3 days we left without a game plan for 1) being effective in our jobs 2) not understanding who we work for 3) being told by the RD's to disregard any/all that Kai had to say since he had never been in the trenches and 3) any all instructions they gave us was the gospel. So, after all this effort, we leave with no game plan.the same as if my cheerleading squad never got together and practiced a cheer before the game. Each one of us had a different role based upon our RD so it was impossible to determine what we should be doing. Different RD's were annointed as being effectice (ronnie moye because he had a previous relationship with Jack, Allan E because he was new and the creator of this GSM/GM program we're stuck with, Mike B because he was leading the country in move ins weekly...did I miss the fact we could never understand why he was recognized for filling truly empty new buildings) when we quickly realized the true winners and leaders were the CMT's who did the heavy lifting. We all understand your job is the toughest job in the company and most of you are dedicated to your seniors and we know that. owever, it is also fair to say there are a few who needed to be weeded out and that has taken place as well. What the company fails to understand is neither you(CMT) me (RSL)
TBC
Good post, but please be careful. At no time would we want any commenter in hot water because of something posted here.
DL,
I will, but because I know you believe in our right to free speech I change just enoughhhhhhh of my post so it does not reflect upon me. Surely they are smart enough to know I would not really identify my real location or my real RD or anything else. The reality everything I say is seconded by all of the other RSL's. Thank you!
It seems that no one knows where we are headed. We are not headed in the direction of the old Holiday, actually the old Holiday seems to be sinking slowly but surely maybe already sunk.Oh no,they need some one to keep the ship at least barely afloat until the hero (GM) comes aboard to save the day by getting rid of all the rats(managers,co mangers and who ever else is not in the master plan)and puts the ship out with full sails ready for what ever comes.
The most disturbing is that the current and new residents are going to be forgotten and I think that the powers that be JUST DON'T CARE. The life style we offer now will be swept under the rug and we will offer an apt. and when the time comes you can move into the assisted living section isn't that nice..all in one package..
We have been managers for several years and it is sad what has happened and what is even sadder is that the changes are not over yet. I feel that I am lying to our residents and potential residents. I have never felt that way before and sometimes I feel like a rat looking for a new job and knowing that there is nothing I can do to help our residents from what is coming...
Just some of the thoughts of a under educated manager but a lot of heart...
Pt.2
or the old RD's were responsible for the drop in census. The culprit was the Management Team within Holiday (Jack, Kai, Stan Y) who felt we could do more with less and downgraded the food program to the crap they now serve (During my first days I ate in the community daily, now...no thanks)and played their shell game with the multiple budgets with each rolling up to what they consider to be a real budget at the Home Office (talk about something that made my RD mad)!
I mean, if a CMT has worked all day who really has/had the energy to then go make calls and be expected to keep the notes on the call? Most of the time we couldn't read the card, nor could the CMT if it wasn't their notes. (Another failure by Kai since from my very first day in the company we discussed the need for a cRM system and continually was told it was forthcoming. The fact is most of what we were promised by Kai did not come to pass and he spent most of his time lying to all and placing the blame on the RD side and CMT side of the table. Have you ever heard of a Director of Sales and a VP of Sales who spent no time in the communities to see what was taking place and going on within them? I know that Ty (vanished Sales Leader ) would continually reach out to us and and lament the structure of the company (we were indirect reports to him and direct reports to the RD) which made no sense to us at all. We were hired to travel 40% of the time (so they said)) and each of us are now on the road a minimum of 4 nights a week. Talk about a Chinese Fire Drill! We were initally going to a different community each day...change that go to one a week...Change that go the most troubled ones..change that go work with the most troubled CMTs'...and the list goes on and on. Like you CMT's we get it. We understand our role is to serve you; we just haven't been allowed to do so. There is not a clear example of any two regions throughout the country where there is a standardization of product, irrespective of what the FAGM was supposed to do. (Note: even now Fortress is bringing people back in to "learn" how to do it).
We have been tasked with multiple failure programs, Move In / Cruise In, Summer Surprise and many other failed programs. The best being our VA program where we chose to pay the costs for residents moving into communities but not for residents who were already in the communities. Good one Kai, thankfully you oversold the Move In program and we had a stash of cruise coupons to give away...Thanks Kai.
I think my point is this. We are all in it together. We must stick together and avoid name calling. I do believe you CMT's to be the most caring group of people I have ever been around. I believe your servie is no different than those who choose the military and you should be thanked for what you do. Unfortunately we are in a company where that is not valued and the leaders of the company have conspired to ruin what you built.
As being a past manager with Holiday, both under the old and new companies, it hasn't changed as far as the expectations of the management teams. Our jobs were always to rent apartments, take care of the residents, train and lead the staff and to make a profit. There were several managers and co-managers that came along and thought they had a better idea than the Holiday Way and would try to be the Kings and Queens of their building. This made it very hard for new managers to come into a building and fix the problems. When you were hired as a co-manager, you should have been told about the pitfalls of the position, we were. It's not an easy job...thus the turn-over. You need to know that you will be cooking, cleaning apartments, turning apartments, serving in the dining room, washing dishes plus your normal duties of renting apartments, keeping the residents happy, leading the team and making a profit. I blame the turnover on poor hiring practices. It doesn't take a business degree to run a Holiday building or a marketing degree, it's all about being committed to doing your best for yourself, the residents, the staff and the company. Holiday under the Colsons wasn't much different, you still needed to meet all of the expectations. With regards to the salary, Holiday has always paid a fair salary to the management and staff. It's funny, people complain because they've lost their jobs with Holiday. In my five years with Holiday, I cannot find a single situation where someone was terminated without having had several chances to improve or that they did something that would have had them fired within any company. Working for Holiday is like working for any other company. You need to know the expectations before you start. Don't get me wrong, the company has changed but the goals are the same. I don't agree with everything that has been newly incorporated but it's not my company. When you work for any company, you are required to follow all their rules and meet the expectations set forth...just like any other job. My recommendation to any one looking to work for Holiday; do your homework, expect to work long hours, expect to wear several hats, expect to be pressured to preform, just like any other job. The Holiday Touch is not dead, it's being smothered by unhappy employees and managers. The Touch is inside you, it's not in The Holiday Guidelines. If you never found it or have lost it, it's time to move on.
Well, Well, Well Past Manager. It sounds as though you left holiday early on and have not kept up the current goings on. Otherwise you would have more compassion. And yes, I do know managers that were fired without warning. In fact, one manager who was not fired overheard the RD tell someone on the phone he wanted to replace all the managers with his people. Won't be long until there will not be live in managers and co-managers.
It's funny...we left in December of 2009 so we do have some insight. RD's that want to replace all their Managers??? There are no RD's out there that have that great of a relationship with so many of their managers. And I'm sure that they don't have friends that are couples that they would recommend for the position. They don't have "His People" but I will agree to your camouflaged remarks...the new company isn't as forgiving towards poor performance as the past Holiday Retirement was.
As far as compassion towards the management teams; I feel that a good team can do great things but sometimes that's not enough. Good teams can fail. If Holiday choses to not have managers and co-managers so be it, it's their company. Don't fault the many, many, many managers, co-managers and staff that do provide the best service that they can to all the Residents. Don't fault the new company for wanting to make a profit. It's no different anywhere else with any company.
This Blog seems to be a sounding board for several past and present unhappy Holiday employees. Our five years with the company were very rewarding to the both of us. We've built some life-lasting relationships. I will encourage anyone with positive remarks to continue to post on this site, you will overcome the negativity of dissatisfied past and present members of the Holiday staff.
We also found our 9 years with Holiday to be very rewarding and we also loved our residents. The new company no longer allowed us to manage. If you loved the new company so much why did you leave? Burn out and Fortress was our deciding factor. So far I cannot say I see anything positive about Fortress, but it takes all kinds.
Anonymous, I think you wrote a very interesting piece with some good insite.
Let me ask you a guetion, do you think it is fair for a RSL to "demand" that every single DI card is to be pulled apart, copied, put back together than fax each card to her so that she can take a look what has been done in those buildings in that region and that all in less than 3 days?
Do you really think it is fair to threaten Managers and co-manager with their jobs because they can not do it in less than 3 days because of other duties in the community?
The problem CMT's has is the enormous amount of work that is demanded from each team ON TOP OF WHAT THEY ARE DOING ON A DAILY BASIS let alone the emergencies?
It is not only what those new RSL's want, the managers and co-managers also have to listen to their RD's and their whining about the occupancy.
The problem, as I have stated so many times on this blog from day 1 is the people like RSL's Rd's and even the regional maintenance people make so many demands on a daily basis one can hardly breath do "SERVE" the residents.
RSL, RD and RM's come into a building, demand this, demand that and then they leave.
They don't make DI calls
They don't clean-up poop
They don't clean a carpet
They don't deal with emergencies
They don't have to get up in the middle of the nigfht to take of a resident and then get up 6:30 AM
They don't service when a server doesn't show up
They don't do the dishes when your diswasher doesn't show up
They don't cook when you cook doesn't show up.Oh, did I mentioned my wife cooked for 3 weeks straight (3 meals a day for 145 people) as both of our cooks were put in jail?
Then it is also expected that all the paperwork is taken care and all invoices properly coded and send in.
Trust me, Many of us on this blog can go on and on and on of things we have to do on a daily basis and that is expected from us.
And..... all that for ahuge salary of between 20 to 25,000 per year per person. You are being promised bonuses but when it comes time to pay such bonuses something ALWAYS happens so those bonuses are forgotten.
It is a slap in the face for everyone to know Mr. Callison received a million dollar bonus but...WHY and FOR WHAT?
Anybody wants to add to this, PLEASE DO SO.
I am not attacking you Anonymous, I am merely pointing some REAL facts.
Achmed,
This is a reality. With the exception of the BLS's who joined the company as a CMT or RD's who were formerly CMT's...there is no one within the RSL, GSM, GM roles who would willingly do your job. Truthfully, you are our role models! We leave the communities amazed at your cheerfulness, graciousness and overall good attitude. Thank you for what you do! So, on to your questions,
-Most of what we demand we don't check or inspect
-We are unwilling to make DI calls and really don't expect you to make them. We simply have to roll a number up to the RD and whatever you put down he/she typically fails to believe
-No poop or carpet cleaning.. we will manage emergencies
-Probably could get up in the middle of the night..but not willingly. Have you ever had a RSL/RD to volunteer to stay in the community overnight when you've been shortstaffed so you could get a good nights' sleep? Nope, they're headed to the closest hotel they can find.
Uhh...RD's don't serve or cook meals..they MIGHT pour a complimentary round of coffee and then they're off to handle the all important Bberry messages from one another
-No dishes
-Of course they'll cook them or one other person an egg or two, but make sure they clean up after themselves.
It seems the veiwpoint from the corporate perspective is they feel you are limited from a housing perspective...regardless of the number of you who own houses in the immediate areas.
I really believe you should begin to hold Holiday responsible for the "comp" time you accumulate over the course of an RD's tenure. My suggestion is the following
-follow up with the RD in writing regardless of their request to "just talk to me you don't have to write me" admonitions. If it isn't written, it did not happen
-if the RD or RSL isn't willing to read your follow up on what they have asked you to do then it probably isn't something they should be asking..learn to hold them accountable
(I can honestly say my CMT's can recognize who I am right now because I have said these very things to them all the time.
-It's a good idea to keep a log/diary each day you're on duty of any off the cuff / inappropriate remarks which have been made which you would like to hold them accountable for
(across my region all CMT's are aware of the exact same standards. They do not deviate based upon a RD's favorite CMT who is exempted from the heavy lifting (DI calls)
-The RSL's should be asking what they can do to assist you, not there to demand or request items from you. An example would be to offer to pour coffee and finish up a meal for you so you have an opportunity to go down and catch up on calls etc.
Achmed, the one item I forgot to point out is this. Like you, each RSL was promised many items which were never delivered. The single most important was the bonus for move ins. We each could earn a 5K bonus for being +5 at the end of the quarter for move ins and an additional 1250 (max) for certain performance on NOI. This was created by the Asian wonder (It is a myth that all Asian people are gifted in math) and here's how it worked.
While we were not responsible and had no ability to influence or impact a move out....we were compensated on net move ins....oh yeah while the communities with salespeople were compensated on gross move ins
And while we could not offer incentives or promos to keep a resident in the building nor could we keep a CMT from overdelivering in trying to keep a resident ...we were incented in NOI but no ability to control it.
consequently, the average RSL (exception being the two or three who were on board before the majority of us was offered and on boarded in March of last year...made no bonus money last year. While you as a CMT as least is home every evening with your husband or wife, we are away from our families 4 nights a week for 50K ---which for 28 of us just exceeds the budget ole JC picked up for the year.
Kai sold us bunch of crap and we can only suspect he was sick at the time he computed the sales plan or just did not care. We pick the latter.
Mr Charles, in my opinion(take it or leave it), you really need to monitor some of these responses, maybe mine included. There are way too many people posting on your site that have been both long-gone or should be gone. It's like a 5th grade class with the boys against the girls.
I do respect what you have done with this site offering the forum for insight, maybe I'm over reacting but it's selfish for some individuals to try to maintain the snowball effect towards negativity. If they really cared about The Residents, they would be trying to unite their efforts to succeed during these troubled times. You really need to ask yourselves that question; do we really care about The Residents? Look in the mirror and ask yourselves again...what's your answer? Quit using the excuse that I didn't get this or I didn't get that; they want me to to what??? It isn't my job. Just remember, It's not just ruff with Holiday/Fortress, it's tough all over but it's getting better, in my opinion!!!
It's a simple rule of life, if you don't enjoy something, don't do it. It seems like there's a lot of motivation towards money. There's nothing wrong with making money but where's "The Touch"??? You won't get rich working for Holiday. Their bonus has always been fair and corrected as needed. Don't perform...no bonus. We've received all of our bonuses that we earned. Several were more than we had expected. Everyone is blaming someone else for for their own failures.
I do enjoy reading the trials and tribulations of all the managers and co-managers. Been there, done that...I can respect their efforts in a job well done. Best of all, I enjoy several comments from so-called RSL's...saves me the $50.00 to go to The Comedy Club!!!
Your responses really make me wonder. They do not have the sound of a past manager. I agree that a few probably was not "a fit" with Holiday but by and large most have a valid point. The TOUCH has mostly gone and it has been caused by the boys in Salem. I don't see how you can defend it.
With all due respect, Past Manager 5, how would you suggest I go about monitoring?
Before reading on understand that I may go back and edit or even remove this comment. I'll see how it reads.
Most of the people who post here are more intelligent than I am and have a lot more Holiday experience than my wife and I had. I have a clear set of 'don't dos' in place. The opinions of those posting are normally based upon their own experiences with, and by time spent in, the trenches. Many were/are Colson era and many were/are Colson Fortress.
I am not tossing out your suggestion, but I am concerned that if I monitored it would detract from the freedom to express in their own words. I will state once again that I cannot, and do not, find the 'negativity' a few presuppose exists. As mentioned earlier the Passion kept many working when common sense said to walk away.
I have been running your post through my mind since yesterday, trying to determine a best case workable scenario. Please understand my wife and I have been gone from Holiday just over a year now so we are two of those 'long-gone'. We left on our terms, making it basically our decision to leave. We were not fired or run off. We merely felt the promises made to us by the District Manager and Director of Human Resources should be upheld. When they allowed a Regional to override that promise (maybe they were not aware) we resigned (Letter to Callison). Holiday gave us an extra two weeks pay, accrued days off, and our bonuses.
The point of the above paragraph is even though we are a year gone the passion is still there - and it most likely always will be. It is there because of a Concept we took into our hearts and our lives. The mistreatment of the residents which we personally observed, the corporate indifference to staff and residents which we dealt with on a daily basis, and the rapid disintegration of the corporate structure, all are things both of us must consider when we look ahead to our own futures involving a possible retirement in a community of some company. Throughout this blog I have attempted to maintain a professional stance insofar as to the understandable desire (at times) for people to vent as well as to build. When a couple believes in a concept so strongly that they are willing to forego an already established lifestyle of business, family, and friends in order to be a part of something which they feel an affinity for, and that affinity is made a mockery of, it causes a passion.
I may not be making a bit of sense with the way I am explaining this, but logic and emotion sometimes collide. To phrase it quite bluntly - the residents and staff (in my opinion) are being repeatedly raped by a capricious corporation concerned only about the dollar and not even remotely interested in the humane aspects which built the company to start with. In many ways my wife and I still feel betrayed by those we trusted.
Monitor others who feel as strongly as we do in many ways, albeit different perhaps - it would be wrong. If I owned or ran a company like this I can guarantee you the words spoken by so many would not fall on deaf ears. The pity part to me is that it takes something like this blog to give people a chance to voice. Common sense would dictate the company itself should have made the option viable in the first place.
I apologize for getting wordy - I'm a writer, remember, motor-mouth fingers! Here's a thought - would I have created the blog if Jack R. Callison Jr. had taken a minute or two to offer some kind of response to my letter to him? I think I would have. Sadly, the letter turned out accurately prophetic! You might be right about monitoring, I don't know. It would have been nice to have something like this when we first applied to Holiday for employment. Although it probably wouldn't have kept us from the job it could have allowed us to enter the situation with a lot more information than the company hype gave us.
The blog serves as a safe forum to express feelings, and relate experiences. Not all feelings are warm and fuzzy, and not all experiences are good.
When you're exhausted from always going the extra mile, and you feel that no good deed goes unpunished, it can feel very lonely. Knowing that one is not alone can be comforting. Thank you so much for providing this forum so we all know "it's not just me"!
In addition,it is encouraging for me to know there are so many other folks out there who love their fellow human beings. It makes life better.
Unless a bunch of posts get way out of line, please don't change anything.
So far, so good.
Monitoring everyone was my wrong choice of words and I stand corrected. I fully agree that having a forum to voice an opinion is very important and shouldn't be monitored. I believe in our Freedom of Speech and our right to express it but I do also believe that our Freedom of Speech dictates to all the responsibility to tell the truth. So, with this said, please do not edit any of my postings. If you feel a need to alter my words, just delete them. Your editing invokes your words upon mine thus removing my Freedom of Speech.
We all have a place in our hearts for The Residents but to say that The Residents were mis-treated, I can only agree to this if a building had abusive managers to allow abusive staff members to treat The Residents this way. This certainly wasn't the norm. I know that it was hard for several managers in other regions but overall it was good. There are so many staff members, co-managers and managers making a good living by doing a good job with Holiday and there are so many residents that enjoy living in a Holiday building and for you to say that they are being raped by the capricious corporate concerns...that's unfair, make me think that you enjoy all of the negativity.
If you choose to delete my postings, so be it but just because you feel that you were snubbed by the head of Holiday because you had all the answers doesn't make it right to breed contempt. You've created such a great tool here and should be used not to antagonize but to encourage. If you read this Blog before coming to Holiday it would have been the same weather you read it ten years ago or today. It's a HARD JOB.
Well said - good post. When I said "edit or remove" I was referring to my comment reply to you, not your comment.
The residents were, and are, mistreated as stated. I never said it was the norm - but it is condoned, allowed, and even covered up. I never felt 'snubbed' by Callison. I said it was rude for no response to be made. I don't think I raised a blip on his screen at that time. And I will hold to the statement of a capricious company. Why is it unfair when it is what I find by personal experience, by research, and by commenters?
Delete? It would take a lot for me to delete a post because of a personal slant. The 'don'ts' are standard disclaimers. I do not edit without author request.
All the answers? Wouldn't that be nice? Hell, I don't even know all the questions. Antagonize - at times, I'm sure. And a hard job? - all jobs are hard. There are no perfect jobs.
It would be so nice if there was nothing non-positive to be concerned about and the blog was filled with the fervor of Hail Holiday. But it isn't the case and no, I do not enjoy the negativity you refer to.
I would be interested in your opinion of Job Vent at http://www.jobvent.com/companyRSS.php?CompanyID=8995
or Glass Door at http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Holiday-Retirement-Reviews-E7691.htm .
I have not posted on either and doubt if I will.
Keep in mind Anonymous that many managers have been with Holiday for a long time. We had to suffer through the Blue-Light-Specials that came into the company and started to demand so many different things that we were not trained to do. The region I worked in went through 11 different RD's in less than 2.5 years and each time a new RD came in, he/she changed everything around because he/she knew everything better than the last one. Because of all those changes in RD's many of us did not get a review and/or raise in salary for 2 years and each time we'd ask, they'd promise to double the increase the next year.... Guess what, next year came around and a different RD was in charge who knew nothing about any of those promises that were made by the previous RD(s).
It is easy to say, well go look for another job but 99% of the managers and co-managers are not young people either and 99% of the manager and co-manager love the residents because we CARE!!!!!!
Fortress has lost so many companies they owned it only will be a matter of time before Holiday is gone.
The proof is there, look at the winter Olympic, how much money did FIG loose, look at that cruise line they owned. How much money did they loose and so on, and so on. It almost seems that anything they touch goes up at first but within no time comes crashing down and down very very hard and many bystanders are being hurt.....i.e. the residents and the employees.
FIG knows that the managers and co-managers have no place to go as they don't have a house anymore yet....when they let people go you have less than 3 days to vacate the building. They don't care. I have seen a situation where co-managers were let go and were given 2 days to leave. All their personal belongings were put on the curb by other staff members and they were locked-out. That to me is crimical.
I apologise for all my TYPE errors on this blog.
Guess who has been helping Fortress as a Legal Advisor ?
JOHN EDWARDS
He is Mr. immoral...Mr liar...Mr. two faced...Mr. cheat on your cancer riden wife...Mr.deceiver...Mr. cheat...Mr. con artist...Mr. phony...Mr. fake...Mr. false.
True - but he WAS a Presidential candidate (and probably will be again). After all, he held the proper credentials to be "qualified" to run. And he does own a few million dollars of Fortress stock.
Can anyone enlighten us residents as to what the following capitol letters stand for: IT, DI, RD, RSL, DOS, CMT.
Yes - please do so. The initials are even puzzling me as they change so rapidly.
On a sidenote: Pericles, you amaze me! I recall you earlier stating your age and only hope if I live to be that age I can be as mentally sharp as you are.
Sources inform me that 'meetings' have been held trying to figure out how to cope with the blog and deal with the fallout you guys are causing. Good work! Keep it going.
IT - is for Information Technology
DI - is for Direct Inquiry...the information which is gathered whenever a call comes in from someone who may be interested in the community
RD - Regional Director
RSL - Regional Sales Leader
BSL - Blue Light Special in honor of our KMART influence...a large number of our management (upper) team came from that company
DOS Director of Sales
CMT - Community Management Team (the husband/wife pairing)
Glossary of acronyms:
IT: Information Technology - manage all proprietary company electronic data systems and applications (company email, intranet portal, lotus notes, Kronos payroll system, etc.)
DI: Direct Inquiry - designation given to anyone that inquires about a community. Their contact information and personal data are recorded and managed in the computerized tracking system known as "YOU'VE GOT LEADS" (YGL).
RD: Regional Director - oversees anywhere from 9-13 communities in a specific geographical region, reporting to a Managing Director (MD) that has responsibility for approximately 10-12 RDs.
RSL: Regional Sales Leader - Reporting to the RD, is responsible for sales training and support of CMT (see below) to improve the census of their communities.
CMT: Community Management Team - The managers and executive chef directly responsible for all functions in a specific community (resident relations, operations, maintenance, housekeeping, food service, marketing and sales.)
I'm not really sure what DOS refers to. Anybody want to give that one a try?
in IT terms DOS means-denial of service
-a form of hacking computer systems
or it could be fig`s new slogan for residents-DENIAL OF SERVICE-
I heard a rumour that one of the big northeast buildings that has three sets of managers lost the longtime managers plus one of the co managers on the same day. Can anyone verify that? And let's say a prayer for the managers who are still there...
It is true. There is a community in the Northeast that had the management team all quit on the same day. They now have one couple holding down the fort 24/7 with the RD's "promise" of help on the way. Keep them in your prayers - they'll need it!
I wouldn't put much faith in the RD's "promise" of help on the way. The RD should be providing that help themselves. Few (if any) would be able to handle an on-site position. Much credit to those in the manager / co-manager roles, you certainly deserve the credit and prayers.
Does anyone know the name of the community in the Northeast where the management team quit?
It could only one of thee CT buildings that had two sets of cos: Village gate, Windham Falls or the Gables.
hahaha Our managers quit a month after we started and we went 6 months of verrrry long stretches with barely time off. I'm worn out and working on my exit. When the RD says help is on the way, just think of Custer and little big horn. I saw a posting on here previously about co's that gave a 2 week notice and the managers took 10 days vacation ... can you blame them? They knew what was coming! Weeks if not months of 24/7 with barely a break.
Yes I can say it is true. I was there and saw for myself...went to say goodbye to one of the couples.
Business is business is business!!! However, the new Holiday is in an ugly business. When your attention in business is not focused on your customer(residents) your forgetting the most important ingredient in your business. It is such a shame to read the blog and realize the current pathway of the new Holiday. Those precious moms and dads (residents), have worked hard in their lives to enjoy a safe haven for rest and now being betrayed. Stop shooting across the bow and focus on a game plan against the new Holiday.
Please remember that, from FIG's perspective, Holiday's customers are not the residents but FIG's stockholders.
Fortress too big to fail?
A single concrete has been proven throughout history - from prebiblical times to present - nothing is too big to fail. Dictatorships, governments, religions, democracies (250 to 500 years maximum), continents even fail due to upheavals and drift, everything eventually 'fails' due to one cause or another. The recent government bailouts of the banking and loan industry may not keep them from failing for very long.
From some 'failures' history has also proven an occasional "Phoenix" effect whereby a definitive positive results from the demise, sometimes creating a new direction with a promising potential. Fortress, in my humble opinion, was built on a pyramid structure of misplaced belief in the financial expertise of Wes Edens and his partners. They made their initial money before the stock shares were even printed. When there is nothing solid as a base foundation the pyramid must eventually succumb to gravity. This is the natural law of physics which cannot be shored up with any amount of fast talk hype.
Go back and take another look at the history of Fortress, including BKD. Observe the methods used to purchase, finance, and eliminate holdings. All built on promises and hot air. And investors believed! They believed and trusted! Edens and his group NEVER had the Midas Touch - but they did manage to convince investors they had it. When you look at the history note how it all comes under fire and begins to implode.
(Wife has oxtail soup with dumplings and fresh homemade bread ready - must eat some while it is hot.)
(Sorry about that, but my wife is a culinary artist and I cannot allow such talent to be wasted.)
Edens's group were touted as financial gurus (by who else but Edens and his group) when Fortress was formed, causing investors to come aboard. Companies fell in line to have their businesses managed by the "Wonder Boys" - at a hefty charge. Then something happened (physics, remember) - money kept flowing out to the wonder boys, but investors found their dividend stream drying up quickly. Numerous 'rationale' also flowed as to why no money would be paid to the investors and was believed - for awhile.
Regarding Holiday and Jack R. Callison Jr., it is a reasonably fair presumption that the ropes leading from the ship to the dock are kept clear in order to bypass the gangplank. Even if Holiday ends up nothing more than an extension of BKD it will continue a downward spiral. The other retirement businesses mentioned earlier on here know this to be truth. They are preparing for it and getting ready for the future. Their reasoning is rather bizarre, so to speak, in that they are building rapidly on a strange idea the residents actually count when you are selling a lifestyle. They are building on a love, respect, caring, profit foundation.
Imagine such a concept actually working. Could it?
The concept worked beautifully at HRC pre- FIG, and it works now at other companies, in fact it worked so well at RLC that we had a record breaking year in occupancy growth.
I can not say a lot but for those of you who think the "DUKE" does not work for Holiday watch out. Many of the top HRC read the blog. I had our RSL and RC tell me of this blog. The GSM that was a pilot program was a lie.... from day 1 MSN Job site have been trying to get GSM. I know our RSL have interviewed 2 GSM and they will be coming on board soon. Believe what you want but the days are counting down.this is just what I think and not trying to start trouble but it is coming.
The GSM (General Sales Manager) positions were never introduced as a pilot program, but rather as a definite initiative to get a marketing person for every 2-4 communities. However, the GM (General Manager) position was introduced as a pilot program to replace vacancies created by CMTs leaving the company. To my knowledge, GMs were already in place in certain parts of the country (CA, TX, etc.), and although the pilot program throughout the rest of the country has yet to get off the ground, I expect it will very soon.
Please note I removed your name. You can email me at thefreebornman@yahoo.com with a 'generic name' which I will add to your post. If you want your real name used then also let me know. Since Jaime first related being fired, purportedly because of her comment on a Facebook page, I am extra diligent. Remember Jaime claimed Holiday as her employer on Facebook, thereby allegedly representing the company in whatever she wrote. HRC does read - and I do protect. Thank you for the comment.
As many of you may know, Holiday Retirement ran a move-in promotion during the end of last year called "MOVE-FOR-A-CURE." The rest of this posting speaks for itself - enjoy:
The following article was posted on November 18th, 2009, in the NewTimes of San Luis Obispo County, California - Volume 24, Issue 16.
“Sorry, Grandpa”
(written by The Shredder)
Here’s the sales pitch: “During Move for a Cure, taking place from Oct. 22 to Nov. 30, 2009, a $100 donation will be made to the American Cancer Society on behalf of each new resident who moves in to a Holiday Retirement Community.”
You may want to read over that again. I sure as hell did. If it slipped by, let me try to break this down: Send someone to one of these retirement homes, and they’ll donate money to fight cancer.
For the family that wants to send grandma or grandpa away but just can’t think of a good enough excuse, help is on the way. “Sorry, Grandpa, do you want to go to a home or do you want people to have cancer?”
This is cancer research to the extreme. The fine folks from Holiday Retirement Communities could have had, I don’t know, a bake sale, or something that didn’t involve moving old people. But that’s how dedicated they are. If this doesn’t work, they may have to step it up a notch—God help us all.
(The Shredder is working to fight cancer. Schedule a pickup of your elderly at shredder@newtimesslo.com)
My wife and I had to literally laugh out loud here! Interesting take.
According to the (defunct?) Holiday Facebook site over 800 Facebook members clicked on the ad. What isn't said is how many moves, if any, resulted in what number of $100 donations.
Bingo! Will contestant number 3 please stand up.
I truly wish I could understand what Fortress is trying to accomplish. I was with Holiday 9 years and 8 as manager. The 1st sign of a problem brewing was when Mark Burnam resigned. The heart and soul of Holiday was Sheryl Bauer and when she resigned it was evident that we were headed for problems.
I was lucky enough to leave on my terms early in 2009. We avoided much of what happened last year, but even before we left many of the decisions coming out of Salem made no sense. One could say Fortress wanted to maximize profit, but many of the decisions resulted in the waste of money. Whoever came up with the promotions knew nothing of retirement living.
Since we left some of the best managers we knew have been fired and more are probably coming. It has become clear that the old Colson people are not wanted. I started this by saying I did not understand. The only thing I can come up with is ignorance. If the goal was to maximize profit they sure did not know what they were doing. Perhaps someone out there can education me.
For those of you that are still with Holiday, our thoughts and prayers are with you, particularly managers and co-managers. There is no longer any security. Isn't it amazing that Fortress purchased Holiday because it was a well managed profitable business and in less than a year they knew how to run it better than the people that helped build Holiday Retirement. Sheryl.
How true, how true!!!! My wife and I made the same judgment when we saw Mark, Rick, Sheryl and others that represented our cornerstones, leave the company. It obviously was a sign of problems with the oncoming game plan and they did not want to be part of it. They represented the smoke indicators of the volcanic eruption that was soon to follow. What a personnel opportunity a large investor would have knowing the talent, and experience available on a national basis. WOW!!!!!
Anyone have more knowledge about the shooting in the community in Texas? I understand the managers were not hurt but don't have all the details? Was a rent increase being delivered or something?
so what is hrc`s policy in regards when a resident moves in,and what they are paying for a non refundable damage deposit??,i heard they are calling it a community fee of some sort.
thanks to anyone who can answer this.
It is called a community fee, it is non refundable after three months. Before three months it is prorated, if the resident moves out. It is equivalent to one month's rent.
Retirement Home Residents React to 80 Year Old Man Shooting at 87 Year Old 1/26/10
Beau Berman
CBS 7 News
bberman@cbs7.com
January 26, 2010
Odessa, Texas -
An 80-year-old Odessa man is now the oldest man in the Ector County Detention Center. He’s accused of firing a gun at a fellow resident in his retirement home.
Eighty-Year-Old Clarence "Bunky" Hunt is one of dozens and dozens of elderly residents at Odessa's Lincoln Tower Retirement Residence. But what no one seemed to know was that Hunt had a gun.
"We were all wondering how in the world did he get that damn gun in there without anybody knowing because the barrel looked like it was that big", said resident, Eleoweese Elder.
She was sitting across from Hunt when he fired the shot.
"I've never heard a bullet go over my head before", she said.
All the residents we spoke with at the Lincoln Tower retirement home say they came here to be safe and that's why it's the last place they'd ever expect someone to fire a gun.
Robert Dale's surprised a gun was fired here in a place he trusted his mother in law would be safe.
"I wouldn't think these elderly people would even have a gun in this place", he said.
Dale's mother in law, Mary Skalicky was a friend of Hunt.
"There were certain people he didn't like. I think he had a psychological problem", said Skalicky.
Tonight Hunt is in jail on $100,000 bond, charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He faces up to 20 years behind bars. It’s a potential punishment that would see him locked up until he’s 100 years old.
"I never saw so many policemen, I really was surprised. And they're big men, don't get in trouble", said Elder.
It’s good advice, just a little too late for Hunt.
Lincoln Tower’s corporate communications representative, Kelli Gassman, says functioning guns are prohibited in the facility as detailed in the resident handbook. Guns that are disabled or just for decoration are permitted. Lincoln Tower does not check residents’ rooms for guns, but those in violation of the rule are subject to eviction.
ok..so guns are allowed. Wow...wonder if he was a member of Gilbert Arenas team? I mean, we don't allow residents to drink in the communities but we do encourage them to have guns. While this is not to disparge anyone, but if I am ever fortunate to reach the senior staus there is the possiblity (and it happens to many) I would begin to lose some of my better judgement and sense(although my husband thinks it's already happened) and could do the same. Well, here is a quick way for Holiday to belly up! Can you imagine the liablity on this issue if anyone had been injured?
Hope the poor gentleman is immediately taken to a community where he can get the attention and oversight he needs.
wondered why the weekly newsletter this week was front faced with how to handle the media in cases like the shooting at Lincoln Tower, a death or ?? (LOL rent increase, oops, I mean rent ADJUSTMENT).
Here's a story that demonstrates the true Holiday Touch!
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_E_ebob03.3ac36a7.html
Enjoy.
This article shows me the Holiday Touch is still quite alive in some sectors and I agree entirely with Past Manager 5's comments:
http://blog.dlcharles.com/2010/01/07/part-2-of-beneath-the-veil-of-holiday-retirement-corpfortress.aspx#comment-2782919
I can't help but think some of the horror stories posted heretofore are from people who probably were not right under the Colsons or FIG.
We were told right up front, "It's the toughest job you'll ever love."
IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE THAT COULD TELL US ALL, IF MANAGERS & CO'S Receive HOLIDAY PAY, SEEMS LIKE BOTTOM LINE ON PAY STUB NEVER CHANGES. WE ENJOY READING ABOUT THE TRUTH, BUT LIKE MY PAPPY ALWAYS TOLD ME, IT HURTS!!!! READING THE LAST FEW MONTHS ABOUT GM'S BE Prepared FOR THE NEXT ATTACK.!!!!
You get paid for 40 hours regardless of the number of hours you work and it does not matter if it is a holiday.
well that changed?.as a chef and if i worked a stat i would get an extra 8 hours of holiday pay
I understand the 40 hrs, but they tell us we are getting the holiday but, where is the pay they show it but don,t give it/ you still get your regular pay, but all other employees get the money, SHOW ME THE MONEY, CAN SOMEONE explain this to all of us. very confuse. thanks!!!
Holiday Retirement does not compensate it's salaried employees holidays with pay, but with compensatory time-off (that's a laugh) where you work 4-days in a week that holiday falls in. For the purposes of payroll records, 40-hours is shown, even though the minimum required work hours for a manager is 48-hours (another good laugh.) This is all perfectly legal as defined by the U.S. Department of Labor. For more information on these federal statutes, visit the following 2 websites:
http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/hrg.htm
http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/fairpay/fs17a_overview.pdf
Okay, Managers and Co-managers are on salary as well as the Chef. Housekeeping, cooks etc. are hourly which is why they get over-time and holiday pay. When Congress passed the overtime law a few years back Holiday increased managers pay to avoid paying overtime. A year later co-managers were made salaried employees. Can't remember when the Chef went from hourly to salaried (before or after the managers. If you have a holiday the pay stub will show 32 Reg. hours and 8 holiday. The bottom line is Managers and Co-managers do not get holidays. This was all done before Fortress, so it is one thing we cannot blame them for.
Hope this helps. I recall when our Chef was put on salary he was very upset after the first holiday when it showed 8 hours holiday on the day he worked. If nothing else Congress gave us pay increase.
An 80-year-old man was arrested Sunday morning at the Lincoln Tower Retirement Home in Odessa after police said he fired a handgun at a fellow resident.
Clarence Edward "Bunky" Hunt, who according to one retirement home resident has a history of threatening others with violence, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Police said he threatened the home’s manager, Don Hart, before firing one shot that missed 87-year-old Floyd M. Leach.
Hunt was being held Monday in the Ector County Detention Center on bonds totaling $100,000.
Police said the shooting happened about 9:40 a.m. Sunday morning in the lobby of the retirement home. Cpl. Sherrie Carruth of the Odessa Police Department said Hart disarmed Hunt after the shot missed Leach. She said investigators were still working to determine a motive.
Bill Hopkins, 58, a former Ector County constable who has known Hunt for at least three years, said Hunt routinely threatened his fellow residents with violence.
"He was mad about everything," Hopkins said Monday, adding Hunt once pulled a pocketknife on him because of his background in law enforcement. He said Hunt threatened Leach because he is a retired minister.
"They should have dealt with it sooner," Hopkins said of Hunt’s behavior. "I seen it coming before they did."
Leach could not be reached Monday for comment.
Though no one was injured Sunday, Hopkins said the shooting has shaken the retirement home community. He said he and many other residents did not know guns were permitted in the home.
But Hopkins said he was not considering relocating. He has lived in the retirement home for several years and said nothing like this has ever happened.
"I was startled," he said. "But I don’t feel any less safe. There’s not a better place around here to be."
Hart, the manager, said he was not allowed to comment for this story. Kelli Gassman, a corporate spokeswoman, said guns are allowed at the Lincoln Tower Retirement Home, noting the independent retirement home is like "any apartment complex" in that there are "no restrictions" on bearing firearms.
She said the shooting has prompted management to review that policy and consider additional security measures.
Hopkins, meanwhile, said he hopes the retirement home will consider banning weapons.
"I thought they weren’t allowed," he said. "I don’t think they should be here."
Greetings Everyone!
I just stumbled apon this blog, and felt compelled to post a comment about our experience with Holiday. We too worked in 4 different communities under 5 different managers before taking the lead ourselves. We endured everything from humiliation in front of the residents to physically squaring off with intoxicated, cleptomaniac managers; and none of this bothered us more than the lack of support from our R.D. and home office.
We weathered through a month without co-managers during the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, only to be informed that we couldn't take vacation time. We had been there for 2 long years with no break! When the competition scouted me, and offered DOUBLE what I was making with Holiday, I jumped on it, and was treated like a criminal for doing so.
We LOVED Holiday's concept and the residents. The lifestyle suited us to a "T". I would've been nice to have had the support we so desperately needed, and to have been taken seriously when reporting problems to our R.D. and H.R.
When we reported CRIMINAL actions by a manager team to our R.D. and H.R., WE were written up, and the managers were tapped on the wrist and politely told, "No, no". Frankly, those managers, the R.D., and home office could've been sued for what happened. In hindsight, I kick myself for not pursuing legal action. Perhaps there would've been some positive change in Holiday.
What this site needs is a "deep throat" from Salem like the Nixon years". Will someone step forward?
Please explain what you mean that is needed?
Someone on the inside that tells us what is going on in Salem.
All I can say is that the people in Home Office are not being told the truth. They hear about growth and rising NOI. what does that tell you? Only the VP level and higher really know, all other information is very guarded - like the actual census numbers!!
What makes you think there may not be a "deep throat" type already on board?
OK. Point me in the right direction.
Each day I read the blog.... and there is so much to say but we just don't get anywhere.I would just like to know where we are ending up. Jobs are hard to find but as soon as we find one we are gone, the days of the touch are gone and we miss it
unknown,
If you are still in one of the Holiday communities, don't give up and just do the very best you can for your residents. All your residents need is YOUR love and care. Whatever comes down the pipeline in the near future will come no matter what. The big boys at FIG or Holiday Salem office trully do not care what you or any other manager(s) feel or need, The best thing you can do is just keep giving your residents your very best and show them The Touch as you always have done. Trust me that your residents love you for it and afterall that is really all that counts. I am not a Regional as DICharles knows. I have posted many messages on this blog and willnot stop but for some reaqson your message struck me and wanted to let you know that you and only you can do whatever you want/need to do for your residents. If FIG can not appreciate that it is their problem not yours. Once the chips fall whenever that may be, handle it at that time and don't stop loving your residents.
If you have more to say please use this blog. It is the best format especially since DI has told all of us that the upper management folks of FIG are reading this blog as well. I know that not only current and prior employees are reading this blog but vendors also read this blog. I alway tell my vendors about this blog and send them the link to it.
Good luck and please share your feelings.
I wish this was entirely true and maybe it is in some communities. I was told I was spending too much time with the residents and could be doing something else in that same amount of time every day. So I guess the message is this, do whatever it takes, spend whatever time you need or want to get a new move in but then throw them off to the side, stop spending time with them and go do your marketing!!!!!! Reel in another or find another job!!! Our residents love us for a reason and frankly they are the only reason we are still here. If Holidays "brass" spend time reading this, why in hell are we still in a downward spiral? BTW, my residents are passing this blog around the community. Thank GOD that anyone with access to a computer can type "Holiday Retirement" into Google and get this information!!! Next weeks newsletter will probably demand we take the computers out of our community next!!!
To all Holiday Retirement Residents who are reading this blog:
If you truly care for your community management team(s) (managers and co-managers the only thing you can ALL do is to stop paying your rents until the senior management of Holiday Retirement Corp and Fortress will listen to you.
Holiday and Fortress have ignored you all way to long or they have sent Regional Directors who have no clue how to run a retirement community and only beat up the managers because they (the management teams) are spending too much time with you.
You, as residents have the power to do something about it. STOP PAYING THE RENT until Holiday replies to you demands
We tried to get other residents to do this when we residents had a lot of complaints as things were changing, but the residents were afraid to go along, they feared being evicted, in spite of being assured it would not happen. We told them we had withheld rent in the past, and we rec'd the attention we required.
We as management teams are patiently waiting for the GM's to come riding in and save the day. When that happens there will be between 500 and 600 more ex Holiday employees to write to this blog. Will you be one of those? How much time do we really have before those jobs are cut? Do we just sit back and wait or do we have any other options?
Are there no longer periodic Regional/District meetings for managers and co-managers? What about the annual management meeting at Salem, where a CMT member from each community attends?
These were always outstanding opportunities for us to share ideas and get real concerns (gripes) out in the open.
The last annual meeting in Salem for CMTs was in May 2007. District meetings where all Community Managers were flown-in for a week were held in the summer of 2008 (which was also the last time a "Manager of the Year" was awarded.) Since there is no longer any forum for CMTs to receive continuing training & development, let alone share ideas and concerns, I would dare say that most of the remaining managers are on this blog. Truly sad.
Where to go??? After reading the litany of heart felt issues with the new Holiday and understanding personally the frustration and aggrevation, I share your thoughts and feelings. Especially considering the fact, that we the people have no knowledge of the overall intent of the new Holiday program. There is one truth we can hold to, we all have experienced the results of this new program, with RESIDENTS NOW SECOND BEST in their view point. This conflicts with our training and beliefs, that the resident comes FIRST and if the business is managed with that thought in mind, all will work well and profitably. Have you ever heard this statement, " what is good for the resident is good for Hoilday". Funny thing, it has only been successful for more than 30 years. What an atiquated point of view. Analizing their intent can only be theorized. Surely by now, there is enough information within this blog, to create good reading by a top drawer legal firm. Just think of the informatiion that is available that has not been articulated. It is truly a David and Goliath story and we the people must search for the right stones.
Sad indeed.
I was there in May of 2007. and still cherish the "Trash Talk" waste basket that Jeffery Gitomer "awarded" me during his wonderful presentation.
That was the first meeting and immediately followed the announcement that Bill Colson had passed away -- may have been the beginning of the end.
I just quit as a 4 month manager at a Holiday in California. Or, I should say, I was asked to quit by my RD. I am livid. Who should I make an appointment with at HO to vent? Yes, I am willing to drive up to Oregon. This is just not right. I've left unfinished business with our residents regarding their rent increases. I have the knowledge in my head. I can't contact them to tell them where I am in the process. They will be furious with me for abandoning them. This is so not the Holiday Touch, but I guess it really is. Thanks for any guidance you can give me.
Let me say first, sorry for the duplication of submission above. Elizabeth, we sympathize with you, but if you read the majority of this blog, you will see this is their process for handling people No notice no nothing. The only coarse of action would be to hire you an attorney to represent you in this action. There are sooo many people treated in the same manner.
I'm really sorry Elizabeth for your plight. Many of us are just a 72 hour notice away from posting our name on this blog with a similar story. We currently have several employees being bullied by our manager . While we are still here, we are documenting everything that is said, done or intimated including our so called infractions of policy. As I have said before and I know most of you have already done, we love our residents and take care of them first. If we get fired because this is our crime?? God help us all! It's what we hired on for in the first place.
I know exactly how you feel. We were told that we were being let go and not to have anything to do with the residents or staff. We were to hand our keys over to the RD at that moment. There were programs that were supposed to happen that weekend, projects in the planning stages, items purchased for upcoming events -- but we were not allowed to communicate with anyone about anything! We called the higher up manager -- I don't remember what they call the one that is over a bunch of the RDs -- but could only get his voice mail. We left messages, but he never did contact us. The funny thing is -- just a few days before the RD told us we were being let go, the higher up one told us what a great job we were doing and how he wished he had a dozen more manager couples like us. Hmmmm? That's interesting.
Our stories are so alike it's almost sounds like Holiday's cookie cutter approach to management....welcome co's through the front door and kick managers out the back as fast as possible. I have an appointment with Byron S. and Heather B. next week. Will keep you posted. Yep, I'm going to Salem!!
Elizabeth: I admire your attitude! We'll be riding along with you in our thoughts. Good luck - and keep us posted. "You gots cojones, lady!" I believe they have lit an ember with you - and a burning ember can turn into one big bonfire!
As a resident, I have been reading this blog since it's inception, and it has become apparent the demise ot Holiday was orchestrated when Holiday failed to go public with an IPO which would have generated a substantial amount of cash for Fortress. With the failure of the IPO, the plan was activated when Mark Burnham resigned (aka terminated) and replaced with Jack Callison who changed the motto of :Gracious Retirement Living" to "Make More Money". Jack has done a great job of removing the :Gracious Retirement Living" but I question the idea of "Make More Money".
From what I've seen while my mother has have lived in Holiday facilities and what I've read on your blog, I think it is time to begin thinking about alternative facilities. I'm really worried about finding good ones of those. What can you suggest in Oregon or southern Washington? What national or regional companies are well managed and affordable? Also, does anyone have figures on diversity issues within Holiday facilities? I've visited four and rarely seen anyone of color, think it unlikely two people of the same sex would be allowed to rent, haven't seen managers of color (and always couples, never singles).
Diversity has never been an issue to my knowledge. We knew managers of all stripes including an Indian manager couple [from India] and another couple where the wife was a full-blood native-American. Couples - married or not but always one of each gender - are the norm, simply to better accommodate any gender-specific needs that might arise in the course of responding to late night e-calls etc.
Modesty and a certain "gracious living" decorum should prevail, even in emergencies.
Diversity at HRC is a joke. Does anyone in Salem know what month this is? I feel sorry for all the people who don't look like everyone else at HRC. There are a few but not too many. Does anyone know what happened to Sam Green? I read somewhere he was next to leave.
I was told he is an RD in NC. Maybe someone can confirm.
Sam was demoted from MD to RD just recently (last 2 weeks or so). He took over Joe W.'s region, after they let Joe go (huge loss, I believe he was the last remaining RD who had been a community manager).
To my knowledge the only same-sex manager couple was let go a few months ago. There are very few minority managers of any color. I believe racism is prevalent and allowed by community managers also. Many managers may remember the photos taken of residents and staff that were taken for a marketing campaign to be used in ads, billboards, etc. Managers were actually allowed to specify that the pictures of residents and staff of color not be used in the marketing campaigns for their buildings. Trust me, this is not speculation, this is my first hand knowledge. Unbelievable.
Diversity...non existent in the company. Few if any black people in the company and no one is concerned about it. No one of my knowledge with a same sex relationship and little to no diversity of CMT's across the country ==unless it is a bi racial relationship. A token latino, pacific islander and with the exception of one community in Florida very few Jewish people who express their heritage. This issue is not on their radar
Two people of the same sex or unmarrieds rented in our community. It was cheaper for them to rent a two bedroom and pay the second person fee then to have single one bedrooms.
We have had Asians and one African American in our community.
Does anyone know why Peg Maddox, Regional Sales,Tennessee is no longer with Holiday?
I am surprised that there has not been any comments about GSM's in the communities....are there any out there and what was your experience....we were scheduled to have one come but so far we have not seen one???
A GSM just started working a few weeks ago doing outside marketing for 2 communities in our region. Although not working for our community, he did visit us just to get acquainted and introduce himself. As I understand it, the GSM does not report to the RD, but to someone in Salem. They are not to duplicate the outside marketing efforts of the communities they serve, but rather compliment them to generate new leads. The GSMs will have very specific goals, which if not met, would be the cause for their termination. However, if they are successful over a predetermined time period, a GSM would go on to presumably be promoted to a GM of a community. The last we have heard, the entire GM concept is up in the air right now with an unclear future - pretty much like everybody's future at Holiday.
Are they going outside current managers to find GSMs? Could it be they want new people? Has anyone currently employed been asked to apply for a GSM position?
Yes, they are only going outside as there are no internal postings for the GM positions. The GM job postings on the internet job sites state a preference for experience in the hospitality industry. The GM I met last worked for a hotel chain.
I hope current managers and co-managers are paying attenion. It is only a matter of time.
They don't want present employees, looking at hospitality people.Not aware of anyone being asked if they had an interest.
Sam Green is the new RD in NC & VA taking Joe W's place.Joe has stepped down to manager at The Lodge in Wake Forest NC,we think he might be the first GM in that region??
WOW> this is absolutely interesting. A resident of a holiday retirement gave this to me and he and several others find it interesting to read your comments. I have been working in facilities for 22 years; long before GRACIOUS RETIREMENT was around. If Presidents, CEO, managers, co-managers, kitchen staff, housekeeping, maintenance etc just took a moment sometimes out of their busy schedule to listen to the people who actually live there, things may run smoother for everyone. Let's face it, you will never please all of the clients no matter what you do. Generally speaking they all usually complain about the same thing. Right now in one of Holiday's facility, they complain about the food. They have been without an activity person for weeks so now they are frustrated and bored! I think your RP, CEO and GSM should read your postings and maybe they will wake up. I know the managers in our facility work hard but they can't do it on their own. I'm sure most of you feel the same. It takes team work to pull something like this off. I don't know about any of you but I don't mind the long hours and not being paid as long as I know I am making a difference and that I am appreciated for all of my hard work. If these facilities were under state regulations, some clients would not be appropriate for this level of care. If you don't believe they are, it is up to the managers to see that the clients are getting the help they need to remain tenants or refer them to a higher level of care. Forget about the census, it is a dignity issue and morally the right step to take. In the event of a fire, could all of your tenants safely get out? Facilities of all levels of care, Holiday Retirement Communities included have a reputation in the community in which there are. Trust me, I have 20 years as a gerontology specialist, LTC nurse and advocate for clients and their families, community gossip will either make you or break you. CEO's should wake up and listen to the one's on the front line. If they need to clean house and fill the vacancies with the one's who truly have the tenants best interest at heart, then do it. Eventually, the facility will speak for itself and you will have a waiting list of tenants wishing to get in. I praise all of the managers and co-managers for trying to make a difference in these peoples lives. Before these facilities popped up,people struggled in their own homes or ended up in skilled settings long before their time. Keep Blogging and eventually you may find the answers to solve your many concerns. My sister always said don't come to the table with just a complaint, come with ideas for a solution.
,,,If you don't believe they are, it is up to the managers to see that the clients are getting the help they need to remain tenants or refer them to a higher level of care. Forget about the census, it is a dignity issue and morally the right step to take. In the event of a fire, could all of your tenants safely get out?,,,
We were told by our RD that it is NOT our responsibility to determine who can and cannot live in the community. When we had dementia residents sitting in the foyer and wetting themselves along with all of the furniture -- we were told by the RD to deal with it.
When a resident would bleed all over the apartment and the common areas -- we were told by the RD to clean it up and not tell anyone about the bloody mess.
If it sounds as if a resident will be moving out the RD is going to be on the managers' case about who opened their mouth!
I agree with you that not everyone should be living in the supposed independent living, but that is NOT the way they have us work.
Apparently, the concept of replacing all Community Management Teams with a General Manager, 1 Community Management Couple, and an Office Manager is not working out as Holiday Retirement had planned. They have removed all job postings for the GM position on the company website, as well as on the Career Builder website. I wonder why?
D'ya think perhaps they're reading this blog?
They are reinventing the wheel trying to make a name for themselves. Most of us could tell them what they needed to do, but that would require admiring they were wrong. I'm sure they still explain that the economy is to blame.
To be honest, the economy did have a great deal to do with it. However, FIG cannot be held blameless, having been more than a minor player in the creation of repackaged sub-prime mortgage-backed debt instruments.
kind of makes one wonder how much of that 6 - 7 billion dollar purchase of Holiday, back in '07, may have been made using those very instruments. Remember, the deal was done BEFORE they went public.
Training for a GM is now two weeks and I heard 7 have been hired for our region already. A residents Granddaughter in my region got one of the positions. I also heard managers not co-managers would be getting pink slips on April first. Does anyone else have any information?
Hi CA girl...where did you get your info? Is it all managers or your region? There are a lot of stories flying around. Thanks...
My info came from another manager. In this blog I have read the General Managers will be in place sooner than managers were lead to believe. I'm not sure if the April first date is accurate or if it's just my region. I would like more info myself.
The company seems to be shooting from the hip and a lot of decisions do not make much sense. We were told not to replace carpet etc. but every Spring the mortgage lenders come in and look at apartments of their choice. Who knows...
Are you sure you are not confusing the General Sales Managers with the General Managers? The GSM training in Salem is 2 weeks, but the GM training is a lot longer than that. In the last few weeks, we have had 3 new GSMs hired in our region to assist in marketing, but no sign of any GMs to actually manage a community. We have been told to expect GMs in our region around April 1st. In the meantime, heavy recruiting for new Co-Manager couples continues in our region.
http://holidaytouch.jobinfo.com/public/description.lasso?adid=21295
Note: this job description says the General manager will have responsibility over all departments and P & L. W
With 2 weeks training
More About Your Role
This new role starts off with two weeks of formalized classroom training which will acclimate you to the Holiday culture, the senior housing industry, and our localized grassroots approach to sales and marketing. This time period is designed to equip you with the background and skills to be successful in our industry right out of the gate.
You will transition -- fully prepared -- into the role of General Manager at one of our Holiday communities. Your GM responsibilities can be divided into matters for the "head" (P&L management) and matters of the "heart" (resident relations). That is, your most important task as GM is compassionate leadership, ensuring that your approximately 100 residents are surrounded by an environment that treats them with dignity and respect, and cherishing your role as ambassador for The Holiday Touch. Sometimes, this might be as simple as spending extra time getting to know a new resident who appears lonely, and other times it might be spearheading a new community-wide extravaganza to energize the residents.
On the other hand, you will have P&L management responsibility, which encompasses both operational management and sales leadership. You will continue driving total revenue growth through effective community relations, special events, direct-inquiry calls, tours, and the like, and keep an eye on the competition. You will also manage the various departments including maintenance, food service, safety, and housekeeping.
My apologies - I stand corrected, but this blows my mind. It is amazing how Holiday's Training Department believes a newly hired General Manager can learn everything in a classroom for 2 weeks that a Co-Manager is required to learn in a 5-10 week period at a Regional Training Community and an additional 6-12 months on the job before being promoted to Community Manager. Do they think that managing a community is so simple, a caveman can do it? The only difference between the Titanic and this ill-conceived plan is that the Titanic had a band!
Can you imagine what will happen when a General Manager has to deal with the death of a resident in an apartment or watching someone die while waiting for a ambulance. No training will prepare you for that. But it is a part of life in our buildings. I really do not think the General Managers know what they are in for.
Could it be that something has happened that would cause them to speed up the process. Also, being Northen California it could be easily monitored by Salem and providing assistance as necessary. I cannot help but wonder if we are not going to see changes coming quickly. Anonymous, your past comments have been pretty much right on. What do you make of this? As CAgirl has suggested this is pretty much an impossible task after two weeks.
This is just my opinion, but here is how I see upper management's perspective on this entire matter:
Vacancies are being created by a combination of management couples that quit because they do not want to deal with the new way of doing business, and by RDs that believe certain couples with specific performance issues need to be fired. Holiday Retirement cannot hire new Co-Manager couples fast enough to keep these positions filled company-wide. I don't think the new General Manager position was created to replace management couples wholesale (there is a lot to be said for the branding of "Resident Managers.") However, this is a quicker fix to keep the communities staffed at the management level, as well as a "pool" of candidates to promote from as they continue to lose RDs. Let's face it - it is easier to hire 1 qualified person than it is to hire 2 qualified people that want to work with each other 24/7 and live in a cramped 1-bedroom apartment. That being said, I do believe upper management would rather see the communities continue to be staffed by qualified management couples (which is why you see so many internet job postings for Co-Manager Couples), and use the General Managers in those parts of the country (like the Republic of California) where it is next to impossible to find qualified management couples. At the end of the day, the success of the General Manager concept will be measured by their own attrition rates, which is my contention that they, too, will run for the hills when they realize just what they have gotten themselves into.
I may be wrong, I may be right - time will tell, won't it?
Thank you Anonymous. As usual you expressed yourself very well. The thing I wonder about from your reply, is my very strong feeling that there is a movement to get rid of the more experienced managers. My wife and I left on our on terms so we were not fired, but I personally know of three very good manager couples and the best RD that we ever had that was fired without notice. My wife keeps telling me to let it go, but I am concerned about our replacements that we trained and the residents. We still have contact with some of our residents, but I have not and probably never will tell them about this blog. I guess we still feel the need to protect them.
I apologize. I guess I got carried away.
Although my spouse and I are still at Holiday Retirement, I now exactly how you feel and share the concerns you have about the staff and residents you left behind that you invested so much into. I know I will have the same sentiments after I leave someday.
But, regardless of our feelings, upper management will remove any managers they believe have performance issues, no matter how experienced they are or how well we think they are doing their job. Again, I do not believe there is a plan to get rid of all of the managers, since this type of wholesale exchange would eliminate the branding of resident managers and would truly amount to corporate suicide. As I said before, this is just my opinion. For the sake of all involved, let's pray I am right.
I agree with you about managers with performance issues. My husband and I have been with Holiday over 6 yrs. now and have never been written up. We have had a lot of move outs and we feel very lucky we have replaced them. However we were written up for our census with a statement that if it doesn't improve we will be terminated.
I feel our days are numbered. We have several friends that were let go for reasons that don't make sense. Go figure. We know other managers who are struggling worse than we are, but never written up. What do you do when you are in your early sixties?
We have seen many managers terminated for reasons that don't make sense to us, too. But, the only reasons that seem to count are those of the ones making the decisions. It is very difficult to keep a good attitude towards your job when you feel your days are numbered. Good grief!
5 -10 week training???? Wow we went from co-managers to Manager in 4 months No training. No Grassroots books given to us. I found some former manager's in a closet and found out we were supposed to be learning that approx. 7 days give or take prior to our promotion.
Just some background:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/10/AR2007051002277.html
A former co-worker forwarded this site and asked me to look at it and tell him what I thought. I would not have found it as I have put Holiday way behind me and found another company with "Touch"; yes there are many others. At first, I was surprised at all the negative comments particularly since Bill and Bart hired us because of touch. So, my comment is lets not let a poorly run company control our values and "touch". Rather, I think it makes since for one the bloggers to channel all this energy into a positive result for everyone who was treated poorly by a company that lost sight of "touch" as a competitive advantage. There are more impact-full ways of sending a message to the new Holiday.
1. Perhaps some one out there should gather statistics from other bloggers on how many "exempt" status managers did not meet the Federal definition of exempt. The company has sent you a message that turnover is so high, that they must hire GM's instead of the couple format. Well, if turnover is so high, then many of you must have not met the litmus test of supervising at least 2 employees. Also, I understand that in many regions, the regional chef started doing chef reviews. This shows more of a supervisory link than managers. So, if this is the case, Holiday owes those impacted a change in status to "non-exempt" which means you get treated as an hourly employee and deserve overtime for all hours over 40 per week. The Labor Board regulates this both at the State and Federal Level. If it has merit, the law requires the company to spend resources producing document for all employees going back 3 years.
2. Take a look at the mix of General Managers coming on board. Bet they are all under 50. This strategy looks more like an attempt to purge age for youth, which again is illegal. While tough to prove, a lawyer in this economy might see the merit in representing a class action if the numbers were significant. Think of the time and press the company will have to devote to defending this practice.
3. The Colson's ran the communities as 300 LLC’s, which changed the scope of how certain laws are applied. Now as one big entity, the labor and class action impact is huge.
4. Since it is one big company now, and managers in the current template are more "non-exempt" than "exempt", then this group qualifies for consideration in a collective bargaining agreement. Couples unionized have a greater voice than you have currently. Labor offices in every city, particularly in this economy are loosing ranks and will surely listen to your voices. Further, this action supports the claim of abuse with "exempt" status.
I share these thoughts because if this group feels they have been wronged, then there is recourse available and it could result in positive restitution as well as opening the eyes to the company that they should get back to touch for the right reasons. That it is the best way to do business.
Our RD -- with maybe two weeks under his belt -- visited our community and came right out and told us that he should probably put a younger couple in our place since we seemed to be running on empty. Never mind the fact that we had been working without co's for two months and had nightly e-calls, tornado warnings, plumbing problems erupt during the night along with the rest of the usual stuff! He didn't think we gave off enough positive, energy vibes!!! About one week later we were replaced with a long drawn out story why we were no good as managers.
A warning to everyone -- even though you are told one week that you are great and given a bonus for NOI, a week later you can be told to get lost!
Not at all the company that we thought we were signing up with a few years ago. And when you asked for an RD or RSL to demonstrate how to do a DI call -- well!!!!!! Both of them responded, "Are you challenging me?" Never did see how those calls were supposed to be made so that for every 100 calls you will get at least 10 tours and from that at least one move in. If it were that simple don't you think all of the buildings would be at close to 100%?
Are you still in your building or did he/she indeed replace you with a younger couple?
If you are still there, make sure you record everything he/she is telling you when he/she is visiting you.
Make sure you ask him/her to put all his/her complaints in writing to you. It will be crucial for attorneys to hear the exact verbage from these new RD's because they violate the labor law rules big time with age discrimination and many other violations.
I used to use a small pencil type recorder a long time ago.
These days you can buy them cheaply.
I also had a regular type recorder and advised the RD that the conversation was recorded to enable me to clearly understand his/her's demands.
If they refuse to talk, because you are recording the conversation, than they have nothing to complain about.
From this point forward, all current manager teams and co-manager teams must record every single conversation or write everything down. When the RD or GSM is telling you something you write it down and dare to ask them to read it and if agreed what was said, have them sign it. They refuse to sign it, you contact an attorney because now the RD is harassing you.
AGAIN: Against the labor law.
Do not allow the RD to talk to your spouse alone..EVER !!!!!!
YOU ALL NEED TO READ THE LABOR LAW CODE of CONDUCT. You will be amazed what is against the law these days.
Profound comments a substance I hope people are listening to. The quality of the information you gave lends me to believe you are who I wish you be. OH, how we need to take these negatives and turn them into positives. Where are you? As I have said in the past, this is a David and Goliath story. David needs some stones in order to win the battle on a positive note. We definately need a collective action rather than talk in order to move forward.
Although I agree that a collective action against Holiday Retirement might bring justice to those that have been wronged (associates and residents), I do not believe it will change the fabric of their new culture. You cannot teach or train the "touch" (caring, compassion, thoughtfulness, the golden rule, etc.) - either you've got it or you don't. I am afraid that until the root cause of the problem is elimnated, true change will not happen. To paraphrase Momma Gump, "Ugly is as ugly does!"
My heart just aches for all of you!! My husband and I worked for the "old" Holiday when Bill was still alive, and enjoyed exhibiting the "Touch" because we truly believed in it. We made a lot of friends at the communities we managed, and yes we too went through the not so good managers on our way up to running our own building. We always said that we would never treat our co's the way we were treated by two of the managers we were under and tried really hard to mimic the treatment of the third set of managers we worked with because they were wonderful. We developed this habit of filling buildings, and lo and behold our RM (they used to be called Regional Managers) would move us to another building. At that time it was easy to fill buildings, because the economy was good, and we truly believed in the business. Then after working about 3 1/2 months without a break, no co's, no floaters (do you remember them?), we decided that we couldn't continue the way it was and retired. We loved the people, but we had to be able to enjoy our life a little too. When we had been away for a couple of years, the urge to return was overpowering. When we rehired with Holiday, we found out that Bill had sold the company, his cancer had returned, and the prognosis wasn't good. My heart ached for him because he truly loved what he built, and I can still see him coming down to our community and picking up some kind of yard tool to work outside for awhile. He was just "down home folk" and everyone loved him. Since Bill passed away, everything changed, and it has never been for the good! I have read your blog with interest because we left Holiday again and have no intention of going back. What I see happening isn't pretty, and quite honestly it reminds me of another time in my life when a big corporation took over the business I worked in and then used it for a tax write off. That might be a good thing for Holiday except for the seniors who have worked so very hard all their lives, and have gone through so much in their lives. They deserve so much more than what this Holiday is giving them. We couldn't believe what they were asking when we "came back" and couldn't subject the residents to what HO wanted. In short we no longer believed in the concept they wanted us to sell. At the time we left, we were both on high blood pressure medicine, grossly overweight from eating the garbage we were forced to serve(what happened to the dietitians and nutritionists), and hadn't been able to sleep soundly for months. Well, we are now free from our blood pressure medicine, have lost considerable weight (it's called sensible eating), and can sleep soundly. I think it is a matter of time before families start pulling their loved ones out of the communities. Then, FIG can use the tax write off! The word on the street is not good about Holiday, and FIG gets the kudos. Hang on!
I am so glad you captured your health before it got away from you for good. To all who are still with Holiday you MUST hold them accountable for the hours you are working. One comment....do the residents know they are being "provided 3 nutritious meals a day" on a price of $3 bucks and some change daily? Garbage in, Garbage out
Do you know how much your upscale restaurants pay for a meal that they charge you about $10.00 to $15.00. Check that out before you make a statement like that.
Don't keep us in suspense. Tell us. We have a little over $1.00 a meal in the budget.
Is the cost of a little over $1.00 per meal at retail supermarket or wholesale prices? Does it include the costs of labor, benefits, taxes, rent, utilities, equipment and supplies? In the restaurant world, customers pay for the food they order, therefore food cost is a percentage of food purchased to total revenue. At an all-inclusive resort or cruise, the customers meals are included in the cost of their stay, therefore food cost is a total of food purchased divided by the number of expected guests per day.
I can guarantee you it's the exact same food that you're getting at your building. People are just more willing to go chow down on the same food they get at their building at a restaurant. I realize part of it is getting out of the building for a while but I can tell yuo with certainty that you're getting the same food. You're just paying more for it.
If you're concerned with how much weight you're gaining from the supposed "garbage" you're getting in our building then stop eating so d...d much of it. I've had mgr's and co's who eat like starving wolverines.
Apparently you don't look at your budge or have even worked on a month-end report withthe chef. Most facilities have over $3.50 for food per person and this does not include labor,or other items. $3.50 per person buying wholesale gets you alot of food. Do your homework before you make STUPID REMARKS.
The (several) Holiday facilities I have seen provide 3 meals/day x 7 days, with no credit for unused meals and no options for fewer meals at a lower price (such as 15 meals/week). There must be a financial reason for the 21 meal plan. Could someone explain the economics of it?
I don't think that the lack of a meal plan option -- 15 meals/week, etc. -- has as much to do with economics as the logistics of it. I can't even imagine trying to figure how many times a resident eats, at which meals, and so on.
I know that the communities that have cottages originally were only supposed to include one meal per day for those residents and it became a nightmare! The cottage people come and go -- it always seems to average out since some of them are never here for a meal.
With two different management couples with the way their shifts work would have a very hard time enforcing such a plan.
The most important issue with the meal plan is this: Supposedly a study that was done by Holiday a number of years ago showed that if a resident knew that they were paying for all of the meals, then they would be more likely to take part in a meal (which is good physically and for social time). If a resident knows that if they were to want an extra meal, but that it is going to cost them a certain amount, they, like so many of their generation, would not eat to save the money.
I'm not sure if this answers your question, but I hope it helps.
3.50 per day for 3 meals correct
My heart aches:
Powerful words! You experienced both factors of management.
I would offer the following:
Several references have been made as to the "negativity" of the comments on here. I just read the entirety once again and do not find such. Before any solution to a potential problem (and correction thereof) can be considered there must first be recognition that a problem exists. Present, past, even future employees (and residents) live the problems on a daily basis. They realize the problems and are aware of possible solutions.
The breakdown from said employee or resident to upper management occurs when it is a one-way direction which is nullified by higher echelon's refusal to acknowledge a problem. This creates a magnified potential. Take any company out there today and you will find some form of 'problems'. The difference is that successful companies accept this and strive to alleviate those nonproductive situations which cost a profit loss.
Whether or not Holiday/Fortress survives or sinks will not affect our lives at this point. We worked for them until we realized it was, for us, counter productive to the concept we had originally hired in to be a part of. The first three letters which begin this blog still say it all from our standpoint. My wife and I went back to work for other companies and life goes on. What I personally find most intriguing is the consistent threads of the comments. If only one or two communities out of three hundred suffered from the problems mentioned here it could be construed as an employee manufactured problem. So you get rid of the few employees and the problem is solved.
But it is not a few communities only. It is happening all across the board. From the number of comments posted it is clear the problems exist, but this is only a start. I do not, and can not, label this "negative". There is actually a tremendous "positive" shining through this blog. The TOUCH factor stands out loud and clear by all those who post. At some point each of us either subjugated the application of the touch, chose to walk away from the company's new lack of concern, or were summarily dismissed by the company for whatever reasons given. The residents are experiencing the same situation.
Last night I arrived home from work in time to watch a new television show on CBS called "Undercover Boss". It began with the President and COO of Waste Management going to various locations and working the menial jobs to gain a better understanding of the 'problems' experienced by employees. It was almost as if you guys had written the script by your comments on here. Realizing the production hype involved it was still a very interesting hour. The postives from the visits have supposedly already helped the company increase its standing. Next week will be Hooters boss doing the same thing. You know, this could actually catch on and companies could learn from it. Mr. Edens - Mr. Callison - did you happen to watch that show and are you listening?
There will come a point when all of the 'wheels-spinning-in-the-mud' will fail to give enough traction for the company to survive. At that point the company will either 'discover' a new concept called responsibility to the residents or become another statistic for failure. It's your choice Holiday and Fortress.
Congratulations, very well put. I agree with everything you said!
A big AMEN to your comments as we watched the same. Just think of all the corporations that would be salvaged if the corporate gurus would put themselves in the humbling positions/jobs given, "having to clean the toilets" and other realities performed on the job. Well said my friend!!!!
Wouldn't it be a great experience for Mr Callison to try the Undercover Boss
for a week and find out the real truth in building Holiday back to where it use to be- a caring company for the residents that lived there. Hope he saw the show and maybe get lined out to see the big picture before this company goes down the tubes.
When do you think Fortress will begin to look at the New Holiday's "Asset Management" decisions? That is one of those old terms you don't hear anymore around the New Holiday. I guess when they bought the company you might consider the real estate as an asset, but we all realize now that has dropped in value. Not their fault though, you know it was the economy. And then I guess if you were real business minded you could look at the existing residents as assets since they paid the bills. The only trouble there is with an expectation of less than 3 years occupancy for any given resident that value is heading south also. You know we are not replacing the old ones with enough new ones. Again not their fault old people don't hang around forever. Then there was one other asset they got with the purchase and that was the dedicated employees that worked for the Old Holiday. You remember Bill Colson's vision of independent retirement living as an option for seniors instead of living alone or with family or in a nursing home. Under that old plan, with those old employees the business grew and grew till it reached a point where it was worth in "excess of 6.5 billion dollars". You know, they sure have lost a bunch of those employees. Well now that is one asset management screw up that the New Holiday just might have to take credit for. Don't worry pretty soon they will have all new people in place to tell them what a wonderful job they are doing managing the assets of a once good company. Do you think it will ever grow to be worth 6.6 billion? Do you think they will ever make it great?
I have sat and read several of these comments and wonder why there are very few current employees on this blog. It is amazing how so many seem to have a better idea of how to run a company,yet none of you are running your own company. I come from the big corporate world and can tell you that during the several years I worked for corporate America I saw many management changes and I did not always agree with the change of direction that they wanted to go. One thing I did do was, NOT QUIT or start a very negative blog, but I discussed my ideas to the upper management and implemented the programs they wanted even if I didn't agree with them. And because I hung in there, some things did change because they learned from failed experiences and enough managers spoke up an d stayed united.
I think most of you are cowards coming on this blog and sounding off, especially when you don't work for the company any longer and those who still do work for the company need to take to the courage to speak up and talk to other managers who agree with you and say something to the upper management. You are going to have a hard time convincing me that the upper management wants this company to fail. You may not agree with the changes but in life changes are inevitable.
Here is a thought. Either become a part of the problem or a apart of the solution, but if you are going to a part of the problem I will make the problem go away. This something I preached to my team when I ran a multy-million dollar store and I can assure you that I followed through on this. You have 2 choices you can either quit or stick around and try to influence as many changes as you can. But if you only contribution is coming on this blog and complaining in secret then I suggest that you move on and focus on your new career choice.
Now I am not going to say that there may some legitimate concerns, but again I think there is a much better way to handle it then hiding here. I have also found that there are always going to be unhappy team members working for every company and one thing is clear is that no matter what happens they will never be happy because they are usually the type that needs something to complain about.
I would suggest that some of you start and run your own company before you start telling others how to run a company, oh by the way I have also run my own company in the past.
Dear WHAT,
It's quite clear you are part of the new Fortress culture which has taken over Holiday. Your message, while it holds many truths begins with a conclusion instead of a question. Since you have known or been a part of many multi-million $$ companies, wouldn't you agree this amount of passion amongst a group of people is unusual? Could you also agree (but only if you took the time and energy) to look beyond your own self (importance) it would virtually be impossible for such a wide array (regional, gender, community location) of individuals to voice the same common theme about their areas of dis-satisfaction and or concern about the company? My read also tells me the concerns they have are the same concerns I see in my role on a daily basis and unfortuntely if you are not a part of what is considered the brain team; but whom I refer to as the brain drain, your ideas are not valued or appreciated. For instance, if you are honest with yourself as an RD (clearly that is what you are) have you actually told your CMT's you know it is impossible for them to get the conversion ratios the company is asking for? Or, have you possibly had the managerial courage (think that is a phrase from your extended stay world) to ask why the company doesn't just work on keeping the folks who are already with us as opposed to spending more money to get people to come who are going to leave? I'm sure you have also taken the time to comment on the 3 wonderful meals a day which you know aren't so wonderful (since so few of you choose to eat in the community and then really have an impact on ROI? Or have you asked or demanded to your manager you are no longer going to insist the CMT's meve in anyone whose breathing even though you know should be in a higher care location somewhere else? Now, if you would like to impress those of us who are jaded..do some of the things I've mentioned. Tell Stan Brown the business plans you are designing are bunch of crap and the projections are overly optimistic. Might you mention the lack of gender and ethenic diversity within the Holiday employees and the residents and offer to head the task force to address the same? Or maybe you'll be the person who steps up to address the tyrannical leadership from CMT's who reign terror upon their co's. Or possibly demand a rate lock for the next year, because after all you know your grandmother is on a fixed income and can't afford the increse. While I am well aware of the golden parachutes you extended stay boys walked away with (over 500K) most of the people on the blog here walked away from job they loved and cherished but it wasn't by choice. So before you seek to humilate us, maybe try to understand us. We miss the quality product we offereed residents and have a degree of empathy for each one because we recognize we (to include you) are all headed in that direction one day ourselves.BTW, why don't you enlighten us to how a sucessful compny runs tell us bout yours why did u lv
Way to go Anonymous. WHAT does not have any idea how to run a senior retirement community. Before I left after 9 years I tried to correct some wrongs, but my new RD with 90 days experience knew more than I did.
As far as current employees I would keep my mouth shut. Your chances of being heard are practically nil and your survival rate would be about the same as a 2nd Lieutenant in combat. If What wants to stop the hiding he can be the first to identify himself and maybe provide his e-mail address. Oh by the way, I did own my own company and for the past few years we received excellent reviews. We left because of burn out caused primarily by the new policies and ridiculous marketing programs coming down from Salem. The Old Holiday was not perfect, but a damn site better than it is now. We feel for the co-managers and residents we left behind, but just could not take it any more.
I'm not a Holiday employee...but I've watched Holiday as my mother has lived in several Holiday facilities over a number of years. I think perhaps you are missing the point with some of the blog commenters: they would LIKE to be part of the solution, but are either summarily fired for questioning the system or intimidated, or their suggestions are ignored by the "new folks" who think they know better. What I've seen: exhorbitant rate increases -- who is getting 4-5% pay increases these days? Residents' rent wasted in bizzare marketing schemes. Residents' rent spent on items the managers want but residents will never use. The "independent living" aspect being erroded by letting anyone who can fog a mirror move in -- so the independent residents sit at dinner beside people who have soiled themselves, residents having to help other residents into/out of chairs and place themselves at risk, put up with residents asleep in the lobby all day long, and deal with residents who are unable to vacate the building in an emeregency or who are so forgetful as to endanger others or the facility. Residents have to put up with a constant stream of co-managers who come and go, sometimes within days or weeks of being hired and typically without adequate explanation (don't you vet your candidates? don't you examine facilities that can't keep trainees or co-managers???). I think the Undercover Boss is a terrific plan, and I challenge Holiday to send their upper eschelon out to see reality.
Very nicely phrased! Thank you.
WOW. I bet you walk around with a blue light cap, one on you butt and extras in you car. I bet you really light up a community. Jack would be proud.
I'll tell you what, WHAT: We have been expecting you and others just like you.
First, be very very careful how you throw the word "coward"around. Most of us have paid our dues the hard way and paid them in ways you can't imagine.
Second, you sat and read "...several of these comments..." - not all of them - yet you decide to lump the entirety into a single categorical pocket you label 'negative' because of 'several'? There are a lot of 'present' writing on here, as well as past and residents. You claim you come from the big corporate world. Obviously not the regular corporate world, but from the BIG one. Wow, I am impressed. Out of curiosity, would you mind letting us know why they threw you out. From reading your comment I would surmise you are not still in the big corporate world for the simple reason they eventually realized you just were not qualified. I gather you were quite the "Yes man" in your day. They never do last long.
In order to forego drawing others into this let me state that my wife and I began a company many years ago in our basement. That company went international before we sold it. In my professional years companies would hire me to figure out solutions to problems they could not get a handle on. I walked in with full authority needed to solve said problems at all cost. Would you believe that in nine out of ten cases the problems were very easy to solve. Merely by spending time working along with the individual(s) who dealt with a situation on a daily basis (or shifts) the answer was there. The biggest problem was usually the management refusing to listen to the blue collar or minor management worker who did the job. I wish there was time and space to tell you some stories of red-faced management higher-ups when I would tell a company to promote someone who had spent the last ten to twenty years trying to get someone "upstairs" to listen to them, or to have the indivdual(s) stand next to me as I credited them with earning my bonus pay for me. And those companies cut some big checks to find out how blind they had been. Those who come aboard for the Concept realize we must play second fiddle to our trainers for a certain time frame, regardless of our backgrounds. Are you truly so out of touch that you actually believe what you wrote?
You also forgot something else in your infinite wisdom. Perhaps in your big corporate world the higher-ups would allow you to venture an opinion or suggestion. Has it hit you yet that HRC/Fortress does not allow such. In fact the opposite is true. The company initiated a shroud of secrecy and enforced it. Personally, I could care less about attempting to convince you of anything, little less about retirement communities. We are talking about people here, not a product recall from Toyota. You cannot recall the elderly. You either get it right or they lose.
On another note: Actual names are not used at my insistence in order to protect people.
I will offer you another left-handed compliment -- you seem to handle being so perfect with a fair amount of humility. Ahhhh, to be you!
Now, let me show what you have told all of us about yourself in your comment. You were never allowed into the circle of upper management. This is obvious by your phraseology. You were, at most, a lower management clerk or drone stuck in a cubicle. One of the biggest evaluation blocks of your career has always been your proclivity to begin a test or project without taking the time to completely read the rules or instructions - and you never learned to actually listen either. This often caused you embarrassment when the project was handed off to someone else after you bogged it down. You never have been able to score high on most tests, especially skill, simply due to your failure to adequately prepare. You are quick to judge without first ascertaining all the pertinents. This has also caused you some 'moments' in both your business and personal life. I find myself wondering if you still compulsively bite your fingernails until your fingers bleed.
And please allow me to express our most sincere appreciation to you for taking the time to actually sit down and read several of the negative comments on here. The authors of the comments you read must feel as if they have been anointed. To realize we have been graced with the presence of someone so benevolent gives me goose bumps.
Very well put!!! Sounds like WHAT was a great listener, oh what was that LOL. Apparently he can NOT be working for Fortress if he actually listens
Very well put, D.L. It seems that this "important" person just explained in his own "impressive" way why none of his CMT's can talk to him. I'm sure he would think them cowardly and whining and not "worthy" of their jobs. After all, he does have to do something to feel important. My suggestion is that he spend time in the trenches instead of on his throne, and that means all of the good stuff that managers and co-managers have to do on a daily basis. We had someone from HO at one of our facilities for about 1 week. They had come to help with a problem and stayed because of their interest. They didn't stay the night at the community (had their own hotel room), and never made it for breakfast the next morning, but they were blown away with the amount of work that had to be done in one day! They couldn't believe that two people could wear so many hats in one day and still manage to keep their residents happy. That was the best praise that we EVER got from anyone at HO, and it was nice to know that someone up there appreciated us. You can bet your bottom dollar that this happened before Fortress entered the picture.
WHAT why do you not own your own company?
What,
You need to remember that the people who post on this blog are concerned with the way human beings are being treated, not with the concepts of running a company. We would love to be part of the solution, but we will be eliminated if we try to influence changes. The new order does not want anyone who is an independent thinker. You say you can make the problem go away, which tells me you are part of that new order. The one that comes in thinking they have all the answers to all the problems which really didn't exist before you guys took over. Finally, I think you are a coward coming on this blog and sounding off, and hiding behind an alias like What. If you want some sincere and meaningful dialogue, and you are in such a powerful position, you would identify yourself.
You have a lot of room to talk cowgirl.
What
Is that the best reply you can come up with? Pretty Lame, but we do not believe you have valid response to Cowgirl.
If we are "cowards" by not posting our real names on this blog it is because others have been terminated already by HR for doing so, and I for one am not ready to lose my job for speaking my mind in a forum where I don't have to worry about my employer's retaliation. Is that why you don't post your real name here, or do you have another reason you would like to share with us?
My husband and I did ask to be heard. Many times, and with many different departments. We were not even given the courtesy of an exit interview when we left the company. When working with HRC, Our RD would not allow us to voice anything let alone any ideas. period. If we started to speak he would routinely cut us off and finish the statement as he chose. And then proceed to tell us about how we don't know anything or can't do anything right etc etc etc. We stuck around as long as we did in hopes of improvement and when it became blatently obvious that wasn't ever happening, we had to leave. Please if some one from corportate was/is interested , truely interested feel free to let me know. We'd be happy to share what we can. I truely believe they'd have contacted us long ago if they were interested.
We were never given an exit interview either...after 4 years...
Clearly, WHAT does not have a clue what the bulk of the former CMT-posters here are saying, much less the actual value* of the Holiday Touch as we knew it
[*$-wise and otherwise)
Dear WHAT: Your comment: "I think most of you are cowards coming on this blog and sounding off, especially when you don't work for the company any longer and those who still do work for the company need to take to the courage to speak up and talk to other managers who agree with you and say something to the upper management." Obviously you haven't been around that long. This seems to be some of the issues these folks are dealing with. The uppers don't listen, don't care and the employee gets terminated for being a complainer or a troublemaker. If you want to get involved, I'd say start reading from the beginning.
It sounds to me like Fortress is just like Abbot and Costello's -- Who's on First. What is on 2nd.
The probelm is everyone else at Fortress is playing shortstop with all the residents --- "I don't give a darn".
Many years ago there was a commercial for Milnot (for those of us who remember) who put it simply for all..Contented cows give more milk. You want Managers and Co-Managers to produce more? You want happy employee's and happier residents? Treat them right! Quit micro-managing and let the people who know how to do their job, do it! Quit wasting your Managers time with all those stupid reports; let them get at the job at hand. Talking up their home and taking care of their residents. When people are happy, it contagious! That was the philosophy Holiday used. Pure and Simple! Another old saying...if it's not broke, don't fix it! Apparently it wasn't broke when it was bought, or they (Fortress) wouldn't have bought it. What's happened? Take a good look, if the top brass are as smart as they think they are...they should be able to figure this one out!
Amen! Very well said!
My response is if you are truly with the new Holiday, I look forward to nothing more exciting then our attorneys delivering the announcement of a case study. This will truly give you opportunity lyrically to say "what"!!!
Well it's very clear that many of you on this blog are very bitter. Let me say that I can empathize with you. I can share some of the same kind of stories that have happened to me.
Let me be very clear. You have 2 choices either BE A PART OF THE PROBLEM OR THE SOLUTION. I can tell you from what I have read here serves no purpose but to create a place to air your complaints under the veil of anonymity,which is part of the problem, as I said it takes no courage to come here a speak when no one knows who you are. You can say what you want and then run and hide. this is the definition of a COWARD.
A great CEO I worked for at one time used to say to us at our annual meetings that if you are not happy working here then quit and allow some to come in who really wants to the job, because you are not doing yourself, your team or your customers any good when you have have this bad attitude.
There was another time when I worked for the same company and they major changes at the top. This caused the stocks to drop and customer service suffered and the overall attitude of the team members was bad, especially the Management. Several of us banded together and decided to try and work through the situation calling each other regularly for encouragement. That is when I started to use the motto to either become a a part of the problem or a part of the solution. This is what I did.
1. Decided to give the new CEO a try for awhile and see what happens.
2. Decided to implement the programs they wanted, even if I didn't agree with it.
3. Shared the results of the the programs with my boss good and bad.
4. Get involved with brainstorming sessions and give my input when I could.
5. When I did give input I was very professional and direct with my idea.
After 2 years of doing this things started to change but it was a slow process.
I know that some of you are going to say but they won't listen or if we say something we will get fired. Well as I said you need to find a new career that you will be happy in. But even in a new career you will still find something to complain about because that is the way most of you are on this blog. Things either go your way or you going cry or go on a blog and anonymously complain. How mature. And remember there are two sides to every story. And for every negative complain/story there are just as many, if not more, positive stories.
For a final thought, I'm sure that none of have every held a high level management position (CEO) and I can guarantee that you would not be able to make every one happy either and the employees working for you would not like the changes you wanted to make.
SO I SAY AGAIN IF YOU ARE NOT HAPPY PLEASE QUIT AND MOVE ON TO A NEW CAREER. AND IF ARE NO LONGER EMPLOYED PLEASE JUST MOVE ON AND FOCUS ON YOUR NEW CAREER.
Mr. What:
You are a piece of work. Not only do you not get it, but you call us cowards and hiding for not using our real name, but I doubt that What is your name or could it be What Now. Step forward and be a man. Who are you coward?
Fortress purchased Holiday because it was a well run profitable company. Now it is near ruin. All Fortress had to do was stay on course, but instead they run off the holiday people that helped build this business and brought in people that do not know anything about retirement living. You can blame some of this decline on the economy, but a lot of it was Fortress and hires like you. You and Fortress think you know everything and that we are a bunch of complaining idiots. Maybe we can identify some legal remedies. I sure put in my share of long hours and working holidays to be spoken to by the likes of you. As far as I am concerned you have demonstrated quite accurately how low this company has come.
Extremely well said!
Ok, What,
If you will read the archived section of this blog, you will find a post written by me, encouraging all of us to hang in there and fight for what we believe in.
Billy Bob is right. For the third time now: you don't get it.
We are not bitter. We are not complainers. We are not whiners. We see how people are being treated by Fortress and it is wrong. Wrong. You better be grateful that people are willing to fight for the rights and happiness of others, because if we were all silenced, as you and your Fortress cronies would like, there won't be anyone to fight for your rights when the same thing happens to you.
What You want people to leave that are still with the company. I thought you said wait 2 years things can change? Left hand talking to the right hand?
One question for WHAT:
If this CEO was so great how come you aren't still there, espousing your direct and very professional ideas?
"A great CEO I worked for...used to say ...that if you are not happy working here then quit...."
[Frankly, I'd seriously question his "greatness" if he would openly make such a negative proclamation as this at an annual meeting.]
I just heard about this today. I have been reading all these comments. I was employed with Holiday Retirement Corp. for 10 years when the Colson's owned it. Hired in 1997. It was a most wonderful place to work. People caring about people. Bill was a wonderful man. In 2007, after the company was sold to Fortress it was very obvious to me and my husband that this was not where we wanted to be, when we got a letter telling us we could no longer offer our residents a little savings on their rent increases,even if they couldn't afford it. I could not in any means do this to the wonderful people who I had lived with over the years. I didn't have the heart to tell someone they either paid all the rent increase or get out. That is what Fortress told us we had to do. So we left. I feel so bad for all the wonderful residents we have gotten to know and love.
We have moved on and have other careers now, but I just had to say something for the wonderful residents who have lived in this world for sooo long. They deserve to be treated as human beings, not a number.
I just hope the people that don't agree that this company is doing an injustice to our seniors, when you become old and can not make it on social security, that there will be no one to help you!
What a croc of horse sh-t. You surely do not believe what you write Mr.What. Did you post your real name somewhere I didnt notice? What a moron. To those out there busting your butts DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS IDIOT. We have endured and things dont get better, we just deal with stupid new marketing ideas that dont result in any new move-ins and told to push private health care for new ones who belong in nursing homes, not a retirement home. Mr.What sounds like a reject from a dishwashing position at McDonalds somewhere. We all work or have worked hours on end with the threat of losing our jobs at any moment, if this is a way to vent with others so be it, its safe and we know what each other are going through or have gone through. Do everyone on this site a favor and never post here again.
Another Holiday Retirement policy --- Today is Presidents Day. Most normal businesses celebrate as a compnay holiday... Not Holiday Retirement. Its a regualr day. ( just a note for you people considering a job with HRC )
It is Holiday Retirement's policy that only Home Office is closed on Presidents' Day as a paid holiday, but the hourly employees at the communities get Martin Luther's Birthday as a paid holiday. Community Management Teams can take an extra day off during the week of MLK's Birthday if they can figure out how to schedule it, which hardly ever happens since a community can never close.
Open Season - no holds barred, folks.
WHAT How often do you pay attention to the elderly hot shot maybe you should be a CEO for Fortress with all your knowledge
I'm still wondering why this guy is even bothering to read and post on here.
Because he is most likely either an RD from a hotel or Corp humancapital who is trying to get someone so pissed off that they give their real name and then get fired. That is their goal, you know.
In response to "WHAT" AND HIS INSPIRATIONAL AND OVERWHELMING KNOWLEDGE.....WOULD SOMEONE please tell me, is this person, deaf, blind or just plain stupid???????? "WHAT".....do you still not get it???? Most of us were very happy in our jobs. No jobs comes without their downfalls, but most of us by far were happy and so were our residents along with being 95% - 100% occupancy nationally. It wasn't until Fortress and its big professional people obviously like yourself, that have, "read our lips"....DESTROYED OUR CORPORATION!!!! that any of us became dismayed. Our residents are so miserable and are all looking for a place to go. We still get calls daily from residents and family wanting advice as to what to do where to go and you with your "big corporate experience" think this is all about us. Just because we are speaking from a management capacity, alot of us are older and more experienced and have led very sucessful lives. This is not for most of us, our first jobs as you seem to assume. I was in corporate life nationally for 35 years. We semi retired and wanted to give of ourselves to a cause that would do some good in this greedy world. Well, we did that and had a very sucessful building profitably, happy residents, fun, had a wonderful home for our seniors that truly had the touch. Of course, I dont know why I would bother to use that word with you. Obviously, you have no concept of what it truly means. We were a loving family.......sucessfully. Have you got it yet?????? You all didnt want age, splendor, experience, love, kindness, entraprenaural spirit, caregivers, or a home for our residents. You wanted a hotel not a building, filled with whomever and anything it takes to do so! You wanted a "NEW HOLIDAY," that has destroyed so much of what it took so many of us a long time and alot of heart to build. A place we would'nt mind living in when we reach that age. With this being said, what have you given to this corporation, residents and their families? All you have done is take!!! You have'nt produced one dollar or placed one resident in a building with love, compassion or any of the things most of us managers have been successful in accomplishing!!!! COWARDS?? you dare say?...I will put this group of people up against your strong points any day or time under oath, THAT IS IF YOU TRULY HAVE ANY!!! I think your entry into the blog and your comments are strictly a diversionary tactic by design, from the "New Holiday"! GO AWAY, you don't deserve our time to comment.
I wish I had your way with words. Very well done!
What: Where did you come up with the idea you invented the slogan of "...Either be part of the problem or the solution..." You truly do overuse it. I accept the probability that Al Gore really did invent the Internet, but Eldridge Cleaver used your slogan in a speech way back in 1968. Kennedy used it, too. The originator is lost in antiquity, but I can guarantee it is not something you dreamed up.
You are a piece of work!
Since I believe in the democratic process -- we'll vote on it. Regarding your possible future comments: (1) Allow - (2) Remove and block. Good luck.
Another giveaway by you -- no one who heads up, or is involved with, a multi-million dollar company would ever refer to it as a "multy million". It wasn't a typo. The left hand fingers control the letter y and the right hand fingers for the letter i .
2
LMAO, I thought the same thing when I saw how he spelled 'multy'. We've got a real winner here! I say they sell HRC over to this guy, maybe he could set the rest of us straight.
ALL POST BY WHAT NEEDS TO BE REMOVED.
Remove and block. He's a blue light special cronie running around with a hatchet. Needs to go buh-bye. Buh Bye. Just like that - buh bye!
My wife and I are getting ready to join the Holiday team. I can't imagine things really being this bad. My wife and I have always enjoyed working with seniors and are very excited about the opportunity.
The enjoyment of working with seniors is the only thing that has kept my husband and I managing a Holiday Retirement community for almost 6 years now. But, you'd better believe it - it truly is as bad as the comments in the blog say. My only advice to you is to run as fast as you can from Holiday Retirement while you are able to, and don't turn around and look back lest you turn into used coffee grounds!
I hope you will continue to post to this blog as you begin your career with Holiday. It will afford the rest of us true insight into the current climate, under new management. Please keep an open mind and tell us what you celebrate and what you can't condone. You're unique because you bring no "baggage" with you as former employees or current employees that worked for the "old" system. I really hope it goes well for you, and will be interested in following your progress.
Don't listen to some of these dummies. There are good managers & RD's as well as bad ones. Maybe we've been lucky because after 13 years we have good RD's and almost everything we asked for has been granted, including helping residents with their rent increases ome way or another.
Mr. What Ever, What Not or whatever name you hide behind, as strange as it might sound, I want to thank you. You have united this group. Employees, ex-employees, residents, residents family that was undecided before had an awakening with your comments. You have done more to forward the cause than we could possibly have done without outside help. You demonstrated a lack of concern for everyone involved, except blind obedience to the great white father in Salem. I really want to thank you for making the point that we could not do without someone like you. Thank goodness our forefathers did not continue to give the King of England more chances.
Well said!
Let me offer a tidbit of computer information.
When someone places a comment on here I go into the controls in order to remove any email address, as mentioned earlier. When I bring the comment up it automatically displays the IP of the comment. Even at my advanced age I still have a pretty good memory regarding numbers. When a particular IP comes up that is connected to a different "email addy/name" and does so repeatedly it flags my memory. It is highly remote for a specific IP to handle more than a few different locales.
Have you caught my drift yet, What? You used the same email addy and the IPs match for your other posts. Good try, but "Gotcha!"
No, I will not divulge the information to everyone. I would suggest to use one or the other names, but not both.
#2 from us
Aw, c'mon, folks. Let's allow WHAT to keep on babbling.
At this point, his/her remarks have become no more than comic relief.
I tend to agree with you. Concerned made a very valid point also. Unity and passion combined can move mountains.
With the collective approval of all no action will be taken UNLESS What continues to postulate from opposite viewpoints. Playing the Devil's Advocate is one thing, but to put forth completely different stances and attempt to sucker others into that web of deceit is not acceptable.
Once again let me state that I am not a moderator, per se. I do, however, strive to protect everyone - even What and the alter ego. If you ever feel I am overstepping the boundaries then so advise me. Thanks
I have been reading the comments by Mr. What and all of the replies.
I have not commented on any of what Mr. WHAT has written on this blog because that person has made me so extremely upset, His/her arrogance and stupidity just speak for it's self.
It saddens me very much that all of us who take the time to write on this blog are seen as cowards yet if you really would take the time and read between the lines of all of the messages on this blog, all what is really written here is PASSION. Passion for the wellbeing of the residents, passion for the wellbeing of the employees and yes believe it or not, passion for the wellbeing of Fortress/Holiday.
The past employees are writing on here because they knew how the Colson family handled things and many of the current employees can learn from the past.
I have written my fair share of messages on this blog. My wife and I spent 8 years of our lives at Holiday in various buildings. It is critical that Fortress listens to the employees in order to retain the current residents and find new ones. Unfortunately Fortress is unwilling to listen and.......learn.
If you indeed ever were a part of the upper management of any kind of reputable company, as you claim you were and you would see that the company slowly is going down the drain, wouldn't you try just about anything to encourage any kind of input from the employees? Why on earth would you pay 6.8 billion dollars for a money making company and let it go down to toilet in relatively short period of time.
I am not going to call you any kind of names or stoop to your low level of words however, if you really would like to contribute something meaningful to this blog please change the tone of your messages and say something truly constructive so that you can bring some information back to Mr. Callison who obviously has directed you to do whatever it takes to uncover who from home office and who from any kind of community is writing on this blog.
All these people have is "PASSION" and they are very passionate about what they do for the residents and..... for FORTRESS.
Holiday Retirement Corp, under the Colson family certainly was not perfect but Bill Colson, Bart Colson Cheryl Bauer, Don Harris, Dick Glaunert and many, many of them empowered the management teams in the communities with PASSION.
The proof of that was in Maui.
1,287 of us in one place celebrating Holiday and it's employees. Truly amazing.What a great "gift" to the employees.
Sir/ma'am who ever you are, rest assured, this blog will go on for along time because FOR A CHANGE these people are passionate in what they do.
Now, can you please tell us what you are passionate about?
Ahhhh, Maui.....I was there!
Bravo, Achmed!
Bravo again, Achmed!
2 from here this person is a narc
WHAT, you will never understand the heart of a manager. Even a farmer in the middle of nowhere still know when there is a fox in the chicken house. I think you could not tell the difference in just clucking and the call for help. I give you a 2.
God Bless America; where free speech is still a "freedom" shared by all. "What" has had his soap box; he's received an overwhelming response. Wow, he must feel great to get us all fired up. We know why we do what we do. We haven't asked for or wanted his approval. What, Duke, or whatever he wants to call himself, and people like him will never understand true and caring feelings. I feel sorry for them. To want to make wrongs right, to help someone because it makes us feel good and its the right thing to do, not just for a paycheck. Again, God Bless America and the freedoms we all enjoy!
I have never met anyone who "was part of the solution" that used contempt for others as a means of getting a point across. Contempt for others is the root of this problem. The golden rule is the solution. People first, product second, then profit. NOT profit first, because product will suffer and people will disappear. WHAT.. do you think about that?
Dear What or should I say Lee Y from Target Corp now HRC RD. Do you really think your CMT's think you listen to them. Think again.
Yes, I think that WHAT is Lee Y also! The way he goes on and on -- it sure sounds like him!
He's the kind the would sell his own mother if he thought it would get him higher up the corporate ladder.
To WHAT, crawl under the rock you came out from!! I am still working for holiday,not loving it!! Too old to find other employement & want to stay busy helping people older then I am live a better life.You are not the solution you are the problem!! I owned a chain of stores & could write a book about people,change etc.This is not the way to grow a company.
Mr what: When you have walked in our shoes day and night and see do the things we do.And work the hrs we have And care the way we care for or resident. Then and only then will you understand the concern we have whats going to happen to Holiday and it's People (residents and all)!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, we tried for 4 years and couldn't take it any longer.
We worked with some wonderful other managers and other the other hand --a couple of managers from Hell.
It was wonderful 3 years ago working for Holiday under the Colson Family. Things have drastically changed.
1st -- I hope you enjoy the luxury apartment. 500 square feet and no room
for any extras.
2nd--- The work schedule. Did any explain it to you ? Your life is about to change because working as a manager or co-manager there is no normal life at all. You are totally dedicated to your job. 3 nights a week off..the other 4 you are on call overnight. Not every holiday off...you'll be lucky if you have every-other hgoliday off. be assured that you will never get Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Eve, New Years Day off all the together.
3. No bonues for even for doing an exceptional job. You'll be lucky to get a pay raise every year.
4. Be ready to be a dishwasher, housekeeper, meal server and more often than not. The probelm is that Holiday is not paying these positions enoguh money to be dedicated.
5. Be ready to work 24-hours a day when the other managers taken time off and beware if they take a vacation. You will be working every day and on call every night they are away. For your sake I hope its no longer than 7 days.
Good luck and the only way you'll ffind out the job is to try it.
We all agree that working with seniors is a great thing...the only probelm is you don't have time to really do what you want to under the new Holiday regime.
CMT's we (RSL's) can feel your pain as well. Over the past month we've been putting in 15 hours a day working on a myriad of reports designed to help "figure out" how to move more residents into the communities.
Maybe I'm missing it, but instead of spending all of this time trying to find residents; why not just take care of the residents who are in the buildings and allow the economy to improve? What we're doing just doesn't make good business sense. While I appreciate the "wonder boys" from Fortress, I think it should be very clear we're in the middle of a recession and consequently the senior population (who continues to age more gracefully than ever before) is not poised to leave their homes, friends and church to move into an apartment with admittedly marginal food, meager activities and outdated amenities. Try as we may and with the best of intentions these business plans can not compensate for the economy. You would think we'd focus our energy on keeping the residents who are with us. What we're doing just does not make sense. It's my understanding we have a new Director of Sales - West, a woman by the name of Shamim Wu who has come from another company. As an RSL, I believe it's an enormous slap in the face and repudiation of our efforts as RSL's for them to go out and get someone who for all practical purposes was simply an RSL in another company. Jack and Stan, we're putting you on notice that was the wrong thing to do. However, it's no different than the addition of the GSM into the communities...why is it a poor leadership team always believes the answer is to go outside of the company to find talent? Anway, Shamim is not the replacement for the now missing Martha Smith ...martha, if you're out there will you please tell us why you keep asking for information from us but you don't answer and return phone calls? Have you been reassigned or demoted? If so, why were you allowed to keep your job when the previous Director of Sales wasn't? What is it you actually hold over Stan Brown, Jack Callison or Holiday?
It's also my understanding we had another Director of Sales candidate to take us right to the very end...will she take the job, will she not before she turned us down so we're still without leadership in the field.
The RD's now have the Chefs and Maintenance under their leadership as well. Haven't quite figured out if the Regional Chefs and Maintenace positions are a thing of the past but stay tuned...I suspect we'll see some clarity on this soon. Stan, just wondering, you said some time ago that a person should be in their role for 18 months before you would considering a change in position. Let me throw some names out Sandra Gainor, Martha Smith and the absolute worse RSL in the entire organziation Stephanie Foster. Can you tell us what happened to the 18 month rule for them please? Probably wouldn't be a bad ideal to include Kai. IT's very clear to all of us the company has only lost ground under his watch.
What????
Am I to understand by your comment that the Regional Chef and Regional Maintenance positions are a thing of the past?
If so, we are really in for a rapid, downhill journey. Let me hope it isn't so.
Not a problem getting rid of the chefs the managers can go to Burger King, Mc Donalds etc and get food off the dollar menu for the residents so they can keep the food costs down that will be next and they wont need a dishwasher just a garbage can for the wrappers.
I think it would be a mistake to put Regional Chefs under the management of the RD. That would mean that all RD's better had their ServeSafe training done as well as most of the RD's have no clue how to cook or to follow the OSHA rules when entering a kitchen.
Does this mean that the RD will cook when a buidling is without a Chef?
As for the Regional Maintenance, well that could be a good thing. Maybe the enormous theft of materials would finally stop. I have seen Regional Maintenance walk off with loads and loads of materials from new buildings only to discover that those materials were used in their own homes yet the company paid for it. Regional Maintenance people are (in general) good people and are very helpful but there some of them who are liars and will do anything to get either managers or co-managers fired. They start stories in the region that goes from building to building and it could be very dangerous especially when such stories are not true. Some of these Regional Maintenance people have never worked a full day since they were with Holiday. They have no regard for budgets and think they can run a building yet when there are real problems they are nowhere to be found. You have Regional Maintenance people who never return phone calls especially when you have an emergency or when they are supposed to be at a building and they never show up yet you are being instructed to tell the RD they were at the building so that you cover their rear end and God forbid if you didn't do that. From that point these Regional Maintenance people start rumors about you in the region until you get fired. The problem is one can never proof it.
No, I believe the regional maintenance seriously needs a make-over and that position should be eliminated and given in the hands of the community managers.
Let us hire additional maintenance people.
The Regional Maintenance position "MUST" be eliminated.
Let's start with trust. Every manager is promised 8 holidays off per year. Multiply that by the number of properties (318?) and multiply that by 4 managers per building. Divide that figure by 365 and you get about 29 years of a single employee's time. Multiply that by the average employee cost (not employee wage) and you should arrive at about 1 million dollars.
Weigh this.
- Million dollar corporate bonus.
- Million dollar cost of ensuring that managers get what was promised to them.
Which one was paid out last year?
Somebody has to pay it. Either the company pays for it through staffing enough relief managers to cover everyone's days off (this is just 8 holidays not including vacation time)
or --the managers pay the cost with free labor.
Just do this one thing and watch the attitudes improve and the turnover rate go down.
If these corporate decision makers want all of these people to trust their decisions --earn their trust. Do this one thing and see what happens. Budget for 8 holidays off per manager and send all of them an email every holiday that says, "enjoy your day off. You earned it."
A handwritten apology to every manager for last year's obvious accounting error would go a long way too.
OK -- any other positive suggestions for improving the company?
Maybe Holiday/Fortress needs a Larry...don't ask if you cannot relate!
Let me guess. To assist Moe and Curly.
If you watched the show after the Super Bowl, "Undercover Boss"...It was a great show, no Moe's or Curly's. Better be nice to that new dishwasher, maintenance person, cook, housekeeper...you get the message. You don't know who's watching!!!
You are absolutely right. Especially if they are followed by a camera crew.
I have a friend who uses shirt-button cameras and mikes to monitor customer service. Don't assume you'll see 'em.
So now that our EC's are back from Salem, they are being told they have to keep track of how many people attend EVERY function and every activity. Does anybody else suspect that when the numbers drop to a certain point, we will lose our EC's as a prelude to going assisted living? Or do assisted living communities still play beanbag baseball, maJong, etc..??
I thought that EC's at Assisted Living communities had to have some kind of certification. I know that when we were at Leadership (yes, remember those days - that was a fantastic experience) that they were talking about how Holiday really needed to get some kind of certification done for their EC's even though we were independent living. They said that it is probably not the best situation to have someone who just walked in off the street to be leading activities for seniors when they don't understand the physiology of againg.
The quick answer to your question is yes, assisted living communities also have enrichment coordinators. Assisted living residents may not participate in physically demanding games, but do get involved in activities that are less strenuous. The reason it makes sense to keep track of how many residents attend every function/activity is to monitor the level of interest the residents have in them. A good EC knows what activities the residents like, and after all, it is an amenity they pay for. On a side note, if outside guests attend the function/activity, you want to capture their contact information so you can stay in touch with them to build a relationship toward their eventual move-in.
It is alarming how many communities have veered from the good old tried and true principles of the grassroots management principles, and even scarier that the new Fortress leaders are the ones that are actually reminding community teams of their value. Wow!
Thank you! yes that does make perfect sense. Coming up with new activities or improving existing ones is something our entire team works on with our EC. Likewise we reach out to others as well as those who have left our community to keep them active in the events they enjoyed previously. Thanks again for your comment.
When did our Activity person go to Salem? She hasn't left our building long enough to go to Salem?
Update from EXEXChef.
Thanks for the information that I requested. Because I have so much paperwork to support why I was forced to resign and several witnesses, my unemployment appeals have be postpone 3 times. I have a hearing on Tuesday, 16th.I you a praying bunch. I need you desperately. I want Holiday to know how much it lost by treating me so badly that it broke me. I will avenge myself
and who knows, maybe FIG will seem my as a degreed business, full Executive Chef with 4 classes to completing my Masters in Management and put me in an executive position so that I can have influence over food service. Strange it is, that I was once a lonely, no-named, humbled, longsuffering Executive Chef, but now I am a wounded, pissed off chef.
Thank you for your postings, all!Under the unemployement law, you are correct that if I just quit, I am inelegible for unemployment compensation. I made very clear in the 4 page resignation that I was worn down mentally, physically, in morale. My last possition, I stepped down to Sous Chef as I was floating chef and driving was getting to me. Divisional Chef and Regional chef, okayed the job transfer. But it was agreed that within six months that I you be Exec Chef in one of four communities opening in 2009. The chef I was working was sooo unqualified. It became my job to go the store buy groceries, to change menues, even print off the menues and production charts. In addition, so that our kitchen regress back to its former status of the filthiest kitchen, Only I cleaned the 3 ovens, stove-top, basically the whole line. Sometimes I deliberatly stopped cleaning to test whether the Exec Chef or kitchen staff, will do cleaning on thier own. They Didnt. I was gone 2 times since January for surgery and was out for six weeks at each time. When I returned, the place gone to hell. Residents though empathetic to my help, told me how they wished I was there. The kitchen as usual was filthy. over the course of 11/2008-8/18/2009, when I left, I have been taking photographs of condition of kitchen when I leave and how I find the kitchen to be, whenever I return from my two days off. Daily I filled out the production logs and wrote accurately what I had to do to revise menues. I have couple set of co-mananger that witness my treatment as Exec Chef (treated very hard) and now with this yahoo Chef I worked for been told by regional dir and chef that he is doing well. The guy doesnt even have a copy of the Food Service Guideline. 0ver the past 2 1/2 years I have been with Holiday, my back has been ridden and feet to the fire if I screwed up the ordering. This double-standard had played with my mind because I was working as hard as I could to please my residents and to avdance in the company.
Summary...state low requires me to prove that the my job description has increase 50% to compensate for a 40 or less hour Exec Chef. I have emails that I sent regarding how myself and other employees were being treated trashy.
I feel your pain I gave 2 weeks notice 10 pages of why we quit. The staff abuse, cheating the residents on food servic ,holy sheets, unclean apartments you name it. Running the building with a hillbilly that read the paper and kissed up to the residents and staff (he was fired). I NEVER had collected in my life and WE LOST I couldnt believe it. Had a hearing also. Cost us about 10 grand to move and survive until we took the 1st job that came along. I feel your pain and if you get it we need to talk. I dont have the answer but life goes on and I am happier now BUT still and ALWAYS will be concerned for the care of all of the residents I have served in 4 yrs.
Speaking of great chefs!!! We had a Valentines Day for our residents that was simply awesome and I wanted to share it with you!!!
At our dinner meal we started with a festive dining room with Valentines Day placemats and pink and red napkins arranged in the water glasses, it looked great!! Our chef prepared crab stuffed mushrooms for an appetizer then followed with Prime Rib w/ AuJus, mashed potatoes, steamed asparagus with hollandaise sauce, and chocolate dipped gigantic strawberries served with two petite fours for dessert!! You could hear the residents excitement through the whole meal!! My wife and I passed out Valentines to each of them and just before the dessert was served, we rolled out a cart and our management team gave each of them a long stemmed red rose (and yes, even the guys because they could give them to their girls!!). Our kitchen staff received a loud ovation from the residents when we brought them out and openly thanked them for such a superb meal. We can't do this every day and stay in budget but we really try to provide these special moments as much as we can. Although green waffles for St Paticks day may not be a winning combination LOL!!! We are working on an incredible Easter dinner coming up soon. In spite of dealing with all the corporate issues that seem to flood us, we can find an immense amount of happiness and joy in serving those we LOVE, our residents. Chef, if you are reading this blog, YOU ROCK DUDE!!!!
Biker Bear,
Thanks for providing evidence that "the Touch" lives.
Honoring your residents AND recognizing your staff goes a long way and doesn't have to be a budget-buster.
I'll bet Bear's census is at least stable, as a result of his "taking care of little things."
AAAHHHH the good old days that will be with you a lifetime KUDOS to you
You should be head of the company. That is just what every building needs. Special events with outstanding food. THis is exactly what residents want. Not the crap they get everyday. Have a special event every month is just what is needed. Good luck and keep up the good work. Maybe you should be giving a clas in Salem on --- "How to Keep Residents Happy".
Thank you all for the kind comments, I really wanted to share some happy moments!! We are all feeling the pressures from the home office, the incessant redundancies, reports, and lack of communication but our residents don't unless they get it from us. If we can just take that deep breath before entering the dining room, we can focus on them, the most important part of our day! They have paid their dues and should be living the best years of their lives. I feel my job is to give it to them. I love them, hug them and tell them how special they are. I only WISH I had know the Coleson family, I have been told I would have liked them very much. Keeping their dream alive is the best I can do and I'll continue until I'm let go for pouring too much coffee!! HAHAHAHAHA. Keep your chins up folks, we can get through this!!
Makes me hungry, Bear! Great job!
Congratulations, this is what it is truly all about! I guess things aren't totally bad when you have a great manangement team, in spite of the Fortress leadership.
Joe W was not fired he was demoted or stepped down to become the new mgr of The Lodge at Wake Forest! possibly the first GM in that regon??? His wife is & has been the Marketer for that building.They do not live on the property.He has two sets of co's,one set are two women. Wait and see what happens there,it will be interesting to watch!
Many people on this blog have said previous employees should let it go and move on. I think, this blog is needed in order to do just that. The psychological scars present and past employees have need to be vented and dealt with. The suits in Salem deny and decry the stress and intellectual ability of us employees in the field, but it is real... We are exhausted from long hours and the demands of the job... We are blamed for things which are entirely out of our control by residents, employees and supervisors in Salem alike... We managers in the field are a lifeline for our current residents. Their needs come first... We are also trying to fill our buildings by reaching out into the community giving incentives to schools, churches. etc. wherever we might be able to reach prospective clients...And lets not forget all the reports and paperwork... How about some positive feedback for us in the field from the suits in Salem...We love our jobs, residents, and employees.. Our knowledge and hard work is what is holding this company together. Our residents and our hard work pays your wages.
Well said!
I couldnt believe my eyes when i stumbled onto this site. I too was one of you overworked, underpaid employees we like to call managers. We were led down the glorious path of being the manager of one the best Retirement (Facilities) and given all these wonderful promises. Well you know what if you think you have it rough these days, you can thank some of us old has beens. It hasnt been that long ago when we did all our own maintenance ,in our buildings. Yes we plunged,soldered pipes,cleaned, painted, get the drift yet, plus all the rest of what you complain about. But there were perks, we attended many classes at home office, met that familiar face we talked to on the phone almost daily. Opening new buildings was a hoot, arrived early , checked in , had a couple cheers, wined about everything we were hard done about, then put on the happy face and toured hundreds, and some buildings thousands of hungry people. Yes the other managers stayed back to work, but there were days i think they got the best of it.. Believe me when i say this, We all worked our butts off but the COLSONS treated us with a lot of respect. Does anyone out there remember our fully paid vacation to Mauie. First class vacation!!! i dont believe the co's ever got their trip to Montreal.? I talked to a manager of a compeditor today, and they are converting to an assisted community. As people move out, they change out Twelve units at a time, until fully done. Is this a sign of the times,and is it the case of the early bird gets the worm. Maybe your new bosses know more than you think, its too bad that loyal employees will be the ones to suffer. I feel blessed to know that my time(9 Years) served careing for our senior family, is something no one can take away from me. Families still call to say thank you , for showing our parents the TOUCH we couldnt seem to do. For all of you that can relate to this, give yourself a patt, for the rest of you remember one thing. The door wasnt locked when you came in, turn around and give it a push, surprise.
Great post CHEERS and yes I to remember those days we had no maintenance person on staff. We were it. Fixed many of toilets, painted, fixed vacuum cleaners (made 4 good ones out of 5) and yes, as mentioned in one of my previous posts... Maui !!!!
A great gift from Holiday to it's employees and what a great time we all had. All 1,287 of us.
You know what, pre FIG, you were proud of being able to work for Holiday Retirement including a lot of problems we all had to deal with at that time, hell when we were there, there were no computer programs. Everything was done in hand writing.
We had a great Exec. Chef who made all of his bonus money each and every month. Amazing.
In a previous message I also have said that everybody posting on here has PASSION or else why would they bother.
Old, new, current, everybody associated with Holiday Retirement at one time or another has and always will have the PASSION.
Lets face it, we all are getting older. We will NOT be able to live in a HRC building because the "baby-boomers" do not have the long term savings that the seniors have had. We all ended up with a 401-K program by previous employers and we ALL lost a lot of the value and principle during the past decade. Most of todays seniors are starting to dip into the principles of their investments. HRC seems to increase the rents so much that people are actually forced out of the buildings as they can no longer afford to live at any of the Holiday buildings.
I was told Maui was an expensive goodbye but it was covered by the 3% raise that was not given to managers that year. The only bad thing was that co-managers did not get the 3% either and they did not get the trip. Oh well would we we all be so willing to drink the Kool-Aid today?
Does anyone know what is going on with the Holiday Retirement Facebook site? There have been no new writings since last year.
Not quite as active as the "HRC alumni"
FB page, is it, DL?.
The rest of you can check it out here:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=63157984760
No comparison between the two! The alumni site is a work of art, thanks to Rob Bell. The company site is a sad "vacated room" effect. They should have let Rob design the site and keep it up.
Let the bells ring for Peg Maddox, an RSL forced out of Holiday due to the companies refusal to pay her a wage sufficient enough to live upon. Peg was a tireless worker with much industry experience who loved her job and the residents. But 50K for 100+ hours a week away from home 4 nights per week is just a little much don't you think. You're mised Peg! Jack or Stan couldn't you have given the 5% increase she needed to stay? Another victim of the Kai regime which is starting to resemble the PotPou regime in Vietnam....what other casualties are out there waiting to be remembered?
It's happening, our competitors are undercutting our already too high prices. A neighborhood assisted living is lower in price than our 2bdrm. They asked the couple what we were going to charge them and beat our price.
Not far away you can get a two bdrm cottage w/garage and full kitchen for about the same price as ours. Our building is small and we do not have cottages.
Doesn't it make sense to lower the prices/freeze rents and fill the buildings instead of having apartments set empty and have them deteriorate?
Wouldn't you think they would freeze all rent increases and market rent for at least a year to fill the buildings and keep currant residents happy. Theres alot of residents moving to smaller apartments-2 sizes down due to the increases and many are leaving because 4.9% is to much increase with no increase in investments or social security. If this company would take care of the current residents and forget about raises and move in new people they would do themselves a big favor.
I still say, put the rents back to 2008 level and lock them for everyone. We know the average stay is 3 years. what an amazing incentive it would be to offer them NO RENT INCREASES for three years. Isn't an apartment getting 85% of market better than 0%. Is it too simple? what am I missing?
I recently asked a Managing Director this very same question, and was told that rolling back the rents would give the perception that the company had been "overcharging" all along, and would devalue the retirement lifestyle we offer. Still sounds like nothing but a lot of greed to me at the expense of a customer base that is on a fixed income!
He is wrong. If they lowered and froze the rent for a period of time, say 3 years, FIG would look like hero's.
When are these financial whiz kids [and that's what the FIG suits are - kids] going to learn about the economic reality of things such as the Laffer curve?
A while ago, I looked up the FIG leadership and came across their campaign contributions -- complete with a Soros connection.
...But don't let me even get started -- in this forum anyway.
I have a question for any of the current community managers:
Is it true that community managers have been asked to tell the residents to cut down on the use of toilet paper? Someone told me about this and I thought that that is the most idiotic thing yet.
I have never heard of such a thing from home office, my Managing Director, or my Regional Director. In the 2010 community budgets, housekeeping chemicals and supplies is now combined with Food Service, and the Executive Chefs order all chemical and paper supplies for the community from Sysco. Unless the toilet paper is being lost through employee theft, there are plenty of dollars in that budget line item to take care of these combined needs.
We haven't been told to have our residents cut down on use, but the quality has gone to cheap gas station quality. In the long run they will use more toilet paper or purchase their own.
Many of my residents called resident relations and complained about the quality. They never got a return call.
I do not think resident relations exist at home office any longer.
80-85% of our supplies need to be purchased from Sysco. If you have a problem with the quality of the toilet paper as I did you can purchase from HD It's a little more expensive, but it makes the residents happier. I think in the long run they will use less and the cost will be less.
I got the answer if they are worried about the cost of toilet paper; and are buying the cheap stuff. Why not do what was suggested above... lower the rent to entice people to move in and freeze rents for the residents for at least 3 years! Shoot, the residents would be more than happy to buy their own toilet paper if they did that!
Resident Relations at home office still exists, but they are overwhelmed these days with more complaints than they have ever had to deal with (see elsewhere on this blog.) As a matter of fact, the Director, Jeff Roderick, is one of the last of the Colson Jedi that remain true to the good side of the Force of the Holiday Touch (pardon the use of the Star Wars metaphor, but our republic is in grave danger of being lost to the dark side.)
As for the quality of the toilet paper, as long as we stay within budget, I don't think anybody is going to care what or where we buy it.
That is one thing I definitely remember from the community - paper cuts from the cheap toilet paper. We quickly began buying our own for personal use.
We did get a little better quality through Sysco and had corporate RD approve it on our order guide b/c the complaints The wheel that squeaks the loudest gets the TP
No have NEVER heard that statement
I had a 97 year old resident come to me and say your giving us this cheap toilet paper and raising our rents. She was very upset. That's when I started getting Scott from HD.
A good rule is never take anything away without replacing it with something equal or better our residents might be old, but they notice everything.
The latest from Home Office is the cost of laundry detergent is going up. The sent me a box of scoops like I needed them. Another waste of money.
I made NOI all last year and know how to watch and read the budget. It's all in knowing how to do the coding and budget to hours.
The TP we receive now is an inch smaller, and you could read a newspaper through it. So instead of using 2 rolls per week, I use four. Where's the savings????
What about the food quality...Most weeks it is just SLOP...Most main dishes are just covered with gravy.
Improve the food quality and your census will start to increase. If residents brag about the good food, word with spread and things will improve.
The best way to get to a Senior Citizen is through their stomach. It does take a $1000 an hour consultant to reccomend that.
Help is on the way. The new expanded menus sounds promising beginning Mar.1.
Chef's and cooks sometimes have short cuts which same time, but destroy the quality of the food. It's the managers job to make sure the food is cooked properly the recipe is followed.
Yes, there is a lot of gravy and as a manager who can not have a lot of rich food I depend on the second choice or ask for the gravy not to be put on my food. My chef and cooks are happy to comply with residents and my wishes.
Remember menus are set by corporate office. We have a little lead way with the expanded menu and second choices.
I hear the expanded menu includes chicken fingers and chicken wings....That is certainly not gracious retirement living. What about comfort food like meatloaf and mashed potatoes...spaghetti & meatballs...tender pork chops and scalloped potatoes...turkey tetrazinni..
Good everyday food. Or how about grilled cheese and tomato soup for supper. ( a whole grilled cheese sandwhich..not 1/2)...or plain old chicken salad ( ground up for easy eating) ..not with grapes and nuts.
Expanded Menu ??? What are they going to do different. How about starting by paying your Sous Chef and Evening cook better wages. I would guess that there are very few Evening cooks that make more than $11 or $12 an hour for cooking gracious retirement meals. You can get paid more at a Whaffle House or
Kentucky Fried Chichen.
The Expanded Menu Program will roll out on March 8th, replacing the current expanded menu offerings (Sandwich of The Day, Salad du Jour, and Baked Potato Plate) of the past several years. The new program will include a total of four menu categories:
1) FROM THE GARDEN: Gourmet Salads (Mandarin Chicken Salad on a bed of crisp lettuces; Rosemary Roasted Chicken; Caesar Salad or Tuna Stuffed Tomato with crackers or crostini); Crudites (at least 4 types of fresh, uncooked vegetables and a side of hummus, tapenade, or a vegetable dip); or a Stuffed Baked Potato (such as a baked potato stuffed with ham and gruyere cheese; or a baked sweet potato with caramel glaze.) At least 75% of the plate must be from the garden and include a protein such as yogurt, cottage cheese, various soft or cubed hard cheeses.
2) DELI-DELIGHTS: Gourmet Sandwiches, Subs, and Panini made with flavored spreads like tarragon mayo, wasabi mayo, horseradish mustard or garlic-basil pesto; gourmet burgers with teriyaki glaze, grilled pineapple or avocado; Chicken sandwiches on ciabatta with guacamole and crisp bacon; gourmet hot dogs, chili dogs,
barbeque wings, hot wings, fish n chip basket, chicken strip basket, hot grilled
sandwiches, pizza, quiche, and other deli favorites.
3) PERFECT PASTA: This category is intended for combining leftover chicken, beef, pork or vegetables in a Sauce (marinara, beurre blanc, alfredo, compound butters, a la vodka, fillet of tomato, ragu, beurre rouge) and tossing in a Pasta (penne, rigatoni, spaghetti, linguini, elbow macaroni, tortellini, farfelle, or angel hair.)
4) THE POPULAR FRUIT & MORE PLATE: An entrée-sized portion of at least 4 kinds of fresh fruit (canned fruit only allowed out of season) served on crisp leaf lettuce with a side of a protein (yogurt, cottage cheese or cubed cheese) and a sweet muffin or sweet bread (banana, pumpkin, etc.)
are all of these choices available at dinner and supper ?
4 additional items (in addition to the alternate dinner entree choice) will be offered daily (1 from each category), and will be offered at both dinner and supper in addition to the meal's main entree mandated by the corporate food service department. It is important to note that all of the daily alternate items offered will be the Executive Chef's choice allowing for creativity and the local taste of the residents.
right now the kitchen staff has time to do what is regquired. How the hell are they going to have time to have four addtional choices each day.
What happens if you have a stuffed tomato ( with tuna) for supper and 25 people want it ?
You pay your Soous Chef $12 an hour and your evening cook $10 an hour.
Good luck...The Whaffle House and
Burger King sounds better for a place to work.
When we went to _________ a troubled bldg the dessert cart on ice cream nt was vanilla and if you wanted there was a small syrup pitcher with chocolate syrup that the server would offer. When we corrected this the way it was supposed to be we created a chef from hell. Sandwich choice was ham and cheese then bologna then ham ....
The only thing that is changing is the QUALITY and SELECTION of the 4 alternate choices. The kitchen currently prepares 4 additional choices everyday. This Change on March 8th will replace the currently offered Salad Du Jour with a "Pasta Perfect"; the Sandwich of the Day with a "Deli-Delight"; and the Baked Potato Plate with a selection "From the Garden." The same amount of choices to prepare, just a greater variety within those choices everyday.
still the same old song and dance.
too much expectations with not enough
SKILLED labour to execute it.
offer less choices,but make what you offer OUTSTANDING.oh wait that is what i am already doing where i work and it is no longer holiday!!
I am literally falling on the floor laughing at this There go the Chefs you want them to do WHAT. I wonder if anyone will come and train them on how to do this. Servers have to leave early because of child labor laws so look out managers you will be vacuuming the dining room until midnight and finishing up, Dont forget your kitchen inspection also !!!!!!!!!!
This sounds abolutely unrealistic.
Your Sous Chef has no time to prepare any special pastas or deli delights. They have all they can do with breakfast and dinner....
The evening cook usually is not that talented and needs lots of direction.
WHO is going to prepare all of these things. Right now, they barely have time to prepare the 4 extra choices and
now they need to make things more special.
Good luck..it sounds great, but where is the extra help to make this plan work ?
I recently talked with some friends and they tell me about other friends who had relatives move out of assisted living because of the bad food.
Good luck with the Perfecta Pasta.
I have served the dining room numerous times as we all have and it takes some residents too long to order and we want to give them more choices? Good luck with your timelines
Can we have it both ways? Can we ask the company to pay the kitchen staff more money and buy better quality food, and at the same time ask them to freeze the residents' rents? Can we complain about the food and at the same time complain about not being able to stay within the Food Service time-lines because of the expanded menu choices? Any serious suggestions?
If you have a good Exec. Chef in your building than you, as manager, do not have to worry about the quality of the food however if your Exec. Chef is burned out, then you have a huge problem. Many of the Exec. Chefs are burned out due to the pressures they face from community managers. It is in the way the relationship between the Exec. Chef and community managers is being handled. If a meal is "bad" and it can happen at the best of places, then it all comes down on how this was communicated to the Exec. Chef. If you treat your Exec. Chef poorly then there is no incentive for the Exec. Chef to improve. My wife has cooked for weeks on end as we were in between Exec. Chefs. I do not cook as I do not have the patience to do so but love to eat. Exec. Chefs are part of the management team. Many community managers do not treat the Exec. Chef as a part of the management team and that creates friction. Exec. Chefs are a different bread of people. They think differently than the rest of us. They are artists just like in the music world. Many people do not understand Chefs. I would suggest to spend time with him/her and find out what makes then tick. The better you, as community manager, understand them, the more you will get out of them. Be as passionate about the staff as you are for your residents. That holds true for your housekeeping dept., and activities dept. as well and ....... your co-managers. From everything that has been written on this blog, it seems to me that the biggest problem in any community is the staff relations. Don't worry about what Salem tells you to do, don't worry what the RD tells you to do, (they don't know nothing them selves anyway) focus first on your community and make sure that your "own house" is in order. Happy employees make happy residents.
I know, it is easier said than done but please be passionate and it all will fall into place.
No, I am not a RD, No, I do not work in Salem. I was just a simple community managers for many years.
I tried to call a couple of communities today to see if old friends were still managers and my call went through corporate (I Believe) then they transferred me to the building. The one that I talked to, the new regime was very short and did not know a thing and the other building I left a message for the managers to call that are by some unknown reason still with the company that got very GREAT managers fired did not return my call.Chicken S--T yes people that probably have no other options but to keep kissin up hoping they are not next.
How do you know your call went through corporate? Didn't you call the building direct?
If you call the phone number listed on the Holiday web site you will get someone in Salem.Those numbers are for marketing and will not ring in a facility.
CORRECTION: The phone numbers listed for each community on the Holiday Retirement website are NOT the communities' numbers, but phone numbers that connect to an inbound telemarketing firm subcontracted by Holiday. The operator that answers reads from a script with basic information (no pricing) about the community that the caller is inquiring about. If a question is asked that the operator cannot answer, they can forward the call to home office, but in any case, their objective is at the very least to capture the caller's contact information, and if at all possible, arrange an appointment for a tour. The lead information is then forwarded to the community via email for management team follow-up.
On the flip side of this, the same subcontracted telemarketing firm places outbound calls to calling lists that are generated by zip codes and demographics (65+ y.o. with income over $35,000) with the same objective as above, offering them the current promotion (currently $1,000 towards pack and move known as "Grand Entrance Promotion.") Any leads generated by these efforts are also forwarded to the respective community.
Below is a matrix illustrating my feelings of the value of certain occupations within the community. All values are rated from "7" highest or most and "1" lowest or least. Readers may disagree with some of the ratings but I feel they are fairly close
A B C D E F G H
Exec. Chef 6 5 6 3 6 26 6 7
Maintenance 5 5 4 5 2 21 5 6
Sous Chef 2 4 2 2 2 12 2 5
Enrichment 4 2 4 6 3 19 4 4
Head Hskpr 3 3 3 5 4 18 3 3
PM Cook 1 1 1 1 1 5 1 2
Managers 7 7 7 7 7 35 7 1
Legend:
A) Training; The amount of training necessary to be competent in the job.
C) Responsibility; The responsibility of the job.
D) Contact w/Residents and families; How important is the job to show the "Touch" to residents and resident's families.
E) Integrity; The importance of truthfullness and honesty of the job to the success of the community.
F) Total of all five ratings
G) Rank "7 to 1" of the ratings illustrating the value to the community of each job.
H) Income paid to each occupation. Note: Enrichment has been prorated to 40 a hour week and the managers have their income reduced by the tax implications of adding the meal value to their income.
It is absurd that any company would pay their most valuable employees the least amount of money. In fact, if you take the wages paid to managers and compared it to the hours worked, it is just under $7.50 per hour. If we were hourly employees we would make just above minimum wage.
This type of pay structure is unhealthy for any organization. It will lead to discontent and high turnover.(sound familiar) You get what you pay for.
I haven't seen WHAT on the blog lately. He may be blocked or remaining silent, but I would like to hear WHAT he thinks about this.
The spaces entered to make all columns line up don't appear when it is showing on the blog. Each number after the occupation corresponds to a letter shown at the top of the job names. You may have to look back each time to see what column a number belongs to.
I think you're right on factsdontlie, in fact I know from my time within Holidy the compensation of the people within the community has been comedic fodder for some time. The simple truth is there is the Holiday( the suits)which is wreaking havoc on the rest of Holiday. An example being the recent decision when FAGM (FAM) was first implemented the decision was to go into each community and do a deep dive to look at every issue within the community and seek a resolution to the problems...Well that changed quickly and somewhere within the change the decision was also rolled out that since the food was so bad..they no longer required the suits to stay on the premises (uncomfy matressess) nor eat within the facility. So now you have 25 or so RSL's running around to the communities eating out in restaurants and staying in hotels to avoid having to be on the premises. BTW those wonderful FGAM have been cut back to a fly by; similar to what the BLS's used to do in that nothing really gets done. Can you believe my RSL called me on yesterday to see what we're doing about moving people into the communities? I mean really someone should let these people know that no job requires 7 dys 24 hour oversight. The next time I'm asked that question I'm going to call Mr. Callison personally at his home to report the numbers to him, we'll see how that goes over.
I will space it for you if you desire and give your permission. Email me at "thefreebornman@yahoo.com". No one is blocked.
Someone asked awhile back for a response from someone who is working in a building with a GSM assigned.
I am one of those people.
Our GSM came into place mid January. We don't see them much in the building so there has been no influence on our job from them this far. They have been in the community contacting new business leads, etc. something we already do as managers.
Let me guess here. A GSM wakes up in the morning, has a hearty breakfast at the community, goes over the schedule and problems with the Cos, spends the full morning searching out potential leads by actually visiting numerous business, hospitals, realties, etc. Then back to the community for dinner and spends a full afternoon doing the same as the morning routine. A reasonable expectation would be around 30 to 50 solid leads in a single day by such an active person. By the end of the work week they should have visited at least 150 to 200 assorted places in an area.
My goodness! In a month or two a good GSM will have saturated an area within ten to twenty miles from the community. Now they do what - revisit the same stops? It does not happen, people. When we did marketing and cookie drops we would grab a quick meal at a fast food joint, eat in the car while going over notes and addresses (maybe 20 minute lunches), and do six to ten cookie drops plus visit several businesses. This was usually started by 11:30 AM and we had to be back by 3:30 PM to go on in-house duty.
I can predict that almost no GSM is actually spending a full work day doing their jobs on a consistent basis. If they are the building has to be bulging at the seams and with a waiting list a mile long regardless of the economy. Who checks on the GSM to verify the stops? Or does the company depend on the reports done by the GSM and mileage? Come on, give me a break, human nature alone would get in the way. I knew several who only walked into the reception area to grab a business card and it would be listed as an official lead/stop.
On the GSM - when they are assigned to a region who finds them housing? What is the time frame to prove up marketing? From what I have read so far it appears to be a "make-do" job of no real potential. I may be incorrect due to lack of knowledge, but eagerly await clarification.
No clarification needed, DL, you pretty much summed up the job of the GSM. Ours is clamoring around trying to find "new leads" they can report in order to justify their job. In the meantime, we in the building are continuing to call, visit, rent, as well as clean up blood and poop.
I don't know what the GSM makes in income but I'm sure they will justify it on paper somehow.
We have had a GSM in place now for about 1-month, and they market our community, as well as another nearby one. We see our GSM about once per week when they conduct tours they have arranged, and accompany us to local professional networking meetings. We have been told that their ongoing existence is dependent on a minimum of 4 gross move-ins in each community they cover, whether they have anything to do with them or not. We also understand that the GSM will be eligible for a promotion to General Manager of a community after 5-6 months with the company as long as they are willing to relocate and find housing on their own.
Here is something which has long puzzled me. The only community to achieve a five-star rating six times in eleven years is in Canada. That community has the same set of Managers and Co-Managers for all those years, plus most of the staff are long timers. It apparently works to prevent turnover, so what is the rationale to continuously move people around the chess board willy-nilly.
I can think of several sets of cos who were moved out in the space of a few hours, of managers who had a Transition Specialist walk in, fire them, then stand by while the managers loaded a rental truck and vacated the premises in three to four hours. This is not the way to do business if you seek to maintain the status quo. Granted that in most cases the immediacy is a value inherent, but in other cases it wasn't. The logical way to bring a community to its full potential is to have the management team remain a constant - and yes, it isn't that hard to pair up compatibles.
dl...I entirely agree with your concept noted here, but there is just one caveat. It is extremely rare to find a Co-Manager couple that never wants to manage their own community and are satisfied to be permanent Co-Managers. That is why the really good ones leave for promotion when a vacancy occurs. Through attrition and promotions, it is almost impossible to maintain a stable team in any community. On the other hand, we have seen many great Community Managers transferred "willy-nilly" and not allowed to create the stability that will bring long-term success to the business.
My wife and I would have been content to remain as permanent Cos in our community, but managers rolled through there like pins in a bowling alley. We were designated as a training facility for the region and that lasted only a few months. HQ promised us a manager couple well versed in the Touch and Holiday all the way. What we actually received each time was a temporary managing couple merely between relocations. We liked the area we were in to the extent when we resigned from Holiday we stayed within a fifty mile distance in order to enjoy the region. There is nothing adverse about being permanent Cos. It is, and can be, a fulfilling position in itself.
I think this all goes back to indiscriminate hiring practices, even in the latter days of the Colsens. Had there been some sort of standardization of the manager-couple candidate selection process implemented before Holiday became so large, we might not be lamenting the loss of "the touch" today.
Here's a discussion we back in April:
http://blog.dlcharles.com/2009/02/23/holiday-retirement-corpfortress--beneath-the-veil.aspx#comment-1991030
I applaud factsdon'tlie for saying in a "matrix" exactly what Achmed was saying above. We chefs are not treated as a part of your management team as it evident by the total lack of respect given to the sous and PM cook position.Every job within Holiday is difficult, and everyone should understand each one's role. The staff that worksunder me and in many other Holiday commuities are working just as hard as the rest to take care of the residents and serve the best food we can. You insult us factsdontlie, and must have never worked in any kitchen I am assuming. On our days off we HEAL!! The burns, cuts, knife wounds, and other aches that come along with the job. Notice that I have not said anything about the management teams. That is because I know they work just as hard as we do. Your arrogance factsdontlie and the blantant disregard for our profession is apalling! My sous and PM cook bust thier humps every day and they do it for people like you and the residents!A three for Resident Relations...give me a break when most of the staff in the kitchens are the employees that the resident are the most comfortable with because they have been there the longest. I would ask that you walk a mile in our shoes before you judge us. Achmed was dead on...we are not management and we are not treated that way. Thanks for the math behind it factsdontlie!
JustAChef made some really good points. Holiday has some really good chefs that run a good kitchen and serve good food. Holiday also has some poor chefs. In my experience the difference is a chef that takes ownership of the kitchen. JustAChef appears to be one of those chefs and I can understand why he would be upset. JustAChef needs clear open communications with the other members of the management team. The right attitude by all members of the management team and correcting or eliminating the non team players can make all the difference. Again, I truly believe it starts with a chef that takes ownership of the kitchen. For those that may wonder I am retired after 9 years as a community managers. I had to let go a chef that was the best cook I ever worked with because he could not manage the kitchen. The chef's job is very difficult and when you get a good one you should feel fortunate. For what it is worth the two best Chefs I had came up through the ranks. They both started as dish washers. Don't be afraid to promote the right attitude.
I think that the Chef's have gone off the subject here. In our community the Chef is great, her kitchen is organized etc. That is not the point we have 5 management memebers in each community. The Managers and Co Managers are given a lot of experience and should be paid for it. To have an hourly worker make more and we still have to get up at night answer e-calls, work all hours on getting move ins, clean up vomit in the middle of the night etc. is crazy. We have worked for holiday for 2 years and have not been able to take a vacation because there is no one to replace us. One time we worked by ourselves for weeks. If they do not pay the managers like managers they will continue to have the turnover. If you look at Sun Rise or other senior living communities. The manager job at Holiday which is now mostly marketing is something like what Sun Rise calls a community relations manager. This position starts at $42,000. In this position the community relations manager is totaly devoted to marketing and sales. When a resident moves in the pass the tourch to another memeber of their team.
Holiday needs to straighten up as far as the co manager and managers salary is concerned. I love our chef but is it right that the chef makes almost twice and much as I do, or what the manger couples make together?
Holiday Retirement figures it pays the average manager $46,900 annually as follows:
$50,000 - Salary per couple.
+43,800 - Room/Board/Utilities (based on average $3,000 monthly market rent of Managers' apartment plus 2nd occupant fee.)
$93,800 - Total annual compensation for 2 persons, or $46,900 each.
That doesn't look so bad on paper, but here is the reality. The supposed workweek is 48-hours plus the additional 42-hours of 3.5 nights on call (assuming there are 2 couples in the building), equaling a minimum total of 90-hours worked per week; divided into the annual compensation of $46,900 equals $10.02 per hour - STRAIGHT TIME!
The lowest paid Executive Chef in our region is paid $42,000 annually, and although they are expected to work a 48-hour workweek, they actually work about 60-hours, which equals approximately $13.46 per hour, again, straight time. The sad part of that is many have a Sous Chef working for them that are paid the same or a higher hourly rate. And, let's not forget that although the effective hourly rate is higher than a manager's, the Executive Chef still has to pay for their housing, utilities and groceries with their net income, which will probably place their total disposable income below that of the managers'.
Lastly, I believe the majority consensus is that both jobs are equally demanding in their own way, but cannot be truly compared in any real fashion.
Maybe managers like you should apply at Sun Rise then. Or maybe you have already and that's how you know how they operate. Regardless it's plain to see that things aren't changing for the good. Good luck to you!!!
You still have to figure in your living quarters, meals etc. into your wages, do you not? Doe's Sun Rise offer an apartment, meals etc. in their $42,000?
Did some of you not know what you would be paid? Complaining about your pay is akin to buying a home next to the airport and then complaining about the noise.
They didnt tell us about the airport part. They told us it was lakeside and sunny and 70 all year
Yes, we were told what we would be paid but no one said that you were going to GIVE UP YOUR LIFE for this position. I have been a manager for a few retail stores (thank goodness, not Kmart) and never felt as isolated as I did while working for Holiday.
we were amazed after leaving Holiday how our life seemed to have shrunken with very little input from the real world. Everything in your life revolves around the residents. While the residents are the main reason I liked working for Holiday -- I never felt that they would take over my life.
I do find it interesting that before we started for Holiday, no one could really give us an idea of what a day consisted of. Every single day is different, but there was NO explanation of how it would really be. The one thing we were told over and over was that the residents would be our main concern. The very first day of work, we were told, "forget whatever you have been told because 90% of this job is marketing and phone calls."
I truly understand what you are saying, but your complaint is the working conditions not the pay. My point is you knew exactly what the pay was, but you may not have understood everything required. I interviewed several sets of potential co-managers. They were told the good as well as the bad, but I understand that was not always the case. I share your frustration, but remember you were not deceived by the pay. We retired because of burn out and you are expressing some of the reasons. Fortunately marketing was not 90% of the job when we started and our combined salary was $24000. When we left our salary was $60,000+, but the working conditions was a lot different. I hope you understand what I have tried to say about salary vs. working conditions. Prior to FIG the Col sons did reward their better managers, but I confess I did not really appreciate it at the time. We all believe we deserve more money.
Just went to a meeting with the company I work for now and they spent 9 hours today listening to 1 of their regions (mine)they Wanted our feedback on our ideas and theirs it was a very OPEN discussion and because they do this they are growing and improving tremendously. We also talked about the book THE ULTIMATE QUESTION it was based on NPS scores of customers that would refer your company and also detractors. It was so good to know I work for a company that has a open door and cares what their employees think and in return they are becoming more and more successful. What part of that does Fortress not get it is so easy
Well it's clear you weren't at a Holiday meeting. Had that been the case Jack would have been selling you on the new change of direction with the same glib lying that you get from John Edwards (no it's not my baby...believe me; only Jack's pet phrase is "we're working to correct it". Stan would continue doing what he's doing "I want a person in their role for 18 months before their promotable" and continue to poach and pull people who have no greater competency than any other person in the same position up to new positions. Now the game being played is let's make a deal where we are being made by the RSL to call seniors and literally harass them to go and enjoy our gracious hospitality as their new home...what a load of crud. This company is in big trouble.
Why do you post on this blog...you make no sense. Your new company sounds great. Time to say good bye. Enjoy!!!
I know its hard to say goodbye, times were great at Holiday and that was taken away so from me by the newbies changes for the worst and no co managers for months. I have alot of resentment. By the way I did quit not get fired. MAYBE some day it will be put behind but not today (:
Hang in there Anonymous. You make a lot more sense than Past Manager 5.
Boy, there appears to be a proliferation of "anonymous" commenters. I'm getting confused trying to keep up with all the different anonymouses. Anonymousi? Anonymousmices? Anonymeeces?
On another note: Thursday I called Salem to inquire as to the situation regarding Holiday Retirement's website. I was told "We don't have anyone who can keep it updated". Supposedly my inquiry will be forwarded to the Marketing Director who may (or may not) get back with me. Wait a minute here: - "...don't have anyone who can keep it updated..."? That statement rather says it all, doesn't it?
Why even put a site up as a company if you don't have the ability to maintain it? Allow me to quote a very wise person who once said: "The problem is that they don't know what they don't know!"
How do I change to anonomous1 because I was. Ill try it and see if it works
it worked
Hey, is something wrong? No one on today. Would love to debate Past Manager 5. Past Manager 5 does not appear to be real. I have know many managers that have left Holiday, but none that express themselves like Past Manager 5. You are unique if you are real.
I don’t know what to do. Has anyone Called HR to report something Really Bad going on in your building only to get in trouble yourself?
You do not give us much to go on, but I assume HR is Human Resources. The number one thing for managers to understand is that they are there to protect the company. Perhaps if you could be a bit more specific without giving away your identity.
The MGR's Breaking big time rules. I called and turned them in, and now things are getting harder for us not them?
I think, Lost1, you really need to supply us with more specifics, if you are really in search of realistic answers or help.
Also, can you or did you provide proof, names of witnesses or some sort of documentation to back up the alleged infractions when you "blew the whistle"?
Did you start first by filing a complaint at your Regional level or go straight to Salem?
So far, all I'm inclined to offer is that there are likely two sides to the story.
Yes I started with the Regional and yes I Gave A list of witnesses. As of two weeks now, not one of them have been called. But the Mgr's sure know something is up and making our lives a living hell.
I'm sorry you put yourself out there in this manner. At this point the cover up is beginning and the RD is thinking through the entire process to determine if the current mgrs are delivering or at least maintaining the census OR if you and your spouse can do a better job. Tread carefully, make sure you document these incidents which refer to "things getting tight" for you and reach out to HR immediately and let them know of the difficulty. Keep good notes of any / all communication with your managers and if I were you I'd even invest in a pocket tape recorder (voice activated) so you can capture any all conversation you have with the manager.
Do not approach the RD on a one off conversation instead communicate to him/her (well not a good chance you fall under the two "hers" we have) by email so you can capture the entire conversation. Whatever is told to you by phone...simply let any / all know you desire to take notes to insure accuracy and no misunderstanding.
Just my thoughts...good luck..sounds like you're probably on your way to being transferred to another community.
I can only relate what my wife and I went through when we initiated a report, but it may help you a little. From our first telephone call to Human Resources to completion took twenty-eight days. We were most fortunate in making initial contact with Rullene because she was an adept investigator who kept an open mind with no preconceived opinions. Unfortunately she is no longer with Holiday.
Depending upon circumstances be prepared to have yourselves isolated in your apartment, relieved from all duties (with pay), and not allowed to enter the building proper at all. I know of some couples who endured this part of an investigation. If, and possibly when, the investigation becomes a reality you will be approached by members of HR for your statements in person. It is highly unusual for managers to be terminated. Ordinarily the Cos are either shipped to another community or terminated.
I will state here that Dave Andrews, Director of Human Resources at that time, conducted himself in a most professional and courteous manner. The Regional was kept out of the loop at our request until it was time for the "big meeting". The District Manager requested the RD then be included, to which we agreed. All staff was interviewed, some being pulled from the meetings at Leadership in Salem, and numerous residents were either telephone or personal interviewed.
The managers were shipped out in less than four hours. They were not fired at that time, only sent to another community and were to undergo 'retraining'. They are no longer with the company. A Transition Specialist arrived unannounced, took their keys, and they loaded up a rental van. Understand our case was probably slightly different in that we had total documentation, including recordings, and my background in law enforcement and bail bonding gave an edge.
As mentioned by others make certain you journaled everything - date and time of any incidents, who you had what conversations with and gist of said conversation with all involved. Log all telephone calls and conversations. Imagine you are preparing for a court appearance and conduct yourself accordingly. At all times refrain from interjecting personal feelings or issues. Go by the company rules with everything. I mentioned previously that an employee should always learn the rules better than those who wrote them - it pays big dividends. No one can argue their own policies.
Let me throw up a giant "CAUTION" here regarding tape recording. Several people have suggested recording and you need to be aware of things. Research your state's laws on this. Also research federal laws. I live in a one-party consent state - this means I can, in most cases, record since I am part of a conversation and giving my own consent. However, if I call on the telephone , say California (an 'all-party' consent state) I must notify all involved that the call is being recorded. Do not use a 'blanket policy' when it comes to recording anything. You may open yourself to civil and very severe federal charges. Remember the "expectation of privacy" rule.
Good luck! Make sure you have "walk away" money available and hope you don't need to use it.
Normally I don't encourage valueless complaints but if they are legitimate, you need to document them. But please be forewarned, before any false or true accusations are made, try to talk with the involved individual(s) for some type of resolution.
For your own protection...put all of your concerns and complaints into an email to the HR person that you want to contact. Don't rely on phone conversations. Copy your RD and yourself in the email. Copy your personal email if you have one. Emails are legal documentation. They show everyone that has been copied and show the timeline/date stamp for the issue.
Beware, if it's untrue and you are just an unhappy employee, your can be liable in civil court. Make sure you are correct and telling the truth.
Good advice on both counts [anon and DL].
I wouldn't necessarily expect to be moved to another community. If you are doing things right, while keeping the residents happy and have the respect of your staff, it could become your building.
BTW - Two weeks is no time at all. Whatever good happens will take time.
Well good news We're going to another "new business model" I will post the new reporting chart on the site tomorrow. Some really interesting surprises. Clearly lets you know the company has no clue on how to run the business. If my husband would only let me come home I'd leave in a minute.
When my wife & I started 11 years ago we were told,anything you have to say about the managers will be taken into consideration. But the manager is always right!!!This company has always never paid attention to the co's,thats one of the resaons for the high turn over.From the other side its very hard to except the long hours & hard work & easy to say the managers are mean,etc
Any current or former Holiday Retirement employee getting any phone calls from 718-534-5276? Both my wife and I got calls from this number this morning same Area code vicinity as Fortress -- coincidental-- who knows?
FIG is in Manhattan, which has a 212 area code. 718 is Brooklyn, which would be slumming for FIG. A simple google search indicates that the number you gave is a telemarketing group.
It is my understanding the GMS's have now been placed under the direction of the RSL; giving some food for thought to the premise the RSL position may actually have some legs. Can anyone explain to me the logic in this? Why do you need a sales trainer to manage a professional sales person? I watched our RSL spend the entire week giving deals away to any warm body who had ever walked into a community and if I understand correctly the GSM gets credit (and likely commission for the effort of the Manager or Co's? This is getting whackier all the time. In addition I now understand that my RSL reports to another RSL who is not the Director of Sales. Where is this company headed.
The latest,they are now training new co's couples in a hotel in Charlotte NC.three to four weeks in a hotel? With all the vacant apartements they have,talk about wasted money.Think of the shock these people will have when the enter the real world. I wonder if the have a how to pour coffee class! Lets see how many stay after they get where ever they are going? The GM program had to cost a lot of money,and thats dead,now this?? Best of luck Fortress!!!
Wow. Just...wow. They really have no clue how to run the business. How in God's name do they expect anyone to find out what the buildings are like if they are training in a HOTEL? I wonder if it's an EXTENDED STAY Hotel - the regional who took over after they shafted Bob McCarthy came from there. Unbelievable...
I was appalled [not a word I use very often] when we heard about the "options" offered to Bob McCarthy.
Incidentally, Bob was a "BLS," hired by Dick Glaunert, also a BLS. Both of these men exemplified "the touch."
Bob is a true gentleman and deserves a lot more than what FIG offered him. He cared, and we all know what FIG does to people who care.
What is a BLS?
BLS = Blue Light Special
I started using that phrase when the newly hired Regional Directors came from Kmart to Holiday and started telling us what to do when they had not done a damn thing themselves yet. I always challenged them and they never took me up on any of those challenges i.e. DI calls or giving us move-ins the way they demanded us to do.
All-in-all, all those BLS'ers were a big joke except for Dick Glaunert. Unfortunately all other BLS'ers gave Dick a bad rap.
One of them created a huge stir when he started a relationship with an Activity Director. That became such an issue in that building (I believe it was somewhere in the Midwest) as this Activity Director than felt she could no more wrong. Managers of various buildings always had to cover for either of those two as there spouses would call around to find them.
Anyway, so much for BLS'ers but now there are the Hotel geniuses so let’s see how they will do.
BIG DEAL: Company celebrated 145 move-ins a couple of weeks ago (out of 300+ buildings????????????? ) Amazing.
Was there any discipline against the RD or the activities director? wonder why staff would cover for them?
it was in the southeast region (or maybe both?) and i know there was no disciplinary action in our region.
guess this stuff happens from time to time but seems like it should have been cleaned up and not allowed?
this story about the activity director is absolutely true. I was one of those managers who covered. He was amazing. He also told me I was only sick because I was stressed and needed to get over it. He also put the make on my daughter while I was talking to him in the lobby(off duty) You just don't know what you are going to get when you hire someone until you open the package.
did he (rd) or activity director ever get confronted by spouse (was he married?) or confronted by upper managment?
This one-time, 3-week Holiday Retirement Grassroots philosophy orientation in Charlotte is designed to get couples into the communities quickly that only have 1 couple throughout the East Coast. Once they arrive at the communities they are assigned to, their actual on-the-training will begin. This is a quick fix to a big problem. We wish them well.
Is this being headed up by Master Ronnie?
As far as I know, this special effort is being led by the Managing Director.
Leadership Academy Fortress Style?!!?
Sorry....I meant "on-the-job training."
We certainly need more co-manager couples and I hope this works.
We have a GSM in our building who did not get the proper training in Salem and is another person to assign task to and guide along the way. This can be very rewarding, if he is successful. He was very surprised we are very organized and know what we are doing... What are these people being told about managers in Salem?!!?
I know some managers haven't received great training and are having great difficulty with the budget, sales, etc... If they haven't had a background in business management they will have had no training in how to successfully run the office, but we're all not that way...Salem, please don't lump us altogether!!
Embrace all new employees with an open mind and help them be successful at their new position. Bill Colson would have said, everyone deserves a chance.
There is a new TV show out called Undercover Boss. Maybe we could all challenge Jack Callison to be on this show!! If you have not seen the show, watch it!!
I have watched the show, and it is very good. However, in order to get on the show, the CEO has to really WANT to know what his employees are experiencing in the trenches. If that is the case, I don't believe Jack Callison would be eligible to be on the show.
AMEN!!!!!!!!!!
I know 4 residents who have complained in writing about the managers in one bulding and no response from Salem in 4 months.
Callison has no chance ....
To whom have these residents written and have they cited specifics?
From all appearances, there are so many complaints coming into the Resident Relations department they are buried. I would suggest the residents start calling directly. Have them call Jack at (888) 370-7071 ext. 7320 or email him at Jack.Callison@holidaytouch.com Post this on your walls right at the mailboxes!!! Let's all get his attention.
None of these people will ever think they did anything wrong, because they are so handsomely rewarded for their performance. If you got a check for a couple hundred thousand at the end of the year, you'd think "dang, I must be pretty good". Ok, so some people know right from wrong, but many don't.
I have been watching this blog for a couple of weeks and not posting any messages except for today. I guess things must have dramatically improved at all the buildings as other than the small complaints posted, no one is writing anything anymore.
We were told that we would be able to read additional changes coming but nothing has been posted about that.
So I guess all is good at Holiday Retirement. If that is true, fantastic and I am happy. That means this blog served its purpose however, I highly doubt that is the case.
So please who ever knows anything about more changes coming, please inform all of us. I am sure the residents/vendors and past/current employees would like to know what is going on or what is going to happen?
What about the new community leaders? Is that in place and if so, how is it working out?
How about the new Regional Directors? Are they working out? Is Holiday Hotels the new motto now?
Enquiring minds wish to know.
At the risk of sounding like a know it all I will identify for Salem what I believe is their biggest problem and even if they agree it is probably too late to fix. At least this might generate some debate.
All communities are not the same. Like people, communities develop a personality. Some communities are in small towns or neighborhoods with “down home” folks that appreciate everything you do for them. At the other end of the scale is the more aristocratic who expect superior service. Most communities are somewhere in between with a mix of residents. You also cannot discount the impact of present and past managers. The marketing and social programs that work great in one community may be a total waste of time and money in another community.
Over time I realized that the greatest marketing tool was a happy building filled with happy residents and a staff that pulled to gather. Without happy residents it is difficult to build census. Even with happy residents you have to have a marketing plan that works for your building. The one shoe fits all that comes out of Salem can be a waste of money and time for some buildings. A few months before retirement my RD instructed us to do a mass mailing. I was fortunate to have an RD that understood that for some reason mass mailing did not work for our community, advertising did. Although I had the money in my media advertising budget it had been frozen and we were not allowed to advertise. The RD finally said that the mailing was a directive from above and he agreed with me, but would I rather be in a position of doing the mailing and census declining or not do the mailing with a declining census. We spent about $1200 on the mailing with no positive results. This RD was later fired to make way for a new hire.
The problem now is that few if any RDs and those of authority at Salem have the experience and knowledge to direct a community for what is best for that community. Those with the knowledge to turn things around have either been fired or resigned. I particularly feel for tenured managers that agree at least in principle with what I am saying, but are powerless to do any thing about it. We were fortunate to be in a position to retire before it really got bad, but we feel the pain of our residents, co-managers and staff we left behind. We had 8 good years out of 9 so me have more good memories than bad.
Well said,Concerned! I agree with the mass mailing mess. Our RD and RSL insisted on sending out 2000 mass mailings to a low income area. We pleaded with them not to waste time and money. We did not get ONE response back. By sending out the mailings the RD and RS can then tell us they are helping us to market without ANY effort on their part. We know our communities...Salem is clueless.
On the other hand we mailed out 20000, " letters and filled our building in 10 weeks. We had 35 apartments to fill. The building had been open for 2 years and never filled. They had had 11 sets of managers and who knows how many co's in that 2 years.
I agree. The disconnect btw. the field and Salem is real. They know not what we do,or how we do it.
The feel of your buiding can make or break a deal. If there is tension between staff or if residents are unhappy you can feel it as soon as you walk into the door. And who would want to live there. Many management teams are feeling the stress of the new GM's coming into the buildings and if they are going to be replaced. Salem approached this program with bad communication into the field. But, it's still all about the residents and doing what's best for them. Keep the building clean. (I had a woman on a tour run her fingers along the top of pictures in the hallway. My picture frames are clean and she commented this place is really clean. Thank You, to all housekeepers.) Keep your residents active and happy. You do all the marketing promotions and still do for your residents at the same time. Your chances for a move-in will be much better.
Mail-outs haven't worked for my community either. Newspaper ads do not seem to help either. Word of mouth is best here. We have a good rep. in the community we live in and if we can lend a hand anywhere we do it.
I stumbled onto this blog and WOW! Now I'm scared, having just been hired as a future management team with my husband. I am due to go into a training program soon, under another manager, not in Salem, then work as a co-manager for 6 months somewhere and finally on to a management position at our permanent community. This is what we've been promised, but we do not even know what property or where we will end up yet, which is very scary.
We are experienced in this field and love working with seniors. My husband and I are kind, hardworking people who value our good employees and especially our residents, so hate to hear stories about mean micro-managers, making it hard for good, new managers to get the benefit of the doubt when they walk in the door. We understand what is involved. The "touch" philosophy was what sold my husband and I on the job offer, but now we have concerns, especially after reading nearly all of the above comments and looking at the properties in our state. The websites don't show many, if any, interior shots and of course I can't find info on occupancy figures. We definitely won't be happy to be forced into moving around a lot. We believe residents need the stability of a staff who stays and cares.
We are also concerned about our living conditions,especially after reading your comments, as our home is a very important sanctuary for us, and should be for all managers and on-site staff. Do all facilities have any extra storage, anybody know? It only seems to be mentioned online at a few properties in my area. Are managers ever allowed to negotiate for a cottage with full kitchen, or is this just a pipe dream?
As for their marketing strategy, I know from previous experience that the way they are doing it now doesn't work (taking cookies to people??? Really?) What does seem to work is investing $ in nationwide, innovative advertising in a variety of places that their target demographic and their families will see: Senior publications, apartment guides, better web site designs with lots of clear pictures of everything that is offered at each place, inside and out, even a few well placed tv ads, or ads at local movie theaters would be worth the investment in the long run. Beautifully updated decor & clean properties help immensely, along with your warm personality as you show it.
Do they understand that resident retention efforts help keep the ones you have happy, as well as incentive programs offered to your current residents for their referrals and offering something to the new move in, too, at least while occupancy is low is helpful. Raising rents during this economic time is suicide. These tactics combined are what helped us stay 99.99% occupied at our last property. Can anyone offer us hope? Answer my above concerns? Normal corp. procedures for: Housing? Assignments to properties? Marketing changes from corp possible?
Thanks and hope you all are well and happy now.
Welcome Newbie!
You better not let anyone higher up hear your opinion about cookie drops! That is GRASSROOT MANAGEMENT, the basis to Holiday. That is the idea that is constantly thrown in your face as the proven method of getting residents to move in. My hubby and I agree wholeheartedly with you, but the powers that be will not listen.
Holiday spent a fortune last year to do photo shoots at the communities, but I haven't seen anything online with those photos. The photos were taken from certain angles and only in certain model rooms for the best look. I know in our community they made sure that the missing ceiling panels and the buckets catching the water from leaking pipes were not seen. They also made sure that the dining room photos were taken so that the huge cracks from "the building settling" could not be seen.
Your "luxury" apartment is usually 525 sq ft and does not include extra storage. Some buildings have a closet that you can store a couple of suitcases in. Other buildings do not.
As far as living in a cottage -- that kind of defeats the purpose of live in managers. The ecalls, phone calls, and buzzers are wired into the existing manager and comanager apartments. Also, residents can come and knock on your door at any hour since you live right around the corner from the office. For them to have to go outside to get you isn't feasible. Since the doors are locked nightly, you also have to be available to let people in after "curfew."
Your ideas are what most of us have said over and over, but that would mean spending money and that is not what Fortress is going to do with Holiday. Updated decor is not going to happen unless you are due for a re-core. And as the years move on, re-cores are moving further and further along. One building we were in still had all of the original furnishings from their opening of 16 years ago.
We also thought the idea of the "touch" was great and that was the selling point, but when you are told that you have to kick out a 99 year old and his wife because they can't pay the rent increase (they also had no relatives to help take care of them) that tells you everything you need to know about the new Holiday.
Good luck in your new job. I hate to say this, but you and your husband are going to have to change your way of thinking of Holiday used to be to thinking like Fortress.
Cookie Drops were a very successful tool of us. We started it several years ago after Bart Colson introduced the idea at a mini-convention in Orland. However, I must say we may have been successful because of the down to earth people in our town. Again every community is different and I can see where it might not work as well in a large city where people are generally more skeptical of strangers. We did have a problem when Fortress got involved and demanded more than was reasonable. The same with the number of DI calls. At some point you have to tell them what they want to hear and go on doing the best you can.
Newbie,My advice to you is visit as many communities as you can and have a very frank discussion with the managers. Just make sure they understand your status and not spies from home office. The sad part is when they finally get rid of the "older" managers the new ones will not know the difference. If you have not resigned from your old position I would hold off until you make these visits. I hate to say this because the residents need good managers, but I really do not believe it will make a lot of difference under the present management in Salem. Nearly all the good people have fled Salem or been fired as well as the RDs and many managers. Before Fortress this was a good company to work for. Good Luck.
I have talked to several of the old markerters (fired) Not one of them felt cookie drops were worth the time & trouble involved. I can tell you over the past 10 years,we have done our share of them & while we enjoyed meeting people,there were a lot of doors that we knocked on that they were home but would not come to the door. The policy is not to make appointments,too drop in on them,now they want one person to do these & I will not let my wife go alone! Who knows what you will run in to. From the other side, what smart woman will open the door to a stange man?
Most of the communities I have worked in have been in large cities. I do see more advertising today then in the past.
Thank you everyone! I appreciate your candor and advice. We are committed and will go forward and try to make the best of it if we run into issues. I'll do what I'm told, as that's what is expected wherever you work and we really need this job. I had a feeling the cottage idea was out, but didn't understand yet how things were done, until you filled me in. Was not aware there was an assigned apt., etc. I welcome being available to residents, just thinking of all the big furniture we have and our need for space, Christmas decoration storage and the like. We'll adapt and simplify if necessary, just wanted more info than we've been given so far before walking in to the position with no knowledge of any of this. I appreciate your filling me in so I don't look like an idiot. I'll know not to open my mouth to ask! :^) Here's hoping things start looking up for everyone still there! Ya'll seem like nice folks who've been hurt.
Hi again Newbie!
One more thing to know -- the manager's apartment in a lot of the older buildings is just about the same size as the comanager's apartment. We were shocked when we discovered that fact. My hubby and I were shown newer communities when we first started looking into working for Holiday. We loved the space in the comanager's apartment complete with kitchen counters, regular size fridge and stove, dishwasher, etc. Then when we arrived at the community we were assigned to -- the comanager's apartment was just about the same layout as a resident's apartment with dorm size fridge. Yes, we also had a two burner stove (not that we were going to use it). The large, three section closet had one section taken up with the stackable washer/dryer.
Then we saw the manager's apartment where the queen size bed was about the only thing they could get into their bedroom. The square footage was the same as our apartment, including only one bedroom, just laid out differently.
I remember thinking that I wasn't going to have any space to do my crafts and how was I going to hook up my computer (since the building we were first shown had wifi). The managers told us not to worry since we wouldn't have time for those things. That we would be too tired to do much of anything else beside our job. I remember thinking, "Yeah, that will be the day." I hate to admit it, but booy were they ever correct!
I wish you the best of luck. We wish we had seen this board before we started, but then again, we started right at the beginning of the Fortress take over which has made the company a very different place than when Bill Colson had it.
Newbie you seem very sincere in your attitude but my husband and I have some advice for you -- run, don't walk, as fast as you can. FIG doesn't want people with your attitude, as noble as you obviously are. They will eat you alive. Case in point: when DH and I left the company several months ago we had a conversation about our co-managers with our RD. I made the point that they are really good with the residents. The response was that being good with the residents was not what FIG wanted - they wanted someone who could close sales and get move ins. I was appalled and we were glad that we found other jobs in a different field and got out.
FIG does not care about the current residents. Wait until you have to give out rent increases people can't afford and FIG's response is to allow them to move out and find Title 19 housing. FIG doesn't care that you are overworked and underpaid - because they want sheep, not people who think. I know I'll get some arguments from those on this board who know who I am, but bring it on.
Had a visit a couple weeks ago with friends -- one set of former managers who happen to live near us and one set of current managers who were visiting our mutual friends. All commented how relaxed we were with no stress, no exhaustion, no worrying about getting beat up for the census. So, newbie, don't make a huge mistake. Run away. Save yourself. If I sound a bit dramatic, then so be it.
Very well said - and accurate! Sad, isn't it?
I am interested to learn what is going on with the deal making that is goign on. My RSL now acts like a auctioneer as she barks out the specials of the day she has been authorized to give. What a sad commentary. Don't they realize the trouble they incur when residents know they each are on a different rate
This one is an easy one to figure out. All you have to do is remember where the new leadership is being hired from - the hotel industry! They are used to giving discounted rates through groups (AARP & AAA), internet brokers (HotWire & Priceline) and very seldom did they ever have 2 guests pay the same rate for the same room type on the same night. I don't think they really worry about the residents comparing their rent amounts. They are more interested in doing whatever it takes to get those apartments rented - and that's the name of that tune!
Do any of you know the current census?
i do know that when the company was sold in 07 the all building portfolio was at 93% - i remember the pleas as we fell below 90% - that 1 move in per community would get us back on track...900K+ loss per % point. do any remember the glory days of 5 star communities, or better yet the 100% communities, that numbered close to 50...none in our region and few >90% in the district...read the weekly occupancy reports, look at past performance for the last year and i challenge you to find communities with an increase - except in construction portfolio...
As of 3/10/10, the Eastern District was at 74.2%, compared to 78.8% the same time last year.
The West is 71.0%
Most recent census for Lively's former district is 69.1%, compared to 75.1% in 2009, and 84.8% in 2008.
The census is even worse than I thought. Before FIG a community under 90% was considered census chalenged. Salem cannot blame the current state of affars just on the ecconomy.
Salem does not blame the current census numbers on the economy alone. They believe more of an effort has to made in the sales & marketing of the communities, which is why they are hiring RSLs, GSMs, and Community Management Teams that are not executing the expected Grassroots philosophy of marketing. If the census continues to drop this year, maybe they will take a closer look in the mirror for the solution.
Sorry...meant to say "REPLACING Community Management Teams tat are not executing..."
Perhaps someone should find and send Jack and his cohorts the old Pogo strip when Pogo proclaimed "we have met the enemy and he is us".
the problem is we have all failed to attend stans school of finance that states - contrary to other successful philosophys of finance - that when demand is down and supply is up, you raise the rates and depend on the decreased demand to sustain the company growth...
Is it true that there are GMs in some of the New England buildings? Let us know how that is working out.
All you hear is the chirping of the crickets around here. It's been 4 days without an entry on this blog. Looks like our departed comrades have moved on with their lives, and the ones left behind are too busy getting move-ins to post anything here...hmmm?!
I'm not giving up....
I just read that Mike Lively's old district is at 69% occupancy. Maybe is the managers. Most buildings look good, so what else. I know two buildings where the managers have driven out people because of their attitutes....lack of compassion and total lack of "The Touch". Recently the Manager "yelled" at the residents for coming into the dining room early for lunch. Basically --- WHO CARES. The way it was done would make everybody feel like moving somewhere else. The new District Director should take it upon himslef to interview as many residents as possible in each troubled building. The best way to gain census is to have happy current residents.
Wow, with only crickets for competition I thought I might as well say thanks for all the opinions....was contemplating applying for position as co-manager...but think I might wait a year and see how it all shakes out. Hope it works out fine for all - staff and residents! Thanks again for the heads up!!
I have really enjoyed reading all the comments made on this blog. As retired Holiday managers - we weren't trained, put into the managers position 3 weeks after being moved x2. However, we made it through and are still in contact with our residents 3 states a way. Actually we are "thinking" of returning to Holiday - retirement is alright, but there was nothing like having 125 family members to care for. Co-Managers? we had typical ones throughout the years, and we tried to train them so they could move on - some faded away and others are still with Holiday.
It is a job - Fortress is a great challenge - my opinion, they are missing the mark - it is what you make it and the attitude you come to the table with.
We have a beautiful home and great state to live in now - just miss caring for the history of our country.
wow. been reading for a while - a resident actually told me about it....and they continue to treat the residents & managers like mushrooms. the census numbers for the south district say it all, and the "new marketing plan" to reach out to all resident influencer contacts and ask/beg/plead for 5 names of friends who have family members who will benefit from our community - sounds desperate doesn't it, but since occupancy is on a bit of a "downward trend"...duh...i guess desperate it is. newist community in the region offering 4 months + move + $2500 referral fee - and thats just the starting offer, it can and is increasable - incredulous - what happened to just keeping rates reasonable, giving great service, and not kicking them to the curb...and i quote "if they can't afford the rate increase, they need to find another home" (new rd). great comment on the flexibility of nightly rates - whatever the market will handle, and whoever asks....well the market and the seniors are drawing the line, and the occupancy continues the "downward trend"
Hey, how bout that new bonus? $475 for each new move in, $200 per M-couple, $200 per co-couple, $50 for EC and $25 for chef. Retro to 1-1-10 and paid monthly?? maybe someone is reading this blog. Good start.
Would love to understand the reasoning and thought process that allowed the EC to make more of a move-in bonus than the Chef...just another example of what Holdiay thinks of its Chefs. Simply pathetic...Maybe I should ask to call bingo, and do some excercises, and play some Wii bowling...maybe that will get me some damn respect...I am sorry but that is just insulting. I am by principle going to give my sorry $25 dollars to my staff. Let them split the $25 minus taxes. They actually earn it!!
Have to agree with you here Chef. The EC is really only involved with those who are involved with activities he/she puts on. The Chef is responsible for feeding every resident, every day 3 meals, interacts with them and is as much a part of their enrichment as any other member of the management staff.
You stiil get your bonus on top of this bonus. EC don't get anything else. They have to help keep the resdents happy just like the rest of us
To get ANY bonus would be a nice gesture. our Exec Chef gets bonuses all the time (and yes, I know he does) due to our hard work and he'd see us in hell before he gave us a dime. WE're lucky if he's there 35 hours a week.
I have been silently following along on this blog, feeling the pain of the Managers, Cos, Chefs, current and past employees and even residents, but this comment brought my speech back in a hurry to say the least.
I truly am sorry that you feel so disrespected and insulted that you would in turn disrespect and insult the EC's of the company with your statement. I don't claim to know it all, nor would I ever claim such but what I can tell you is this: Ec's, the good ones anyway, do a hell of a lot more than just play games and run exercise classes. I wonder how many of the Chefs actually spend time with the residents, how many listen to their woes, hold their hands, dry their tears and cry themselves over the loss of a resident. How many of the Chefs actually go out and market the buildings and generate move ins, how many of them spend at least part of four days a week loading and unloading walkers, cringing at the thought that one of those residents could slip and fall down the vehicle steps and then carry guilt feelings if and when that does indeed happen. How many Chefs see something that is 'not their job' that needs doing then jump in to lend a helping hand to get the job done even when it means adding to their own level of stress and anxiety levels in order to do so? How many Chefs in addition to their own duties help out in the office when Management is so stressed that they are about to blow, let's not forget the times that the EC pitches in to help out in the kitchen/dinning room when staff is short. I personally have done all of the above yet I can say with full honesty that not one single time has the Chef muttered a word of thanks to me for doing so. but that's ok the job needed done and was. Also I can't help but wonder how many Chefs out there,including yourself, have offered a helping hand in turn to the also overworked ECs in their buildings.
I am not saying all of this out of spite or butt hurt feelings, I am however stating the facts, Management/Chefs, servers, housekeeping and maintenance staff are NOT the only overworked/underpaid people in the buildings, and as an EC I EARN ever penny that I make and that includes the bonus that you are so upset over. Should it have been split more equally between the ones getting it, yes I agree that it should have been, but please do not take your frustrations out on the ECs with such insulting remarks as the ones that you made here.
It's bad enough that Fortress is doing to ALL of us what they are doing, should we not ban together in times like this to do what we are here to do, help the residents enjoy their last years of life, instead of adding insult to injury? Two wrongs never make a right.
You are right! Let's not leave out our talented, hardworking and creative EC's. I do not know how our EC gets everything done in the small amount of time she is allowed, and the huge expectations that the company has of her. I am amazed that she just keeps going and going. To all of the dedicated EC's out there, Thank You! We do appreciate your hard work.
You took the thoughts right out of my head. The EC is often first point of contact to residents, and we are not given an office in which to close a door and focus on the paperwork, phone calls, scheduling, or marketing we are asked to do within our limited hours. Even our work computer is shared with the residents! We wear so many hats it could make your head spin. And at least in our building, the EC is the one who fields most of the complaints... no small task, if this blog is any indication.
I'll be the first to say, it's no easy job to run a kitchen, and not a job I would want for myself. But don't assume it's any easier to play mediator to arguing residents, to drive them places, to give them your best listening ear when you are swimming in a to-do list you will never get caught up on, when an entertainer bails on you and you have to find a way to please a gathered crowd of people, or you can't get your Calendar/Newsletter finished because your computer has ANOTHER virus--see residents don't know not to click on pop-up ads, and funny money has jammed the copy machine, but you have to go pour coffee, then they are short one player at the bridge table so you have to play while also answering the phones because the managers are on a conference call, this instead of getting that flier finished and distributed to all the senior centers and churches within a ten mile radius-- you'll will have to do that the next day after you have met personally with those residents who do not participate in activities to try and figure out an activity you can adapt to fit their needs, be it deafness, blindness or immobility, just to keep them from slipping into depression, because a good EC cares about each and every resident, not just the ones that come to bingo or to exercise.
yeah it was a great concept but the taxes they took out was ridiculous, they should have sent out a separate check so it jump everyone into another tax bracket...everything they do is a slap in the face..they really won't spend an extra cent to tell their employees Thank You. Their Thanks ends up costing the employee every time and they get the tax break each and every time
slow down and read the fine print on the new bonus plan. you get paid bonus for move ins OVER you budgeted move ins. check your 2010 budget for your monthly move in budget and count your ble$$ings when you beat that.... there's always a catch and therein lies the rub, they probably forgot to mention that they wil have to be qualified move ins that don't exceed your community allowance of 1 month =>90% and 2 months if 89% and below. reading the weekly occupancy report, don't see many multiple move in communities for the month/year, and when the budget # must be exceeded...my monthly budget is minimum 3 through the year, not spending the bonu$ dollar$ yet...then you have to wait 1-3 months till FP&A verify the move ins have paid rent - smoke & mirrors my friends.
Pay attention. What they are telling you is you are not working hard enough. If they pay a bonus you will work harder and get more move ins. Who really believes a bonus will make a difference?
all i need is an 8-5 receptionist @ minimum wage+, to answer the phones, log the ygl, mail & email info packs and write down the maintenance & meal requests, then i would have time to focus on marketing....after i settle staff issues, run to the store for what the chef forgot to order, check my building to make sure it will pass roger & chesters white glove hotel inspection and pour coffee.....then i promise i'll focus on marketing, as long as all the staff show up and i don't have to wash dishes, serve or housekeep...after the ecalls & quality dialogs with the residents so I get a good score on the staff/resident satisfaction surveys that are 50% of my bonus criteria, after i make my move in budget
OMG. In my many years there (more than 10, less than 30) I suggested this over and over. There are so many moms that would love to work from 9 to 2 every day. 30 hrs, great help to you and no benefits... It would be perfect. I always thought a no-brainer!! But look what happened to me... :o)
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the way I understood the new bonuses was there were actually TWO for 2010. One is for EVERY move in no matter what retroactive to 1/1/10 and paid the month AFTER the move in. There were no other prerequisites attached to it. THEN, there was the 2010 3 part bonus structure where each individual could earn up to $4000 on an annual bonus based upon your census, your NOI and lastly your performance evaluation which consisted of staff and resident comments.
I just re-read both of these emails from Jack and it seems pretty clear to me but maybe someone else knows differently???
That's the way I read it, too. Unlike the quarterly promotion contest, the 2010 bonus plan does not have ANY fine print stating that only move-ins over a budgeted amount count. In the quarterly contest (which is not a bonus), the community within each region that has the best ratio of move-ins over their budgeted amount of move-ins wins a prize of $6,000 to be divided equally among the 4 managers, the Executive Chef, and the Enrichment Coordinator.
By the way, Chefs can not only win $1,000 in this quarterly bonus if their community has the best ratio of move-ins to budget, but they will also be paid a $25 bonus for EVERY gross move-in monthly, in addition to their bonus plan to food budget that can pay up to $4,000. Even if their community doesn't win the quarterly promotion contest, an Executive Chef working in a community that averages 3-4 move-ins monthly and stays within food budget can make about $5,000 in bonus for the year! A community would have to have 50 move-ins in a year before a manager, let alone an EC, could make that much bonus.
"The beatings will continue until morale improves."
Is it Legal for a manager to enter a co manager's appartment while they are away without their permission?
No! In a verifiable emergency it holds to normal procedures, but otherwise the rules are explicit about non-entry for anyone.
Mgr had better have a damned good reason without co's prior approval. Otherwise I'd be looking into local trespass statutes.
Does anyone know what happen to Russell Kauffman in Great Lakes Region. Out with the Old in with New. Should see some changes soon
You mean to tellus that they let Russell go? WOW another BLS finally gone
Yes, Russell departed the company. Didn't have an extended stay background apparently.
BLS yes... But a GREAT guy with a big heart. Really liked working with him!
We knew, going in, that responding to the un-anticipated events and personnel shortfalls within the building would be a never-ending part of our day-to-day activities of managing any of our communities -- things you cannot plan. We discovered that things went a lot more smoothly when we could maintain a level of happiness among residents and staff. As time went on, however -- and after the FIG take-over -- there was a greater short-term bottom-line line mentality that seemed to be gradually superseded the "Holiday touch" approach to growing and maintaining the census. Whether this nearly panic-like shift of emphasis on marketing-marketing-marketing was wholly a response to the new FIG corporate culture or to the nationwide decline of housing values (liquible equity for prospective residents) is what really remains in question.
Is there any area out there that has got any traction with the new GSM position? How about GSM turnover, has that occured yet?
We have had a GSM since January of this year. So far, they have brought in 2 tours with no move-ins, and have not generated any new lead sources. If this doesn't change real soon, they will be replaced.
Give credit for the new format to the lease up guy from the West. I can't remember the value but a RSL (can't use her name but her husband was a RD before he got canned) she was told the new model was worth an ungodly amount of additional revenue....so it was a no brainer. What a sad state of affairs..the company is running directly into the ground. When I look at the various levels of sales out there (stay with me on this..The RSL manages the GSM and the DSL (District Sales Leader manages the RSL telling the GSM what to do and the DSL reports to Stan who talks to Jack who learns from Kai what the next step is. Absurd..I've yet to see a business model of any company which mirrors what we are seeing here.
Costello: Look Abbott, if you're the coach, you must know all the players.
Abbott: I certainly do.
Costello: Well you know I've never met the guys. So you'll have to tell me their names, and then I'll know who's playing on the team.
Abbott: Well, let's see, Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know is on third...
Costello: That's what I want to find out.
Abbott: I say Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know's on third.
Costello: Are you the manager?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: You gonna be the coach too?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: And you don't know the fellows' names?
Abbott: Well I should.
Costello: Well then who's on first?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: I mean the fellow's name.
Abbott: Who.
Costello: The guy on first.
Abbott: Who.
Costello: The first baseman.
Abbott: Who.
Costello: The guy playing...
Abbott: Who is on first!
Costello: I'm asking YOU who's on first.
Abbott: That's the man's name.
Costello: That's who's name?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: Well go ahead and tell me.
Abbott: That's it.
Costello: That's who?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: Look, you gotta first baseman?
Abbott: Certainly.
Costello: Who's playing first?
Abbott: That's right.
Costello: When you pay off the first baseman every month, who gets the money?
Abbott: Every dollar of it.
Costello: All I'm trying to find out is the fellow's name on first base.
Abbott: Who.
Costello: The guy that gets...
Abbott: That's it.
Costello: Who gets the money...
Abbott: He does, every dollar. Sometimes his wife comes down and collects it.
Costello: Whose wife?
Abbott: Yes.
Abbott: What's wrong with that?
Costello: Look, all I wanna know is when you sign up the first baseman, how does he sign his name?
Abbott: Who.
Costello: The guy.
Abbott: Who.
Costello: How does he sign...
Abbott: That's how he signs it.
Costello: Who?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: All I'm trying to find out is what's the guy's name on first base.
Abbott: No. What is on second base.
Costello: I'm not asking you who's on second.
Abbott: Who's on first.
Costello: One base at a time!
Abbott: Well, don't change the players around.
Costello: I'm not changing nobody!
Abbott: Take it easy, buddy.
Costello: I'm only asking you, who's the guy on first base?
Abbott: That's right.
Costello: Okay.
Abbott: All right.
Costello: What's the guy's name on first base?
Abbott: No. What is on second.
Costello: I'm not asking you who's on second.
Abbott: Who's on first.
Costello: I don't know.
Abbott: He's on third, we're not talking about him.
Costello: Now how did I get on third base?
Abbott: Why you mentioned his name.
Costello: If I mentioned the third baseman's name, who did I say is playing third?
Abbott: No. Who's playing first.
Costello: What's on first?
Abbott: What's on second.
Costello: I don't know.
Abbott: He's on third.
Costello: There I go, back on third again!
(CONTINUED ON NEXT POST)
Costello: Would you just stay on third base and don't go off it.
Abbott: All right, what do you want to know?
Costello: Now who's playing third base?
Abbott: Why do you insist on putting Who on third base?
Costello: What am I putting on third.
Abbott: No. What is on second.
Costello: You don't want who on second?
Abbott: Who is on first.
Costello: I don't know.
Abbott & Costello Together:Third base!
Costello: Look, you gotta outfield?
Abbott: Sure.
Costello: The left fielder's name?
Abbott: Why.
Costello: I just thought I'd ask you.
Abbott: Well, I just thought I'd tell ya.
Costello: Then tell me who's playing left field.
Abbott: Who's playing first.
Costello: I'm not... stay out of the infield! I want to know what's the guy's name in left field?
Abbott: No, What is on second.
Costello: I'm not asking you who's on second.
Abbott: Who's on first!
Costello: I don't know.
Abbott & Costello Together: Third base!
Costello: The left fielder's name?
Abbott: Why.
Costello: Because!
Abbott: Oh, he's centerfield.
Costello: Look, You gotta pitcher on this team?
Abbott: Sure.
Costello: The pitcher's name?
Abbott: Tomorrow.
Costello: You don't want to tell me today?
Abbott: I'm telling you now.
Costello: Then go ahead.
Abbott: Tomorrow!
Costello: What time?
Abbott: What time what?
Costello: What time tomorrow are you gonna tell me who's pitching?
Abbott: Now listen. Who is not pitching.
Costello: I'll break your arm, you say who's on first! I want to know what's the pitcher's name?
Abbott: What's on second.
Costello: I don't know.
Abbott & Costello Together: Third base!
Costello: Gotta a catcher?
Abbott: Certainly.
Costello: The catcher's name?
Abbott: Today.
Costello: Today, and tomorrow's pitching.
Abbott: Now you've got it.
Costello: All we got is a couple of days on the team.
Costello: You know I'm a catcher too.
Abbott: So they tell me.
Costello: I get behind the plate to do some fancy catching, Tomorrow's pitching on my team and a heavy hitter gets up. Now the heavy hitter bunts the ball. When he bunts the ball, me, being a good catcher, I'm gonna throw the guy out at first base. So I pick up the ball and throw it to who?
Abbott: Now that's the first thing you've said right.
Costello: I don't even know what I'm talking about!
Abbott: That's all you have to do.
Costello: Is to throw the ball to first base.
Abbott: Yes!
Costello: Now who's got it?
Abbott: Naturally.
Costello: Look, if I throw the ball to first base, somebody's gotta get it. Now who has it?
Abbott: Naturally.
Costello: Who?
Abbott: Naturally.
Costello: Naturally?
Abbott: Naturally.
Costello: So I pick up the ball and I throw it to Naturally.
Abbott: No you don't, you throw the ball to Who.
Costello: Naturally.
Abbott: That's different.
Costello: That's what I said.
Abbott: You're not saying it...
(CONTINUED ON NEXT POST)
Costello: I throw the ball to Naturally.
Abbott: You throw it to Who.
Costello: Naturally.
Abbott: That's it.
Costello: That's what I said!
Abbott: You ask me.
Costello: I throw the ball to who?
Abbott: Naturally.
Costello: Now you ask me.
Abbott: You throw the ball to Who?
Costello: Naturally.
Abbott: That's it.
Costello: Same as you! Same as YOU! I throw the ball to who. Whoever it is drops the ball and the guy runs to second. Who picks up the ball and throws it to What. What throws it to I Don't Know. I Don't Know throws it back to Tomorrow, Triple play. Another guy gets up and hits a long fly ball to Because. Why? I don't know! He's on third and I don't give a darn!
Abbott: What?
Costello: I said I don't give a darn!
Abbott: Oh, that's our shortstop.
This is my first post and I have so much to say but will try to keep it short. My husband and I just "resigned" from Holiday in Canada in February. We are currently in Arizona for a much needed rest. We met some wonderful managers here and have had the opportunity to see how things run down here...and I have to say that my hats are off to you folks here in the USA...I thought things in Canada were bad..but WOW!!!you guys have it even worse if that is possible! We only made it 14 months and finally had enough. things weren't too bad up until the start of the new year..then they really put the screws to us. Our director of Canada had told us to be prepared..things were going to be changing..and boy did they ever. His exact words were " they will be shoving this marketing down your throats!" and they did! My husband and I, like the rest of you took this job because we loved working with seniors. Neither one of us have living parents so all of our attention was focused on our residents..we had 101 parents..and we loved it! so when things started changing in January we didn't think it was fair that they were telling the residents one thing while planning something completely different. I we could not, in good conscious, look at these people and lie to them. Maybe the RD's and RSL's can..but not us. So...we had a residents meeting in Feburary and we told our residents exactly what was going on. We told them that Fortress no longer wanted managers who cared about the residents and spent time with them, they only wanted "marketers". We told them that their rents will continue to go up even though they tell them they will not..we told them that the old way of Holiday Retirement would soon be gone and the buildings would become just like Hotels..which is where all the new people from HO are coming from..and which is exactly how the residents will soon be treated. I told them we cared about them too much to lie to them.It only took a few hours for the phone calls to start coming in to HO Resident Relations line...and the very next day our Director of Canada was at our building...with our brand new RD who had just started...because our old RD who was "amazing" and had been with the company for 19 years suddenly "retired"...that is another story....so anyway they both showed up and wanted to know why I had said the things I said. I told him I was simply telling the truth and they could not fire me for telling the truth..and no...they didn't. But, I knew that they would make our lives miserable...so shortly there after we resigned our position. So now it has been about a month and we are just now starting to feel "normal" again. Just starting to feel rested...after working 85 hours a week (which is what you work on the holiday schedule). I would love to "compare notes" with you...as I know Canada is quickly on its way to becoming the same as down here!
a rd who was there 19 years and was 'amazing",was it karen fertello by chance??
If you are canadian and work in that region then I guess you would know. I find it best not to use names..for their own privacy.
i worked for 12 years with the company up till 07,and knowing who was around at the time,that was who i thought it was.if true it is a great loss for the company
If it was Karen than it is the greatest loss for the Canadian division. She was an extremely succesfull RD and knew how to motivate her people in her region.
I have known Karen for a long time though I was in the US not Canada however I met her many times during meetings. What a tremendous loss.
That's all I can say.
got to facebook and look me up. I love to tell you my war story sometime.
Who are you talking to beentheredonetaht?
What's your handle on facebook.
E-mail me at achmed08@yahoo.com
We are interviewing for this outfit today.................So is this company full of back-biters, or what? If we do a good job, will we be thrown under the bus by the other managers on-site? Are they getting rid of deadwood, or why are they hiring so many people all of the sudden. What we are reading scares the hell out of us.........please advise...Thank you.
As to whether or not this company is full of back-biters that will throw you under the bus, I would say that it is no more/less prevalent than in any other corporate setting. A community management position requires a strong blend of management, customer relations and sales/marketing skills. Most current (and former) managers have very little problems with the customer relations part of the job: making seniors happy is easy and fun. Some struggle with managing, especially if they had little or no experience or background in running a business. But, unfortunately, many have not been able to successfully embrace the sales/marketing aspect of this job, to the point of resigning or being asked to resign. Thus, the many openings that Holiday Retirement is trying to fill. So, if a couple is up to the challenge, don't mind working very long hours, are comfortable living in a 575 square foot 1-bedroom apartment, and are willing to do whatever it takes (washing dishes, cleaning up poop off the floor, plunging toilets, etc.) to deliver a gracious retirement living experience to your residents, then I say give it a try. If not, then keep looking. Either way, best of luck to you!
Holiday Retirment used to hire "manager couples" to deliver the "touch" as well as all the other duties as stated by anonymous...however, what they failed to say was now all they want are marketers. It doesn't matter if you have any past experience in the business or if you have ever worked with seniors or if you have management experience..none of that matters anymore..all they want are "marketers". That is the only part of the job that will matter..on fact that is the only job you will be doing...24 hours a day..other than meal times ...when only 1 of you will be allowed in the diningroom and the other one will have to be either in the office or out in the community marketing..and if you want that confirmed just contact any manager in Arizona and ask them what their day is like. You will have to have at least 1 move in per week....I don't mean to scare you but I wish someone had been honest with me before I started...it is not what they make it out to be..so ask some very forthcoming questions and see what their answers are...ask them directly about the marketing and how much time is expected..ask them to see the "business plan" for that community and talk to RD about what they expect..ask them about weather or not you will get to eat meals together...and please let us know what the repsonse is...I am sure all the managers and co-managers in the southern areas would like to know...as would I.
What will happen if you don't get a move in once a week? You do the h/v and the calls and if your DI's are a few years old (cold),what will happen to the managers?
Thank you for your input. We have decided we are going to do this, and we will do whatever it takes to do what we need to do. I am sorry for all the people who have sat on there ass, doing nothing, and getting paid. This is a no-brainer..............Good luck to all that suck from the system...............and National Healthcare......
Gee Sheema -- you sound absolutely perfect for Fortress' new model of Holiday. Good luck to any residents and employees that get you.
Good luck to the residents/employees? I say god help them. You are exactly what Holiday is looking for, Sheena, which is a corporate lackey yes man/woman who won't give a tinker's damn about the residents. Just wait...I doubt you'll last a month.
I would say you made rather a harsh determination against those who have shared their experiences on here, Sheema. I will give you the benefit of the doubt and "presume" you did so because of a lack of knowledge. It will be interesting to see what you write in a few months or so - after experiencing the actuality.
My wife and I have enjoyed a minor laugh or two whenever we hear people decry a lazy attitude regarding those who work(ed) for Holiday in a community. Dishwashers, servers, maintenance, kitchen staff, housekeepers, EC, bus drivers, Cos, and managers - all work very hard every day just to keep things moving reasonably smooth. At some point you will be each one of these staff members for a period of time.
"...sorry for all the people who have sat on their ass, doing nothing and getting paid..." No one who works in a community is able to do such. The schedule is very demanding 24/7 and time conscious always. I will predict that your tenure will be very short lived. The attitude you espouse is counter-productive to a corporate mind-frame. You will be dealing with the elderly in a multifaceted series of situations whereby the ego must be set aside in order to serve the residents while attempting to satisfy your superiors at the same time.
Good luck to you. You will definitely need it, I can tell already.
Boy, have you said a mouthful,Sheema does'nt know what she's in for..When we worked for Holiday,there was'nt any time to sit on your butts, I never seen any manager finding time even to sit a talk to the residents the way we wanted to..I see that Sheema lives in a dream world...
I was not going to respond to your message Sheema however, thinking of what you stated here is beyond normal. You don’t even know what you are in for and already making statements about current and previous employees.
I can promise you this, the Regional Director who will be directing you and your spouse will have a field day with you two. The attitude you already portray here is one Holiday Hotel do not need specifically the residents of any community that you will be assigned to. I obviously do not know your background but I can assure you this. If you keep this type of mentality up towards residents and employees, you will be the most hated person (couple) in Holiday and trust me, news travels fast throughout the company. You will not last long. “Improve the world but start with your self”. As Charles has said, we love to hear from you in about 3 to 6 months from now. If you still feel the same way, well good for you but I highly doubt it. Wait until you have dealt with dead residents in their apartments. Wait until you done dishwashing for days on end or cooked for approx. 120 residents plus staff 3 x per day within the proper time frame. Wait until you had to clean apartments because your housekeeper quit on the spot. Oh and wait until you get called up in the middle of the night and a resident fell out of his/her bed and pooped at the same time and YOU have to clean it al up. Wait until such time you have worked 3 months all by your self without managers or co-managers than come back and date to write the exact same thing here.
These are all thing that can and WILL happen and you are EXPECTED to do it all.
Good luck to you.
Too true Achmed
My dear Sheema,
I hope you do get time to "sit on your a**", doing nothing and getting paid because then maybe when this doesn't happen, you will recall your comments on this blog. What you don't understand, or don't care to, and it doesn't really matter, is that we have all been there, right where you are now and obviously, made the same decision to go with our hearts and enter into a career that we truly believed we could make a difference in by serving seniors....And the majority of us on this site, whether Manager, Co, Chef etc. did give our best in caring for our senior residents. Infact, even after a 16, 18, 24 hr day, going straight out, if one of our seniors needed us, we were there, with kindness, caring and doing what needed to be done to care for them....Don't be sorry for us, my dear, this generation, they don't call it the greatest generation because they didn't earn it....they will eat you for lunch and spit you out with their dentures intact!! Happy Sailing...It will be the best learning experience you will ever have because....you will never forget it....
sheema! All I can tell you is go for it!!! Like we all did with our hearts filled with THE TOUCH!
After you BRAIN is fried from working your A** off and having your life sucked right out of you, and you run your mouth with that attitude to Managers, Staff and Residents then just try to tell us how much we suck!!! That if you have the balls TOO!!!! Oh! I forgot you are the one that will do what ever it takes to make it work "just like we all said when we started"
NO! Good Luck to You! You will need it...
As I've stated before, every effort you make to keep the residents and staff happy [the latter in no lesser measure] will make your workday more tolerable. When staff are appreciated and happy, they will more willingly go above-and-beyond, show up to work on time, and even be of value when it comes to the marketing effort.
Believe me, it works!
We used to call it "the touch."
I couldn't agree more. We worked for Holiday for 8 years and left in 96. Our community was 100% most of the time and it was due to the fact that we had good steady employees who cared about the residents as much as we did. When we left to go trouble-shooting, the census went down considerably and we went back to see what we could do. In 6 months we went from 87% to 98%. There was no advertising other than word of mouth (the best). I agree with an earlier comment you made regarding how the building feels. That is what I always said, too.
We were with Holiday when it was good. Oh, we still worked our butts off, but we felt like we were appreciated by home office and of course by the residents and their families and that goes a long way. We only left to go to work for Emeritus which we thought was just an extention of Holiday. Wrong. We enjoy what we are doing now and look forward to our own retirement in a few years. No, not in a Holiday community; our own home. Does anyone out there remember Dave Abel or Dick McCarver?
Yes there is life after Holiday.
You are all exactly right! Sheema won't last too long with that attitude..I would like to see her express that attitude to her new managers...but my real question is this...why did you even come on this website and ask for advice Sheema if you really didn't want to hear the truth? As the others have stated...good luck to you..you are going to need it!
Sheema: You need to grow-up.This is not an outfit it is a business helping seniors. Please learn that before you sign on. Other Managers will eat you alive and spit you out. I hope they do it soon. Don't forget to clean up after yourself because you left a lot behind.
Sheema is either a Holiday Stooge or a very illiterate person or maybe a little of both
Is there a corporate policy about keeping previous employees out of the communities?? Our residents have become like family to us, we spend a lot of time loving them, crying with them, listening to them just like we do our own family members but we are seriously thinking of leaving Holiday and somebody told us if we did, we would not be allowed to see our "family" again. We are supposed to just ride off into the sunset and forget we ever knew them?? This just does not seem right so we're staying put for now. Any help out there??
The corporate policy (unless it has changed, which is doubtful) was that once you left Holiday they didn't want you to return even to visit. In fact you were told that you could not return even to visit. The exception is that the resident/s may invite you to visit them in their apt. much as they would invite others to come and visit. Unfortunately that was/is the policy and it was explained by Corporate to one of our employees that seemed to think that they could come back and visit. They were informed in writing from Corporate (we received a copy of the letter for the employees file) that it was not allowed for them to come back and visit. I agree it is harsh, but you can get around it by having the resident invite you to visit them in their apt.
Do you know how long this policy has been around?
By definition, anyone that intrudes onto someone else’s property without right or permission is considered to be trespassing. Although a resident has the right to invite whomever they please into their apartment for lawful purposes, the only way a visitor can get to the apartment is by walking through the property of the landlord. Therefore, if someone goes on an owner’s property after they have been asked not to, they are considered to be trespassing and must leave immediately. The bottom line on trespassing laws is that they vary significantly from state to state. You can find a brief overview of some state’s regulations by going to http://realestate.uslegal.com/trespass/state-laws/. Some states have detailed information about trespassing laws online. For links to your state government, check the Law Library of Congress site by going to http://www.loc.gov/law/help/guide/states.php/.
In my nine years I was not aware of a policy that prevented managers from visiting. It is probably selectively enforced.
Although it is not a Holiday Retirement written policy, it is a general practice to ask terminated managers to stay off the property. I guess they want to avoid the fall-out from negative communications that might take place between former, disgruntled managers and the residents and staff, especially if they were well-liked.
The only people i am aware of that were told not to return to a community were those that were fired!We have several couples that come in for visit's.
you did not read the handbook. it is explicit on the fact that no employee is allowed to be on the premises after leaving. We were told that if a past employee was seen in the building they were to be told it was private property and we had to right to bar from being there. Then on the other hand we were "told" tha if a past employee wanted to come to the building they needed to check in at the office and state their business and it was up to us to "allow" their visit. Interesting. Huh?
I used to go back to all my old communities all the time and was welcomed with open arms. I could go back tomorrow now that we've left the company and be welcomed by management and residents. Plus, I tried to ban an executive chef that we terminated by cause and was told by the RD that we didn't have any right to ban any ex employee.
A good story- I Compete directly with a Holiday community. There is a couple that was looking at both of our communities, plus a couple others in our area. After completing a trial stay at the Holiday community and a trial stay at my community-they selected my community.The Holiday community offered this couple an incentive to include- No initiation fee- $2900, No second person charge for 12 months- $3600, Moving credit-$1000, No 1st months rent- $2900, for a total incentive of $10,400.00. I offered $1250.00 moving credit and they event took an apartment that was several hundred dollars more per month than the Holiday community. The moral of this story is that most people are not willing to purchase their retirement lifestyle from the close out rack!
Congratulations! Word is out about Holiday and the facts speak for themselves.
Wow!
I really do hope the mucky-mucks in Salem (and in Manhattan) get tuned in to this post by MoBettah.
The types of residents we always sought -- and clearly the folks MoBettah has landed -- are intelligent discerning types who realize they "cannot afford cheap."
If I were a resident at a Holiday Community, I would move-out, then move back in to get the sweet bribes that new residents are being offered. I would repeat this every year right before my rent increase was due.
A Special Alert for All Managers & Co-Managers who have worked in the STATE OF CALIFORNIA... If you held a CO-Manager's position while working in the State of CALIFORNIA - DO NOT SIGN ANY WAIVERS ISSUED BY HOLIDAY without contacting this lawfirm... barron@yourclasscouncsel.com Holiday Retirement is said to be offering approx. $3,000 for your signing of this waiver! There is currently a CLASS ACTION Lawsuit against Holiday which may entitle you up to $30,000! Let everyone you know to beware of their possible "MISCONDUCT" in getting unknowning former & currently employed Managers and Co-Managers to sign off on their rights & entitlements!
We were Managers at the Westmont, Santa Clara, CA (1/2007-2/2008 and 1/2009-4/2009). We had provided the necessary information to the above legal group so that they could put together the CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT. THERE is absolutely NO COST to anyone as the Lawfirm will be paid a percentage from the proceeds of the award!
We have also filed EEOC lawsuit against Holiday Retirement for "DISCRIMINATION & RETALIATION." We have just been advised that we will be receiving our "Right to Sue Notice" and we will be proceeding with our cases against Holiday Retirement.
AGAIN, ALWAYS BEWARE OF SIGNING ANY WAIVERS WITH HOLIDAY RETIREMENT! ASK FOR LEGAL REVIEW PRIOR TO SIGNING ANYTHING! ONCE YOU SIGN YOU GIVE UP YOUR RIGHTS AND THERE IS NO WAY TO SAY YOU DIDN'T UNDERSTAND? Holiday Retirement has asked us at least 6+ times to sign a waiver for them and they would pay us $2,000/each to drop our lawsuits! DO NOT DO THIS! As we have already received $2,500+ from Holiday Retirement due to the claims filed with the civil court & CA State Wage & Hour Division!
SO... IF you need help or need assistance in issues that you have with HOLIDAY RETIREMENT, we would be glad to offer our assistance in directing you to where you might get help. Do not hesitate to contact us! We will keep your information in confidence.
suedon1996@aol.com
Good Luck and Get the Word Out!
Sue Carroll & Don Williams
Can you please explain what the basis is for this law suit?
Perhaps other states can start their own or joint the class action of CA.
Thank you.
We would prefer that you contact the law firm directly for clarification. Job Duties & Work Hours are the bases for the suit. The law firm has already filed the claim but may want to have your name & contact information. For detailed information about the bases for this Class Action lawsuit, please contact the attorney, Barron Ramos @ his e-mail address is:
barron@yourclasscounsel.com
Why a law suit? What kind of waiver are you talking about?
You would be asked to sign an agreement form and/or a "WAIVER" by Holiday Retirement. PLEASE READ VERY CAREFULLY ANYTHING HOLIDAY ASKS YOU TO SIGN!!
The Waiver will be worded in such a way as that you will be giving up your rights to pursue any future legal action against them.
BEFORE YOU SIGN ANYTHING for anyone or any company, KNOW WHAT YOU ARE SIGNING & IF IN DOUBT, GET LEGAL HELP!
An example of a "WAIVER" form issued by the State of California Dept. of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement states:
I, ______________, upon receipt of the sum of ($______) _________________Dollars from "Company ABC" will by these premises release and forever discharge "Company ABC" from any and all claims, salaries, commissions, and/or monies which are due under and as contained in, that certain claim filed with the Office of the State Labor Commissioner on _________ 2009.
This is just one example... So, again be sure of what you are agreeing to before you sign anything!
Allow an inquiry, please.
Is your suit against Holiday Retirement Corp only - or does it also include Fortress? I have researched and emailed the attorney requesting verification. I also advised him there are others outside of California who may desire to be included. The prime question is the mention you made regarding a "no charge". You are stating a law firm took this case on a contingency basis?
Note I have left your email address intact since you posted it in the comment. Subscribers will then be able to see it .
And I salute you! You obviously feel wronged enough to take necessary steps to legally address the issue. That takes a lot of courage. What you are doing is the only way to effect changes for potentially positive benefits which aids both employees and residents. Unfortunately, in today's corporate society, it takes a court of law to get the attention of those in control. Again, I salute you both!
Thanks. dlcharles
The bio on his web site <www.yourclasscounsel.com/id3.html> indicates he is a one-man firm, licensed to practice only in California.
Dear Mr. NotMyRealName:
Please be advised that this class action lawsuit has been packaged properly and is in fact is being represented by more than one (1) lawfirm. Due to the urgency of getting this message out ASAP, we only included one (1) lawfirm to contact! The other two (2) lawfirms are: Clark & Markham, LLP, SanDiego, CA (www.clarkmarkham.com) & For United Employees' Law Group, P.C., Long Beach, CA (www.california-labor-law-attorney.com).
Again, this lawsuit is being handled by three (3) lawfirms and Ramos Barron, Esq. is just one of the three! He is the contact point for all CA Holiday Co-Managers & Managers for this lawsuit.
I think we are all eager to learn more about the pending class action suit. Someone earlier had asked why managers in other states could not join the suit.
My only point was to demonstrate the class action suit is being prepared only as it applies specifically to California's employment law, notwithstanding any similar statutes in other states.
In other words managers working in other states cannot be party to this suit.
Meanwhile, only one member of the other two firms is noted as admitted to the bar in another state -- Utah, where whatever statute in CA is the lynch pin of this suit may not even be valid basis for a suit.
Sorry for the misunderstanding.
-NMRN
I think this is a great start for us all to jump on this wagon. I know that all state laws are different but that is what class action is all about, is the total of managers banding together for a cause. This attorney would have a lot to gain to take this over as a complete class action suit. Boy what a BIG class action suit. Come on managers, we have vented month after month and we have a lot to vent about, with a lot of validity to what we are saying. Nothing ever happens if nothing happens. Sue and Don why dont you check with your attoneys and see if they would be remotely interested in representing us as a group.
The reason for this Class Action lawsuit is because Holiday Retirement has violated labor laws in California that are specific to that state. As a progressive state, California has labor laws that are written very uniquely to define the difference between those that are exempt (salaried) from their labor laws, and those that are non-exempt (hourly.) Unless another state's labor laws have been violated, there is no basis for a lawsuit, let alone a Class Action. The only other thing left to do is to see if labor laws in your state have been violated by Holiday Retirement
or any federal labor laws, which is unlikely.
Sheema I cannot wait until you receive your yearly review and wage increase. Our co-managers got a whopping $7.00 increase every two weeks. They were thrilled and wondering how to spend all that extra cash. We all hope they don't send you to our regions!
Allow me to add something here regarding any potential legal situation. I am receiving emails telling me of being contacted by Holiday with offers of a small settlement and the waivers. As stated by Williams - do not be in any rush to sign the paperwork. There is usually a time limit for response. Why is an offer being made in the first place if the company isn't worried about issues.
I also would offer that there is no easy fast money! Those who contemplate action should expect a long drawn out time frame with no guaranteed results. You can bet your assets the company is now kicking into high gear more than ever since it was posted on here and is now public knowledge.
On another note: We did not get the house! As some of you are aware, my wife and I were trying to buy a large 8 bedroom island house which we would turn into a senior citizen independent mini-retirement home. We will continue searching for one and hopefully find it.
Mr. Charles - Are the emails just from California? Thanks.
Actually - I don't know. A couple merely state they were approached and offered a settlement if they signed off to stay out of court. Others state basically the same, but none of them offer a location. They arrived only AFTER the Carroll/Williams posting was done. I will say that once class actions get publicized they quickly garner firms in various states seeking clients. Usually the initial attorney(s) are the primes (lead attorney) and other attorneys from different states join in the parent action. Recall the television ads we see constantly about different drugs, etc. All it takes is one to get the ball rolling.
Verification provided that suit is actuality. I am waiting word regarding feasibility of "other state potential". Stayed tuned as this promises to get very interesting.
A San Diego firm is also involved as secondary to Mr. Barron E. Ramos (http://www.yourclasscounsel.com) -
the firm of Clark & Markham (http://www.clarkmarkham.com) .
Just heard Holiday has tried to shut your website down,Wow! we must keep this going.......
That answers all the questions as to if they are reading this!!! I love free speech!
How did you hear that and what basis do they have?
We were contacted by one of the attorneys for Holiday/Fortress about the waiver and lawsuit. They wanted to give us $1000 before taxes but after taxes it would only be around $500-$600. They told us that this site has only biased info and it isn't even correct info. Unfortunately we have been in the "nightmare" ourselves, so we know how "right" this info is that is being discussed here. We also declined to sign this waiver and receive the monies that they were giving out of the goodness of their heart. Watch out everyone!!!
California?
Still here - and planning on being here for a very long time. My wife and I own several websites and do not foresee letting any of them fade out, especially this blog.
To paraphrase Mark Twain: "The report of the blog's demise is a gross exaggeration." Trying to shut a site down is a lot different than actually accomplishing it.
Please be advised that this class action lawsuit has been packaged properly and is in fact is being represented by more than one (1) lawfirm. Due to the urgency of getting this message out ASAP, we only included one (1) lawfirm to contact! The other two (2) lawfirms are: Clark & Markham, LLP, SanDiego, CA (www.clarkmarkham.com) & For United Employees' Law Group, P.C., Long Beach, CA (www.california-labor-law-attorney.com).
Again, this lawsuit is being handled by three (3) lawfirms and Ramos Barron, Esq. is just one of the three! He is the contact point for all CA Holiday Co-Managers & Managers for this lawsuit.
Reply to this
Contact Ramos Barron, Esq. at
barron@yourclasscounsel.com
Advice for all Holiday Managers & Co-Managers.... Keep a Daily Journal & Document, Document & Document! If it's not documented and/or written down, it never happened!
FYI.....
Please be advised that this class action lawsuit has been packaged properly and is in fact is being represented by more than one (1) lawfirm. Due to the urgency of getting this message out ASAP, we only included one (1) lawfirm to contact! The other two (2) lawfirms are: Clark & Markham, LLP, SanDiego, CA (www.clarkmarkham.com) & For United Employees' Law Group, P.C., Long Beach, CA (www.california-labor-law-attorney.com).
Again, this lawsuit is being handled by three (3) lawfirms and Ramos Barron, Esq. is just one of the three! He is the contact point for all CA Holiday Co-Managers & Managers for this lawsuit.
Please contact Ramos Barron, Esq. by e-mail - barron@yourclasscounsel.com
A word of advise to all Holiday Mangers and Co Managers, Keep a DAILY Journal and DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT.... Remember if it's not documented, it never happened!
Pass the word to the other Managers!
Here's something else for any ex-Holiday employees who still have their 401k with Wealth Advisors - hubby and I got a letter from them TODAY (March 29th) advising us that as of April 1 if we didn't roll out our funds, we would be charged a $25 management fee! So they send us this letter and don't give us enough time to process the rollover - I can only imagine that there are many others like us out there. We were in the process of rolling over our funds, but the girl at home office who manages the fund for the company sent the stuff back saying we had to get our signatures notorized. So I am going to get charged $25 and so is my husband because of this ponzi scheme. Moral of the story - don't hesitate and roll your money over as soon as you can after you leave FIG. Does anyone know if FIG owns a piece of Wealth Advisors? It wouldn't surprise me in the least.
We received the same letter today (3/30) stating that the new policy is being implemented on April 1st and we have until May 1st to roll it over. Our letter reads that it was being sent to former employees that had been terminated. My wife and I weren't TERMINATED, WE QUIT!!!! My letter states that if we don't roll it over within the 30 day period they will mail a check to us and charge a one time Distribution Fee of $50.
Perhaps Mz. Carroll and Mr. Williams have given others the conviction to check into their own situations in the respective states. One never knows unless one seeks out the knowledge. Again I salute them both for what they are doing. The time and effort they expended to find an attorney willing to take on their situation speaks for itself.
This issue has come a long ways - from working for a considerate company to a shark like investment group.
We were managers until 6/09. I received a call from an ole friend today that worked as co's in CA. They rec'd a phone call from Mary @ corp. she asked to meet with them in CA. to have them sign a wavier and except $1,000. They said they would meet but would not make any commitments of signing anything.
she asked my advice - I asked them to read this blog first.
The thlot pickens!
Tell your friends to not sign any waivers. See Sue and Don's post for Attorney info if they have not already joined the suit.
Mary is a snake in the grass...while I understand we all need a job, how can you stay in HR in a company as crooked as this?
Even though you may had signed a waiver with Holiday, you still could contact the Class Action Attorney.....
barron@yourclasscounsel.com
Also, since this may involve Wage & Hour Issues, you could contact the CA Dept. of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Enforcement @ 408-277-9642. They may be able to answer your personal questions...
Hope this is usefull information!
The Holiday story, (and the Holiday Touch that was so fundamental in it's years of success,) is turning into a tragedy. Greed and incompetence is making the difference. We were in California and watched a new guy come in as RD. Has a hot shot from the now defunct MERVYNs organization...(I'll Holiday got him at 75% off,,,Mervyns was getting rid of most everything at that rate in their final days). He was there to convince all of us that the new direction Holiday was taking with their management at the expense of diminishing the 'Touch' was the right thing to do. He was no good at it...maybe 25% effective at best (does that percentage fit?)
It was demonstrated many times from different levels that telling the truth was not going to be part of this new management plan...and this new RD fit right into that part of it.
Reading all that has been written before this entry was sad for us...we understood what each and everyone of you who has experienced the joy of delivering the Holiday Touch had to say.
We chose to leave when it was obvious that there was nowhere to go and nobody to turn to find a check and balance to the mis-led direction the new Holiday was taking it's people.
Our hearts go out to the residents. They are a generation that has paid much more of a price then any other in our history. The Holiday Touch was a wonderful Thank You that they had earned and we loved to deliver. Those responsible for initiating these changes that are taking away from our residents should be ashamed...and so should anyone who is working with them to accomplish this lousy deal
Some residents were talking and expressed the hurt they felt when the realized they had been treated wonderfully while being romanced into moving into the community...and within a short time were reduced to being treated like pieces of furniture while all the attention went to 'sucker' new people to move in.
One of our managers closed many deals gand got people to move in...it looked great on the surface...but when you really looked at it...it was apparent that some of the folks she lured into moving in really didn't belong there...and in many cases son moved out. No matter...she got her stat and piled up these kinds of results to get her bonuses. She was feeding the new Holiday way...get those Move-Ins at all costs...and fitting right in with the new RD with the lies and manipulating of folks. She was not, however, fooling the residents. These folks are old but they are not stupid.
This whole thing is heartbreaking to us who can see it happening and to the residents who are getting the brunt of it all.
Re Holiday's efforts to get co-mgrs to sign off the ongoing legal actions...I hope you all really think about it. Callison got a Million bucks for leading us into this and doing untold damage...I think Holiday needs to pay out as much as can be had for all the lousy things they are doing to our greatest generation.
The co-managers that are involved in the legal action, wants Holiday to pay because of wrong doing to them. The legal action has nothing to do with the residence or the way things are changing. The legal action is for the purpose of Holiday bending the law to fit there own needs.
Please do not sign any papers without reading them or having a lawyer read them.
WHAT IS GOING ON? Jack Callison has just announced that during the month of March 2010, Holiday Retirement broke an all-time record in the organization's 40-year history (dating all the way back to 1971) with a total of 1,106 move-ins! HOW?
It happened because that are actually are managers who really care and are working hard to get move-in's. I my building alone we had 4 move-in's with a 75% close rate. We even got a call direct from Jack thanking us for our hard work. So I get really tired of you negative people on thinking that things are so bad. Maybe you should spend more time marketing and less time complaining on this blog. I know that I will be attacked for my comments because that is the mo here anyone that has something to say that is opposite of your views gets attacked. I am very proud of my team and their effort and of the support that we have gotten from corp. We plan on setting even more records soon. So maybe be excited that things are going good instead being negative. I sure would NOT want to work for anyone like you.
Please tell us how much did you give away in order to get new residents to move-in?
I am hearing that the dealls that currently are offered are unbelieveable.
No community fee-3 months free rent- 2 bed room apartment priced at one bed room rates and locked for 2 years.
Hell with deals like that it is no ownder that you moved in 4 resdents and actually Why didn't you more to move0in?
You give away the farm and only get 4 new residents? Wow good job.
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Well again don't speak unless you have the facts. I can assure you that you aren't even close to what the insentives are right now. We have offering the following: Waive the community fee and a $500 move in allowance.
You are a fool for speaking without knowing.
Actually, what Anonymous wrote about the great offers to a new move-in are right on in my community. That's exactly what we were offering up until Mar 31st.
Hey Achmed.. sorry I missed your call.... If they are locking rents, maybe they are reading this!! I TOTALLY support that. This should have been done months (if not years) ago. Let's give credit where credit is due!!
The answer to your question "What is going on" is simple. Apartments were being rented with significant discounting on the part of Holiday...which is a good strategy for moving units....however, in the long run, which means right now, the discounting will not continue; and that is unfortunate to the residents. In the end...you have two losers...the poor residents who were already in the building who will still get rent increases with no consideration to what was just given to the new resident AND the residents who come in this month and won't be offered the deal of the month in April. Did Jack by chance speak at all about the impact of NOI during this great deal making month? Probably not because it won't look pretty! Just another going out of business strategy on the part of a very naive inexperienced "senior" leadership team.
Right on. Your last sentence said it all. The biggest question is why this stupidity continues. Where is Bart when you need him?
yeah, here's the email Jack sent out...
Team Holiday,
CONGRATULATIONS!!! What a wonderfully successful, record setting month this has been. Due to your intense focus and hard work, I’m pleased to report that Holiday Retirement’s occupancy increased dramatically during the month of March. We accomplished this due to the fact that during the month of March 2010, we recorded the highest number of move ins in the organization’s 40-year history, dating all the way back to 1971! That’s right, the most move ins ever – 1,106!!!
During the month of March, we shared the Holiday Touch with 1,106 beloved seniors across North America who can now call our one of our beautiful communities “home”. These 1,106 seniors will no longer have to worry about doing their own grocery shopping and preparing their own meals. These 1,106 seniors have shoveled snow for the very last time. These 1,106 seniors no longer have to endure the stress of maintaining their own homes.
From this point on, these new Holiday residents will enjoy living life in a warm, loving, and nurturing environment that you have helped to create. They will revel in the joys of new found companionship. They will grow stronger and healthier due to our wonderful food program and exercise classes. They will rediscover their passion for various artistic and musical hobbies. They will feel alive because they will remember how to laugh and smile again. They will enjoy the Holiday Touch and they will enjoy you.
What makes me incredibly happy is that our success wasn’t confined to just a couple areas of our portfolio – it was widespread from coast to coast:
· 26 out of 28 regions produced year over year increases in gross move ins and,
· 27 out of 28 regions produced year over year increases in net move ins.
While our success was a complete team effort, special recognition goes out to the following regions that produced truly amazing results over the past month:
· Mike Bardelmeier’s region produced the highest number of gross move ins per community (5.8) across the entire organization and,
· Phil Benjamson’s region produced the highest number of net move ins per community (3.8) across the entire organization!
Special kudos and “virtual high fives” also go out to four specific communities. These four communities each closed a whopping 11 move ins this past month alone:
· Isles of Vero Beach in Vero Beach, FL
· Venetian Gardens in Venice, FL
· Las Palmas in Palm Coast, FL
· Willow Grove in Matthews, NC
To the entire organization, I thank you so much for making a conscious decision to help us grow our census at Holiday. Being part of an organization that is alive and growing is exhilarating. We all joined hands across North America this month and came together as one cohesive team. We had positive attitudes and channeled all of our energy into one common goal, which was to increase our occupancy this month.
Speaking as a former Home Office Employee, this memo reads great. I truly hope that there is true feeling behind the words. I have heard those kinds of word from Jack before. Before he let over 30 long time Home Office employee's go as a "restructuring" measure. I don't dispute that it takes a lot of hard work to get this many move ins. I don't discount the work across the board, but I would like to add a little perspective. Bardlemeier and Bejamson have two of the highest percentages of brand new buildings in the company, and 2 of the 4 buildings listed under special kudos are less than 3 years old, and Las Palmas has been open just about a year. What does that mean? That means their marketing,advertising, incentive and special event and activities budgets are HUGE (I am not guessing here, this is fact). In short, all of the money is being spent on these newer communities, on the "Front of the House" to bring in new residents and showcase the Holiday "Gracious Retirement" Lifestyle. I'd venture a guess that the residents in the other older buildings, who have seen their events and services cut to the bone, are finding their days a little less gracious.
I only have access to data from the 72 communities that are in the East District, but this is how the numbers breakdown for the month of March 2010:
Newer Communities (NC) = 20 (28%)
Stable Communities (SC) = 52 (72%)
MOVE-OUTS:
NC = 46 (24%)
SC = 144 (76%)
MOVE-INS:
NC = 91 (34%)
SC = 175 (66%)
As another former HO person, if we had 300+ buildings back in the day, we would have put 3,000 a month in. That
"record" does not mean squat! Nice try Jack... Wonder why the memo did not state the system wide census percentage. To get the entire team on board, get them all the facts. If it is 65, then make a 6-month goad to be at 70. Keep the warriors informed!
My mother recently moved from a 4800.00 a month assisted living facility to a 2800.00 a month Holiday apartment. The economy over recent years changed her financial status and she has to economize. Perhaps Holiday is losing some who have to go cheaper, but gaining some for whom Holiday is cheaper.
Daughter - Your observation is a good one, and one the "New Holiday" folks are banking on. One thing we "Old Holiday" people know is that the company was built on bringing a wonderful lifestyle to those who, like your mom are NOT among the super wealthy. Bill Colson always reminded us that our "average" resident was an 83 year old widow of average means, who probably depended on some kind of help from her family in order to live with us. Someone who had worked their entire life to be able to live with us, and who deserved our very best. I hope that the community your mom is at is continuing to give her their very best, and that she has found a home that she truly loves. Never stop advocating for her, and I truly hope her time with Holiday will be wonderful. However, many of the new regime at Home Office feel that Holiday is the "Wal Mart" of retirement communities, I have heard this phrasing with my own ears, and I assure you that those who have worked for this company prior to the last 3 years find that to be an unacceptable view of a once proud company whose goal was to strive every day to be better, not to be willing to settle for bargain basement.
Bill Colson, himself, referred to holiday retirement as the WalMart of senior housing. He put forth that Holiday Retirement was for "the average Joe". This isn't something new, but has been around for a long time.
I agree DL, I think I even have the interview where he said that. He also use to say that Holiday was not a Cadillac, but it was a really nice Buick. Bill was a modest man that didn't want the Holiday Communities to look, feel or act exclusive, that is one of the major reasons there are so many studio and small 1 bdrm apartments and so few 2 bedroom apartments. What he did also say that I think has been lost in recent years was "If we do a good job, and treat people right, maybe we'll make a buck."
Jerry, that's something I had never heard before, and I defer to you since you go back with Holiday much farther than I. Perhaps I need to adjust my own view of what Bill would have meant by the "Wal Mart" of retirement communities! When this phrase was used to me by one of the new Holiday folks, it didn't seem like he was paying a compliment (and since I am no fan of Wal Mart, perhaps my own view was skewed!). Thanks for setting me straight! I must admit that I tend to think the worst about anything I hear from the new Holiday regime, as the great feeling I had from them in the beginning turned out to be quite misplaced.
DL and Jerry, that's something I had never heard before, and Jerry, I defer to you since you go back with Holiday much farther than I. Perhaps I need to adjust my own view of what Bill would have meant by the "Wal Mart" of retirement communities! When this phrase was used to me by one of the new Holiday folks, it didn't seem like he was paying a compliment (and since I am no fan of Wal Mart, perhaps my own view was skewed!). Thanks for setting me straight! I must admit that I tend to think the worst about anything I hear from the new Holiday regime, as the great feeling I had from them in the beginning turned out to be quite misplaced.
COMMENT DELETED
Do I edit your comment or do I just delete it? Check your own comment before you start attempting to personally attack a very learned, caring, and intelligent person. The disclaimer stresses no personal attacks against anyone. If you are an example of what Holiday now has to offer insofar as management then the company is in worse condition than I thought. Sorry, folks - but givemeabreak crossed the line.
I'll delete the comment and leave the header because of replies. The IP is not blocked so Givemeabreak can post future comments.
Knock him/her off. Love to work for this person...NOT
Why has no one mentioned the move outs,how many were there?
Reliable sources at home office state that there were 940 move-outs company-wide in March 2010, for a net increase of 166 units. No matter how you look at it, that is a very impressive number.
Net increase of 166 for 315 bldngs? what am I missing here... That will take 7 1/2 years to make up what has been lost in the Jack dynasty... Not good.... Next month will be a net of minus 250.
Not only can Achmed not spell, he can't count either...official sources tell me the company had a net increase of 225 units. What a pathetic group of the same 13 bloggers you all are. Get over the fact that you were cut for very good reason - as evidenced by the fact that the company is thriving once the garbage was taken out. Do the country a favor and go get a job.
13 bloggers? I just checked the list and I stopped counting at 125 different bloggers with a lot more still on the list.
I trust MY "official sources" a lot more than I trust yours and mine tell me Holiday is in big trouble. Anyone who would take Callison's emailed letter at face value is perfect fodder for the new company methods. My sources tell me Jack is skating on very thin ice and a spring thaw is coming. Not to worry since he was smart enough to bank his money.
So, Tabatha, if that's your real name -- are you a general sales manager, an RSL or just a newly hired co-manager? Inquiring minds would like to know...
74% occupancy is not thriving- oh, by the way, I have the actual occupancy report- there may have been a lot of move ins, but March's gains will be lost in April according to that report, about 70 spec deposits and 550 move out notices, you see, specials don't last forever. Also, only 2 100% communities out of 316- pathetic, and a gain of 166 units is less than 4 tenths of 1 percent gain in occupancy, at that rate it will take more than 64 months to regain what has been lost- good luck.
You're spot on Tabatha!
You are either fortress lackeys or blind, deaf and dumb. Sure there move-INS but at what cost to the current residents? When we quit (quit, not fired) there was no relief for current residents who could not afford their rent increases. The attitude of asset management was, "Let them move out." So guess what? Sure they are giving away the store to get new blood at the higher market rents but most of these new residents don't belong in our buildings. There are staff cuts, cuts in the food service program, changes in the quality of the paper products like toilet paper that are initiated to pay for all these incentives.
How DARE you insinuate that we were fired because we were somehow deficient? As a group we are saddened and disgusted by the new FIG run business model. When Callison gets a million dollar bonus for running Bill Colson's dream into the ground it rips our hearts apart. My husband and I chose to leave on our own terms and are happy with our decision. So take your self righteous, supercillious attitude elsewhere if you are too full of yourself to hear two sides of what FIG is trying to cram down your throat.
Somehow the last part of callison's email to the company got cut off from above...here is the rest of it:
To the entire organization, I thank you so much for making a conscious decision to help us grow our census at Holiday. Being part of an organization that is alive and growing is exhilarating. We had positive attitudes and channeled all of our energy into one common goal, which was to increase our occupancy this month. Guess what??? We DID IT in record breaking form!!!
Booker T. Washington once said “You measure the size of an accomplishment by the obstacles you had to overcome to reach your goals." You are an amazing group of very talented people and I’m proud to be a part of the Holiday Retirement family.
Team, we are well on our way to positioning our organization for another incredibly exciting and successful 40 years. As we celebrate this exciting accomplishment, I want to leave you with one closing thought:
Satisfied Residents + Engaged Associates = SUCCESS!!!
You see, the secret to our success is no secret at all. We have tuned out all of the noise from the outside world, and we have simply listened to our hearts. We did what we knew was right. We simply put our residents and our associates first; and not surprisingly, our business results took care of itself in an unprecedented and record setting way. This past month, all 10,000 Holiday associates across North America joined hands and came together as one cohesive team. We let our five core values (Honesty & Integrity, Teamwork, Leadership, Innovation and Compassion) serve as our compass…and the record setting business results followed. That’s the power of the Holiday Touch!
Thank you again for all you do for us. I truly respect, admire and value each one of you. Our company’s future has never been brighter and we have you to thank for that. Let’s keep this wonderful momentum rolling into the month of April and beyond!
Congratulations again Holiday. I am inspired and incredibly proud of each one of you.
All the best,
Jack
Yes, very impressive. It is spring, afterall, we have hired a ton of new marketing people who do nothing but market, the number of move ins was bound to go up. Do they really care about the managers? I can't get my RD to return an email regarding a new move in! He's too busy forwarding this baloney to all of us!
yes, i can see how closing the highest number of move ins in holiday's 40 year history would put mr. callison on very thin ice. how can fig stand by and allow this??? they must be very upset.
The great things about numbers is how they can be moved around to portray whatever result one desires. I'll offer our government as an example - just look at the unemployment or earnings versus debt numbers.
I'm curious; was there a major push/competition or special bonus incentive for March? If so I'd wonder how many potential February move-ins were held off til March.
Just sayin'
There was NO major push/competition or special bonus incentive for March that would have caused potential February move-ins to be held off until March. However, there were 2 different bonus/incentive programs for managers in play during March. The first was a contest (announced on 1/6/10) for the period of 1/1/10 through 3/31/10 for a prize of $6,000 (to be divided equally by the management team, EC, and Exec. Chef), going to the community with the best percentage of actual occupancy over budgeted occupancy in each region. The other is the 2010 Community Bonus Plan (announced on 3/16/10) that pays $100 to each member of the management team, $50 to the EC, and $25 to the Exec. Chef (in addition to the Exec. Chef's regular bonus plan) for every gross move-in during the year, retroactive to 1/1/10.
For whatever it’s worth, I believe the reason for the dramatic turn of events in the month of March 2010, is that things are truly coming together in those communities that successfully deliver “the touch” to current residents while feverishly developing new leads to increase census. Although neither of these 2 objectives come easily, they are certainly impossible to achieve if all you do is make excuses about why you cannot do them. I believe that community teams are beginning to collectively rise above the obstacles they face, and are getting the job done by making the best of an otherwise very difficult situation. Whether or not this surge in census growth can be consistently attained is yet to be seen. It is obvious that the majority of former employees do not believe this success will continue, let alone turn the company around, while currently engaged employees that are pushing the plow are beginning to see the evidence of things hoped for. Will even a shadow of the once great Holiday Retirement come back from the grave, or will the Jack Callison Fortress-led Senior Living Monster go down in flames? …film at eleven.
A couple of things, the major reason for being able to break a monthly move in record is primarily due to the fact that there is more vacant inventory than any time in history, and as a former employee that experienced a lot of contests, I am certain that the majority of the move ins came on March 31st in order to win a bonus, this also known as gaming the system. Here is the scenario, you give someone a huge incentive to move in and that incentive includes the last day of March, so while the move in numbers look great, the revenue is poor. This is an unsustainable method of increasing occupancy. And while anonymous may have moved people in with out the large incentives, and as a sales person I congratulate you for doing so, I know that there were many, including several in Bardelmeiers region that were offering incentives up to $12,000.00.
If on the average a resident generates well over $100,000 in revenue during their residence, isn't giving away up to $12,000 to get them to move-in "mo bettah" than having a unit empty with no revenue at all?
The answer is, NO, and let me walk you through the reasons why not. the average length of stay would have to be 3 1/2 years to pick up that 100K, if you give away 12K then the average has to move up to almost 4 years- far higher than the industry average. The average age of an HRC resident is pushing 85 years old, so if the person stays for 1 year and they only pay 75% of what should have been paid then the valuation of the community takes a hit. In the new communities this is a major mistake as the banking rules have changed over the last 3-4 years. The new communities are still on "construction financing" in order to get permanent non recourse financing the community has to be at an average financial occupancy rate of 90-95% for a prescribed period of time. When you give huge incentives not only does the financial average drop, the Valuation of the property, or the equity that can be taken out to distribute to the investors in FIG is greatly diminished. So, giving away huge incentives is in effect a "house of cards".
And FIG has once again decided not to pay dividends as of the first quarter of 2010. Last dividend paid was in the second quarter of 2008.
Tabatha you are spot on! Hopefully your comments won't get deleted like mine
Another FIG lackey chimes in...very impressive, this trolling going on to try and distract people away from the facts FIG doesn't want people to hear.
When people online type a comment they usually make typos which they are unable to correct. They are expressing a thought or opinion in a hurry and proofing is not prime enough to be a concern. This is an accepted and understood part of the process throughout the internet. I strive to protect the confidentiality of those who place a comment, but I must also protect myself against possible legalities in order to keep the blog a viable - hence the disclaimers. Once again please note that no personal attacks against any individual will be tolerated. Personal feelings do get ruffled now and again and it is hard to refrain sometimes. This is realized, but such comments will be deleted.
I would like to thank our new Rd who late on Thursday gave us a project to be completed by Sunday that is somewhere down the line going to help with marketing stats. All managers are to have days off Thursday afternoon, Friday and Saturday and this is Easter weekend and we have over 35 guests coming for dinner. Guess I will work Sat. night on this "important" bit of next to useless information. Once again the "Holiday Touch" is extended to managers. Thank you so much for allowing me time to spend with our family and our church.
I wonder if the RD must also forego time off "for the good of the cause". I rather doubt it.
i'm a manager. but more importantly, let's just say i'm just ambitous, loving, caring, positive, employable and employed. six things you pathetic bloggers long to be. ever look in the mirror? do you like what you see and what you have become? think about that question carefully before you answer.
Well, let's see. I'm old, bald, ugly, and rather sarcastic - but yes, I like myself and am employed. And since you comment on here I would say that also makes you one of the 'pathetic bloggers'. I would question your self-evaluation as to the six 'positives' you claim. Anyone who is so prone to castigate others because they hold to a different stance or because they question a doctrine is not someone capable of those attributes so claimed.
The power inherent in this country is the freedom of the average person to question those in authority and how that authority is displayed. As you might have gleaned if you read the entirety of this blog most of the commenters are not being negative. Most are questioning why things are happening which detract and offering possibles to enhance a great company. I would surmise most of them are far more educated than you and have proven themselves in ways I doubt you could comprehend. It's all about the residents and the profit line. I also would offer the suggestion for you to look into your own mirror - it appears to be a one-way screen.
"Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who's the fairest of them all?"
You beat me to it, D L. Bravo!
My heart aches for these idiots. Little do they know and less they will learn. Way to go DL!! Oh and by the way, we are also working, and enjoying it immensely. We do seem to pick up some "childish" bloggers occasionally, don't we.
Um, we are employed and happy. So much for your bogus hypothoses.
You got me. Unemployed and loving it. Actually retired. In the past month I learned of two more of my associates were leaving Holiday. They are leaving on their own because of pressure coming down from Salem. Prior to that I had at least three associates fired for one reason or another. Your reaction I am sure is they were cleaning out the dead wood. I can possibly understand that thinking from someone that is probably relatively new to Holiday, but consider this. While I and my associates were managing communities we were within budget, had happy residents and our national census was 90%+. What is it now in the low 70s%. Some of us forcasted that when the old timers were gone the new people would not know how it used to be. When we took over our last community the census was in the low 80%. Our primary directive was to concentrate on the residents and when they were happy it would draw new residents. It worked and we eventually reached 100%. The current owners do not seem to understand that. We would haves stated on longer due to the stock market drop and had planned to float, but we could see what was happening. We simply could not be a part of the FIG movement. Salem has done an excellent job in bring some people around to their way of thinking. Just remember this. When your census drops you will be next. Let us know when it happens. I adopted Concerned because that is the way we feel about the residents and managers we left behind. In less than a year only one set of managers remain in our region and they were promoted when we left. I don't know Achmed, but I expect we shared similar experiences. The old Holiday was not perfect and I had a lot of business differences with Bart Colson, but I never questioned his concern for the residents that were in our care. Can you say that now? I don't think so and it is so sad. I could go on and on about some of the really stupid promotions coming out of Salem under FIG that cost our community money and did no good, but I will get off my soap box before I really get upset. Have a good life.
Very well written Concerned and yes we share a lot of the same experiences and feelings possibly more then you realize. You are so very correct about happy residents and filling up the building once the residents appreciate what you are doing in your building. The residents are the “Ambassadors” of your building. Residents talk to their friends in church, they go out with their friends to restaurants or theaters or ball games. They do talk about their experiences in the building and trust me if they feel good about where they live they will recommend your building to anyone. It is as easy as pie. Many of times we took residents with us on cookie drops or doctors’ visits.
You can be honest with your residents and tell them you are really tired (if you have worked for so many weeks on end without relief) and trust me, they will help you in any way they can. They are proud to help. They are all “your” “parents”. They want to best for themselves but also for you as managers and co-managers. Seniors do not like change and what has been and still is happening is the turn-over of managers and co-managers and let’s not forget the Executive Chef turn-over and housekeeping turn-over. Residents are upset when this turn-over occurs.
I can remember attending one of the FIT meetings in San Diego where the HR person discussed the turn-over rate in the company. It was a big eye opener at that time. I can only imagine what those percentages are today under FIG management. Ultimately the once who are truly suffering are the residents. That’s why most of us are so concerned and that is why we all voice OUR concerns on this blog and if I were Mr. Callison or Fortress, I’d be concerned to.
Well Tab, I am employeed, More loveable than you can imagine, Caring to the point that I use the little $$ Holiday pays my supposed "lazy, useless ass" on my residents for little things that make them laugh or smile, Ambitious in the fact that I can do just about any job in the building and will jump in to help at any time, Positive that Fortress has no heart for our seniors and is only looking at how much they are worth, in which I will make sure is known Nation wide and in Canada, And I will say that Yes I am Proudly a PATHETIC Blogger. And I'm all this and still not a manager nor do I want to be, I Work where I do because I love working with the Seniors and yet my spouse makes enough money I don't have to work, I do it because there is an injustice in how they treat their employees and their residents, I will not stand for and am gathering all the info I can to write a report to the all the State Reps, All the Labor Boards, and One hell of a thank you to fortress themselves....Why do this, because Fortress said we couldn't and nobody tells me I can't oh yeah and because like you I am Ambitious, Loving, Caring, Positive, And obviously employeed....the difference between us my characteristic are focused on the people who need to be protected not a heart-less, greedy, unmanaged corporation!!!! I hope you see the light soon, I've also come to the conclusion that Fortress has taken lessons from Charles Mason in mind erasing, would love to see the propaganda they feed you newbies.....
I have talked to a couple newbies,and they are very disenchanted.They have been lied to.They were told a few marketing people had been replaced when in fact 75 were given a few days to vacate the property. Several were LONG time employees.They were shocked to hear that story from me. They are also concerned about their long term outlook.Telling me the sense of direction changes by the hour.No one seems to know what the real program is if there is one!! If you are not reading Delbert in the comic's,start its as close to Fortress as you can get.
I just found a tee shirt I received in Hawaii,it has a picture of Bill Colson on it with the wording "Service is not servitude" My wife & I have 10 years with Holiday & would love to retire,we are 74 & 71> But like many people can not aford too.I have tried to find work likewise no one except walmart is hiring seniors. I did get an interview spent an hour beeing told how hard the work was & did I really want to work that hard.They will call me??? Also applied at Home Depot & Lowes.
Ok, so I should indeed have done a spell check before I posted my message. I copied it and corrected my spelling mistakes; here is the post again after having spell checked it and I have added a couple of items:
“Please tell us how much did you give away in order to get new residents to move-in? I am hearing that the deals currently offered are unbelievable. No community fee - 3 months free rent - 2 bedroom apartments priced at one bedroom – 1 bedroom apartment being offered at studio type pricing and rents are locked in for 2 years.
Hell, with deals like that it is no wonder you moved in 4 residents and, actually, why didn't you get more move-ins? You give away the farm and only get 4 new residents? Wow, good job! Please do not tell me that this is not true. We have “shopped” many Holiday communities over the past couple of weeks and these prices are offered to any one that comes in the door. If it is not true then it is false marketing, don’t you think?"
My posting was not intended to personally attack this person. I was trying to find out what the “give-a-ways” were. Furthermore, I am happily employed and take care of close to 200 senior residents. For you to assume that I am not, or any other person on here is not, employed is just your interpretation of being jealous of people like us who have been there, done it for Holiday, and either still being with Holiday or moved on to better things to do with our lives. Most of the people posting on this blog are very passionate people who have given everything to their residents and Holiday while they were employed by HRC. Most of us were the lucky people who got to go to Maui as a “Thank you” for what we did. We have been in your shoes (if you are a current manager or co-manager of any of the Holiday buildings). It is absolutely wonderful that Holiday set a record by so many move-ins during any given period of time. What most of us are questioning is, AT WHAT EXPENSE? My wife and I have taken on buildings that were depressed for years and years and got them to anywhere between 95 to 100% the “OLD FASHIONED WAY”. When you take a look at the occupancy reports today such buildings are now anywhere between 50 to 70%. Holiday Retirement Corp. under the Colson family was a great company however it certainly was not perfect either and we all know that. Our PASSION is all about the residents. Fortress bought a great company, no doubt about it, or else they would not have paid 6.8 billion dollars for it. What is the sad thing is that they have installed the wrong senior management group who have no clue how to run a senior retirement company.
If you wish to attack our PASSION fine, but make sure you know what you are talking about because obviously you are either a new manager or a corporate person trying to get this blog shut down.
You will not be able to upset us as we know better and we all have class. Something you still need to find for the way you attack people on this blog.
Well said!
I have a lot of respect for honest hard working people who try hard to do the “right” thing in their lives.
I do not have respect for people such as the senior management group at Holiday who has destroyed so many lives over the past 3 years. Good and hardworking people who knew what the “TOUCH” was all about and all had the PASSION for making a different in the lives of seniors and the employees at each and every building were hurt by the new senior management group at Holiday.
I have respect for the current managers and co-managers as they only follow the lead from their RD and RSL people. If you are an RD and came either to Holiday from Kmart or the Hotel industry during the past 3 years, please learn “this industry” first before you instruct the managers and co-managers to do things your way and then attack them or fire them because it failed. “YOU FAILED” not the managers or co-managers and you failed THEM. You are the leader and if your idea is not working, do not take it out on them. They did what YOU told them to do.
The current senior management group has no vision for the future of Holiday Retirement. It is obvious by the way they have hired new people, trained them and now do not know what to do with them because they have changed your mind once again. In the meantime, the residents are suffering from all of your ill made decisions.
They are trying very hard to get this blog shut down because they know they have no clue how to make Holiday successful and they feel threatened by this blog. We all know that residents, family of residents, vendors and current and prior employees are reading this blog.
DLCharles has done a great job by creating this blog. I personally feel that this blog would be a helpful tool for current and new managers and co-managers to be able to learn from the “older” group. Unfortunately, because of the number of failed attempts by the current senior management group to change the vision of Holiday and their continuous failed attempts to change the culture at the entire company, this blog has become a sounding board for many people who are looking for information of what is really going on. But the one thing that this group at the helm of Holiday will never ever be able to take away from any of us who worked in any of the communities is the PASSION we all had and many still have today for our residents. Most of the management teams in the buildings are very caring passionate people who want to do the right thing(s). The RD’s, the RSL’s and higher level of management will never feel what the managers and co-managers feel on a day to day basis.
Achmed...although I might take issue with some of your statements, I believe that everyone is entitled to publish their opinions freely here based on their own experiences, and without personally attacking anyone with whom we might disagree. This is why I enjoy reading well written blogs such as yours with an open mind. To quote Irving Dillard, “Of those qualities on which civilization depends, next after courage, it seems to me, comes an open mind, and, indeed, the highest courage is, as Holmes used to say, to stake your all upon a conclusion which you are aware tomorrow may prove false.”
On what grounds are they trying to get this shut down? It seems to me there is no legal standing to shut it down, first amendment rights notwithstanding.
Achmed... you are the man!!!
I could have written your comments as we also used residents in our marketing and they were as excited as we were when we got a move in. I'm told now residents are not allowed in Manager's auto. The real questions for some of these folks to consider is Holiday better off now or in the "old days". I
guess you have to consider that we were referred to as sitting on our asses and deadwood that needed to get rid of. I guess they need to consider the old saying "be care what you wish for".
Has anyone an idea what "big thing" is to happen in April? I've heard several places about this and several ideas but nothing definite. Competition has mentioned it and there is an internal buzz from regional people. You know in a strange way I feel sorry for all the new hires (RDs, RSLs, DSLs, MDs, home office and even Mgrs.), they all seem intent but lost. Mgrs. learn quickly enough about the real world but others care little about reality and just promote "the gospel" according to FIG. Very few if any hires from the industry cause a detachment from what has been successful both with us and other similar companies. The only thing left is ongoing confidence in what they are doing in the face of a constant drum beat of mistakes. I guess ignorance really is bliss sometimes. I wonder if they ever stopped and asked why HR has made such an effort hiring primarily people from outside the industry or even why there is such a huge turnover in all positions.
It's most likely the big "Swing into Spring" promotion where someone can win "Rent Free For life" starting April 1 and lasting until June 30. It is on their Facebook page.
Swing into Spring? What a great idea, have a drawing for 3 free rents for life! All you have to do is be over 55 and tour a HRC building by June 30th! Oh, sorry, are you a resident? a former resident? the grandmother of a $8.00 an hour dishwasher at the HRC building? So sorry, thanks for playing but you don't qualify for the big prize, we are going to award the prizes to complete strangers that happened to stumble in for some free ice cream last month. A big Party in May, you can win one of the hundreds of left over cruise vouchers from last year that are about to expire, another genius marketing program. To all the residents of HRC communities- give your notice to move, maybe they will offer you some free rent to stay, or a cruise on the SS. HRCFIGTITANIC! I hope all of you managers and marketers at HRC buildings enjoy giving the thousands of tours, entering the info into your DI system or YGL, for all of those "qualified" leads that surely aren't just there for the SWAG and a chance at a Life Sentence in a Holiday Facility. (they used to be communities) I will be busy actually moving qualified, value seeking older adults into my lovely communities!
Well, bully for you! You and your lovely company are definitely "mo-bettah."
Thank you, I happen to think so.... one more thing a prediction about the winners of the free rent for life, they will all be well above 90 years of age and have some type of "condition"
Thank you for your kind words of encouragement.
Residents have their own contest and they can win free rent for life. Get the facts straight.
Prove it!- post the actual document, the other big question is? Who will pay the taxes? The "winner" will be paying taxes on the "prize" and the IRS may assess the taxes on the full 300k that the prize is valued at. Here is a suggestion for the 74% Occupied HRC- focus more on grass roots and less on gimmicks.
Swing into Spring
CURRENT RESIDENT FREE RENT FOR LIFE GIVEAWAY
Resident Appreciation Activities: April 1 – April 30, 2010
Giveaway Drawing: Week of April 19, 2010
Winner Announced: Week of April 26, 2010
CURRENT RESIDENT GIVEAWAY OVERVIEW
Holiday Retirement is nothing without our residents. They aren’t just the reason we’re in business. They’re the reason we love the business we’re in!
We’re taking the Holiday Touch to a whole new level this spring for current residents, with an addition to our Swing into Spring promotion created especially for seniors currently living in a Holiday Retirement Community. All Holiday residents on record as of March 31, 2010 will be automatically entered into a giveaway drawing, through which one lucky resident will receive free rent for life!
This resident giveaway has no strings attached. Simply put, it is our gift to all current residents; a way to say, “thank you,” to every senior that chooses to call Holiday home. The winner of this current resident giveaway will be drawn the week of April 19th and announced the week of April 26th.
To honor the winning resident, Home Office will coordinate with the Community Management Team of the winning resident’s Community to plan (and pay for!) an exciting celebration dinner the week of April 26th. At this dinner, CEO Jack Callison will be in attendance, to dine with the residents and join in the festivities. The winning resident will be announced at the end of the dinner, at which time Jack Callison will give a speech and present the resident with a certificate for free rent for life!
Thats great, so the minimum expectation for this event is 1 move out saved and 3 new residents, all at the low low low cost of 1.2 million dollars! FIG investors should cut and run.
FIG could have spent the money on advertising, I suppose. But instead, they banked on this $1.2MM sweepstakes in hopes of generating lots of new leads that will tour the 300+ communities during Q2. They figure that if each community can average 50 new leads from this campaign, and the company-wide 1:10 ratio of move-in to tours holds true, that would eventually produce 1,500 new residents at a cost of $800 each. We wish FIG and their investors well.
last word.
From what we hear Fortress is trying to refinance,that might be the April conversation,looking back that was to be the start of the GM program that is almost dead.
Well, it's been awhile since I have been on here.
Sorry to rile so many folks up. I guess my questions are, why are they all of the sudden hiring new co-managers? I know all about census, being in the Medical Facilities Dept., and Building Director for two Nursing Homes.
When I first started reading, all I saw were negative posts. The reason I came on this blog was to find some positive things about this company. I don't want to be setup for failure due to the economy we have right now. I have no idea what the co-managers job description is. All I know is we are expected to do 75% marketing. I can sell anything I feel is a good product, but to hear so many bad things, I don't know what to think. Are they firing a lot of people, or are they just quitting? Thank you, and sorry once again. I will lay back, and hopefully I will know more about what's going on.
Sheema
It's not that they are suddenly hiring co-managers, they have always (at least in the last several years) been hiring managers. When we were hired as co-managers we asked the same questions. Why so much turnover. We were told that it was due to the age most of the couples are hired at. That they are close to retirement and they take the job thinking it will be easy and find out it is not. Well..... I did not find that to be the case. The turnover seems more to be due to the the fact that the hours they expect the managers to work is unbelievable. Also the "touch" that we as managers who work with the residents want to give the way we are told when we are hired is not possible with the conditions the company puts on the managers. Also if they are now telling new people that you are going to spend 75% of your time marketing please ask who is going to manage the dining room? who is going fill in for the waitstaff when they don't show up? who is going to be the dishwasher or cook when they don't show up? who is going to answer the e-calls in the middle of the night? who is going to manage the kitchen when you don't have a chef? who's going to manage the houkeeping staff? who is going to wait on the residents and answer all of there endless wants when you are spending your 75% time marketing?
"...who is going to wait on the residents and answer ALL OF THEIR ENDLESS WANTS when you...?"
This [emphasis in caps mine] tells me a lot about your particular view of "the touch."
I did not get the same feeling from the comment as you did. There are times when the wants of the residents do seem endless. When you are off duty and sitting outside as residents go strolling by they have no hesitancy in approaching you with a need. When it is three o'clock in the morning and you are enroute to a resident's apartment for the fourth time to explain once again that there is no one sitting on their bed keeping them awake by talking to them - it does seem endless.
I was drawn only to the writer's superlative use of the word endless, whereas you do qualify its use with "seem".
Incidentally, I can relate to your anecdotal account of responding four times to a resident being kept awake by an imaginary person sitting on their bed. This would warrant a note in the logbook and mentioned of it to the family. It's symptomatic of UTI and readily treatable. Far more often than not the resident could be treated and back to her normal rational self in a matter of days.
The negative folks that are writing are sour heads who don't really want to work and complaint about everything. If things are as bad as they say why don't they quit and find something they like. My wife and I have been doing this far longer than most or all of you and yes its a challenge, but its rewarding also when you look at a senior and see their smiles because you have help them or done something for them. Judge for yourself and don't let all these die hard complainers prevent you from checking out HOLIDAY. Yes the company sold and the new owners want to make money(don't we all)so they're making some changes. If we all hang in there it will get better and you will be happier for it.
Boy,you're living in a dream world,Holiday will never get the Touch back until Fortress,care's about people..
My wife and I are considering employment with Holiday as Community Mgrs. Needless to say, after reading all this we have serious doubts. We would most likely be in the South area -Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico. She is 58, I'm 59. I have extensive corporate andentrepreneurial background. I got out of the corp environment because I refused to manage or be managed in an intimidating atmosphere. Is there even any point to going for an interview?
Hi everyone! Have you seen the latest job posting for Holiday???
--Night Front Desk Manager, Fri + Sat: earn extra $, college student or experienced--
Just saw this over on Monster.com.
--About the Job
Night owls, here is your opportunity to earn extra income and join an incredibly successful, growing hospitality company!
Holiday Retirement owns and operates over 300 retirement communities in North America. Recently acquired by Fortress Investment Group, Holiday is a well capitalized and stable organization with over $800 million of annual revenues, $6 billion of assets and over 10,000 associates. Under the direction of new management, the company plans to double in size in the near future.
As a Front Desk/Resident Services Manager for an assigned Holiday Community, you will work onsite from 9pm to 7am on Friday and Saturday to maintain the smooth running of our nighttime operations.
Ideally, you'll have experience in a Front Office role in hospitality, but if you have the right mix of customer service ability, basic office skills and integrity, we are open to all types of backgrounds, including college students!--
I like the part that says they are going to double in size!
You have to check out the link below for this "Hospitality Company":
http://holidaytouch.jobinfo.com/description.lasso?adid=22695
Very interesting!!!!!
How does a tiny company with one facility grow to become a multi-billion-dollar industry leader with over 300 locations in North America? Simple: we're nice.
It might sound trite, but Holiday Retirement has built a global brand and the #1 industry success story on the basis of being nice: we treat our customers (our residents) better than anyone else and it is reflected in our bottom line success.
While others may provide facilities for senior living, we provide an enriching lifestyle that is so much more. We treat each and every resident with the respect and dignity they deserve. In fact, our entire business is built upon earning our residents' trust every day. That is "The Holiday Touch."
We are nice???????????????
Don't ask that question to many residents or current and former employees.
What a load of horse crap
back to previous post last month. regarding the RD (BLS) and activities director. does columbia , MO sound familar? do you know if there were any repercussions or discipline regarding that matter? seems like that is an ethical issue the home office might clean up if it was widely known about?
he was married 5 children. she was married and had a son. he was transferred. they got divorces and married.
"... a well capitalized and stable organization...". Then why aren't they stable enough to have paid dividends the last two years?
This ad is actually very funny. Work from 9pm to 7am. Let's look at this again. It is 9pm and al the duties are hopefully done for the day. The residents are in their apartments, tucked in for the night and all staff have left the building. Maybe a few residents are playing cards or games in the activity room. If there are no E-calls during the night just exactly what will the Night Front Desk Manager do until 7am the next morning? Possibly homework if it is a college student. Perhaps sleep the night away while being paid?
This could be a very interesting situation for a job. Do you report to work in your pajamas and bring your own pillows? I love it!
Conduct tours - between 9pm and 7am? - now that should keep you busy when some homeless person wants to come in for a tour and a bite to eat.
OK Holiday Retirement - it's past time to pull your head out of the sand and take a look around.
This position was created with the General Manager position (both off-premises) in communities where the company is unable to recruit a 2nd live-in couple. This overnight Manager and the 1 live-in couple would report to the General Manager who would be responsible for the entire community. The GM schedule would be Tue-Sat, the live-in couple would work Sun-Thu, and the overnight Manager covers Fri-Sat.
When this position was first conceptualized, I asked my District Managing Director the same question. His answer was that this part-time, graveyard shift Manager would be available for E-Calls while keeping administrative tasks caught-up for the Community Managers during their 2-days off, such as A/R, A/P, Payroll, ordering supplies, etc. I found this quite hysterical since there would be no one around to assist them should any questions arise regarding any administrative tasks.
I would love to hear how this is working out from anyone working in a community where this organizational model is in place. To me, it's just another home office "idea-of-the-week" that sounds good on paper but will not work in the real world.
They are going to allow a part-time person working two nights a week to handle A/R, A/P, Payroll, ordering supplies? Sure they are! They have extreme difficulty as it is just finding managers who will properly instruct co-managers to do the same thing. One of my favorite stories is about hearing a manager tell a co-manager (in front of a DM) that they had been there for several months and that was long enough that the Cos should know everything. The DM quickly ascertained the Cos had never been taught procedures or allowed to practice them. Those Cos were transferred to another location, the managers loaded a rental van, and life went on.
I can't begin to visualize how disconcerting it could be for a resident when this part-time weekend night manager responds to an E-call.
Bad idea, poorly thought out!
Agreed, especially since the overnight manager and the residents will never have an opportunity to get to know each other. The overnight manager will only be on duty when the residents are sleeping and will never meet the residents, pour them coffee, or have any interaction with them other than an e-call in the middle of the night. So much for making the residents feel safe and secure.
This is truly the "Night Auditor Position" in the Hotel Industry. The only difference is that usually the hotel does not have "frequent" 911 emergencies in the p.m. & early a.m. hours! They should had posted for a P/T EMT and BOOKKEEPER! The average night auditor is not up for the 911 duties! And to be alone for this duty, eek.... What happened to the need to have "2" people available - one to answer the call & stay with the resident, and the other to open the front door, give directions & call the family?
Any posted P/T EMT requirement would imply certain added liability on the part of HRC/FIG.
I offer that for the same reason that management team members have never been afforded nor required to take CPR/First Aid training. This'll never happen -- Unless, of course, HRC and Brookdale were to be combined.
Then again, I might not rule that out, either, given recent evidence of some erratic management decisions made by this gang already.
Night owls, here is your opportunity to earn extra income and join an incredibly successful, growing hospitality company!
Wow! Hospitality company? Holy mother of God Bill is rolling in his grave.
Welcome to HOLIDAY HOTELS.
We will leave the lights on for you.
Our nightly rate is 75.00 including breakfast however we will give you 3 months Free stay and then instead of charing you 75.00 per night for that 2 bed room apartment, you can have that same apartment for 45.00 a night .......
BECAUSE WE ARE NICE!!!!!!!!!!!
Double in size? That will happen- when HRC merges with Brookdale!
Probably will happen...........
Thank all of you, I think we are going to bail on this as well. With the job market the way it is, they will have no problem replacing folks who don't get 3 move-ins per week. I will continue looking elsewhere. Thanks again............Sheema
Sheema
Allow me to offer the following: Please understand that there is a difference between what was and what now is. Under no circumstances would I deign to advise someone NOT to seek employment with Holiday Retirement. What I hope this blog does do is give anyone contemplating going to work for them the information which allows the prime questions to be asked in order to make an informed decision - no more and no less.
Every comment written on here offers up information which can be helpful. If you accept a job offer with them knowing the requisites then you do so with both eyes open, knowing what to expect and what exactitudes are expected of you. It is the unspoken items which you are not aware of which can make a job more difficult when reckoning day sneaks up on you. It is my hope the blog offers the means to make a transition easier because of the knowledge available on here.
I will state once again that there are very few actual "negative'" comments written. As Achmed wrote - it is about THE PASSION. You just might find it a perfect employment, especially with your background.
Is your personality, and that of your spouse, able to withstand being "second fiddle" for some time and learning new things which you may find go against your nature? Lastly, I would offer for you to always have walking money available - it gives you an important edge. Good luck and best wishes.
I 100% agree with this entire statement that DL wrote here.
Hi ,
a couple of comments I wrote weren't posted. any reason why?
No idea. I went into the controls where I have (1) Approved, (2) Pending Approval, (3) Spam, (4) Deleted. There are no comments under anonymous which show. All comments are automatically approved for publishing without any other action by me. Mayhap you did not click the submit comment box. I have no clue. Post a comment and just type Testing. I will remove it once it shows up. Thanks.
We lost two good one this week folks. While Sharon (RD South Florida) and Kelly (RD Dallas) were both hires of the new Holiday regime (this would mean after Jack Callison but before Stan Brown) they both got it and treated residents and employees in a way one would want to be treated. I normally refer to it as the golden rule. Maybe we can get one of the two to weigh in on what drove them away from the company or better yet, who and why?
So sad. I don't know the particular issues with each but let's just say neither wanted to stay and both wanted Holiday to be their new home and a place where they could grow within their role. When they came to the company I thought both had MD potential...but that would not really be possible since they're both women AND clearly Holiday (the new company) does not promote women to positions of importance within the field....unless of course you're speaking of the newly dummied down role of DSM which is currently fielded by Martha Smith and Shamim WU who best as I can tell are doing massive amounts of paperwork and managing APFM you've got leads program (they pull the leads down for the MD, forward them to the RD who forwards them to the RSL who forwards them to the CM who reports back to the RSL who reports back to the RD who reports back to the MD)at 6 figure salaries. Really?
Have we really arrived at this point?
http://holidaytouch.jobinfo.com/public/description.lasso?jid=9900931&-session=holidaytouchApply:60E77C0A09f062C018Wlx25B56CB
Check this ad on the Holiday FIG website for community managers in New England, where I know for a fact there are at least four buildings that only have one set of managers who have been working by themselves for weeks on end. In one building, new co-managers left after a week.
I especially like this:
A Day in the Life
First off, no two days are the same. The Community follows a general schedule, but you'll need to expect the unexpected on a daily basis. Community Lead Managers and Co-Managers work out staggered and overlapping shifts to ensure complete coverage. Depending on your shift, your day may include many of the following activities.
6:45 AM: Walk the property inside and out to look for anything that needs attention, like a broken sprinkler.
7:00 AM: Make a fresh pot of coffee for the early birds.
7:30 to 8:30 AM: Help serve breakfast. Meals are a special time for socializing at each Community, and you'll help at breakfast, lunch and dinner by pouring coffee, replenishing service carts or contributing in other ways. If a server (or any other staff member) calls in sick, you may fill in.
8:30 to 11:30 AM: Conduct marketing activities such as answering phone calls or taking prospective residents and their families on a tour. Often during a tour the current residents will do the marketing for you, introducing themselves to the guests and letting them know how much they enjoy the Holiday lifestyle.
12 noon to 1 PM: Help out with lunch.
1 PM to 5:30 PM: Assist with activities. Most organized activities take place in the afternoons, such as WiiTM bowling, educational lectures, outings and much more. While the Enrichment Coordinator facilities these activities, we'll look to you to play an active role as well.
5:30 to 6:30 PM: Help with dinner.
6:30 to 9 PM: Schedule staff, process AR or AP paperwork, handle human resources issues, and more.
9 PM: Lock up the building.
Don't be scared by the 6:45 AM to 9 PM day - the hours will be shared by you and another management team or another General Manager, with staggered schedules. However, all managers are on-call 24 hours for emergencies. You may go for three weeks without an emergency call and then get three in one night - that is just part of the role.
I think they are on some serious drugs. This goes so against what the reality is that I have to laugh. Thank god we got out.
Lets see! They forgot at least 100 DI calls a week need to be made, cookie drops at least 8. Oh! at least 8 community visits.. Checking the empties to make sure they are clean. purchasing items need for activities, maintenance, housekeeping and the kitchen... getting residents back into their apartments after they have lock themselves out, fixing tv's after residents have hit the wrong button on the remote, weekly staff meetings... and whatever else I've forgotten... like broken water pipes in the middle of the night... letting people in who have forgotten the door code after the front door is locked at night....
Clearly Salem does not know what we do as community managers!!!!
I would just like to share this statement. I am not intending for it be to replied to or to catch grief over it. It is just a simple statement.
I trained as a GSM in Salem and had the opportunity to meet Kai and have him participate in the program being rolled out to us. If I can take one memory away about Kai was that he stood up for the CMT and personally ensured that any attempt to comment on what "may" be going on at the communities was stopped. He ensured that we knew that we would be working with managers that worked very hard and cared very much. It saddens me that people that have made comments about so many others that work at the Home Office and their names run through the mud by disgruntled current and former associates of Holiday.
I would like to close with this. I have been following this blog since last year. Many of your statements have validity. I have witnessed and personally experienced some no so great Holiday moments.
I am not on your side nor against you. I simply could no longer keep seeing all of the hatred and horrible comments made about people anymore.
Good comment and I thank you. I must say I noticed no "hatred" in any of the comments. Have I missed something?
Strong feelings do occasionally surface, but primarily because of the new direction Holiday appears to be taking at the loss of The Touch. Whenever an open and free speech concept exists it is a prime to let the 'flow' develop naturally. This oft entails a fine line when it comes to human nature. Overall I would say those who have commented, for the most part, have displayed a high degree of professionalism and control.
My wife and I have been away from Holiday some sixteen months now - yet the feelings are still strong. When this blog was started it was potentially something which might be around only a short time. Now it is obvious it will be a viable for several years.
I take the time once each week to read every comment posted since the beginning. I will honestly state a deep seated pride in knowing I am a small part of such a collection of great caring people. Can this blog make, or cause, a difference in any manner? The answer is a resounding YES! From an earlier comment it is obvious home office is following along with us. Remember the company legal-eagles claiming the blog is "biased" and "not correct"?
The buck stops at the FIG share-holders, but it also lays proprietary claim to Jack R. Callison Jr. because he has the authority to determine what takes place. Everything and everyone below Callison happens simply because he so chooses. As long as Jack Callison pays only lip service to a concept then it will continue to deteriorate. Apparently the company hired new publicists to re-write the hype put forth in the ads. The hype, no matter how phrased, will not put residents into buildings to the point of filling them. To do this will always take the tried-and-true method of SHOWING by daily actions that the respect and caring is there.
I realize the day will come when Callison will take his monies, shares, bonuses - and walk away to another position with a different company. This is only a probable stepping stone for him, not a permanent home. It is the nature of the position inherent.
Whether he leaves behind a better, more stable company or a shambles - is his decision.
Thank you for a well worded and thought provoking comment. It is appreciated.
Yes, it's free speech, but some of the comments on this blog are filled with hate and bitterness. Here are just a few examples.
1/7/2010 10:45 PM Achmed wrote:
or is he "that" stupid and does not realize what all of his "inmates"...ooooops..sorry I meant team players
a looser (sic) like Callison
I hope so badly that Callison has parents in one of the worst Holiday building in the system.
1/29/2010 9:48 PM HR Veteran wrote:
Mike Lively could only be loved by Salem and his mother.
2/15/2010 3:33 AM Rafiel wrote:
Mr.What sounds like a reject from a dishwashing position at McDonalds somewhere.
2/11/2010 10:44 AM everydayisaholiday wrote:
He's the kind the would sell his own mother if he thought it would get him higher up the corporate ladder.
8/25/2009 8:35 PM rudrunk wrote:
Joe G is not honorable, I don'y (sic) understand how you can make these statements when you have had such limited exposure to him. Joe G is all about Joe G, he is self serving, his wife is nuts and bart for that matter is a mental midget.
12/10/2009 3:12 AM fromtheinside wrote:
What a lowdown snake in the grass Jack Callison is and his henchman led by Stan Brown and Edwin Zephrin.
This one really bugs me since it's showing contempt for our residents
1/10/2010 7:17 PM Frustrated With FIG wrote:
Each and every day, you get to listen to the endless complaints of ‘My food isn’t hot enough, we’re out of creamer at our table and it’s too cold in the dining room’.
And here are a few that exhibit blatant racial discrimination, a clear example of hate speech
1/11/2010 8:49 AM Anonymous wrote:
Clearly he comes from a 3rd world country because he has brought in more indian chiefs than even Stan Brown.
12/2/2009 6:13 PM my2sense wrote:
When you look at the current structure of the company the entire leadership team is male with the exception of the HR VP who is black and a chain smoker.
(which btw makes no sense. the poster seems to be saying that if you're black and a chain smoker you're not male)
12/26/2009 10:58 PM ontheinside wrote:
The Asian Wonder who has singlehandedly begun to run this company like a convenience store.
If the truth hurts you! Maybe you should stop reading this blog. I think you are adding more to what you are reading here. There is no hateful comments made that is directed or spoken to a certain person just our thoughts of what is happening and a way to vent.... If the "venting" is perceived as hateful or negative perhaps you want to undergo a little self-awareness and check your own receptors that are receiving the message.... Now you may take this as hateful but it's freedom of speech!
Really? You say "there is (sic) no hateful comments made that is (sic) directed or spoken to a certain person" with a straight face? In just the examples given above, people have made derogatory comments about Jack, Kai, Edwin, Joe, Mike, and Stan. (Not to mention the hateful comment about resident complaints.) Do you really not see that?
STOPTHEMADNESS...Although I agree with you that this blog has proven to be an excellent venue for both former and current Holiday Retirement employees to vent their frustrations and bitterness with the executive management of HRC and it's direction, I believe there is a very good point being made here. There is no need to freely state one's opinions at the expense of belittling anyone else. Even though the examples of previous entries posted above by Another Anonymous do not contain any vulgarity, they are littered with insults, name calling, and negative characterizations. I believe we can all make our point without hurling insults at others, including residents, by simply sticking with the facts. We should exercise our freedom of speech responsibly while demonstrating respect and courtesy towards others regardless of our personal feelings towards them.
Thank you for pointing this out. Such comments are the very reason I hesitate to post on this blog. I had been reading it silently for some time and find much of it interesting and honest, but many times I am brought to cringe by both the arrogance, ignorance, and carelessness of speech here.
I would like to respond to your statement. I work with Kai as well and never in my experience with him have I even remotely see a hint of what you suggest. Granted, I believe his most recent bout with cancer has caused him to be a slightly nicer version of himself, but it is my experience he has treated CMT's, staff and RSL's with indifference, snide behavior and a superior attitude. I'm not disgruntled and I do beleive you have a valid point in some ways. I think what you see is the passion in the greatest generation ever; one that most of our CMT's come from. They know and recognize the sacrifices which have been made by our residents and feel distressed and disappointed by the lack of connection to them. Something else for you to think about is that Kai is and has been the architect of many of these failed programs. Kai is also the architect of the poor compensation plan the CMT's have worked under in teh past years. Kai is also the architect of the compensation plan for the RSL's who are approximately 50% underpaid compared to their peers in other companies. The reality is that most of the bad we have seen implemented since S. Bauer's days in the company have been a result of Kai. Take a moment and check in with the people of Resident Relations and get their heads up on Kai's warm and friendly approach to our residents who are already in the community.
Thank you for your comments. I think you have a good point...I just don't think you really know Kai Hsiao who is truly part of the ruin of this once upon a time really good company.
BTW, your program is short lived. I hoe you are looking for a job as well. When they drop the program you won't even be able to have a conversation with Kai.
Has anyone heard are there more new co's in a hotel being trained? We were told one of the new couple's that just completed training has already left.They were not happy with the apartment they were given and the job was not what they were expecting. I would like to see how long, they will last!
We were told that the new co's are being trained in a hotel in S. Carolina, and all they are being trained on is cleaning and marketing.
Sadly, it is true that some of them have come through like that. They needed bodies fast. Everyone is getting out as soon as they can.
Regionals & above who don't know how to do the job themselves training people about a fantasy-like job. Very different reality. The stuff they are being told is, beyond marketing, sales, and more marketing, so vastly different than the actual job that it's beyond ridiculous. The training and information given to these people is seriously lacking.
I feel sick just giving a tour now. I feel like a hypocrite. As soon as we can, we are out of here. We'll pray for our residents as we leave them in the good Lord's hands. We hate to think of them in the hands of this new breed of sales manager/coffee pourer.
Sounds like you are referring to the set of co's that came to the building I work in..if it is..they lasted 3 whole hours. They were shown the apartment by a set of visiting mgrs, they ate breakfast and went outside to wait on the moving truck to show up, when it did, they hopped in their car and left, calling the RD a few days later to say it wasn't what they were led to believe. Really? You mean Holiday blew smoke up someones ass?? As I watched them pull out of the parking lot I could only think, "Another one bites the dust.." Then finding out that they are training new mgrs in a hotel room and they cant figure out why half of the class quit half way through the training. Again, REally?
Can anybody tell me what exactly "A Place for Mom" will be doing for Holiday Retirement? If Holiday is turning over all the DI card to APFM, what is APFM getting out of it? Are they going to give those leads also to their other partners or is APFM now only going to work for Holiday Retirement? I also wonder if APFM is going to charge Holiday Retirement the 70% of the first month's rent for any of the leads that Holiday turned over to them as fee when one of those leads turns out to move into a community that had the DI card in the first place?
Anybody have any details about this, please share?
Thank you
So here we are, nearly 5 years with the company, and alone for the last 4 months. We find out this week that we're getting new co managers, fresh from their own B&B. To hear our wet behind the ears new regional describe them, they sound like the next greatest thing since shoes. The way his eyes glass over when he talks about them leaves little doubt in our minds. After we train them, our usefulness will be done.
As a precaution, we've armed ourselves with resident's current rental rates and phone numbers and have spoken to our contemporaries in 4 of the competing communities within a 40 mile radius of our building. We figure between the incentives they are willing to offer and our resident's anger at how we think we're going to being treated, we should be able to move between 20 and 40 (if not more) resident's out and into better places than Holiday buildings. So go ahead Jack, show us the door because we've outlived our usefulness. With the money we make off all the referrals, we should be able to take the rest of the year off while we look for another retirement community to work for. One that cares about it's employees and it's residents and more importantly, is run by people who understand the business and realize that if you put your residents first, the rest will fall into place
I believe you will be sadly mistaken by the reaction of your residents. They may not be happy, but don't expect them to move. When I was a manager I truly felt I was there for the residents and they were not there for me. It is troublesome that you would use the residents for your purposes. I'm sorry but I have a problem with that. Do I stand alone on this?
I am in agreement with Concerned on this one. We all know residents do not like change and they don't take it well however they live at a Holiday building and that is their "home". They may tell you that they will move if you and your husband were to leave but in reality they will not move. It is their "home".
Certain residents like some controversy as it will give them attention. Please do not think that the seniors are stupid. They play “the game” all too well and know very well that if they threaten to move out, Holiday will do anything to keep them even if Holiday has to lower the rent to keep them and the residents (for the most part) know this. They talk amongst each other and spread rumors or they will create rumors to get attention.
My suggestion is this, observe who these residents are that are telling you they will move out if or when Holiday let’s both of you go. If these are the same residents that also will tell you little secrets but you are not to tell anyone, trust me those are the same ones who will create rumors where there is none thus they will not move no matter where you go. The residents will love you as long as you are there but the moment someone new comes in they will love them to. Sorry.
I think you are mistaken in your assumption that FIG will do anything to keep current residents. They would not negotiate with residents in my old building who could not afford rent increases. The attitude was to move them out because they would find someone (albeit at the higher market rent) to take their place.
Uh, how's that working for you?
I can only tell you that in the past 4 months, my Regional Director has approved rent discounts and/or rent freezes for 7 residents in our community that threatened to move-out because they could not afford their new rent increases. All a resident has to do is say that cannot afford to continue living in a Holiday community when they receive their Rent Increase Notice, and my RD will make a deal faster than green grass goes through a goose.
I would normally agree with you but not in the current climate. I've always likened the residents to cats when it came to switching managers or co managers. They don't care who owns them as long as they are fed and their liter boxes changed once and a while. Many times over the years we've been the subject of teary farewell parties and hosted such parties for outgoing managers......pledging eternal friendship and promises to faithfully write were common among the residents. Then after a couple of months go by the same managers become Bob and Cindy....Who?. I've seen residents look at outgoing managers addresses and phone numbers posted on bulletin boards and ask "who are they"? When reminded, they'll reply with a faint nod and a "oh yeah, I remember them now"
We suffer no delusions that even our staunchest supporters would soon forget about us once we're gone. However, now is different. The residents and their families are really fed up with the yearly rate hikes and diminishing services. They're angry that we've been left alone so long and they're not angry just because we've been working so hard. Heck, some of them don't even care, they're angry because they were told that there would be 2 sets of managers on premises at all times and they're not getting their monies worth with just us here. They're blaming corporate for the diminished services and under staffing and they want better for their money.
I'm well aware how the residents play the rotating managers game and how loath they are to make a move but the climate is ripe for them to leave. We are no longer the best deal in town.
I must also take exception with the statement that we are using the residents for our own purposes. We may pick up a little referral money on the side but I firmly believe we are offering the residents a chance at a better lifestyle for their money by placing them with some of our competitors. They seem to have the integrity that Holiday sorely lacks now. Not to mention the fact that things will certainly get worse for current residents before HRC ends up in the toilet for good. I've been involved with big corporations most of my adult life and have never seen one that's run as poorly as Holiday pull out and survive.
So be it. I stand by my statement. You threatened Jack that you would move out residents if you were fired. That says a lot.
"...Alone for the last 4 months..."? Unbelievable! There is absolutely no valid excuse for that - none at all.
There are at least three buildings in the east where this is the reality. Sad but true.
It has only been managed through the loving support off our staff. From every area of the building they have offered personal time to help cover phones and handle resident problems. They've even stayed in the guest room to give us the occasional night off. Some residents have even pitched in, helping to pour coffee and tea in the morning so we could get a couple extra hours of sleep. Of course, all this goes against "the rules" and I'm sure we'll be made to "pay the piper" for trying to maintain our sanity and the integrity of the building. There will be no tribute or reward for what we've done these past 4 months. If what we hear about the current batch of trainees is true, they will arrive carrying the new FIG torch and have instructions straight from corporate on how to fix our buildings. I'm sorry to feel this way about folks I've never met but with this blog in existence, who the hell would sign on now anyway? Either A) they don't read English
This posting is made by the lawyers representing the plaintiffs and the class in the Decarr v. Holiday Retirement case. Due to a number of inquiries we have received from potential class members, the purpose of this posting is to provide readers what is available in the public record and can be found in the complaint filed in Superior Court.
Allegations in the complaint:
In the complaint, plaintiffs allege that they were employed by Holiday retirement as "Co-Managers" and typically worked twelve (12) to sixteen (16) hour shifts. Some weeks they worked more than five (5) days (as many as all seven) because the on-site manager was either on vacation or otherwise unavailable. They were also typically "on call" at least (4) four nights each week and were required to respond to various calls during the evening.
With respect to job duties, plaintiffs allege they were responsible for opening and closing the retirement facility, acting as food servers/cooks/dishwashers as needed, ensuring residents' needs were always met, performing marketing tasks, giving tours of the facility, and processing bills to be paid. Plaintiffs also allege that they answered to the on-site managers of the facility and were always subject to the on-site managers' judgment and discretion.
Plaintiffs allege that they and the other members of the class did not meet any test required under California law to be exempt from the payment of overtime. In addition, plaintiffs alleged that they did not receive regular rest periods or meal breaks.
Plaintiffs seek damages, restitution, waiting time penalties, pre-judgment interest, an accounting, injunctive relief, attorneys fees, and costs.
***************************************
The above posting settles any questions about the actuality of a suit. If you have any questions contact Barron E. Ramos at barron@yourclasscounsel.com dlcharles
My wife and I called Mr. Ramos before we met with the two witches of Salem who had requested a sit down. They were an hour late, but came with smiles, forms and a check cut for $1000 each. Mr. Ramos advised us the the case has merit. They claimed that it it didn't and would take years to settle (also not true according to Mr. Ramos). When I told them that $1000 wouldn't even begin to pay for the overtime we had to put in, and added my opinion of Holiday, their demeanor changed immediately and they left telling us we had 3 days to decide. It seems that Holiday is desperate and wants to get rid of claimants fast.
My advice---don't sign until you call Mr. Ramos or e-mail him,
I really don't see much basis for a lawsuit. Most of us (I think) were told about the possibility of much of the described schedule in the lawsuit when we signed up. Why I don't like it (especially when I am dead tired), I knew a lot of that was possible, and I knew the pay I would be receiving.
I read a lot of anger into many of the posts thus far, and hope we can keep it to the facts.
Yes, Fortress appears to be turning Holiday into a hotel company for seniors...
yes, it will catch up to them to discount the market rates (like a hotel) to fill rooms. The problem is that the current residents will hear about it eventually as the new residents are excited about their "deal" enough to share it with their new friends. Those current residents will wise up and decide to move or be given the same deal. Something the hotel gang didn't factor into their deal-making.
Yes, I still love working here. The residents make it worthwhile, our staff is well trained and work hard for the most part, our managers are hard working people who love our residents like a family. It is not perfect; it is hard, long work; but at the end of the day (even when we are on call) I go to bed with a tired smile because we feel like we were able to make a difference in the lives of an honorable generation of people.
Call me crazy - naive - ignorant... whatever, we are going to stick it out and make the best of it.
REPORT FROM SOMEWHERE IN TEXAS -- Feb. 2 MI, 8 MO; Mar. 10 MI, 0 MO; Apr. (as of the 9th) 6 MI, 0 MO.
Allow me to post a personal thought regarding the class suit.
At least one couple, obviously more, felt they were not receiving a fair shake from the company and contacted an attorney. This is/was the smart thing to do in today's world. The attorney did the research and agreed with them. Apparently the courts have also agreed that a valid complaint exists as the complaint was allowed. Whether or not the evidence proves the complaint will show itself in a court of law and decided by either a judge or a jury if it actually ends up in a trial. Now the avalanche of motions and briefs has begun with each side responding endlessly. The company will probably immediately file a motion to dismiss which the attorneys will respond to - and so on. Most likely a motion to dismiss will be included in almost every company response. I would expect both sides to file numerous amended motions as this progresses.
I must compliment the ones who initiated said action. Most people are prone to vocally expressing a complaint to friends and family, but it goes no further than this. It takes a deep conviction for someone to take the big step of legal action against a corporation. However this turns out I applaud them!
I stated much earlier in this blog, during a discussion regarding the potential merits of a class suit, that I believed such was feasible. I maintain that stance. Whether those in states other than California will be able to join in or not I do not know. I would hope it becomes possible.
Regardless of what was initially "required", "offered", or "suggested" as to the job schedule and requirements a company should be responsible, and liable, for violation of state and federal labor laws (if applicable). When a person takes (accepts) employment because they need a job often said job factors are glossed over. Questions which arise regarding the validity of such should be properly addressed, sometimes ending up in court. I look forward to a continuing appraisal regarding the journey of this case. It should prove most interesting and far reaching.
I didn't read it that way. Maybe it's because of how my husband & I are with our residents. Many of them have talked about leaving if the company continues down this path, and that our leaving would tear it for them. (These are the more independent seniors.) A few of the resident's children have found their way to this blog and come in and asked us about it. That was awkward. They have made the same statements as the residents I just mentioned. I think that many of us worry about what will happen to our residents, who are our family, with this new generation of managers. I would see them placed somewhere better if I could.
Jerry F.
I recall you were quoted as saying "Bill Colson had a retractor beam that would draw people in". I believe that was quoted by the Milwaukee Journal. I'll see if I can find the article.
DL, the quote was from an interview in the Portland Business Journal after Bill had passed away. His good will is what made it happen, I believe that Managers and Co Managers worked just as much if not more during those years as they are now, I think the difference is that those people wore that sacrifice as a badge of honor and they felt that their efforts were appreciated by the company. Look, HRC has a lot of great people today, some from the old days and some from the new company, but they appear to lack a mission, they seem to lack common sense grass roots practices and they seem to lack leadership, at least these are my observations from the blog as well as conversations with people recently with the company. I do think they have made a mistake in cutting a lot of the old company leaders along with not recruiting people from within the industry. Bill also use to say "if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then its a duck." HRC is not a hotel, it is not a retail outlet and it is not multi family apartments. HRC is the originator of senior living, and it needs to get back to its core business, or it is going to become an afterthought in the industry.
Well said. I and, I believe, the other past managers I know would agree. I guess the question is why can,t they see it?
Exchef,
I am elated that co-managers are taking up the class action lawsuit! I admit its been over a month since I last logged in and feel I am outside an inside joke...lol
But I have to say...and let be blunt.
When I was first highered to be Executive Chef, there was this big huge emphasis as the chef being the fifth manager. As first, I wondered (and alarmed) about why such emphasis was being made. But then I discovered quite quickly that in my region, chefs were being hired and fired almost monthly because they didnt act on the whim of managers and co-managers. THe regional chef was hated by the managers because he firmly supported the chefs and did all that he could to back us up when our performance was questioned. So extreem was this abuse that I was one of 6 chefs hired in 6 months. Later, I was fired (regardless of the advice of the regional director and regional chef) "Holiday is going a different direction so your services are not required". To say in the least, I was devistated! But the regional made good by allowing me to be rehired the next day, and the regional chef was given permission by the Divisional chef to have another floating chef. I felt a bit vindication. In the time I worked af floating chef, I had the opportunity to work in kichen in the region and have been able to work with each co-manger and see first hand the excellent relationship that worked so well for our lovely residents. No, I have bee fighting for unemployment since August, and had plenty of meetings and testimony from current regaional Chef who is mh extimation doesnt fully activate his support, rathering, he said "that I have had to spend his first nonth putting out fires with manager because former regional chef was an "asshole"
So I went to another facility and replayed the same BS that I got from the Manager. WE CHEF SOULD SHOUT OUT THAT WE TOO WORK 13-19S PER DAY, ALL IN A STESSFULL AND HOSTILE WORKING WORKING ENVIRONMENT. In time, I ended up leaving one community because new manager/prevously co-s, were alcoholics. Spoke with Regional chef and Divisional Chef about my thoughts of stepping down to a sous chef, to get out of the pressure, and the constant threat of managers looking for replacement. Both the regaional chef and Divisional chef made such flattering, ego healing statement about me taking vacation and work as sous chef for 6 months until any one of the five new properties being opened. My new Exec Chef and I got along well. I knew my place and we both had high expectation of each other. The morale in the kitches was at the highest lever for a long time. WE both worked hard to ensure that every kitchen staff member were assigned cleaning programs, retrained all staff on temp log/production charts, & cleaning. After my 4th month at my new facility as sous chef, the executive chef and regional chef left the company. I made it known I wanted to be ExecChef. the opted for another. I no that there are chefs like me who want 2 B apart of lawsu
WOW!
It's been awhile for me since I have been on here. I had a lot of reading to catch up on. What is Fortress really doing? Do they even know what they are doing? It looks like they are changing the format on how to staff the buildings that shows me they are grasping at straws and do not know what the hell they are doing.
For the comment that was posted on here that we are posting hatred comments. Is so wrong! We speak the truth and without hatred. Most of us probably loved our jobs--especially the part of making a difference in others' lives.... but there was many flaws in the system a lack of respect, support and efficacious direction from Salem.
Fortress is like a commercial I saw, What to ride this bike, Oh Yes! NO! NO! but you can't ride it out of this small square and you will ride the way we want you too!!!
I remember a few years ago a manager in our region was a member of the "FIT" (I think that's the right term) group. Which were managers from each reason who met with people from the home office to discuss issues and come up with ideas about improvements etc. I'd be interested to know what this group thinks of the new changes. Are any of the managers here in that group, or is someone in your region? It seemed like a great way for corporate to hear our ideas.
I was not a member, but it was disbanded sometime over a year ago per a manager in our region that was a member.
I was a member from the onset. It was a good group. The idea game from Dick Glaunert as Kmart used to have something like the FIT as well. FIT brought ideas to the table that we voices by each region. Those ideas were discussed. It was never intended to be a complain center such a manager and/or co-managers complaining about their apartments or not enough help etc. etc. It was a very constructive group of people who were not afraid to speak up and were willing to bring constructive criticism to the table. Many enhancements were made to the computer programs that were requested by many communities. Occupancies, Human Resources, Manager and co-Manager retentions were discussed. Corporate people always put a great meeting together. It is such a shame that Fortress or Mr. Callison disbanded the FIT group. Perhaps if they would have kept it, he (they) might have learned something constructive and the company would not be nearly in shambles as it is now.
CAN ANYONE OUT THERE TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION SINCE RUSSELL KAUFMAN WAS LET GO. I HAVE HEARD IT IS A MESS AND DON HARRIS IS MAKING IT WORST THEN IT WAS. GOOD LUCK TO GARY THE NEW REGIONAL IS GOING WALKING INTO A MESS. SHORT MANAGERS(GOOD ONES) AND CO/MANAGERS. GOOD LUCK TO THE ONES LEFT
Happy Birthday Day Charles!!!!
Thanks. Linda and I were talking about you two this morning. Holiday lost greats when you two left.
Happy Birthday Charles
Thank you for doing such a great job with this web site. You are doing a good service for former and current employees of Holiday Retirement.
I hope you and your family have a wonderful day.
I thank you, sir. If I had known I would live this long I would have partied a lot more in my youth - and saved more money too.
I too! want to thank you for this blog and the great job it was done for all of us to be able to vent and hear what everyone has to say.
Yes there will be some that think we are to out spoken & hateful, but I really think they have not been through what some of us have with Fortress. I could tell some stories that Home office and then HR put us through that now I can laugh at, and you would laugh, and say omg! Some employees had to much time and drama and loved to stir it up.
We had the touch and we all knew that was the foundation which Holiday was build on and was slowly being demolish.
Thanks Charles, we all love you and Linda, Thanks for this blog so we can support each other and stay in touch.
Does anyone know what is happening with the GSM's who are currently doing operations training in NC for 3 weeks?
I have never wrote on this blog before and I have to say most of what I have read has come too fruitation. I understand that in the Midwest they now have GSM's in place. A pal of mine is a manager in one of the buildings. He tells me that they have a fairly new RD, a new District Manager, a new RSL and a new GSM, none of whom he thinks knows their a-- from a hole in the ground. He said their region is so short co-managers that almost anybody should be able to get a job with Holiday, if nothing else they can pour coffee. I think Holiday will see a lot more positions to fill according to him, soon because the human body can't put in the amount of time that the big wigs want them too. People will get burnt out, sick and then they will just leave. Right now my friends are just biding their time, flying under the radar, applying for work back in their home town and taking full advantage of the health insurance. They figure Holiday uses them so they will use Holiday until they can find something else.
Many of us are just hanging on. It's a bad time to be unemployed, so just quiting is not an option. In CA. new co-managers must have a sales background or they are not hired. It's not good!!! Many managers without co's and many co's without managers. No help in sight. When people begin to collapse from exhaustion and collect workman's comp maybe things will change...
CA this is the back bone of the suite against Harvest management. Good luck with everything you enjoy.
I enjoyed working with the residents, the staff, and some of the management. Just didn't like what Holiday was doing to the residence.
It all about the love, the touch was the just a small part of it.
My wife and I were co-managers in Redding, California for about a year. We were approached this afternoon by a pair of Holiday representatives pushing settlement checks in our faces and asking us to sign a release. I was informed about a class action lawsuit against Holiday alleging that co-managers were not allowed to perform manager duties and should have been paid as hourly employees. We turned them down as our experience supports the lawsuit 100%. Does anyone know the name (and possibly contact information) for the law firm behind this lawsuit?
Barron E. Ramos - email: barron@yourclasscounsel.com
1-888-698-3814
We've read most of the posts. Thinking about coming on with Holiday. Can anyone give any insight to the RD's or BLS in the Texas area? Any insight would be much appreciated.
Thinking about joining:
Go for it! Everything written on here underscores the personal uplift experienced by each of us because of the interaction with the residents. You know what to expect and whether you are up to the task.
It is just after 10:00am here and I am stalling a little before opening my woodcraft shop. Let me share something with you guys.
When my wife and I spent the week at Leadership Academy in Salem we came back with some fantastic memories and life-lasting feelings. Denny had his camera clicking pictures probably twenty-four hours a day. When the mail brought our packets of material from Salem after our return, included was a cd of the week. Denny and Nancy had taken all the pictures and burned an album for each of us.
Last night I watched it for the second time since we received it. What a great group of loving, caring, fun-filled people were there for our learning experience. Any company which can gather so many together in one place has potential. Why Holiday stopped this training seminar is beyond me. It didn't cost the company life-threatening expenses. What it did was empower those whose fervor was fading or burning low. Even now, after about eighteen months, what my wife and I experienced there stays with us and we use parts of the training in everything we do on a daily basis.
Both my wife and I are employed even though we also draw old age social security and private pensions. The company I work for paid me a nice compliment recently. Someone had spoken positively to the personnel manager about my interactions with customers and co-workers. The personnel manager responded that the company wished they could clone me and put one of me in each department. Funny, isn't it? But beneath the humour is a fact. What Holiday Retirement Leadership Academy gave to each of us in a single week was cloneable in a way. We all came away with a new self-awareness of our potential and how it could affect others. This awareness does not cease simply because we left Holiday and the residents. It is there and always will be! It is something called THE TOUCH - and because of that single week it settled so deep inside each of us it cannot be taken away.
That wasn't the first, or the only, leadership training experienced by most of us - but there was something different about it. I believe the difference was because of the loving conviction displayed by the home office staff we came in contact with. They enjoyed training us and they believed in what they told us - and it showed!
For this I thank you Holiday Retirement!
Hey Charles, we did not get the cd is there anyway you could make us a copy or send the pictures to my e-mail. I would gladly pay for it... I would love to relive that week.
Email me at thefreebornman@yahoo.com with your mailing address and I will be glad to send you a copy. It is complete with music and 907 mb in size. Much too long to attempt putting online or emailing. Hey, remember the guy who sounded just like Elvis? And you guys looked good on the riverboat cruise.
We thank HRC for all the great times we had at leadership, training and regional meetings. We do not lose what they gave to us by training and trusting us to do a huge job. The leadership week was so rewarding and we have used the experiences over the years in marketing the total company. Thanks again for all the great times and friends we made. We hope the new HRC will do something for their mgs and Cos. It has been a gift to us over the time we have worked for HRC. Thanks Again
For all of you that are no longer with Holiday, please join the Holiday Group page for Alumni...
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=63157984760
Great place to keep in touch....!!!!
I tried to log on. It kept telling me that my email was not a known address, although I use it daily.
Jerry F.
Remember I told you your competitors would quickly copy your resident video idea because it was so great? Well, Holiday's new website has it already (http://www.holidaytouch.com) . Your site with the actual voices of the speakers is perfect and they didn't manage this upgrade. They still have the burying tree, but it is a lot smaller and less obvious. It appears they found a talented source this time. A very nice site! I like the Executive Team photos and bios. Go Holiday!
Will it work? Now that is a horse of a different color.
Their site is much improved, still the use of stock images is over done, but way better. Will it work? in my 15 plus years of selling and marketing senior living services I am of the opinion that websites, brochures, advertising, etc. do not rent units, people do. It is easy to fall in love with the marketing side of the business, but if the sales side is weak the wheels will continue to spin. At RLC we don't have promotions and specials, the only special we offer is the finest retirement living experience available, and that offer never expires.
JERRYF...Does RLC have any plans to ever expand outside of NE, KS, MO & TX, say to the East Coast?
We have plans to expand to the east and west of our current locations.
Please provide an email address for those of us who would like to connect with you outside of this website. Is it possible DL can act as the custodian or keeper of said information?
What does RLC stand for?
RLC is Resort Lifestyle Communities, our website is www.RLCommunities.com and you can reach me at jerry.brightside@gmail.com
Wow, thats a great place. and yes I always thought that residents sold the rooms not management.
If anyone else had the same problem as my wife and I, if you give incentives to other ppl and not the residents then you might have a future war on your hands.
So JF, do you hire managers or do you hire assistant manager? Just a question.
We hire Managers. they live-in. There is also a concierge staff in three shifts, a dining room supervisor, lifestyle director, executive chef, marketing director, maintenance and housekeepers. Having this much staff allows the managers to have more time for the Residents and their families.
Sounds like a great place. You will have a lot of great managers wanting to apply. Keep up with the good work, and remember, do not let the big guns come in and offer you the world to sell your sole. Remember, working with the devil is never a good thing. Money seemed to be Holiday's devil.
Sounds and looks as though accommodations and rents --consequently the target market-- are necessarily somewhat upscale relative to that of Holiday.
Somewhat, we do offer more amenities and our Freedom dining program offers many more choices. Our rents on a per unit basis are higher, but our units are considerably larger on the average. On a price per square foot our rents are comparable to HRC. Our unit mix is different- we only have 4 studio units and we balance those with 4- Three bedroom units, the rest is split between 1 and 2 bedroom units- we also have washer and dryer hookups in each apartment as well as full kitchens and walk in closets. I was told by a former HRC sales person that we seem to have answered all the objections that they used to hear from prospective residents in the HRC communities, and as the former Exec Director of Sales and Marketing for HRC I would agree.
Indeed, RLC seems to be doing all the right things. I know that early on we often found the most-common and genuine objection among would-be Holiday residents to be the lack of a full kitchen. You've fixed that.
Later, upon the onset of the real estate crunch, access to equity became a most realistic obstacle. If we had had a marketing tool such as the 'Finance Options' offered on the RLC web site, I am confident I could have converted more than a few DIs.
I'm truly amazed, given the hot shot Manhattan financial wizards at FIG, that they couldn't make similar tools available for Holiday CMTs.
DL,
I want to emphasize that the videos embedded on our website are the work of one of our residents and his grandson! It doesn't get any more authentic than that. Every time I watch those videos that Clarence produced I am reminded of the mission and the fact that our residents are vibrant, intelligent and priceless.
Here is something for those in their early sixties who are contemplating employment in the retirement industry (or any employment). My wife and I learned it the hard way and it may save you some grief. If you are sixty-two or older, already drawing your social security retirement and you go to work, the immediate thing you need to do is contact the social security agency. You will make way over the earnings limit and your social security will be taken away and/or you will have to pay it back. Both of us went through this - and it is a pain to deal with. Do not think you can wait until you get near your limit before you call them to hold your payments. Then it will probably also result in an IRS reevaluation of your totals - and that is a year or two down the road when you get that letter. Now that I am full retirement age I can once again go after the higher earnings without loss of benefits, but I wanted to make others aware of this potential concern.
My RSL-In the Midwest was just ushered out the door. They made an announcement to us the week before she left and she just went away. She was kind and fair and listened to the managers. Good help is hard to find and they let another good one go.
Have they told you if they are replacing her?
They replaced her before she left. I don't think the poor girl saw it coming.
Which RSL was that?
My best friend was just offered a position with Holiday as a co-manager. I might be interested as well, however I have not seen anything about managers with children. I have an 8 year old who lives with me 3/4 of the year. Is that even an option?
Thank you!
Holiday typically hires Co-Manager teams of 2 people that must be willing to share a 1 bedroom apartment that is usually about 550 square feet. In most states, their are laws about children having their own bedroom which would preclude you from being able to work for Holiday Retirement. In any event, the question you should ask yourself is whether or not it would be fair to raise your child in a senior retirement community setting where he or she would not have access to a playground, let alone any playmates, and would be required to use their "inside" voice at all times as to not disturb the residents.
Absolutely not a job recommended for anyone with minor children in the household!
Keep in mind the primary reason CMT members live on site.
If you truly believe you are a fit for the job [way-of-life], I'd suggest you look into making arrangements for permanent housing with a relative with whom your son can live -- or send him to a year round boarding school.
Now, if anyone could even consider this as a reasonable remedy, I'd further suggest they are devoid of the necessary compassion required.
I responded to this on the other posting last month, but it never came up. That BLS was in my building telling me the reason I was sick was because I was stressed out. I needed to get it togethere so I could taked care of my residents. I was totally under Doctors care and this did not seem to be the Doctor's diagnoses. Interesting. At the same time he was putting the make onmy daughter while talking to me. He made a few comments to her. When he was gone she asked "what was that?" Interesting.
I started the 1st step in the discrimination case. I sent a letter to HRC about the complaint. Here is what I put in letter to HRC:
Jack Callison
CEO, Holiday Retirement Corporation
XXXX...
Dear Mr. Callison
I consider that Holiday Retirement Corporation/Fortress Investment Group may have discriminated against me &/or harassed me contrary to the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
I was hired to be a Community Executive Chef at XXXX, in September 2007. Since that time, I have been fired, rehired, threatened, subjected to intense scrutiny & criticism, denied promotions, denied pay, reputation tarnished, treated unfairly, subjected to inefficiencies of management, personal harassment, & my concerns and grievances not given serious consideration all because of my race.
I resigned my position as sous chef, at the XXX on August 18, 2009 after having worked as Executive Chef for XXXX floating chef for the XXXX. In my resignation, I expressed my concerns for the way I was treated & the negative economic, mental, health, & morale impact on my life. I also asked that my concerns be taken to heart, that my value be acknowledged & that I would be asked to stay with the company before my resignation was accepted. I resigned.
Since my resignation, I have applied for Unemployment Insurance & have been in hearings & appeals as of the date of this letter. I have had to be treated for depression due to pressures I had to endure while working for HRC & subsequent economic digression due to obvious loss of income & loss of health insurance.
I want an opportunity to present my detailed documentation, emails, photos, names of witnesses to support my claim in person at your expense.
I really want to make it clear that despite my grievances & angst while working for you, it was the residents, coupled with the hope that my career with HRC would advance that has motivated me to work as long as I did for the company. I did not want to leave. I loved creating & preparing awesome food for my residents! I loved that they loved me! I loved the challenges to come up with creative ways to give the residents excellent food on a restricted budget & mentoring my co-workers. It is innate in me to provide hospitality, to serve, & to work hard. Unfortunately, given my exhaustion, & realization that I had already earned the respect & my excellence of hospitality & food services; I should not have to beg any longer for your validation. I am truly conflicted because even to this day, if I had the opportunity to return to HRC with assurances that my treatment will be better & perhaps advance in the company for higher position), I would return in a heart beat!
I expect your earliest response & expect to be given forum. I want remediation & desire to settle this issue amicably without a formal discrimination complaint & lawsuit.
As I read ExExChef's letter to Jack Callison --and wish him well, I can only visualize that there is a "rest of the story," as Paul Harvey used to say.
Clearly, from the writing style, it was written by someone else. I'm guessing an attorney that, I hope for ExExChef's sake, is working pro bono or at least on a contingency, and NOT hourly-based.
-Good luck!
Thanks for the reply! I consider it a great complement that you think that a lawyer wrote the letter. In fact, I wrote the letter. Chalk it up to all the writing and business classes I have to take on my way to a Master's degree. Sad that HRC wont acknowledge my skill and education, sigh) I do not have repesentation at this point, but if HRC doesnt play nice, neither will I. I had to edit the letter somewhat so that I could post is on this blog, but the main points are there. Again, thanks! And if any of you are praying folks, I ask for your intervention to God.
Am I the only one who thinks ExEx Chef sounds delusional?
I know the chef's job is not easy but I can assure you our EC puts in more quality time with the residents then any of us. Think about all the activities they have to run and add to that a lot of them still drive the bus part-time. Then throw on top of that the time it takes to do their calendars, their stories in the calendar, keeping their Activity Rooms clean, chairs wiped down, tables wiped down, ordering supplies, blowing up balloons for special occasions, helping residents with the computers, the Wii game, the exercise equipment, reading mail to the sight impaired residents, keeping their sign up sheets for outings up to date, making telephone calls to entertainment, speakers etc. posting events online, in papers, on tv stations, making posters for events, placing events on APM website, making name tags, interviewing new residents about their interests, decorating when they possibly find a few minutes of time, keeping their bulletins up to date, loading walkers and groceries on the bus and off the bus, taking the bus in for maint., inspections, cleaning, and a lot of these things get done between Dr. Appt. runs, she runs them to the Dr. comes back and works on something else until she needs to leave again, you have to know what you are doing and be efficient to be able to operate like that, then throw in checking on residents that don't show up for normal activities they would have attended, endless hours spent listening to residents complaints, aches and pains, and life stories. The list for EC's goes on and on and on, they are the most trusted confidant the residents have and if you think their not, then your not paying attention or have a higher value of yourself then you should. I value our EC for all she does and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't thank her for being here. And I have to admit I do ask her to pour coffee or do tea now and then if my wife is on a tour. That by NO means is her job, it's just another task that she fills when I need her. So if you haven't, I would strongly suggest that you take the time to acknowledge the many hats an EC has to wear because I assure you if it wasn't for them doing what they do, you couldn't get done what you need to get done!!!
Heck, after reading what 'Discouraged EC' wrote now I know why I always feel so stressed!! We've been doing all our work plus hers...
I second the emotion!!
Totally and completely agree. Its a shame that HRC cut their hours! There is so much work!
I'm not sure if this applies to all Holiday Retirement communities, but our community is budgeted this year 40 hours EACH for the Enrichment Coordinator and Bus Driver positions. As a matter of fact, should our total resident count increase through additional occupants (spouses, siblings, friends, caretakers, etc.) the Enrichment Coordinator's hours would increase to 60 hours (1 full-time and 1 part-time) at 131 or more residents.
always has been a EC 40 and Bus driver was part time(20hrs). And EC needed to get CDL to drive when bus driver was not in building. Has that changed?
Our EC is in the building 40 hours a week. There were NO increase in hours for a part-time bus driver or for the EC. We have 96 residents. Perhaps that will change as our occupancy increases. Perhaps HRC should consider getting rid of the Regional Maint. positions and make Regional Enrichment Coordinator positions. After all if our residents are the best sellers of this lifestyle then why wouldn't we put more value on that postion?? Something to consider I would say!
There are regional Life enrichment coaches. Unless that has changed since July 09. They are/were handpicked ec's and held/hold weekly conference calls. The selected ec's got additional pay for mentoring other ec's and doing some additional duties.
The regional EC Coaches are still in place. They not only hold a scheduled conference calls with all of the ECs within their region, but all of the EC Coaches also have conference calls with the Director of Enrichment Programs from home office.
There is life after Holiday!!!
Any current or former Holiday couples/or 2 person "teams" willing to work and work reasonable hours and still have a life please read the following job post:
Resident Storage Facility Managers (Couple/2 Person Team)
Job Title: Storage Facility Manager
Location: Topeka, Kansas, El Paso, TX and Houston, Texas areas
Reports To: District Manager/Regional Property Manager
Scope and Purpose
The Storage Facility Manager is responsible for leasing storage units, selling merchandise, implementing networking and marketing programs, customer service, office administration and achievement of budgeted financial results. The Storage Facility Manager is also responsible for ensuring that the facility is properly maintained, achieved through coordinating and overseeing the efforts of the Assistant Storage Facility Manager, Assistant Storage Facility Relief Manager and/or outside contractors. The Storage Facility Manager assists the District and/or Regional Property Supervisor in the development of an annual budget and will continuously monitor actual financial performance against the budget as the year progresses.
Other Qualification Requirements
1. Valid state driver’s license.
2. Have and maintain current auto liability insurance coverage.
3. Dependable transportation.
4. Pass a criminal and credit background check
5. Pass a pre-screen physical and drug screen
Please indicate your preferred area to work in or order of preference
Please send cover letter and (2) resumes for each member of the couple/team to: ustorhouston@gmail.com
or Fax: 713-981-6062
0r http://www.weigandomega.com/employment.php?section=send_resume
No Phone calls please!!!
Here is some interesting shareholder insider trader stats for you.
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/holdings.asp?symbol=FIG&selected=FIG&FormType=form4
Amazing! When Fig opened in February of 2007 the share price was about $37.00 per share. Although the detailed historical quote chart does not show FIG falling to the seventy cents range I definitely recall that happening. Today's price is $5.04 with a high of $5.12. All the investors who bought in at $37 have to wonder how they could have been so fooled. Do I faintly hear someone faintly crying "Ponzi!"?
I need some guidance on this for someone with an HR background. A community manager approached me with a concern. His new managing director has been verbally abusive to a CM and told him he was unfit for the role he was in and he would continue to fail unless they found him a new role. (No he has never had any issues or notice that he was not a good manager and / or was not doing the job he was hired to do.) Additionally, he has heard the Managing Director make reference to another community manager with the terminology " with her fat A@@"!. The said CM feels very uncomfortable with this person and feels a tremendous amount of stress over his role. He is conflicted as to whether he should 1) keep his mouth shut and let it go or 2) file a claim with HR and indicate his disgust and contempt of the sexual derogatory term and the screaming which he has been vitimized by..he is unable to work effectively and dlesn't know what to do ..
any suggestions from strong HR people? is HR within Holiday part of the problem or part of the solution?
The first thing to do is to lodge a formal complaint in writing via email to Cynthia Stutsman, Human Capital Counsel, detailing everything that has been heard and seen with the names of any and all witnesses, dates, places, etc. The complaint should be as specific as possible with the facts and how all of this as made you feel.
The second thing to do is to keep a detailed personal journal of every conversation and event that takes place thereafter, especially noting any actions taken by anyone in the company towards you.
Make sure you keep copies of all emails, correspondence and journal entries in the event that the matter goes to a government agency hearing or trial. Although there are laws against retaliation, be prepared to lose your job and many nights of sleep as the company will make your life a living hell during and after this entire process. When going up against a Managing Director, you will experience a true David & Goliath saga that will take everything out of you. Good luck!
I would add to that to make a phone call or email to outside counsel and/or the agency in your state that oversees workplace harrassment and workers rights. That way they wouldn't dare retaliate b/c retaliation to whistleblowers is against the law. Keep copies of everything.
It is correct that you must first follow the system and report this incident to Holiday’s HR dept. in writing and yes if you can find any witnesses, please make sure you get their statements in writing as well. Once you have sent it to HR dept. you wait and record. Keep a running journal of everything that is said. If you do not receive a satisfactory answer or you start to get any sudden write-ups, than you file a complaint with the EEOC.
The problem is that no one dares to contact the EEOC. If they receive a lot of different employment complaints perhaps a class action suit can be files. Many former employees were wrongfully terminated especially the way the Holiday HR dept. did it. They will come up with every lie they can think of so that you will have no chance to file a lawsuit however if there is a pattern of the way HR dept. gets rid of people, this might just set a the stage for the EEOC to really start really looking into the way Holiday treats their employees. Good luck and keep us informed.
Yesterday the mgrs here terminated an employee who had been with the company for almost 2 years and never had a single write up until 3 weeks ago, around the same time the same mgrs hired a 4th hskpr (which isnt in the budget for us, and no one would give me an answer as to where the hours were coming from). While this new employee has been receiving training the older employee got three write ups for 3 different things and yesterday they fired her (after issung a 3rd write up) because they said she had an attitude toward a resident that threw a temper tantrum in the dining room because she wouldnt clear a plate from his table while she was in the middle of serving food. He put his food on the floor and when she brought it to the mgrs attention, the mgrs picked the food off the floor and nothing was said, two days later, shes written up and fired. Anybody see a problem with the situation? Or am I just getting worked up over nothing?
As a side note...I was the "other" mgr in the office with the male mgr (we dont have co's right now) while she got the first two write ups, and the female mgr was the only person in the office for the second write up and termination.
I thought I would share a note written by a holiday employee who is seeking another job. i think it would speak very well of the company if all of us could identify this to be the opinion of only one person in one specific region. Would you agree this could be from any area of the country. (editorial note) while I have not changed any words...I have opted to omit anything which might have allowed one to figure out where the message originated.
(note below)
Thank you very much for your call today. It was a breath of fresh air to hear about an opportunity outside of Holiday Retirement. The changes continue here with an avalanche of hotel people coming into our industry. It’s tough enough trying to get move ins without having to train your boss who when he is not listening to you is constantly wanting reports and reports of the reports you sent in earlier. Believe it or not, resident care never comes from their lips...nor is their any concern about resident retention activities. The word of the day is simply "cover" and as long as that word follows the "we lost #" there is no additional conversation needed. When our new Managing Director came into the region he counteracted about 6 directives put out by the RD in the last 30 days. What only makes this situation more dire and less likely to get better is my friends in other parts of the country are currently implementing the directives we've just put on the shelf. It makes you wonder what Jack and Stan are doing in Salem and if they ever spend any time within the communities or have they even remotely thought of reaching out to an advisory group to include our thoughts into the playbook they're writing. I wish their was a executive draft for companies, like in football which begins today. I'd love to "get something new in the CEO and COO role and most definitely within the VP of BD role.
end of note
the bottom line here is the company is most assuredly in a death spiral and while the national reputation exposure is not the same it follows the pattern of some other pretty good company names; KMart, Enron, Healthsouth....greed, duplicity and the erosion of the corporate values which originally made the companies effective.
Examples of my prediction are numerous, but here are a couple
I have heard my RSL complaining about the various pay scales which now seem to be the standard within the company. The first wave of RSL's were hired at 50K a year and many are still there, but some are now coming in at 65K a year with no adjustments made for the ones still at 50. What makes even less sense is the fact the raises seem to be the result of simply how you are viewed and not by the concrete system of a rate/rank system.
Another example is the current inventory operation taking place in the communities. The last time I remember this taking place was directly before the sale of the company. Has anyone else noticed anything strange takeing place?
I like the idea of a draft. Go!
It has never been much of a secret that selling Holiday Retirement to turn a profit was the reason Fortress Investment Group bought out Bill Colson. Jack Callison's prime directive (from his 1st day on the job) from Wes Edens has always been to position Holiday Retirement for an IPO. After all, taking the company public is the sure-fire way of Wes getting his $7 billion back with interest. Make no mistake, this Prime Directive has been the driving force behind EVERYTHING the company has done and will continue to do.
To bad they do not know how to make a profit.
Wow! As an employment counselor, in a former life, I'd say this job-seeker has violated the one of the top rules for conducting an effective job search/follow-up.
No matter how well you know the prospective employer rep, NEVER speak disparagingly of your current/previous employer, boss, co-worker.
Any interviewer worth their salt should place this applicant at the bottom of the pile.
A lot of amazing experiences here, but the ones our former co's was unbelievable. He was out walking his dog, came upon one of the residents, stopped and talked to him for a few minutes then out of the blue,the resident pulled out a gun and shot himself in the head! His mgrs were off, they called them and they refused to come back and relieve them or to help them in this matter, finally after their time off they came back! They called us and,told us what happened and asked us, "Where is this in Grass Roots".We helped them thru it, we were in another building, in another state at the time.The residents in that building were amazing and also helped them thru it. They stayed with the company, for another year then gave it up.
When did this happen? And in what part of the country?
Now East Coast
Charles,
Thank you so much for sending us the dvd loved watching it.
I want to share this with you, today we were interviewing a couple for a job and some how we started talking about our last job with Holiday. The couple looked at each other and laughed.
We asked them if they had worked for Holiday, they reply no! but we did go to check the place out and the managers would not even talk to us but the male co manager show us around as they walked down the hall he kept whispering to them (have you read the "BLOG",) they replied no! It's like his way of saying please read it before you pursue a job with Holiday...So needless to say they read it and well they are interviewing with us... Way to go Charles your blog has reached so many people and opened their eye to what the deal is.... You have indeed provided a valuable informational service--we have seen first-hand the results.
Glad you received it! Tell your other half he made a pretty good boat captain. I liked the picture of you sitting by the window looking out - rather a pensive expression there.
Interesting story about the couple. The managers would not talk with them?
I am rather proud of those who take the time to comment on the blog. I only initiated the idea - the credit for its progress belongs to all of those who share their experiences with Holiday, both good and bad. Over the years I have come to acept that everything has a "ripple effect". What Holiday WAS created a very large "ripple" which built a chain of businesses (communities) and affected so many lives in a positive manner. What Holiday IS also is creating another "ripple", but the legacy will not have the same effect. A "Builder" builds things (Colson) and a "Corporate Raider" guts what was built.
Enjoy the memories and the DVD. You affected our lives and that part of you which was shared with us will always be with us. Thank you for cherished memories.
It looks like the new direction of fortress is 2 sets of co's & a GM.This might work as it will keep the co's from inhouse fighting as the GM is the one in charge.It will also give them coverage for nights,e-calls etc.There are two communities in NC that have the program now!The problem I see is it has not improved the budget,we are also hearing they will have one marketing person assigned to every building. This will change the present program.
This is common business model throughout the industry. One that Bill should have adopted years ago. It defines duties and responsibilities much better. As noted by JR, the co's will be able to concentrate on residents needs to a much greater extent while the GM will be able to concentrate on running the business. Looks like a good change.
Yes it will effect the budget, but perhaps by allowing the COs to focus on working with residents and so increase resident satisfaction, the census will improve.
So, with the proposed change to one GM and 2 CO's - will the CO's still live on-site? We used to be CO's but left the company after being shipped off outside our requested locations, managers taking extra time off, and the place becoming a nursing home....... But, like the idea of the new direction. Makes much more sense than the 1 GM, 2 CO's and part time help!!!
Both couples continue to live on-site, and the General Manager lives off premises.
I have accepted a GM position with Holiday and am hearing many different things. When I was recruited/hired I was told that I would attend 2 weeks of training in Salem, after which I would be placed as a GSM in my assigned area for 12-16 weeks working out of my home. It is planned that I will be in this GSM position doing sales and marketing for the 2-3 Holiday properties in my assigned area. At the end of this 12-16 weeks I will then be assigned to one of these 2-3 properties as the GM. I will not be living on property and was told that I would have a resident couple working with me that would live on property. The starting salary is 50,000 with unlimited bonus potential for the training and 12-16 week period. I would then go to 62,000 with a different bonus structure. I was told that the GM would spend about 70% of their time in marketing and 30% in operations. I was told that the GM is the top position at the property level. I am more than just a little nervous because of all the confusion. I feel Holiday should have formerly announced their plans so that there would not be so much confusion. However, I now wonder if I have made a good decision. I have just a few more weeks left to decide. How does my understanding of this compare to what others may know.
Let me begin by saying that my following comments come from a perspective of having been a Community Manager at Holiday Retirement for the past 4+ years.
The GM position you have accepted was formally announced at the beginning of this year to all of the communities, and was created to help fill the management void in those regions where it is almost impossible to attract and retain live-in management couples. Although resident managers have always been the “brand” of Holiday Retirement over its 36-year existence, it is no secret that the company has consistently experienced a 40% turnover rate in its community management ranks. Thus, the company hoped to bring some stability in the field with this off-premises GM concept.
Although the installation of the GM concept may sound and looks good on paper, the reality has been a resounding failure. Question: if a GSM is never given any operational training and is not allowed to be involved in the operation of the communities they serve, how can they possibly ever succeed at the top position at the property level? While the new GSMs have freed-up the Community Managers’ time to take care of the residents and run the business, the GSM’s have had very little impact in the growth of census throughout the company. The truth is that almost all of the move-ins are still generated from the Grassroots Marketing Philosophy that lead to special events, walk-ins, referral sources such as A Place For Mom, and current residents. And, the few that have been promoted to GM that I know of have either resigned, or have been terminated. In short, it simply doesn’t work.
The reason it doesn’t work is because the position was created by company executives that do not have a clue what really takes place at the community level. No communication exists or has ever existed between Home Office and field management since the takeover in mid-2007. The new regime comes from the hotel/hospitality industry and expects to market and run a Senior Living business like a resort hotel. Consequently, all of their initiatives like this GSM/GM debacle have failed miserably. New programs and reporting mandates come out of Salem almost every week in an attempt to find the secret ingredient that will turn this company around. Until this new regime admits that success runs uphill; that their greatest asset is right under their noses in the current Community Management Teams; and begins to partner with them through intensive regional meetings to listen to what is really going on in the trenches, every “Idea-Of-The-Week” out of Salem will be nothing more than a huge waste of time.
We left over 18 months ago. Now, with this new level of management [GSMs and GMs] that seems to have been shoe-horned into the former chain-of-command, we're curious how the various authorities, responsibilities of the respective positions have shifted among what we used to call Community Managers and Regional Managers.
Responsibilities such as:
- Hiring and firing of Community staff
- Management of the various local contracts [landscaping and snow plowing come to mind]
- DI calls
- Authorization of purchases
- Printing and advertising
Are E-cards for local purchases a thing of the past?
Just askin'...
Pcards are used more and more for vendors that used to invoice all because the A/P staff has been slashed and the ones that are left are overworked and/or incompetent.
I agree with Anonymous that it sounds and looks good!!! A GM in charge may cut-down on the tension between the (2)couples since the GM hopefully will assign their job duties and workload proportionally.
I assume the senior couple will get the two bedroom and other couple the one bedroom; whereas built-in seniority and chain of command will still remain within the triad-like model management team.
All former and current Holiday associates devoted a lot of time and energy to make graceful retirement living enjoyable for the residents and and injected as much value-added "Touch" as possible; however, it rarely allowed time for ourselves and family, especially when you were the only couple on-site for 2-more months at a time at several different times a year.
What happens when a couple quits? Is the GSM or the GM going to step in and help?
If the couple has to work days, months without relief it becomes very stressful on them and not fair for the residents. They see what it does to the couple working long hours.
The GSM and GM can walk out the door and go home. I don't see any big change just in who is in charge, problems will still be there.
Simple question: Hasn't one of the major positives been the fact of onsite managers/Cos who can immediately respond to anything which comes up. When the Cos are on duty and something major happened it was SOP to contact the managers in order to CYA. Thirty percent in operations? Now that should make the onsite couple feel good. It will still come down to the Cos not having the full authority of operations to properly run the building. When it is a constant sequence of needing approval from someone who is "out-of-pocket" in order to protect your job because of any decisions you made then it cannot work.
Put any two people together in a situation and one will be the alpha - this is human nature. What made it work, even with the high turnover, was the personal hands-on application of resident care and budgetary consciousness. From everything I have managed to research so far it appears the biggest obstacle to date is the initial mind stance of the new regime. They ignore the adage: "If it ain't broke - don't try to fix it!".
All of the so-called "quick fixes" and higher wages for retail/hotel move-in bosses as a control just doesn't get the job done. If Mr. Callison actually wants to bring the census up and make the company properly solvent the solution is staring him in the face. Get rid of the "wonder boys", bring back those who made the company profitable for years, let them do their jobs and back them up.
When a product becomes nothing more than an item on a store shelf the human slant must be set aside. This is what Fig/Holiday has done. I'll give plaudits to Jerry F. once again. His company proves what works (Resort Lifestyle Communities). They embody the human equation which gives them the ability to not only maintain but to grow and expand. Business and personal caring can profitably work together when both are taken into consideration and given the importance each requires. I applaud him and his partners for having the sense to know what works and using it.
As someone that has completed the GSM Training, all I can say is "be prepared for more confusion." Wow, I wish I would have found this site a couple of months ago.
You'll be amazed how many times you're moved from one community to another, before you've even completed the training...you'll be surprised how incomplete some answers are to your questions during training...you'll be surprised how wildly different the recruiting stories are between you and your classmates...you'll also be surprised by how many home office people are let go during the two weeks you are there, (3, by my count, including one Human Capital person who really seemed to be honest and caring)...AND you may get to see one of your fellow classmates dismissed because they wouldn't agree to work at a community 100 miles from their home - because they'd shuffled so many people around, it was the only one available.
While your basic story about the GSM/GM model mirrors what I was told, I have to wonder how does this make sense? While some of the members of my training group had retirement community experience, several did not. I'll admit to a lack of experience in the industry, but we're told "the only thing to worry about is Move-Ins." We were told to respect the CMT's and work as a team, but when it comes time to "step up" to the GM position, how will that effect THAT relationship? Hmmm..doesn't sound like it bodes well for my future, does it?
I'll continue to read this blog and I appreciate the acquired knowledge and experiences of the posters. "Better late than never," I suppose.
Very well spoken!
Honestly, I would not expect anything to change except expect more turbulence at Holiday until the entire Senior Executive Management (from Jack down)is replaced--they all know it's coming--the question is when??? And what direction the "replacements" will take? However, it could be a fun ride and a great learning experience for the interim. Been There Done That and still got a few of the T-Shirts....
The wonderboy Kai is responsible for all you have mentioned. It was decided along time ago to throw him into a back room and only allow him to come out for potty breaks. We let a good woman leave the company (Bauer) and wound up with him...What a shame.
Things will continue to change, it's inevitable, the direction this company is going in now, will not work. After talking with our RD it is obvious that more and more couples are needed. It's unfortunate for our RD because our region is manager short, couples putting in weeks of time with no breaks and nobody on board for training. For now he has to keep managers that just don't cut it and staff that is disgruntled because of the managers. Even though the building has great numbers for NOI it lacks in all other managerial areas according to him, lest not ignore the fact that arguing with the RD is not something you want to do more than once, it's a sure ticket out the door sooner or later. Like he said once he can get good quality managers, he could take care of that problem and move forward with that building. But having even the most dedicated and good intentioned managers will find it hard to work under the conditions the hot shots are asking. Regardless though you can count on the fact that cleaning of our Regional House is not over yet. Like I said, things will continue to change.
The sad reality is there were already ooodles of GOOD managers in place and the RD's and HRC Didn't do anything to protect their assets. There shouldn't have been a need to "GET" good quality managers in place.
I am sorry for most of you at HRC working long long hours days, weeks, and yes months with out help (been there done that)
I would recommend finding a new job. It isn't worth your health both physical and emotional. Holiday has proven time and again exactly how much they value you.
Yes you will miss your "family" but they will understand and miss you for a while and then forget you after a few more managers come and go. (We have been gone for about 9 months and many current residents don't know us mostly through attrition)
Let me just say you are valuable, and I appreciate and understand what and why you are there.
Unfortunatley only you can choose to continue to be a doormat or not.
Charles,
You are so right!
No longer confused....I QUIT!
It just occurred to me that FIG/HRC might do well to have all potential managers subscribe to, read entirely, and participate in on this blog. Folks such as Charles, Achmed, and even myself - among others - could serve as an ersatz screening board for prospective candidates -- by assessing their attitude to the wide variety of comments here.
There have been a few posts that strike me convincingly that the writer just ain't got it -- and likely would not serve Holiday well... in the long term anyway.
Would you care to elaborate?
I would like to say that I find managing a community to be hard work, yet rewarding.
Regarding the comments I have read here, I cant help but feel that some of them ARE from people who should not be managing, or co-managing Holiday Facilities. The facility we took over had been suffering from very poor management for some time. No doubt, they felt they were wronged when they were terminated by the comany. The truth is they should have been terminated much sooner.
We actually had residents thanking us and appreciating us from day one, particularly when, one night, we were cutting up with the co-s at dinner. "Its been a long time since we have heard laughter from this table".
We have struck up personal relationships with many of our residents, and 99% of them have been very rewarding. We do spend a great deal of time and energy with marketing, however we do NOT put that above our current residents. Our residents are, most often, our best representatives of our lifestyle here.
While I see the currently evolving structure (GM, GSM, GSL etc) to be questionable, at best, I can see how the current status (at least in our region) of the program may actually produce some positive results. The GSL’s are working strictly as marketers, which have freed up managers and co-managers to perform tasks in the community. However, there does continue to be a large need for additional managers and co’s. Since starting with the company (which has not been years) I have seen many managers leave because they had difficulty keeping co’s, and have I seen many co’s leave due to poor management leadership. I have also seen many leave, because they didn’t belong here anyway.
The lower census, contrary to what is being presented here, is not as one sided as it is being portrayed. The current economy is keeping some potential residents from moving in, as well as the increase in the average age of current residents. There is an increasing number of move-outs due to death, and higher levels of care required. The combination of both the above elements is sufficient, all by itself to result in a reduced census. The result of this has been an increase in pressure on marketing activities. That is a natural response.
If you have a negative attitude about your superior, your job, your residents...you will not survive, but then again that is true of any position. You may find that what you bring is what you get.
For those reading this, wondering if you should seek employment with Holiday, I would ask you, "What do you expect out of it?" If you expect a rewarding job through contact with seniors and have a genuine desire to serve the greatest generation, you will do well. If you are just looking for a job, then look elsewhere.
We have been fortunate…we were trained by a couple who knew marketing, but at the same time lived and breathed “the Touch”.
It is nice to hear good positive comments finally. I have reading these post for some time now I have been very concerned that the anger and bitterness here was very unhealthy. Now that is not to say that there are issues that need to discussed, but it can be done in a much more mature and professional way. I agree with AManger that the Holiday that I work for is not the Holiday that is sometimes portraited here. My wife and I unfortunately did not get to go thru training, but we are learning this job the best we can. We really enjoy the residents (after all that is why we are here) and don't mind the other things we have to do. We are in a tough situation because one of the managers here is not very nice and not a good trainer but the other manager is and we are doing our best. I can easily sit here and find fault with this situation but that does not accomplish anything. A very good CEO once said catch someone doing something right everyday and tell them about it no matter how small it is. This is good advise that I try to follow. I look forward to more positive blogs in the future.
(cont
From my experience on the web, and forums in general, you will often hear the negatives, but you will seldom hear the positives. Personally, I really do not care to be around those whose outlook is constantly negative. Since we arrived here, we have eliminated most of the negative individuals, once we found they were unable to change that outlook. Rather, they terminated themselves…we just aided their exit from the position. The result has been, by our residents comments as well as the atmosphere felt here, that this building lives and breathes the Holiday Touch. Our residents, and our employees are much happier, and find the small rewards from working here to be fulfilling.
We hope that our career will be long and will continue to be rewarding.
(As to the days, and hours worked…they are what you make them. We have cooks taking care of making the coffee and seeing to keeping the air pots full for the early bird residents. You can try to do everything yourself, or you can be a manager…if you try to do everything yourself, burn out will rapidly ensue.
We begin our day at 7AM. We begin by preparing for the day, whether this is catching up on emails and planning our marketing for the day, or by reviewing the calendar …just depends on the day and the events of the day.
By 7:30-7:45 we head to the kitchen, to greet our kitchen staff and make more coffee for the breakfast meal. We often begin our pours (coffee) at 10 til 8…greeting our residents and catching up on news and needs.
8 AM…breakfast begins…we usually serve the oatmeal, which speeds up breakfast, and satisfies our residents. There are also more coffee pours…want to keep their coffee full and hot!
After breakfast, we react to the management needs of the day (did someone call in?)
(Fast forward through the day, and the noon meal)
By Supper, we are tired, but we manage to enjoy conversations with residents…if our co’s eat supper, we tend to talk some business, but try to keep the conversation light, with humor at the front. Laughter often ensues.
Often, if we are closing, we are in our apartment and “dressing down” by 6:30-7pm. The paperwork and other required tasks (kronos etc) have been taken care of during the day. We lock up at 9PM (again, if we are closing…if not we have been off since 3 PM, and our Co’s are closing) and take our last look at a quiet building, praying it will remain quiet until the next morning. E-calls, most of which are false alarms, seem to come in spurts…most often we do have a quiet evening.
That is our day…every day is different, and if you cannot cope with a bit of “controlled chaos” then you should re-examine how you are managing your time.
We enjoy our jobs, and we plan to stay.
This letter and the one that followed could have been written by me. we seem to have the same schedule and enjoy our jobs. After 13 years my wife and I still have the same passion as when we started. Sure there's going to be some rough spots along the way, but 95% satisfaction can't be beat. The way I feel (and my wife) about the whole thing is that we knew from the start what was expected from us and the new company has not really changed much, but yes when you pay almost 6B dollars for a company you would like to see some profit. If some of these complainers can't stand the heat then they should quit and stop writing lies, try getting your facts together.
Anthony and AManager:
I will take issue with both of your statements that those who write here are "writing lies" and don't have their facts straight. If I wrote it you can bet your last dollar it is accurate. There are no lies in my words and I rather doubt others deliberately post a lie on here. What we do write is our personal experiences and feelings, plus the possibilities for change.
Yes, change is mandated in everything. Either things change or they become stagnant. Remember that the type of change is important. Giving both of you the benefit of the doubt and accepting that you are the superlatives in your fields it still comes down to the majority and the inherent problems. Until the day comes (if it does) when my wife and I can comfortably say Holiday is the place for us to retire the questions will continue. Until that happens I will continue to question, continue to seek solutions via the ideas and experiences of others, and accept nothing blindly just because some PR hype states something is so. Right now I will honestly tell anyone who inquires that Holiday, in my opinion, is not a good place for their parents.
Your respective communities might actually be as you described (I have my doubts) - and if so I congratulate you. But you are a definite minority out of 300 plus communities.
I just finished reading over the requirements for a Holiday community to reach for a five-star rating. Every community should be a five-star. If not then that community is not operating at peak efficency.
I totally agree that many here have written about their personal experiences and perceived observations to the best of their abilities. I do, however, believe that there are more and more communities beginning to experience the successes that Anthony and AManager have described, as the quality of new management couples hires has improved with the emphasis on resident satisfaction and Grassroots Marketing. Regardless of these success stories, we must continue to question and continue to seek real-world solutions to the challenges we face on a daily basis.
In closing, I must take issue with your position on Holiday not being a good place for their parents. Such a blanket view is as irresponsible as saying that everyone here writes lies and doesn't have their facts straight, for it does not take into account the many great communities throughout the country where the residents are currently happy, safe and comfortable.
Until my wife and I can be convinced otherwise the statement will stand. If we would not want to retire to a Holiday community ourselves, knowing what we do, why in the world would we recommend them to someone else? The fact of there possibly being "...many great communities throughout the country where the residents are currently happy, safe and comfortable..." is not good enough. Unless this can be said about EVERY community the company is not fulfilling its promises to the senior citizens who depend upon such a conviction when they consider their retirements.
And every community - every single community - should be able to honestly make that claim - with no exceptions. You do not play Russian Roulette with the elderly.
The blog has drawn over one hundred thousand viewers to date, having reached a point where people are seeking it out in order to be better informed about decisions affecting their loved ones. We receive numerous emails requesting information and asking our opinion regarding Holiday and other companies. I do not, and will not, attempt to sugar coat when it comes to those who must depend upon others for care. Tactful and diplomatic I will always be whenever I can, but I will not advocate something which I do not believe.
Yes, I am quite aware of the frightening responsibility inherent in the blog. It sometimes wakes me up in the middle of the night. Words are powerful tools which can be used as a building block of positive suggestion - or words can hurt and harm. I worry about it very much.
There you have it...another side of the story.
To the chef who is suing for discrimination and trying to get unemployment...I would ask: if you are such a great chef, as you seem to think...why have you not found another job, that you have to seek unemployment?
Seems to me, that many who are spewing vitriol here, have an ax to grind, and should probably look at their own selves for the answers.
To those who have truly been wronged, I am sorry that your experience has not been as ours has been. The perceptions of the company portrayed above, do not represent the company we see....no doubt there are some truths above, I have seen a few. However, they do not represent our experiences with the company.
Nice posting! I would hope that there are many more who feel as you do. Accepting your comments at face value I will say your community is lucky to have you. Let's also hope that the company makes note of what you represent for their investment. You, and others just like you, are the future of Holiday.
AManager for CEO!
Charles,
Wanted to let you know that I have watched the DVD 4 times now and I have enjoyed it more each time.
That time at Leadership in Salem, always be a cherished memory and held close to our hearts! Having the opportunity to meet you, Linda, and all the other great couples there. We feel that we were BLESSED to be part of that group!
I'm just wondering how many of the couples that were there with us are still with Holiday?
I want to let everyone know that our time with Holiday was a Blessed time we loved what we did. Some here think we are negative and with that said, Not all situations and experience are the same, you are very lucky if you don't have to walk in the same shoes and experience what some of us went through....
It was all very rewarding; we did not see it as just a job-- it was giving everything we felt and loved that was in our hearts to the residents "THE TOUCH"
We have also wondered how many are still on board. I wonder whether Holiday ever filmed the training sessions themselves. It was one of my prime suggestions since we knew they were going to cease having the Leadership Academy anymore.
I agree with you regarding supposed "negatives". It is a facet of corporate thinking that when anyone questions the in-place structure then that individual is considered as being negative. One either follows the doctrine blindly off the cliff or is often considered 'negative'. I recall an article written several years ago about the giant companies of the world and the people who started them. Companies like Caterpillar Tractor, John Deer, Allis-Chalmers, Johnson & Johnson, Ford and GM, etc, were started by individuals who dared to question what was the accepted norm for the times. The article went on to explain that none of those who started the companies would be considered for employment by the very companies they started.
They are not "corporate thinkers" in today's world. They were naysayers who refused to knuckle under to adversity. They made instant decisions which affected their futures, sometimes making bad decisions. Now it takes a conference room filled with "yes people" to form a committee which will study the potential to change the toilet paper rolls unwinding from the front or from the back.
Holiday is no different. I doubt if Bill Colson would be hired to work for the company he started and built. He had a vision and he did whatever it took to make that vision a reality. That meant he made decisions which he might have regretted later but were necessary at the time, right or wrong. Even the most "negative" comment on this blog has "positives" when taken with an open mind.
When any company, any government, any department, turns a deaf ear to the "complaints" of the workers at all levels then that company is doomed to spiral downward. History has proven this over and over. No matter what has been written to date I hold to my stance that the new Holiday personifies an indifference to the residents and staff - as mentioned in my original letters.
That stance is not a "negative", but an awareness of the problems which can (and should be) addressed. There are elderly advocates who ask the same questions as this blog does.
Remember the psych test we were given at Salem? What were the results for you two? I was an "Analyst". I'm certain it shows.
Yes the psych test!
Me the female I was an "Agent"-- High SI
My husband The better half lol
was an "Inspirational"-- High DI
Regarding the term “negative”…In the context in which I used it, it was directed towards those whom we all have had contact with. Those for whom there will always be something to gripe about regardless of any qualities which exist.
Thinking “outside the box” and just plain negativism are two very different things.
And then, we all know how resistant to change most people are.
There is one thing which is constant and unchanging…..that is change…it will continue, and will be constant.
Adapt in order to survive.
Amanager, your posts are very much appreciated however my reply to this post I must say that you are wrong. Change is not good for a company that has proven to be doing extremely well and, most important of all, you are talking about seniors who DO NOT LIKE CHANGE.
You have also called some of us being negative and what have you. All I can say is that people like my self who have been around for many years know what The TOUCH really means and that can be proven by the occupancies of buildings.
We have the PASSION to do this job and don't always complain about the money.
I firmly believe that Fortress/Holiday Hotels needs to adapt instead of changing things that have worked and proven to work for over 40 years.
Only my 2 cents worth.
Achmed
Your 2 cents worth is always a welcome.
Send the invoice to Charles!!!LOL
Achmed:
The check is in the mail. Or would you prefer PayPal?
ACHMED...I agree with you that for over 40 years, as you say, Bill Colson's formula has been most successful in providing safe, comfortable and secure retirement living for thousands of deserving independent seniors at Holiday. And as you say, it has done it extremely well. However, the one thing that we must all agree with is that this formula has never successfully addressed the 40% turnover in the community management ranks.
With the introduction of Field Marketing & Sales positions, the new Fortress-led Holiday has begun the process of attempting to resolve this huge problem by listening to its community management teams that have complained of the burn-out caused by this out of control turnover and never ending need to market their communities, while maintaining happy residents by providing them the Touch. Additionally, the new leadership has introduced more computers and state-of-the-art software applications that Bill was against (he didn't even have a computer in his office!) They have also enhanced the managers' compensation by introducing achievable bonus plans (I will personally earn an approximately $9,000 this year under the new plan), and greater employee discount programs with Holiday vendors and the Working Advantage program. By the way, a very large part of this new CMT bonus plan is based on how well the TOUCH is delivered to our residents.
Now, I'm not saying that I totally agree with all of their initiatives, but we must give them credit for at least attempting to stop the hemorrhaging by thinking of ways that are out of the box. As the saying goes, "Doing the same thing over and over, again, and expecting different results is a sign of insanity."
Anon
Some of those changes certainly sound positive but I must offer some disagreement to a couple of your statements.
1. There were sales people at Holiday during the Colson era, in fact that group helped HRC to reach 94% occupancy. Most did focus on new construction, but we always would put a sales person into a struggling community, some worked for Home Office Sales and Marketing and some were hired directly by Regional or Divisional Managers. I also seem to remember hearing about a conference call a year or so ago in which many dozens of sales people were let go by the current management, so the idea is not new.
2. Bill did in fact have a laptop on his desk in his office, I was in there the day it was installed- a momentous occasion! But I do agree that there was a resistance to technology, the thought was that it would take attention away from the residents.
3. As far as managers compensation, I don't know a lot about that, but I do know there were monthly net bonuses, and there was the opportunity to pick up little pieces of ownership in new communities. There was also major incentive to become a 5 star community.
4. As far as hemorrhaging, that was apparently self imposed, because the HRC they bought was not broken.
5. 40% turnover may be a tad high, but you have to consider the job- it is prone to burn out and that issue may never be completely resolved.
But, with that being said, you sound like you like your job, sounds like you care for your residents and I hope you max out your bonus potential. Good Luck and take care.
Achmed to Anonymous, JerryF., Charles and others:
Part 1)
I agree with a lot of your observation(s) and remarks however as I have so many times posted FIG/Holiday is dealing with a population that has an average age of 84.3 years old. This population does not like change and will do anything to resist whatever changes a company such as FIG/Holiday will make especially when you have residents who have been in a community for a longer period of time. New Residents who have moved in since FIG bought Holiday Retirement Corp. don’t know any better and I am sure in the long run the changes that FIG/Holiday tries to make will stick.
Now, as to staff turnover, yes I agree with you on that point. As mentioned before, I was a very active member of the FIT group from the onset of this great group. During one of our quarterly meetings the head of HR advised us that Holiday was very concerned about the turn-over. As it turned out the largest percentage of turn- over was 1) Co-managers 2) Executive Chef’s 3) Managers. At that time the statistics showed that the turn-over in Co-managers was 55% (JerryF., you were gone already from HRC, at that time) which was a very high turn-over and Home Office was very concerned about it. The result was that Leadership Academy was started and I know that Rob Bell and many others played an active role in that area. The current problem, as I see it, is that FIG created a new motto and somehow it leaked out to all of the communities what they were planning to do and it back fired big time. The overall concept of what FIG is trying to do in the communities is a good one however (in my opinion) the way FIG, Mr. Callison and his group went about it was/is wrong.
The $9,000.00 approximate bonus under the "new plan" sounds pretty good. When we were with Holiday the Managers could earn $12,000.00 bonus and the Cos could earn $6,000.00. Yep, sounds as if they are really improving.
The census tells the story...and is the report card for every employee from Jack down.....
Well, our experience as co's was not as expected. Yes, we expected lots of work, lots of hours, and lots of love. But, what we got was managers that took extra time off - adding to our many hours... And, letting us know via email that they wouldn't be back when supposed to be! The management team had no "Holiday Touch". They said that the residents would "get over it" and "don't do anything for one that you wouldn't do for all"..... We enjoyed the residents, didn't mind the job or hours - until we were abused and felt we were fighting to give any "touch". The managers plotted to get us out - because we didn't agree with them. No one listened.....
Well we've certainly heard and experienced all that crap before since we have to go through co-manager training 2-3 times (stuff you can learn in about 3-5 days) in lieu of getting fired because our managers who didn't know what they were doing walked out 3 weeks after after assuming the coveted $27k job (same amount of money that I made back in the 70s doing a paper route as a 16 year old kid) didn't like us. The "Touch" is a very subjective and the entire management team needs to give each other room to execute the "Touch" as they see fit. As I advised many co=managers frequently, yes you will blow it more often than not in one way or another with the residents--you can't please everyone all the time nor can you please just one person without getting everyone else upset. I used to keep some arcane, philosophical words on the tip of my tongue to illustrate my thoughts and point, but unfortunately they escape me now....
I have to make an opinion and this is held without positive knowledge of anyone's experience other
then my own.
NOT every job is a bed of roses, you make and put what
you want into it. There will be times that " managers, Co- managers,
employees and the higher up will make your job unbearable and that
is in every company it's everywhere! If you have not experience this
you have been BLESSED!
I have only had 3 jobs in my life time and I just turn the big 50 and yes my 1st job was 23 years with the same company and it was there. I managed 3 departments,
one at each location and you will have a bad apple that will try to spoil the rest.
Once that bad apple is gone it makes for a good atmosphere for all to be in.
I was well supported by HR.
Now my 2nd job "3 years with Holiday"
Loved it, worked hard, and loved the residents,and was rewarding to be apart of lives of residents and they became your family. We had a lot of long time
employees, but then there is that spoiled apple that is right behind you waiting for you to mess-up are say you have!
So they get on the horn to HR, after all is said and done you come out on top and the employee is spanked on the hand.
but if that one is allowed to have a happy trail up to HR over and over and for the 2nd time after they have talked to every employee there and they see you are doing your job and the employees love you " U R on TOP again. It becomes a hardship on you and the others that do their jobs
and do it well....Trying to get new employees on his side...Because he feels he is over worked "never had to "paint apartment or lay vinyl till we came"
Telling the wildness tales and "BOY" there were some whoppers that you would just had to just break down and laugh
and some that would make you so upset that anyone could say something so outrageous,
"even one of the niceness HR employee that was let go, fell out of his chair laughing so hard. Now that's bad!
You have to step outside of the box and say enough is enough!!!!!
Life is to short to walk on egg shells and you should not have to!!!
3rd job going on 8 months and loving it.
Still leasing Apts."Not Retirement"
So don't bear arms against others here just because it hasn't happen to you "YET" --give it time....and I so hope you never have go through it.
IT DOES HAPPEN and I do believe and trust the words spoken here, because I've walked in the same shoes maybe not
as bad or worst! We are allowed to tell our stories and if
you feel we are hateful and we are liars, WE are the ones that have to pay for our on sins.
After following the blog for so long, I would like to thank charles, achmed, stopthemadness and many more for all the great comments, as many of them speak straight out of my heart, as I as well had good and bad times with Holiday under the Colsons as well and more well under Fortress. I would love to say a great big thank you to the late Bill Colson and his family for giving me an oppurtunity to learn what the real Holiday Touch is, was and for ever will be in many of our hearts who learned it under the old regime. Now after I am no longer with Holiday, I am grateful to use the Touch in my new position working and caring for the seniors. Therefore, I would like to thank FIG and Jack and his gang to allow me to serve the touch to residents in a community that sits at 95% and rising (direct competition).
Long live Holiday 1972
I love this!
Here is an interesting two page article regarding the potential future employee pool of those who will be caring for us as we age.
http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20100428/BUSINESS0103/4280311/1001/RSS
Will this generation be willing to forego their own egos to serve the elderly?
Funny. You must have read it differently than I, as I am a Gen Yer, and work at Holiday. I thought this article described the sort of work I do with the elderly as ideally suited to the charicteristic and strengths of my generation: make the work place fun, challenging, give them freedom to invent new ways of doing things, and prove to them that what they do is something of great life value. Seems to me a perfect fit, and my residents would agree with me. I exhibit all these qualities and they play to my benefit, I think.
Very well spoken!
Breaking news....
It's been reported the RD (Roger A) for the South stated on a conference call today "The GSM program is in a state of flux" The plan going forward is the following:
1)great GSM's would still have a "possible opportunity" to become GM's but highly unlikely.
2)good GSM's would still have an opportunity to keep their job as sales people within the communities
3) poor GSM's would be terminated
The only challenge here is your outcome is completely dependent upon where you are lucky enough to wind up as a GSM. Are you good if you inherit communities which are 90% and you do little or are you good if you inherit a 65% building and take it to 80%.
So many questions, so few answers.
I unfairly attributed this remark to a RD. The remark was made by the MD. I simply made a mistake in my typing.
A young couple moves into a new neighborhood.
The next morning while they are eating breakfast,
The young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
"That laundry is not very clean", she said.
"She doesn't know how to wash correctly.
Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."
Her husband looked on, but remained silent.
Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry,
The young woman would make the same comments.
About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a
Nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:
"Look, she has learned how to wash correctly.
I wonder who taught her this."
The husband said, "I got up early this morning and
Cleaned our windows."
And so it is with life. What we see
when watching others
Depends on the purity of the window through which we look.
I hope that you have a very blessed day!
Great post
Part 2)
First, they let way to many people go from home office who could have played an integral role in the changes to come. Those staff members could have picked up the majority of the administrative work until such time that all the changes were set in place. Secondly and because of the home office lay-offs too many communities had no idea who to turn to at home office as most of the people they used to deal with were gone. People like Rob Bell, Shannon Lacey, Toni Sullivan(Evans) and many, many other support people at home office who were a valuable asset to the communities were gone.
I also do not think it has all to do with salaries either. If prospective co-managers were properly interviewed than they knew “UP FRONT” what the salaries were going to be. Yes, the first paycheck my wife and I each received was a complete “STICKER SHOCK” however we realized that we had no expenses. Our regional, at that time, was a touch couple but they took the time to train us and teach us what the “TOUCH” was all about. Believe me, it was indeed no bed of roses the first couple of months. My wife and I moved 3 times within the first year. We were proud to become managers after being 6 months with the company. (At that time only the Regional Couple were allowed to hire new Co-managers and promoting managers and the regionals consisted of husband and wife as well. One thing I always disagreed with the “old” HRC when they did away with a couple functioning as Regional Managers).
Part 3
One thing you cannot learn is “PASSION”. Passion for your residents and yourself. You either have it or you don’t. You either “love” dealing with people or you don’t. This is not a job, this is a PASSION. Way to many times do co-managers and managers take this job to serious and way to personal. If a resident is a habitual complainer, the co-managers and/or managers take the complaints very personal instead of communicating with the families and trying to find out if such a resident has been a complainer all of their lives. I am not saying that communication with family always works however I do believe it is a vital part of the job to learn as much about your resident as you can.
I could go on however bottom line is that FIG paid a boat load of money for Holiday Retirement Corp. and they have not gotten any return on their investment. Clearly the blame goes to Mr. Callison and his team in Salem and most of us who post messages on this great blog realizes this and don’t want any of the residents or new employees suffer of the massive mistakes this corporate management team has made to a once absolute leader in the industry. I think that any big corporation would have taken a hard look at such a team who has not performed the way it was expected. I think we all can agree on that one. The numbers speak for themselves. They don’t even dare to share the national occupancy number anymore. I am also convinced that many people are well aware of the bonus Mr. Callison received and wonder why he received that bonus as his performance has been dismal at best. Keep in mind that FIG wanted Holiday to go public after two years of ownership. That failed miserably, didn’t it yet, he still is sitting in the driver’s seat.
Achmed and Jerryf make a strong case and highlight some critical issues as well as summarizing basically what has happened over the years.
While with HRC prior FIG I felt like HRC was getting close to solving the turnover problems and under FIG I thought they were getting close to nailing and eliminating the problem as well.
My guess is now there is probably not enough credible and effective experience left in the company to draw on and the credibility of the senior leadership of the company has deteriorated to a non-existent, ineffectual level to where they can't make any headway. And, I'm sure FIG doesn't want Jack to bail until they can actually find a real grown-up to do the job. When all said and done FIG will probably be left with Don Harris (and his critical thinking methods of operation) running the company-- if he is still even there.
If there is enough talent left within HRC the proper direction and formula for success is right under their noses.
The regional training centers were a great idea they just didn't take it far enough. If they reduce the size of they regions or whatever you want to call them to 4-7 communities and utilize the regional training centers senior manager as the defacto RD/mentor for the 4-7 regional communities and beef up the staff a bit at the RTC and make sure you always have 2-3 training couples in play and (2) sets of qualified, certified senior managers on staff as instructors in their area of expertise and of course the chief or senior instructor will also be the RD who reports to a MD. There probably needs to be a review and change of the community senior manager and co-manager titles and job description do give the senior managers especially the more qualified/skilled manager of the couple more pay and more authority (GM like authority). Managers need the ability to interview, hire and fire who is working with or for them- not the RD.
This all basic management precepts and 101 stuff no higher lever of thinking here and certainly nothing outside the box or original. The current RDs and MDs and RSLs have little of no effect as you can see from the results and everyone is spread way too thin the make any difference anywhere unless they just get lucky or being at the right time or right place. Get rid of all the clowns and put folks in place that want to dig into a community and make it happen.
After my wife and I took a 78% community to 100% in 3 months after being newly promoted managers, Mike Lively asked me "how in the hell did we rent apartments to get those kinds of results so quickly"-- my reply,"Mike we just rent one (1) apartment at a time"
The secret of success lies right under their noses whit whatever talent is left and if it ain't there no more then maybe they HRC/FIG need to put their tail between their legs and start hiring the talent (people that could make things happen) back into the fold.
Stopthemadness, great post and great points.
Is there anyone out there who wants the job of Mr. Callison?
I am available
Well I guess Mr. Callison will be in his place a little longer as no one wants his job.
I can't imagine anyone worth his/her salt wanting the job. It might even be easier starting from scratch instead of attempting to re-construct that which this gang managed to dismantle in less than one-tenth of the time it took the Colsons to nurture and grow.
for a million dollar bonus and only knowing how "TOUCH" is spelled, I'm available too
I have always heard how Managers has taken their buildings from 70 % to 100%. I have listened to several Managers say that they could have their building at 100%. Then why are they below 80 %?Every building I have been to it has been a struggle to stay above 80. We marketed as much if not more than anyone I spoke to.I think it was much easier back then than now. Also what exactly is a good Manager ?
Your question, "Also what exactly is a good manager?" is excellent. I look forward to the responses - they should be most interesting. Good to hear from you.
A good manager or management team is only as good as there entire community staff. If the Managers don't hire out of desperation and hire qualified staff (not always possible)to build a team, where everyone is respected, then it is easy to run a community and marketing will be easier too. That way, there is leass stress on the Managers, what puts less stress on the staff, what puts less stress on the residents and, guess what, there you have your happy community where even the residents market for you, word by mouth, because everyone is getting treatet with respect and fairly. On top of that, a good manager follows the Grass Roots, implemented by HOLIDAY RETIREMENT under BILL and BART COLSON, follow there philosophies and practice the HOLIDAY TOUCH as it was tought years ago at level 3's, leadership acadamies and who know's what names there had for the one week sessions. A good Manager takes care of the residents and tries to help them as much as they can. I've seen communities where residents came late for Breakfast and the Managers absolutly ignored them and would not get up and ask for juice and hot cereal, simply saying, they're always late and we don't care anymore, they know what time breakfast starts.A good manager is also well respected in the community, by businesses, vendors and family members of residents and staff.A good manager also worked as Co's for at least one year under a good manager like described above. These day's you see Co Managers getting promoted to Managers after two weeks and getting trained by Managers who never have been trained the Holiday Way as they themselves got trained by "untrained" Managers, and so on. What is the end result?? Low Census
Some communities are easier to fill than others. During my tenure I know of one community that stayed at 100% under 5 different managers over about a 7 year period. Like you said Bob and Sam we were doing as much or more than the other communities, but were holding steady at the mid 90%. After being asked by my RD on one occasion why we were not at 100%, I asked my RD if he really believed that if we were transferred to XYZ would we bring the census down to the mid 90's and the couple at XYZ would bring our community to 100%. He thought about it for a minute and admitted I had a good point. We finally made 100% and everyone wanted to know what we did differently. The answer was we finally had a good media advertising budget and we went two months with only one move out. We held the 100% for a few months but slowly declined, when Salem cut our media advertising budget to 0% and were not provided the resources to get new DIs. I told our RD that we did not have enough DIs to make the required DI calls and cookie drops that was being required as Salem's new grass roots effort. The RD's response was to start making cold calls. I for one am not surprised by what has happened. The bad decisions from Salem was just getting started when we left. Speaking for the community we were in it was easier to build census before FIG.
Allow me to offer up a tidbit I find humourous. As mentioned quite some time ago my wife and I stayed "retired" five months this time. In a couple of weeks I will have one year in with the company I am now employed by. Last week a conversation took place between the manager and myself in which he inquired if I had aspirations for advancement within the company. I explained that I am sixty-six years old and had my doubts about becoming the CEO any time soon.
During the conversation I happened to mention attending Holiday's Leadership Academy and the company flying us out to Salem, Oregon for the week (it wasn't mentioned in my application). At that point he became very interested, asking many pertinent questions about the training offered during that week.
Now here is the part which I find humourous. I agreed to take in copies of the Leadership Academy 'diploma' and the Heart of Holiday award, along with the diamond stud heart which accompanied the award. The manager (twenty-six years my junior) asked if he could keep the copies, to which I responded as to why. He replied he wished to place them in my personnel files and then asked me if I would be interested in being an assistant manager. Apparently the fact of being flown to Oregon at company expense for leadership training impressed him for some reason.
Now this company has various other paperwork in my folder regarding my background without it making any difference. He later informed me he had forwarded the copies to the regional and the regional sent them to the company's home office with a strong recommendation for my promotion. I explained to him at that time I needed to consider the potential, to which he agreed. I don't believe I shall accept the offer.
The reason I am sharing this with you is because if a gigantic corporation like the one I work for attaches such an importance to the Oregon based training - why doesn't the company doing the training realize its own potential and continue it?
I find that ironically humourous.
Charles,
I believe you bring a valid point with great questions of insight for which there are a mix of many different reasons and answers. In Holiday/ FIGS it most probably has to do with self-involved arrogance and/or a repudiation of the status quo including all the good and bad.... Instead of evaluating and just tweaking and gleaning from the things that did work; then, develop and create programs to enhance skills for what seemed to be lacking in the field they did a complete overhaul which probably wasn't really necessary. Training is an intangible and difficult thing to evaluate for its effectiveness and the return on the investment. But in the case of companies that don't strive for excellence for a constant, continuous, creative, effective training program are only creating a business plan for their own demise....
I am curious, are there still Regional Training Centers or not?
There is 1 in VA that I know of!
Another Black Friday at Home Office. Apparently a big chunk of the H/R Dept. was let go, including a director that was just moved from Calif. Maybe the rest of the staff will realize the lies they have been told about how well the company is doing. What crap! For you current managers, good luck getting any information about your "Capital" any time soon....
What a sad commentary on this company. While I once offered the opinion that Edwin Zepherin was part of the "good" in the company, the way he has handled the terminations is disgusting. Ths makes at least 4 people of Director level or higher who have moved to SALEM for the job...uprooting families (potentially) to do so. What a sad commentary, it's no wonder the city of Salem does not respect this company any longer.
The same has occurred with the GSM program. Ill fated and mismanaged from the inception, GSM's have been hired and fired all within three months. Not one of the GSM's had ever worked with seniors and all were excited about their first "sales" job. Stan Brown, Andrew White and Zepherin should all take a share of the responsibility for this failure.
Interesting news trickling in from the South region of this company. I really believe the company should allow Harvard Business School to perform a case study on inept management so a failure of this magnitude never happens again. And for anyone who suggests I should leave my role, I would if the market was better. Until then, I do my job to the best of my ability and try to avoid the chopping block since it has nothing to do with competency.
Well said - and taken to heart. I believe most did/do the same. Do the job to best of ability and try to avoid the chopping block.
What group in H/R got the axe? How were the terminations mishandled? Edwin was never part of the solution, he just kept adding more and more people to the mess. If one were to guess one might think that the financials weren't looking good so Forthress made them trim HQ headcount to cut costs which is what most companies do when business is bleak.
What is the news trickling in from the South region? This is very interesting since that is where Fortress has the strongest input.
Without a doubt this is the most dysfunctional company I've ever worked for. They simply throw stuff on the wall without fully thinking things through, hoping something will stick, then when it doesn't, react with the same lack of thought except the pendulum sharply swings to the other direction.
You are right. Edwin has done NOTHING except send GOOD people packing and only bring his gang from Florida to Oregon. Jack is being fooled and needs to know that he has made a huge mistake by bringing Edwin in. Edwin has had ample time to prove himself and he has proved that he is worthless. Jack, it is time to get someone that can help you, not hurt you. Find someone with passion for people!
Where are Stan and Zach when you need them? Speak about Grassroots and training. 2 of the very very best.
I am also available.
To: Holiday Retirement Corporation
Jack R. Callison Jr.
Wesley Edens
Fortress investment Group
You are formally invited to offer factual input regarding the projected future of Holiday Retirement Corporation and its continued care of both staff and residents. (No standardized press releases please.)
Said input can be either in a "comment form" on this blog or via email to me (dlcharles1@att.net) which will then be precisely re-typed in its entirety. "Inquiring minds want to know."
I will personally guarantee that no volatile comments will be allowed as a reply. Such comments (if any) will immediately be removed. I will even offer to set up a separate moderated forum if so desired.
Looking forward to your reply,
dlcharles
(We'll see if a response is forthcoming. Mr. Callison has previously gone on record in his company letter that he believes in "straight talk". We offer the opportunity.)
Based on Charles’s invitation for the upper echelon of Holiday Retirement to write some on this blog with substance of course, I would like to invite everyone to post either a vote of confidence or non-confidence in the upper management of Holiday retirement. I believe that it is essential for Fortress to know what the employees think. Obviously Holiday is not turning the corner and now I understand the City of Salem does not respect Holiday Retirement anymore either. That, my friends, is “the” worst that can happen to a company. So please, please you vote.
Perhaps someone can send it to the city of Salem later on so they know the employees either support this management team or not.
And NO, I do not know what it will do for the employees so don’t even go there.
The new plan for GSM's is clearly underwater. Here are the expectations for GSM's and already they are looking for new jobs. I'm a little confused myself about HOW the FIG believes this is even possible. I mean the GSM's, while very nice people, have been brought in to perform miracles. Take a look at this
GSM Expectations:
·You will focus solely on your assigned community. A few exceptions may be made if there are events that have already been planned or sales that may have closed this weekend.
·Focus on lead conversion as well as lead generation – it is a balancing act. You are responsible for both – generating leads and CLOSING sales.
·Goal of 2 sales closed per week – at minimum, standard 1 sale closed per week for your community. This means the GSM must have had one or more part in the close of the sale:
o Generated the lead
o Took the initial inquiry
o Took the tour
o Completed follow up/home visit
o Closed the sale – collected deposit/scheduled lease signing
All move ins will be reviewed at month by your RSL for bonus eligibility and performance evaluation.
·The Call Center will be informed so that you will only get the leads assigned to your community.
·Community Management Teams will be informed of these changes.
The communities weren't reaching the goal of 1 per week; does the addition of someone with no knowledge of the business really bump the goal to 2 per week?
And of course, the CYA to terminate them (some already gone) is covered in this documentation.
PERFORMANCE DOCUMENTATION
Has associate been previously counseled or disciplined for the same or similar reason?
Yes Date: No
Type of Discussion
Verbal Warning Final Written Warning Decision Making Leave
Written Warning Suspension Pending Investigation Termination
Type of Infraction
Minor Infraction Major Infraction
Attendance/Tardiness Unsatisfactory Performance – Prior Warnings
Unsatisfactory Performance Insubordination
Violation of Policy Falsification
Other Describe: Serious Policy Violation
Other Describe:
Facts or Events:
Required Improvement(s): (Briefly state what associate must do to improve.)
Failure to Improve:
Associate Signature Date Supervisor’s Signature
(Associate signature only acknowledges receipt of a copy of this notice and not necessarily agreement to as to the recommended action taken.)
Performance Problem Solving Action Plan
A Performance Problem Action Plan is your written agreement to change inappropriate behavior or unacceptable performance. With this in mind, complete in writing your individual action plan. Include in your plan a short summary with regard to the following:
An explanation of the problem as you see it today
An explanation of the changes you'll implement (paraphrased
days and counting for me
This would be perfect for all the upper mgmnt folks that have been hired. Especially Edwin!!!! Give HIM a Plan of Action....
Just found this site today...very coincidental...my mother has lived in one of these places for over 4 years...last week she took a spill and broke her shoulder and pelvis (both in 3 places)...since we were unclear of the outcome (and still are), it being close to the end of the month I asked if it was necessary to pay the full cost of a normal month...my mother would not be there for meals or utilizing the utilities etc...that was on Thursday...the young lady there didn't know and said she would check and get back to me...never did...I stopped in yesterday (Tuesday) and was told that it was just like a normal apartment lease...she would be required to pay the full price for May...I questioned that because of the meal package etc but it fell on deaf ears...as I said my mother has been living there for 4 years and each year gets hit with at least a 3% increase however, her income certainly hasn't increased and the services have gone down the tubes compared to what they were when she initially moved in...as a result, I am looking for another place for her to live when she comes out of rehab...it's obvious these folks are nothing more than thieves making it on the back of the elderly...read an article in the Columbia SC paper of a facility there charging at extra month for the failure of a resident to give 30 days notice before he passed away...absolutely pitiful.../RJM
It is the policy of Holiday Retirement to provide a Rent Allowance during a resident's absence exceeding 21-days. This allowance must be submitted by a Manager upon the resident's return to or move-out from the community, and is based on the number of days absent AFTER the first 21 allowable days. In order for the Rent Allowance to be reimbursed upon the resident's return to the community, the resident's account must be current, or it will be credited to their final account upon move-out. Good luck.
Thanks for that information...I'm sure my mother will be gone for at least 21 days...no one at the property made any mention to me of this benefits...I appreciate your input very much.../RJM
If the Community Managers need any further information on the Rent Allowance program, have them contact their Accounts Receivable Representative at Home Office in Salem, Oregon.
I sense you are a Holiday employee and we appreciate you taking the time to provide this family with much needed information.
Things seem to be turning around. Did anyone see this from Jack Callison below?
Greetings Team Holiday,
Congratulations…we did it again! During the month of April, we generated positive occupancy as a company and exceeded our budgeted level of move ins for the month. But more importantly, we successfully shared the Holiday Touch with 1,038 new seniors who can now call Holiday Retirement home!
Because of your tenacity and hard work, our combined move in results for the months of March and April (2,144) represent the highest two month total for gross move ins in Holiday Retirement’s 40-year history. Last month’s outsized performance wasn’t just a fluke…it is clearly becoming a recurring trend. That’s exciting on many fronts and I’m very grateful for your dedication and commitment.
Special recognition also goes out to several regions who posted the best company-wide results during April:
· HIGHEST # OF GROSS MOVE INs - Mike Bardelmeier’s region posted the highest number of gross move ins across the company at 60! The Randy Perras region was very close behind with a very impressive 56 move ins in April. Well done teams!
· HIGHEST # OF NET MOVE INs – Mike Bardelmeier’s team again finished first in this category with a whopping +34 net for the month. Allan Erselius was right behind Mike’s team finishing the month at +26 net. Very impressive!!!
· BEST IMPROVEMENT IN BOTH GROSS AND NET MOVE INS FROM MARCH TO APRIL– Heidi Wilson’s team in Western Canada finished April +30 over the month of March on a gross move in basis and +29 on a net move in basis. What an impressive improvement on both metrics in just one month…congratulations to the entire team for this tremendous surge!
We are obviously off to a tremendous start in 2010 but the good news is that we’re just getting started. Spring is in the air and we are filling our communities up quickly.
Thank you very much for your continued focus on delivering the Holiday Touch to both existing and future residents. We have much to be proud of as an organization. Keep up the excellent and record setting work!
Best regards,
Jack
I wonder how many of these move ins actually pay the full amount of rent, or for how many month they get free rents and what else they got for incentives to finally move into a Holiday Community. By the shortage of personal care beds, how many of these residents had no other choice. I would like to congratulate the Colson run Holiday once again, who had great census and move in rates over the past 40 years, with out those out of the margin incentives. Because at Colson time, the real "TOUCH" was the biggest incentive.
The wonderful thing about the English language is words can mean almost anything. In this case what Jack's note does not suggest or reference is where these outstanding performances took place...the lease ups (building which are less than 2 years old and 60% occupied and Canada - both fall outside the normal model of the traditional bulding. The lease ups have larger budgets for the many concessions which are being made and if you were to ask any RD if they would prefer the lease up or stable community model all would agree the lease ups are the easiest to rent. They're new with modern amenities and everything works. They're all in more desireable locations and not the result of "swamp land" purchased in a remote spot some 25 years ago.All parties in the company know the job of Mike B and Randy P is not a tough job to accomplish.
Canada has always been a 100% occupancy region. Not surprising they are still doing well. Many of their people are complaining about only being 90%!!!
"gross" move ins, where's the beef Jack- remember success is in "the net" Move in 1000 people, most with incentives up to 4 months free rent, and move out 700-800 people that were all paying full rent- even if it is net gain in occupancy, it is a net loss in revenue. The clock is ticking Jack, FIG will be making that margin call soon, when the value of the real estate exceeds the value of the business it is "bye-bye" time.
To be fair,
Fact: Perras is not a lease up.
Fact: Incentives are actually down compared to the days before Callison got here.
Fact: Move outs have actually trended down, so net move-ins are up
Hate to say it, but we should give credit when credit is due.
To be fair - Continued:
Fact: The competition in this independent retirement industry has increased geometrically.
Fact: Retirement nest-eggs have shrunk to roughly 40% in value since the financial bubble burst,
Fact: Aftershocks of the sub-prime real estate bubble has wiped out a good chunk of equity for potential residents.
It looks to me like Jerry F and Retirement Life Communities (RLC) have come up with creative solutions to counter each of these three facts.
Further, in retrospect, you can't deny that the Colsons and their real estate investor/partners across the country got out at almost exactly the right time.
CORRECTION:
...nest-eggs have shrunk BY roughly 40%....
Fact: i was told by an HRC manager, and i quote, "we are able to make more deals than before."
Fact: on the occupancy report from March there were 778 move out notices.
to be fair, I hope that HRC improves its performance, the industry needs that to start growing again.
It would appear that the "sign-off offers" from Holiday regarding the class action suit have risen in value. From the initial reports of one thousand dollars being offered it has risen to twenty-five hundred dollars per individual.
Dl,
How may I connect with you personally...is there an email address you can provide me?
If so, will you forward it to jmoses@q.com
Here are two:
dlcharles1@att.net
thefreebornman@yahoo.com
Many of you will find the following site link most informative: http://www.seniorcareinvestor.com .
The editor/partner, Stephen M. Monroe, is an extremely personable individual and very astute regarding the complexities of growing old while attempting to juggle retirement industry finances. The information available onsite quickly solidifies this.
I had the opportunity to speak with him recently via telephone and was most impressed. He has the modulated voice timbre of a professional announcer, speaks with a midwestern non-accent, and is quietly humourous while delivering his points. He speaks with authority of experience but involves the listener to offer input which he can probably repeat word for word at a later date.
The Volume 22 Issue 5 May 2010 offered up an article titled "Holiday: Beneath the Veil". If I can get permission I will make it available for everyone to read here.
Wednesday May 12, 2010 @6:48PM.
Here is the article. Please note all source credit and information is to/from The Senior Care Investor and Irving Levin Associates. Anyone who works, or ever worked, for holiday will find it extremely informative. http://www.levinassociates.com/dealmakers.htm
My gratitude to Irving Levin Associates and The Senior Care Investor (http://www.seniorcareinvestor.com) for allowing me to offer the information on this blog.
A loss of 2 Billion in value, that likely will never be recovered? There is a lot of information in that article that I am sure Jack did not want to see in print, I am sure the big boys in NYNY will want to have a talk with him.
Can anyone please tell me the salary range for the co manager positions?
Me and my husband are thinking about applying with Holiday and we were hoping that someone would let us know what they are getting paid so that we may negotiate a price if we were to be considered for employment
The starting salary for a Co-Manager is approximately $25K each (depending on the market), with a 90-day waiting period for medical benefits and a 1-year waiting period for matching 401k benefits. The non-taxable value of the apartment, utilities and 3 daily meals is about another $25K per year. The only negotiable item I've ever heard of might be in relocation expenses and COBRA reimbursements. Good luck!
When we first inquired about the pay, we were reminded that the only regular expenses we'd have to endure onsite would be our liquor bill.
It was pretty close to accurate, except they forgot dog food for Sammy, our one-eyed greyhound.
Legal food for thought: Even though managers and co managers are not protected by the FLSA, they are promised holidays and birthdays off in the employee handbook. They are also promised 1 if not 2 other management couples to work with them. Not having either may well constitute a breech of contract. If you're a couple working alone, this one may hold water in court.
Again I get so sick and tired of the idea that everything that happens with Holiday is something that needs some kind of legal action. All I can say that some of you have very little experience working in Management and when you accept a job in Management you also accept what goes with that and that might include being short handed. I went over 3 months with an Asst Manager working for a retail company. So grew up or get out.
So you think someone working for WEEKS on end with no relief, 24/7/365 with no time off is ok? I'd like to see you do it. This is happening and as much as you would like to disprove it, it is real and god help your employees and residents with an attitude like yours. This ain't retail so your comparison is not valid.
ENOUGH, You you need to read this!!!!
A young couple moves into a new neighborhood.
The next morning while they are eating breakfast,
The young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
"That laundry is not very clean", she said.
"She doesn't know how to wash correctly.
Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."
Her husband looked on, but remained silent.
Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry,
The young woman would make the same comments.
About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a
Nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:
"Look, she has learned how to wash correctly.
I wonder who taught her this."
The husband said, "I got up early this morning and
Cleaned our windows."
And so it is with life. What we see
when watching others
Depends on the purity of the window through which we look.
I hope that you have a very blessed day!
I would hardly classify working 14 hours a day, 7 days a week and being on call 168 hours a week as "short handed". Enough: you sound like one of those new "classroom clowns" who's been trained at one of their ad hoc "schools" in a Day's Inn in the Carolinas. You obviously haven't walked the walk and comments like that only serve to show your ignorance. Let me put this in retail terms you can understand. Being a couple alone in a 100 plus resident building is like working open to close on Black Friday. Over and over and over again. The difference being; in retail, no matter how bad the day, you close up the shop and go home for the night. At Holiday, you go to your apartment, close the door and answer e-calls and random phone calls all night then start all over again in the morning. Day after day after day after day.............
Be very careful what you say, especially when you don't know anything about me. My wife and I work for holiday as managers, so please don't act like I don't know what it is like. I have been in buildings that are being runned so bad that it makes me sick. I would guess with your attitude your building has issues.If you can't handle it then get out. You take the good with the bad. It just cracks me up when people like you get on here and start name calling and passing judgment when you don't know anything about what I have or ha ve not been through. Again I SAY IF YOU CAN'T STAND THE HEAT GET OUT.
Well, ENOUGH, I hope you didn't have to write much. . .especially "in buildings that are being RUNNED so bad."
Enough said.
Well Mr. ENOUGH, I apologize to the readers of this fine blog for indulging your trollish behavior.
I have to commend your sudden jump in status. From not being trained back on 4/25 to being managers less than 3 weeks later.
I quote: "My wife and I unfortunately did not get to go thru training, but we are learning this job the best we can. We really enjoy the residents (after all that is why we are here) and don't mind the other things we have to do. We are in a tough situation because one of the managers here is not very nice and not a good trainer but the other manager is and we are doing our best".
So........I'll let your posts, along with your dazzling grasp of the English language speak for themselves. Come back and talk to us in a couple of years after you've lived the life for a while.
For those of you who are contemplating leaving; contact your state labor department and at least get paid for the days that you're owed.
When I write it is usually after a 12-14 hour day. Write very quickly and don't take the time to edit sorry. Again to my point. Some of you act like you know what's going on somewhere when you are not there. You want to nit pick my writing fine, but one thing you can't judge me on is what kind of job my wife and I are doing. Again if you want to make comments on this blog, leave out the personal attacks, this just shows immaturity and is down right rude. When I wrote that blog entry I was very tired (as usual) and was very upset. So give it a rest.
Enough - I can understand your point of view. When my husband and I started with Holiday we loved our job, loved the residents, and didn't mind the 12-14-24 hour days. We felt like we were making a difference in someone's life. Yes, we had to work long hours, yes we answered numerous e-calls and phone calls in the middle of the night. Yes we worked alone for weeks on end. But we loved it none the less. We only started getting upset about the injustices after we realized that no one appreciated what we did for them. The company didn't care. We were never good enough. The only standard that was ok was 100% full and below budget. No matter what state the building was in. It does not take long before you start to resent the hours the company expects. Especially since you know that the employee handbook says they won't expect it. And then you come to feel that the company does not care about the residents either. They only care about the almighty buck. It's hard to stay working for a company like that, and it's hard to not want to get them back legally if you can for all the promises you were told and never got.
People always have a choice. Most people find it less stressful to their mindframes if they remain in a situation they are not comfortable with. Others find it less stressful to move on than it is to remain in the situation. And still others are in a smaller category which make decisions to properly initiate hopeful beneficial changes.
Pitting one scenario against another is rather fruitless, isn't it? Each of us also has a "patience limit" which causes a triggered response to set in motion a sequence of events. Sometimes these events turn out positive and sometimes negative. We never find out until quite some time after the event itself.
Speaking only personally here, if I find the heat in the kitchen is making me uncomfortable I can make certain the heat is turned down a notch or two until it is comfortable for me. Or I can shut the kitchen down completely if such is my choice. And I can also leave the kitchen until my ability to withstand the heat notches up a peg or so. Choices. I can also make the choice to study the kitchen layout, consider various redesigns which would better diffuse the heat or ventilate it, and even go so far as to completely remodel the entire structure if I decide it is the best case scenario.
What I would not do is to blame others for the hot kitchen if it was done according to my design. Whether someone I hired to work in that kitchen felt extremely uncomfortable in the heat is another matter entirely. At that point I would become responsible for the discomfort, regardless of the promises and agreements at time of hire about how cool the kitchen was supposed to be. Would I simply tell the kitchen person to keep quiet and work on? At times this is done. So the work continues and the help gets sick, some quit because of the heat and the stress. Some I let go because they were unable to continue under the conditions. This does not make them discontented employees simply because they wore out in the stifling heat. It only makes them ex-employees and I have to do their work now until I can find someone to replace them. And, since I am responsible for the temperature of the kitchen and the work conditions they must undergo it is their right to attempt to convince me I should correct the problems. This attempt may even entail legal actions against me if a judge decides there is a basis for such. Then my attorneys and their attorneys strive to convince a judge or jury who is correct.
In reality it would have been more cost restrictive if I had simply sat down in a cool place with the workers and really listened to what they had to say. After all, they are the ones who do the daily actual duties in the hot kitchen for hours at a time, while I only enter the room for brief moments on occasion. Choices.
Dl
First ley me make it clear to the new people posting on this blog that I do not have and never have had any connection with Holiday Corporation or Fortress except that I am a RESIDENT of a Holiday Community.I have been in managerial positios, both good and bad, most of my adult life.I don't be;ieve the employees at Holiday have the slightest idea of what you are talking about. Until Holiday/Fortress changes their policy and let the managers MANAGE, Holiday Corporation will continue on the downward slide
Amen to that.
Part I
This note could have been written by almost any Management team to Jack Callison.
I've taken the liberty to post it. The author of this letter is a wonderfully caring person who brought value to Holiday. Of course she is now gone. Jack Callison received this note.
Dear Jack,
I hope that by sending this letter, I am not jeopardizing my job because my
husband and I are truly committed to our work here at (name redacted)in
(name redacted). I wrote to you once before thanking you for the sweet email you sent out and I sincerely meant every word of that last email.
My heart is full of pain and worry and sadness tonight. (names redacted) worked 14 hours today and are on Ecall tonight; tomorrow another 12 hour day with Ecall. We love this community already - only having moved here a week ago.We love the residents. Along with most of the staff here; we truly want to be part of the "momentum"
and "excitement" that you talk about in your email. We want to exemplify
"security, comfort, and value" for our residents. We want to be able to
participate in "Grass Roots Marketing" and to restore this grand property to its rightful place in the community and bring dignity back to the people who live here.
Please bear with me; and let me tell you about just one of many helpless
residents who live here at (redacted). One resident who has been forgotten
by her family. One resident who has been continually shunned by other residents and who sits on the sofa in the library between meals waiting for someone to notice her.
This precious lady has lived at (redacted) since (redacted). She was once a(redacted)She has advanced Alzheimer disease. How do I know ?
Because I have worked in Senior Housing for (redacted) years, and in environments of assisted living and memory care. I worked for (redacted) as well and for two other privately owned communities.
Tonight, for the 5th night in a row, my husband and I found this resident
sitting patiently in our library. She doesn't know where she is. She doesn't
know her name, nor can she formulate complete sentences. She does show
recognition and emotion. She says she loves me. I know in my heart that she
appreciates that (names redacted) come to get her each night and take her hand and walk her to (redacted)her apartment. She sees the straw hat
hanging on the door and she smiles. We open the door and she hugs me. I blow her a kiss as she closes the door.
This is a heartbreaking story; but it is true . This is not the Holiday Touch
that you talk about in your email.
Many of our residents do not know the Holiday Touch. They do not experience
quality of life in this building.
Over 20 residents are housed in the building and forgotten by
all except the caregivers who are contracted to look after them. They do not come to the main floor, nor do they come to the dining room nor do they play the games, or see the movies, nor do they hear the music. Many are bed ridden.
Part II
Now, I know that we don't ask an astronaut to come and fix a broken kite; nor do we ask a senator to come and listen to resident complaints; but your emails are so personal and so thoughtful and I just believe in my heart that you really care about these people......and that you are leading this company not just for the money or the title; but because you have a heart for it. I hope that's true.
I am attaching a list that (names redacted) are compiling. We know that some of these things have the attention already of upper management, even on the Divisional level. We know that promises have been made for a Recor on this community; and that we were told when we accepted this position that (name redacted) has been neglected for a long time.
Some would say that I am out of line here. Some would have me talk to the
managers, the Regional, the Divisional. I have. Even when we were being offered
this job; we were being asked "why would we take it" by our Regional himself. So, naturally when I read these emails - at midnight like tonight; I want you to know what's going on.....not because I am trying to short circuit the chain of command. Because I know that all of the right people already know the details;but maybe they are disconnected. Maybe they are overwhelmed. Maybe they have
bigger fish to fry. But I am not going to waste another day hoping and wonderingif (name redacted) is going to be forgotten for even another week. We need attention tomorrow. We need to begin our transformation soon. We cannot afford to wait. We need commitments and dates and a Plan of Action.
(name redacted) have only been here for one week; but we know what we are doing. We have been told by our Regional to work with our managers. We are doing that. We are team players and we are carrying null of weight already.
We have been told by our Divisional that he supports us - whatever that means. But, (redacted) is in trouble.
This building is a grand old lady that is worth saving. Yes, it will take money and work. But, we cannot be part of the "grass roots" excitement and the
"momentum" that everyone else enjoys until we are fully recognized as being in dire need of top level corporate involvement. Help that is blatant and obvious. Not just promises and visits by various people who walk in and walk out.
The problem is that everyone is concerned about their own area. I don't think we are looking at the big picture here. We cannot market this building like it stands tonight. I am probably one of the best marketing people in the country - but I cannot sell this building like it is tonight - well yes I can, but not in good conscience.
So, for what it's worth,Jack.....please take my letter to heart and forgive me
for ranting. I know you are busy and I know if my husband were awake, he would
discourage me from writing this letter. But, my husband came out of retirement
to do this.
TO BE CONTINUED
Part 3
Tonight when we came back to our apartment after we took (name redacted) to her room, I saw tears in my husband's eyes and all he said before he went to bed was that he hoped I wasn't disappointed in him because he was too tired to talk. He knew
I had a heavy heart.
Thank you for not judging me too harshly. I've worked for some very important people; but I have never felt comfortable before writing this kind of letter. I am convinced I made the right decision when I asked (name redacted) to come on this journey with me. Please prove me right.
With respect and sincerity,
(name redacted)
This wonderful couple left the company within 6 months of joining! Jack failed to address their concerns and they simply could not take the deceit and trickery practiced by Holiday. Both the RD and MD were aware of the outstanding issues and never addressed any of these complaints. The building they were in was known as the "armpit of the country " and had a number of residents who should not have been in the building. So when someone asks how is the New Holiday doing....not so well!
This is a terrible situation to see in print. Because I am intimately familiar with the workings of Salem, unfortunately I know this to be true. The building they are discussing is Windslands South in Nashville TN and it was commonly referred to as the armpit of Holiday due to the way the building operated. Holiday spent a lot of time trying to "hide" or "mask" the problem as opposed to correcting the problem. Many MD's had responsibility for this building and most recently Sam Green, Ronnie Moye and Peg Maddox were at the helm of the "titanic" and continued to allow the mistreatment and care of the residents to take place. Jack was completely aware of it and so was Resident Relations and everyone did there best to hide it and pretend it was not there. The residents on the floor mentioned in this letter were actually under the care of an AL company we contracted the floor too and were basically left to fend for themselves in various measure of filth..sorry no good way to say it.
Wake Up Suits in NY and OR !!!!
The maintenance freeze is not helping out in the field!! We have apartments which have chipped sinks, carpet which are stained and smell, We take drapes to the cleaners and they fall apart. Vinyl which is yellow from the backing on the bathroom rugs. Dim lighting in the apartments... We are charging very high rents for sub-standard housing. My do not show list is getting longer by the week.
We have been told things will get replaced once the apartment is rented.
WOULD YOU RENT A HOUSE WHICH WAS NOT IN GOOD REPAIR. NO!!! YOU WOULD WALK OUT THE DOOR AND NEVER COME BACK AND LET YOUR FRIENDS KNOW THE PLACE WAS A DUMP!!!!!
WAKE-UP AND GET SOME PEOPLE WHO KNOW HOW TO RUN A BUSINESS!
IN THIS ECONOMY OUR MOVE-INS COME FROM WALK-INS AND ON A NEED BASIS. WHEN MOM OR DAD FALLS AND CAN'T GO BACK HOME OR FROM FEAR OF HOME INVASIONS ETC....
ALL THE SALES PROMOTIONS AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS SPENT ARE NOT GOING TO CHANGE THIS. PUT THE MONEY IN THE APARTMENTS NOT IN HAIL MARY'S (I.E. GSM'S AND WILD PROMOTIONS).
AS COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT TEAMS WE ARE DOING OUR JOBS. YOUR NOT!!!!!
PUT THE BLAME ON LOW CENSUS WHERE IT BELONGS.
COME OUT INTO THE FIELD FOR A WEEK OR TWO AND SEE WHAT WE DO. THEN YOU WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE INTELLIGENT DECISIONS ON HOW TO IMPROVE THE CENSUS!!!!
We are expected to do tours and show the apts. that are not rent ready, lying and saying the carpet is on order. So the apartment is shown and it stands for 4-5 months with no carpet or drapes- because the budget won't allow to buy carpet until its rented. Well the apartment will stand empty and they will go else where because who wants to look at a non carpeted apartment? Will promises keep the prospects away? Yes people want to rent clean, new or clean carpet and nice drapes- People do not buy 2nd rate apartments. and pay very high prices with promises to get them ready.
Jack and Crew you need to stop giving away all the incentives to prospects and spend money to update the apartments. The market rates is higher here than any other building in this community-we haven't that much to offer.
Freeze you market rent, freeze current rents for two years, get the apartments and community in top shape and you will rent your communities.
Theres so much pressure on your RSL & RD
they can't function due to the fear of losing their jobs? Why not help all of HRC and do your part? We have been with HRC for alot of years but the past year is insane for the employees- it funnels down to the residents and they pick up the stress and pressure on managers. They are burning out and can not do what you want them to do the way they are treated. Have you ever heard of postive motivation and job well done? They do not hear that any more - only how many apartments have you rented today?
This is crazy. I'm not sure where you are at but I can assure that this is not this case everywhere. In our region we have been repairing and/or replacing the necessary things to make our buildings clean and safe. So I'm not sure what maintenance freeze you are talking about, but I do know that you have to use wisdom on what you want to do. I agree that I would not even show an apartment if it wasn't in tip top shape it would be to embarrassing and would definitely make it hard to get move-in's. All I can say is that what you are experiencing is very bad, but I don't believe that that is the over all attitude of Holiday.
Same here. In our region, we are approved and expected to have a few of each type of apartment in mint, rent-ready condition. All other vacant units are to be completely turned except for new carpeting, if needed. When the supply of totally rent-ready apartments of that type are occupied, new carpet is then installed. So, we always have at least 3 studios, 1-BR, and 2-BR each to show at all times.
We are only allowed to paint and have our in-house maintenance clean the carpets and a deep clean by housekeepers. Nothing else is being approved by our regional maintenance and our regional manager backs him up. This has been going on since the end of the first quarted. I have asked for drapes or blinds, ADA toilets, carpet replaced because of pets or human stains,and been told there is a freeze on capital improvements throughout the company and all apartment turns must be considered a capital improvement.
I am not an employee or ex. My parents have been living at a Holiday community, in the South, for about 9 months now. I took the tour and was impressed with what I saw--so we decided on the Holiday community. It meets most of their needs. I have heard some complaints, but overall, I think they are pleased with the experience. I do not live in the area, so I am relying on them to keep me informed. My question is: Can someone please take 2 minutes to explain the structure and organization of the corporation and the role of the different managers/co-managers/regional staff etc? I have a good idea of what goes on where they live, but not the larger company. Also any insights about the management (or lack thereof)of the South region locations would be appreciated. Thanks.
co-managers: run the place while managers are off duty, but do not make presidents: Managers: run the place and make the rules: RD: Make all the rules and no rule is allowed unless oked by him. No one is allowed to do anything but fill the facility, and poor coffee, answer questions, be on call, run the bus if Bus driver is out, help with entertainment, help with maintance, help with kitchen, help serve. OOO yeah, and be available 24/7 365 days a year. We don't do much.
In the BFF days(be for fortress) Every time any one from management came into a community we knew they would be inspecting the property! That no longer happens,they walk into the office and talk about census. In most visits they never even talk to the any of the staff, not to mention the residents.Like conference calls census,census,census.What a waste of time & money most of these people are. They are all being pushed hard to fill the buildings but don't have a clue as to what an injustice they are doing.Morale is at an all time low and its no wonder.
This is just a Residents version of the line of command:
Fortress tells the CEO of Holiday what to do.
The CEO only does what Fortress tells him to do.
The Regional Managers only do what the CEO tells them to do.
The Community Managers only do what the Regional Managers tells them to do.
The Co-Managers only do what the Community Managers tell them to do.
The Residents only do what the Community Management Team tells them to do.
Pericles - I detect, from your slightly less than sugar-coated analysis, that either you are a resident of a community/region that is in dire need of a management overhaul or you are someone who is generally bitter with just about everything.
While my wife and I've been retired from HRC for almost two years, I know, if only from comments on this forum alone, that some communities and regions are still doing it right.
Your depiction of the "line of command" is not only wrong it is erroneous.
I pity you, your fellow residents, and the negativism that would seem to be your raison d'etre.
wow, that is how you talk to a resident? no wonder you are not a manager anymore, also, wrong and erroneous are the same thing.
Note I offered two alternative assessments of Pericle's complaints, which are plenty -- with nothing complimentary, if you look back among all his/her posts.
So, if the shoe fits....
In my humble opinion, for whatever that may be worth, the complaints of the residents are the primes which this blog is all about. Some of us are still with holiday, some have moved on to other work, and some have been driven off - all the way up to the home office itself. In each of our comments we stess our concerns about the residents, often lamenting over the alleged failures of their care. We stayed longer because of the residents than we would have otherwise.
Pericles: I believe you called the chain-of-command pretty close. Admittedly it has variations which a resident hopefully would not be privy too, but all-in-all it is fairly accurate.
I keep checking in with this site to see it any information comes up about the facility in which my mother lives. The assistant managers were let go a few months back. A new couple came, but left shortly thereafter and did not come back. I have met a woman in the office who is in marketing and comes in twice a week (I think). So as far as I can tell, there is only one couple at the place. Apparently, someone from corporate was there two weeks ago. My mother addressed with him the fact that the bathroom in the lobby smells so bad that she rarely goes to the dining room as she can' t stand having to pass by the bathroom to get there. I have not noticed any great improvement in that area yet. It is frustrating that we are spending so much money for services that my mother does not even use. Not only are we paying for all her food, but by eating in her apt she is also not socializing. And yet when I drove in on Wed. I saw a new banner out front touting a $99 move in special. If she knew about some of the comments I have been reading here - she would really be angry. I am just concerned that there is not sufficient coverage to manage the place well, and I am beginning to wonder if the cleaning and repairs are going to become more of an issue. Unfortunately, other options are limited in the area between my siblings and me. I don't want to mention her specific place, as I don't how that would go over here, but she is in the north east. Is anyone able to comment on the availability of co managers in that area? Is she likely to get anyone soon?
Speaking as half of a couple who has been alone for long periods of time, I apologize on behalf of the ones running your mom's building. Please don't think too harshly of them, they have all they can do keeping the day to day workings of the building going. The kitchen, housekeeping, maintenance, serving meals and plowing through the piles of paperwork that keep a building running are all on the heads of those two people. Things like public restrooms can unfortunately fall by the wayside on occasion especially if there is a certain resident or two responsible for messing up that restroom on a daily basis. Believe me, the managers are probably painfully aware of the short comings their building is suffering but in case they're not, stop in and have a word with them over your concerns. I'm sure they will be open and apologetic with you and should promise to look into your concerns. Managers do not work alone by choice and the fact that Holiday has so many co-manager openings in this job market speaks to the difficulty of the job and conversely to the success of this blog. After reading through the hundreds of past and current employees long (albeit valid)list of grievances, who would want the job? Egomaniacs who think "that wouldn't apply to me?" Not exactly the kind compassionate type it takes to run a community. Sadly, it's those who apply now in spite of their reading of this tome of knowledge and it's those who wash out in the first few weeks of actually living the life.
Please try addressing your concerns with the folks running the building. Going to the regional will only bring more heat on the already overworked couple. Remember, there are two sides to every story, so get theirs first. Then, if they aren't helpful and open to dealing with your issues, take it up the line. Most managers working alone are still trying their best to make their building a comfortable place to live.......for the resident's sake if nothing else.
One reason that I did not want to mention specifics in my last post is that I have always had the impression that the managers of my mother's place are trying very hard -despite a lot of obstacles. I do realize that much is probably out of their control, but in the long run, my mother's welfare is our major concern. So I am concerned about the long term outlook for this organization. I thank you for your input and apologies on the facilities behalf!
Oh yes, the first floor restrooms! Our men's room always, always had a wet floor. I think several of the men thought it was a contest to see who could urinate on the floor the most. It became so bad that the urine soaked under the wall into the adjoining storage closet.
The women's room had a few ladies who made it a regular thing to go in and then wipe their bowel movements over the walls and themselves.
These problems are the result of people living in independent living who have no business there! Try taking it up with the families or the RD. The RD shakes his head and just repeats over and over, "I can't believe that happens." Even when he is present to see it he is blind to it. The families of these residents are also blind to the fact. They either tell you that their parent won't wear Depends and they can't make them OR "For what we pay you to have our parent live here, if I want you to wipe their butt, then that's what you will do."
No one even gave us the slightest hint that this kind of stuff was what we were going to put up with as managers. I'm sorry, but this company keeps bringing in good hearted, bright people, but no training in the mental deterioration of seniors. No one trains you or teaches you about the mental thought process of aging. It is something that is desparately needed.
There are enough bad things that you discover as you do the job you don't need even more!
There are several Holiday facilities in the NorthEast that only have one set of Managers....we are all told co's are being trained and we'll get another couple soon.....been hearing that for many months!!!!
There are Co- managers in training,if they are going to the community you are refering to I don't know. If they will stay after they get into the real world,who knows. In most cases they have benn lied too or not given the complete job description. You might contact the RD & ask him. Sorry I could not really help you.
Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out.
You have to take the bad with the good of things and make what works for you, but is it worth killing yourself with all the long hours you do and without any help?
We only thought of the residents when working long hours and we kept going on for months without any relief in site we never thought of ourselves only our family (the residents)
but when it started taking a toll on my health it was time to stop!!!! We are on this site to tell our stories of the treatment from HO not the community in which we worked. Somewhere along the line at HO things have gone very bad and if they had left it alone I do believe that things would be different, everyone would be happy and Holiday would still be the top of Retirement Living. They just couldn't leave it the way it was! (They got greedy) It was just about as quoted many times here THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR!!!Money Money!!! and for who's pocket? It sure wasn't ours!!! We left 8 months ago and reading the last few blogs its sad to say it appears worse than ever now at a lot of communities.....
There is something very wrong if the turn-over in managers is high and census is down that alone should tell the story.
For all who can't stand what we say on the blog--no one is forcing you to come to this site and read it! Maybe you should delete this from your Bookmarks and move on to bigger and better things.
Although I have been following this blog with great interest for several months, I have not posted any comments before now. This is my first venture into this arena.
Part One:
ENOUGH appears to be an example of new management practices at Holiday Retirement - promote trainees directly into the community manager position as soon as they finish their initial 8 weeks of training at a RTC, or before they finish. Sadly, after they have been in a community for 2 or 3 weeks, they consider themselves to be seasoned professionals and experts.
Holiday’s de facto practice of promoting trainees directly community managers has many inherent problems. Some of the obvious problems include (1) Holiday is depriving the trainees of the opportunity to further their training and gain valuable, practical knowledge and experience that can only come from serving as co-mgrs in a community under the supervision of qualified and seasoned managers. As a result, these new managers are taking control of communities without the essential knowledge and skills required to successfully operate a building. Remember, the RTC program was designed to train people for the role of co-mgrs, NOT community managers. (2) Holiday is depriving the residents and staffs of communities the trainees are assigned to of competent management. (3) Holiday is denying qualified and experienced co-mgrs the opportunity to advance.
To be continued…
Dear Misfit,
You speak a lot of truth in your statement. We were not trained by the brightest of manager couples. She would stand in the middle of the dining room yelling at the top of her lungs how bad they were because they were ruining her seating chart for an upcoming event. I'm sorry, but trying to do a seating chart for an open invite event is not something anyone should even try. Some residents weren't sure of how many family members were going to show up. The manager did tell them that they go always go to the restaraunt down the street!
In all of your so called training, you are shown in a five minute, if that, hands on how to shut things down in the case of a fire. Huh? Neither of us even know about such mechanics, but we were told from the visiting higher ups,
"That's ok, you will probably never need to use this stuff."
We were never trained (or told about) NoroVirus. Well, once that starts sweeping through the community -- well. . .good luck. Not only did about 2 dozen residents get sick, but most of the staff. Did we have anyone come in to help us? NO. But we did get a lot of emails on what we should do.
Another great incident -- your building gets hit by lightening during the middle of the night and everything that you need to operate a community is gone. You are supposed to call a help number, but no one tells you that the person on call usually has his voice mail on and will get back to you several hours later.
No one trains you on how to deal with the residents that are hoarders and no one can even get past their doorway to the apartment. The stacks of newspapers, old food, and clothes are a fire hazard waiting to happen. Will anyone listen to you when you try to speak up on such issues?
How about the residents that are combative? Not only physically but verbally to some of the meeker residents? Or the ones where the family supplies them all of the alcohol they need even though they will pass out and we will need to call 911 to get them picked up several times each night?
No one is prepared to deal with these situations. The only thing is to make sure that you rent those apartments! Don't you dare do or say anything that could result in a move out. Do you know how many things we saw that were reported stolen by a resident only to have them on display in another resident's apartment? Mind your own business is what we were told.
I'm sorry, but these situations are not right and some residents are going to end up in serious shape. We saw it with one resident who insisted on keeping a cane in an aisle. We said that someone was going to trip over it one day. So what said the higher ups, the family -- no one has yet! Well, the elderly lady who did trip and broke a hip and arm isn't so blase over the matter. In fact she ended up staying in a care facility for several months. Holidays response -- make sure her rent is paid each month that she is gone!
There was an entire Norovirus protocol that Nina and Corby authored that was more comprehensive than the protocol put out by the health department. We dealt with Noro twice and the two of them were godsends. But then FIG saw fit to get rid of Nina and Corby and god knows if there is ANY health services department left.
Not all managers are good managers. Not all managers are good people. There is a less than desirable element in any group, an element with its own agenda. Holiday is no exception. Nevertheless, you did have the opportunity to gain valuable practical knowledge and experience by serving in a community as a co-mgr. That makes you better prepared to deal with the multitude of incidents that can occur in the community at any time of the day or night, definitely better prepared than someone straight out of a RTC.
Be very careful on passing judgment on my wife and I on if we are qualified to run a building or not. This is a problem on this blog people passing judgment without knowing any facts. I do agree that because of the all the openings in the company there are managers being promoted without proper training. But again if you don't know the facts about ours or anyone else's background then withhold commit.
If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.
When new managers get trained, do they still have to sign off the all the areas of training in the training manual along with the signature of the trainer/manager/chef/maintance man/ housekeeper after the training is completed? Or are they just getting the signatures without beeing trained? I know that I had to sign off for training managers even they had not undergone the full training.
Since co-mgrs are traditionally off on Sundays, it would be reasonable to assume that any community manager commenting on this blog today is doing so while on company time rather than using that time to market their building.
Happy boy may be right about people being ignorant. This just means that people didn't know all the facts prior to deciding something i.e. being managers-co-managers, housekeepers, servers cooks, dishwashers etc. The same is true for residents. How many of us believed the "three chef prepared meals a day" really meant the chef cooked the food. Most of the food is pre-cooked from SYSCO. The quality has decreased as well. The staff at the facility where I live work very hard and are smart people. But I wonder how long will they take it form the corporation. I believe there is deception in the whole marketing scheme.
The residents are overpaying and most are afraid to speak out at community meetings for fear of retaliation in sosme manner. Happy man is right that people were ignorant of what the jobs really entailed. Stupid no they are not and that is why we will continue to lose good managers and staff.
ENOUGH, I inferred from your comments above that had been promoted to manager of a community directly out of training. That was a conclusion, not a judgment. However, if that conclusion is correct, then you are an example of Holidays de facto practice of promoting trainees to community managers straight out of training. The statement is fact, not judgment.
Furthermore, whether you agree or not, there are inherent problems with this practice, a practice that is not fair to the residents, the staff, or the trainee involved. I only listed three of the most obvious problems with the practice; I did not all of the problems. And they were objective statements, not judgments. Your defensive posturing is simply unjustified and benefits no one.
There has been an ongoing discussion on this site about a variety of topics pertaining to Holiday Retirement. Generally speaking, people are both saddened and angered about the decline of Holiday Retirement and the impact that decline has on the residents. There was a time not that long ago when providing a quality product and service to seniors for a reasonable and fair price was a priority for the company. Many people, including myself remember those days, the days when the residents were important. Sadly, those days are gone; the almighty dollar has replaced residents as the number one priority. That is also a fact.
Well said!
OK, still looking for some basic information on how the corporation works. Not negative commentary.
That fact is Junior, the company has changed so many things in such a short time, Nobody knows how anything works anymore. It's like trying to ascertain the chain of command on the Titanic while everybody's running for the lifeboats
OK. Honestly, on a regional level, here's how it's supposed to work: Co managers report to community managers who report to a regional manager. The regional manager oversees roughly 8 to 13 communities. He also oversees a area maintenance director and the regional chef. (There are also regional sales people in the mix, but they don't count for anything) Then there's the District Manager who supervises the whole kit and kaboodle.....then things get a bit muddy. The food service end of the company has it's own hierarchy as does the maintenance department which are all supposed to function as a whole. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. As more and more vice presidencies are created at the upper management level, directives become more confusing, redundant and half baked by the time they reach the community level. The bottom line in all this mess is that only the community managers are left accountable for their actions. The rest get a pass the blame card.
Thanks Tick Tock. So, theoretically, it is the District Managers who report up to the headquarters? Are the Districts geographic? Any commentary on management of communities in the Southern part of the US would be helpful. thanks
Junior, I am retired and only have this to say. A little over a year ago they fired maybe the best Regional Manager in the company. He was in the TN region. He was replaced by a friend of Jacks, a 30 something with 90 days experience. It tells me that current management does not believe than anyone from the Colson days knows how how to manage retirement living. Good people have been driven off or fired to make way for people that know nothing about
retirement living. Has this been the right direction? Holiday Retirement was a great company before FIA. Only short timers can defend it now. Us old timers know better.
Let's take a trip back down memory lane. Maui 2006, Jean Humphries RD for the NE Texas Region was the first, and to the best of my knowledge, the only RD to ever receive the Bill Colson "Holiday Touch" Award. She made Holiday History as the story goes as each and every one of her managers wrote letters nominating her for this award. Look around today and tell me if you see ANY RD in the company that would be nominated for anything by their CMTs? Another question could be do you see any RD that would nominate any of their CMTs for anything? I guess times have changed.
Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't Jean also terminated?
To know Jean was to love her. Those in HO did not like her, but her managers loved her! In Maui, her reception from her Managers was twice that of any other RD.....
Jean was considered to be one of the best Regional Directors in the company. We never worked in her region however her reputation was well known in the entire company. My wife and I were in Maui and she deserved the recognition and yes, her managers cheered the loudest when she won. Her region had the highest number of 100% buildings. I met her several times at the FIT meetings as well. She had trouble adapting to new ways which meant more freedom for managers. She did not like the PCard concept at all. She loved to micro-manage her managers. I don’t know if that was a good thing or not. All I do know is that her managers loved her and “respected” her very much and the numbers showed it.
Too bad FIG let her go.
Team,
I regret to inform you that Edwin Zephirin is leaving Holiday Retirement to return home to Florida. Edwin is dealing with some very personal matters that necessitate him being near family immediately. Our families are always a top priority for all of us and given the circumstances, we certainly support Edwin in his decision.
We sincerely appreciate Edwin’s many contributions to our wonderful organization and genuinely thank him for all of his hard work over the past year.
Scott Wood will provide strategic oversight responsibility for Human Capital on an interim basis while we conduct a search to fill this very important leadership role. Please continue to direct all matters regarding recruiting to Duncan Taylor, matters regarding training to Jennifer Belk White, Employee Relations matters to Byron Shinkle and all other administration, compensation and benefits matters to Dorothy Beek. Thank you.
This could be the best news for Holiday in about a year!! Too bad we lost so many quality people!!!
Hmm, you mean the fact that Edwin grew his organization by so many people that he had the largest organization at Home Office had nothing to do with it? My source tells me that his spending habits were out of control and virtually unchecked while working on several recruiting initiatives, one of which was recruiting GSMs.
It's never a good sign when your largest department is Human Resources.
Thought all of you would enjoy this!!!!!Learn from your elders
A lawyer and a senior citizen are sitting next
to each other on a long flight.
The lawyer is thinking that seniors are so dumb
that he could get one over on them easy.
So the lawyer asks if the senior would like to play
a fun game.
The senior is tired and just wants to take a nap, so he politely declines and tries to catch a few winks.
The lawyer persists saying that the game is a lot of fun. I ask you a question, and if you don't know the answer, you pay me only $5. Then you ask me one, and if I don't know the answer, I will pay you $500, he says.
This catches the senior's attention and to keep the lawyer quiet, he agrees to play the game.
The lawyer asks the first question. 'What's the distance from the Earth to the Moon?'
The senior doesn't say a word, but reaches into his pocket, pulls out a five-dollar bill, and hands it to the lawyer.
Now it's the senior's turn. He asks the lawyer, 'What goes up a hill with three legs, and comes down with four?'
The lawyer uses his laptop and searches all references he could find on the Net.
He sends e-mails to all the smart friends he knows; all to no avail. After an hour of searching, he finally gives up.
He wakes the senior and hands him $500. The senior pockets the $500 and goes right back to sleep.
The lawyer is going nuts not knowing the answer. He wakes the senior up and asks, 'Well, so what goes up a hill with three legs and comes down with four?'
The senior reaches into his pocket, hands the lawyer $5 and goes back to sleep.
It looks like things are changing again.A new set of co's started in the east with no prior experince. To be trained by their managers.This is not a training center,managers have about three years w Holiday!
The problem with being where you are and not knowing how you got there is you are not really sure how to get to where you want to be. Unforfunately, Fortress finds themselves in that very uncomfortable place. Prior to purchasing HRC, I'm sure that FIG saw HRC as this giant cash cow through which the door to mergers and acquisitions heaven would be flung wide and at the very least could be flipped for a handsome profit. Possibly examining the little known facts may shed some light on why FIG is where it is and may possibly help them get to where they want to be. Prior to 2002 new communities opened at or near 100%. Being in new development was very lucrative. Many fill up teams walked away with bonuses in the 50k rang for filling new buildings. It was common to expect 100% occupancy w/in the first year. Bill Colson was at the helm and fully in charge of his dream. Unknown to us, the rank and file, Bill was battling cancer and had begun to turn the opporation to son Bart. Bill was very concerned with the high turnover of his managers. At that time the average manager tenure was 3.5 years. I wonder what it is now. He created a strong management support group headed by people like Denny Nutter and yes, a marketing dept. with incredible sales people like Peter Bodley and Zac Sayed. Why did he do this? I believe Bill saw the increasing stress being put on his managers and realized that if his managers could not handle the load, his company would eventually fail. He truly was concerned about a business model that works only because you can find managers who will toil 60-70 hous a week and burn out in 3.5 years. He saw that his simple formula of clean, safe, warm and inviting senior housing rn by mom and pop management teams was turning int semi-assisted living, for which his managers were not prepared. Unfortunately I believe his illness left him no choice but to take a lesser role. Bart did not share the same concerns for his managers as Bill, as evidenced by his keynote speech at the 2002 Portland annual meeting where he stated that he would replae every manager in the company if they will not got out and market their building. He also said that if it was the last thing he did, he will get rid of marketers at Holiday. People who shared Bart's view such as Dave Able, former head of accounting who co-authored the manifesto The 100% Solution were now running the show as head of operations. Now fast forward to 2005 Bart has now been at the helm 3 years and serious cracks are being to show in the once solid rock of Holiday. The powers that be decide to sell. Which brings us to the heart of the problem. Continued in part 2.
part 2..In 2005,FIG is doing due dilligence and all seems to be rosey in Holiday land. Profits are incredible, Holiday is growing at 15%, unfortunately, none of the new communities are opening even close to 50%, much less 100%. And some like the Jefferson in Wisc have never been close to 100%. Other projects sit idle, some never develope. This doesn't seem to bother FIG at all. It seems that Fortress was only interested in the bottom line and never bothers to do any investigative discovery, like maybe talking to the managers who run the communities. Now that's a novel idea!! No one seems to care that when you have several income streams you can put the money into any pocket you wish. That is for the lawyers to figure out. But FIG could have easily gained some insight to these issues if they would have bothered to speak to the rank and file managers outside of the copper castle in Salem. An example would be FIGs gross underestimation of capitol that would be needed to recore HRCs ageing building to keepup with the competition. Instead, they chose to believe that HRC could survive and continue to grow by the inherited business model. I remember a comment by DAve Abel that HRC does not need to find new customers, we just need to find all those seniors living in Assisted Living who don't need to be there. I think we are going down a similiar path today. I would like to ask the same questions now that some of us asked back then. Like who is going to take care of those residents for whom we are providing extra services when the extended service people go home. I'll give you one guess. To this day we have never been approched by any FIG management above a RD except at a regional meeting where we could ask questions in an open forum. Not an appropriate place to discuss of change. You might not have a job later. I can't believe that FIG did not understand the huge importance of the housing market bubble and how that would affect our business. WE managers were aware of this even then. I believe that it is hard for those who live by business models and cash flow charts to understand the very human side of our business, and how important that thing called the Holiday Touch is. It's hard to show love to others if you don't feel loved. My suggestion, for what it is worth, is someone from FIG should pack their suitcase and bring their wife and move into a community for 30 days or so and see what it is like to actually live with, and take care of those people who pay our salaries. WE love our job, we love those who have trusted us for so many years, it is for them that we stay.
A very well put and thoughtful comment.
I may tell our story at a later time But right at this time all I will say is...... When some body hurts you they take power over you, if you don't forgive them then they keep the power. Forgive and keep on forgiving, and forgive yourself, "there is no point in wasting time on negative things, and feeling bad. Life is to short for that. There is a reason for all things that happen. Be the person you were born to be!"
Without love, we feel nothing. Without dreams, we accomplish nothing. Without God, we ARE nothing. Life is never perfect so learn from yesterdays mistakes, live for today and hope for tomorrow!
I've been knocked down, hit down, beat down, and kicked down yet here I stand, up again!
May everyone have a blessed day! Jesus Loves All Mankind
Love it!
When I moved into a Holiday apartment I was told that as an "incentive" I would only have to pay 1/2 the first months rent and they company would pay my moving costs. They gave me a business card with the name and tel. no. of a company the specialized into Senior s Transitioning. Then the manager told me I had to pay an activities fee which was the same as one months rent. He indicated to me that everyone had to pay this fee. I did so. When the movers came they had brought a coffee table that I no longer had room for and I asked them to return it to my home. I told the Owner that I would try to sell it at a garage sale(which she offered to help with for 45% of the proceeds). She didn't take to my home but to a consignment shop for used furniture. I didn't pursue the matter because my attorney charges more per hour than the table is worth. Later I found out that this same movers have taken other residents property in a similar situation. I then learned that the marketing gimmick of stating the meals are chef prepared wasn't true. They may make a sauce or pastry now and then but most of the food is frozen and precooked. I am moving out the 31st of July. I will be living in another retirement community with many of the same amenities as this Holiday place but will only have to pay 2/3s the rent. I talked to my attorney about being scammed out of the activity fee since I found out not everyone has to pay it, and he told me not to pay the last months rent. He said if they give me a hassle he will be glad to probe into their other deceptive practices. He assured me I was within my rights as the managers had used deceptive practices and took advantage of me in my debilitated condition. Any one else have problems like this with Holiday?
This breaks my heart. I would knock the crap out of this Manager. I'm so very sorry that this happened to you. I can assure that this is not happening in our building or in most buildings in my region.
when did you move in? what does your rental agreement say about the activities fee? it used to be partially refundable up to 90 days after move-in. stick up for your rights. no one has the right to lie to you and get away with it.
I have worked in the industry of senior living for the past 15 years. At first I LOVED my job and felt I was really making the lives of seniors better... things have changed in the industry. I believe you were scammed. I was in sales and had to leave because i just couldn't take advantage of another family.. my heart goes out to families and persons like you who thought you were making a wise decision only to be taken advantage of. Good luck in your new community...there are a few nice places left!
really i found it impressive.
Today I found out, that a resident of a Holiday community was "kicked out" because of health issues. What happend to the Holiday Touch, the Holiday Philosophy and the famous 5 P system??
I have to say after reading this and spending 3 weeks of a 4 week stay in training for co-manager in colorado. I am truly dis a pointed in the Holiday training center, Linda Deland which would not know a good manager if it bit her. my wife and I sold everything we had to join Holiday retirement. I am a construction manager with 35 years experience and my wife was a property manager for 25 years. We have a great background and was so excited to become part of a team and flew out for training. We took notes worked hard in training but could never seem to please the trainer. We were there to learn but after all our role playing and three weeks of hard work we were told we had not met their potential of were we should be. We were let go. Come to find out after the class of 11 couples we were fired not because we did not work hard but because Linda did not like me. I never said boo to this woman and during my last role play (sit- tour sit ) i was verbably abused by her in front of my class and told I would never sell Holiday. By the way Holiday is a buisness and does train it's managers to sell the Touch, Holiday retirement. We just got home devastated with nothing left to show for it. Sold the car, the furniture everything we owned so we could start out with a new begining and to be apart of this great dream. We are very caring and compasionate people and we were one of the best teams there. I thought this class was training and we were to be trained not fired. I have even gone as far as e-mailing Byron ( which is legal counsel to Holiday), which I met in co., He will not even write me back! This does not seem like the Holiday touch to me. We were left out in the cold and with one week to graduate, never givin the chance. We really had our heart set on becoming a part of this great team. Instead we got insulted and left out with nothing to show for it. I am very sadden that Holiday can spend all this money to train people, then just cut them loose because someone does not like the other.My wife and I had a dream, now what we have is some hurt feelings and after being told to sell everything by our recruiter, we have no were to go and no property to speak of. This is not the Holiday touch we were told would change our lives or is it. This experience has really left us with nothing and our dreams shattered, I guess this is our Holiday Touch! Very sadden!!
I'm so sorry to hear what you went through with you recent experience with Holiday. Some things, like the recruiting and training of co-managers were done a little different in the past. Back then someone had the idea if you pulled a group of CMTs together and had them work with a plugged in training department and present their recommendations to a group of RDs (many came up from the communities) you could start a pretty fair co-manager training program. Now I am the first to acknowledge it was not perfect, but nothing ever is when you are getting started, but it sure seemed to work better than the fragmented approach that is being used now. One of the things this group of managers did for the new couples trying to get started in this unique lifestyle was to offer them a FURNISHED APARTMENT (RENTAL FURNITURE) that was smoke free and pet free for the 8 to 10 weeks of training the company provided new hires. This all took place in an RTC where the residents knew what was going on and actually played a role in getting these couples ready for Holiday. After 3 of 4 weeks if the new couple, or the training couple didn't think it was working they would notify the RD. If the RD was plugged in to the challenge they might try a transfer to a community direct under the guidance of another couple or everyone might agree it was just not going to work out. No matter what the decision EVERYONE was treated with RESPECT. During the recruiting, interviews, introduction to the Holiday world and the training program nobody would have told you to get rid of your belongings and get onboard. Back then I guess it was understood by the people that do this kind of thing for a living and don't just talk the talk that not everyone is going to adapt to this lifestyle. You know it is sort of like realizing not every potential resident will be happy living in a retirement community. It's just not right for everyone. The people in place that worked under this program sure understood that you needed to apply THE TOUCH if you wanted to try and teach it to the newly hired couple just as you did to everyone else you came in contact with. That was the way it was and I guess as you can see all the new changes and all the specialized new talent did not really make it better if we look at your recent experience. I wish you success in whatever path you follow from here and if you have a passion for serving you will find an opportunity to put it to good use.
I'm sorry to read about your bad experience with Holiday. One thing in your comment, that bugs me little is the selling of the Touch. The original Holiday Touch can't be sold, that is something you have to have in your heart, and you have to let future residents feel this touch even before you are talking to them the first time they enter your community. The way I read you comment, I believe you have the Touch in your heart. There are links on this blog from other retirement companies, maybe give them a try and have a better experience. Good Luck
I can understand your frustration. I have to say that I have been through the training program you mention and did not once feel what you have discussed here. I had such a wonderful expeirence with the training program and am not sure where you got the idea that anyone sells anything at Holiday. We are not about selling the touch. the touch is something you either have or do not have. It sounds to me like you had a bad expeirence simply due to the fact that you did not understand the dynamics of the job. This is not about you or me. This job is about the residents. if the residents see the dynamic that this psot states they would eat you up and spit you out. It is important to note that i am a reverend as well and the issue you discuss here has never taken place. You seem to think it is all about you and that simply is not the case. Linda by the way was also my instructor and she is a tremendous asset to the company and would never allow her personal opinion get in the way of her dynamics and her professionalism. I honestly think you need to look inside yourself and find the touch again. You seem to have lost your bearings. I am sorry you feel the experience was bad but i persoanlly as well as the other trainees do not share your opinion. I have been at my community for several weeks now and am having a wonderful time and have learned so much. The residents love us and we love them.
I hope you find what you are looking for and the you and your wife have great success in your endevors.
It sounds as though you have truly answered a calling with Holiday. I would be interested in seeing follow up posts as you have an opportunity to live the "Total Experience". If you are permitted to continue posting on your new adventure please keep sharing your words of wisdom with a disappointed self centered former employee. Thank you for your insight.
I can see your very new and yes you do sell cause if you do not your out the door. Your RD will let you know this for sure. I have read all of rev chuck's statements and his wife. I have also read others that were shared here as well that were in their class so I have to kind of believe what they have said. Further more I have worked here for some time and the touch is broken and the corporation is failing. They are failing in training and failing in the field at our communities. I am glad you do not see it but you have not worked 5 or more weeks straight and you have not been here long enough to really even comment on anything about the touch and if you are a real rev., then you should be praying for people like the tatarians that went through hell, got sold a bill of goods , lied too, turned their lives upside and I can go further. I know Linda. She has too side's. It has always been her way or the highway. I can see she chose the highway for the tatarians and I give him gut's for putting his name here. He and his wife are not hiding behind these fake names we shell out here because we are scared of losing our job's how sad this all is. We all bitch moan and complain about our daily lives but can not leave until we are fired. That is the new holiday touch and I truly hope and pray that people like Linda get what's coming to them. Believe me, What goes around always comes around. The Rd, the recruiter all the same. I truly feel for these people because they are not alone here. Just read all the stories. It is not getting better it is getting worse. It is always nice to share your opinion of all the other trainees thought's here. Let's hear from you 6 month's from now. Then you can feel and tell your true story but leave this couple alone. They have been through enough. Find another story.
Can someone shed some light on what the Community Sales Leader positions they have posted throughout the various locations are? Job details? Is this a sinking ship to avoid at all costs or can it be salvaged??? I need to know before I uproot our family to pursue this Opportunity further. Thank you!
This position has been reborn many times during Holiday's history. Normally an RD gets some pressure that he/she can't handle so they put a spin on the problem that if only they had a dedicated "marketing" person they could certainly DRIVE the census needle positive. They whine about the mgrs & cos being unfocused and distracted by the residents and this whole "Touch" thing and they can't get the results they really want to deliver. They hire marketers for the communities they can't reach the goals for and then they are buffered from the failure. Think about it for a minute. They got rid of all the old marketers because the ROI was so bad. They got rid of all the old RDs because they couldn't produce the results that were needed. They searched for NEW talented RDs and took some of the load off because they were backed up with new RSLs to get those same census results. They added GSMs because they were sales focused and could do the job the CMTs were obviously not skilled in. They got rid of many of the Mgrs because they kept telling them what was wrong and they didn't want to invest time/money in THOSE problems. They replaced all the MDs with NEW leadership that understood where the company was going. They hired experts for everything SALES/MARKETING/HR/TRAINING/RECRUITING/COMMUNICATIONS/IT and still it was not working. Managers told the RDs "Don't raise the rents", "Stay focused on building and maintaining relationships", "Our market cannot be maintained with referrals from case workers", "Invest in improving the RTC concept, it isn't just marketing". The RDs didn't want to take that message forward because it would look to some like they couldn't LEAD their teams to 100% buy-in. They just keep spinning the story that if they had just one other person on a property that understood sales & marketing as well as they did all these problems would be solved. Now, they are back to advertising for Sales Leaders to go into the communities and deliver where all this new "talent" has failed. If all the new RDs/RSLs/GSMs are so great at understanding the big picture and they all came to Holiday from very successful companies/positions with the required skill set the CMTs lacked why not let them do the marketing? They have shown they can't do much with team building. They have shown they can't do much at teaching the old, tired CMTs how to do it right. They have shown they couldn't listen to the people in the field that were doing the job. They have shown they couldn't even deliver the message back to HO because they were afraid they would fall from grace. So now they will hire a new crew of marketers (without Senior Living experience) for the communities and allow them to use all the tools they stripped from the former associates that made this all work. I guess it is just a work in progress. I wonder what it will be if and when it grows up.
Very astute!
Thank you. We may have lacked the skill set for the new world order but we haven't lost the passion. "Passion for People - for Life" remembering Maui.
from all read comments it is obvious that bottom line is the new code word
There are 113 jobs at Holiday posted on Career Builder and 79 of them are for "SALES" positions. WOW!!!!! It's all about sales!
After all the kings horses and all the kings men (all sales & marketing pros in their own minds) surveyed their collective talents at the round table, they decided they better find somebody that could sell this new and improved product. One thing for sure Denny - - the round table is not located in Camelot anymore. With this recent breakthrough in thinking outside the box their new found success is only limited by their own imagination. I guess all those years Mike Lively was right, "Nothing happens till somebody sells something". Well for anyone that didn't get the memo IT'S ALL ABOUT SALES!!!!! If it is profitable all that other STUFF will follow. What vision, this is the stuff great companies are made of.
No matter how it is phrased or used it boils down to make the sales to survive. The difference is in how you present the sales pitch and whether the promised facets are actually delivered. When it comes to Holiday/Fig - "Show me the CarFax".
I don't usually do this, but I am asking all of you to remember Vickie Wilson, Jackson Meadow, Jackson, TN in your prayers. Vickie is very sick in ICU. I know for a fact that Vickie and Mike live THE TOUCH and has managed to keep Jackson Meadow's census in the mid 90% range.
Please keep us posted. We met them at leadership and became friends with them. They are very nice people and they do live the touch. They are in our prayers.
For those of you that know Vicki Wilson Jackson Meadow, Mike has info on
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/vickiewilson.
Wishing Vicki Wilson and her entire family all the very best.
We can all make notes here but when it comes to "family" like Vicki, nothing else matters.
Good luck Vicki and you'll be in our prayers.
I am a Current Holiday employee who feels my community has become less of a community and more of a tug of war for managers/co- managers. Working with the aging for more than 10 years, and reading every word of the manuals and SOPs I feel I know and agree with what Holiday WANTS to do but its just not happening. I have seen massive violations of protocol in my building and don't know what should be done about it. Thing borderlining abuse and neglect. I am afraid to leave the company cause i feel I am the only one trying to keep it from getting worse. How would you deal with such a thing in your community.
What you need to do is to document everything that goes on that you feel goes outside what is written in the various manuals. Names, dates, locations, witnesses present (names titles). If possible obtain written statements form these witnesses. Once you have collected enough details/information you need to send this to the HR dept. in Salem.
Make sure every allegation you make can be verified. If you can make pictures of things, that certainly also would help your case(s). You need to be sure that each occurrence is indeed correct and that you are not adding items to the occurrence that is not true.
The problem as I see it is that if Holiday in Salem does not have an active HR Dept. it may backfire on you and you might as well start looking for a new job because from the many blog messages I have seen here, Holiday/Fortress “spits” out employees like water especially when employees causes troubles. Good luck and please keep us informed. This is a great “case” to follow and to see how Holiday will deal with all of this.
Hey chef I agree w/lady you will probably catch hell but you know what be prepared ithink anybody inside who can should do something managers swamped with stupid CRAP
chef still has room for heart I would call the local senior ombudsman also
godmother says: sometimes you gotta make waves
My wife and I recently explored employment with Holiday. We took part in a regional training program where we spent a frustrating couple of months observing an inexperienced upper management struggle to find a way to put "their stamp" on this existing "cash cow". I've read comments from some of the previous posters questioning whether Holiday Touch is making money. They may not be making as much money as the previous owners, but under the current ownership, Holiday is still operating in the neighborhood of 40 - 50 % gross margin of profit. Their under performing sites, those at 80% census, are sitting at close to 75% gross margin of profit (before you add corporate overhead).
For those of you considering an employment opportunity with Holiday Touch as a co-manager or manager, be advised that upper management does not hold these positions in very high esteem. We found the work to be extremely rewarding. Working with the residents provided an immediate self actualization and meaningful service. Working for Holiday Touch, however proved to be an exercise in futility.
As a manager or co-manager you will be required to spend an exorbitant amount of time in your role. If you enjoy what you are doing, this is not an issue. We enjoyed interacting with the residents and helping to fulfill their needs. We were exhausted when our days off rolled around and we spent the off time re-energizing ourselves. For us, this was good as it was a healthy tiredness. Our complaint with the amount of time we spent on the job had to do with how little this was appreciated by upper management. By Upper management, the reference is to the Regional and District Managers. Our observation is that they have a poor comprehension of what site management entails. Their sole focus is the bottom line. Their lives revolve around move-ins and costs/budget. For those managing a retirement site, your life will revolve around the lives of your residents.
My personal reason for deciding against our pursuing a career with Holiday was two fold. 1) The recognition that the organizational structure and current human capital in management is both amateurish and ignorant. 2) I do not need the income and decided to strike out on my own and provide my own service targeted towards this market.
If I wasn't in this financial position, I would hang in there with Holiday and work towards a management position where I could positively impact the company. I don't know where they found these current Regional and District managers, but it must have been somewhere in the 80's. Their boiler room sales philosophy, their extreme micro management, the lack of recognition and acknowledgement will not last. It is a short term solution, at best. They will not be able to recruit nor retain the best talent and the product will continue to degrade. They are making too much money not to attract competition and the competition will beat them at their own game.
Under-The-Radar---
You hit the nail directly on the head.
Exhausted --- When we worked for Holiday it took us 1/2 day ( minimum )to recuperate from the 3 eight hour and 2 sixteen hour days we worked. As co-managers we had Sunday & Monday off and I spend the entire Sunday morning watching Meet-The-Press and ESPN. I couldn't get out of the chair.
AS far as dealing with Regional Directors. I will add to your words with -- incompetent, substandard, bad mannered and coarse. We had the BEST Regional when we started --- Joel Turner and the worst when we finsihed...
( I'll be kind and leave the name blank ).
Good luck you current people --- It sounds like every RD and District Manager is from the Hotel industry and the not the Senior housing industry.
Giving residents good, friendly and sincere managers plus GOOD FOOD are the two manin ingredients to a successful operation. Right now many buildings lack both of those ingredients.
WishWeCouldHaveStayed:
How long did you stay? I just want to see the new average for cos. We lasted 8 months. Same scenario. Same exhaustion.
We stayed 2 months. We loved the residents and truly felt as though we were being of service to these gracious people. Our residents went out of their way to show their gratitude and appreciation.
With my mindset, I did not want a future with HRC. My prior, professional experience would put me at a level comparable to the corporate VP's in Salem. This career move was made to spend time with my wife as well as to pay forward, Both of us are in our 50's and retired with more than adequate pension plans.
I can only hypothesize as to the discussions taking place at the "big table" in the Salem boardroom. Bob Donaldson, in his new role as President of HRC, will probably give the current management until the end of the year to make their mark. He has yet to begin bringing in his own people, which in my experience is inevitable. There are two immediate ways for the current Regional and District mgrs to make their statement - on the bottom line; increase revenue or reduce costs. What I observed was very poor leadership decisions in both of these areas.
For example, Move-In's were being sought at any cost. Waiving of the community fee's, the elimination and/or discounting of monthly rents (in subsequent quarters so it would not be reflected on the third or final quarters), paying for moving expenses of new residents, elimination of all employee overtime (which meant exempt employees would be required to put in more hours), freezing of capital expenditures, including any maintenance items in excess of $300 (throwing these expenses into future quarters as these items could not be put off indefinitely.)and, so on.
Clearly a short term mentality and not a mentality designed to grow and sustain profit.
Sadly, HRC has people in Regional and District management positions that display enthusiasm but lack experience and in the case of closely observed, intelligence.
25 years ago, when studying for my MBA, we discussed formalized processes and the critical nature of cash flow to a business. This is an elementary basic of budget control and foreign to the existing managers.
Another entry level element of management is the identification and measurement of the necessary metrics to to improve upon growth. The Regional/Districts I observed emphasized cheer leading and "leader boards". Cluless. In the early 80's the "Pitch and Close" concept of selling proved to be ineffective. The people HRC has in place to drive sales do not have experience in a competitive industry.
My guess is that Bob Donaldson, assuming he has a successful background in growing business, will be changing the rudiments of this company.
Holiday Retirement Corporation is making a ton of money, and, they are doing this with poor leadership.
I know of a couple of models, that put in place, will improve this organization.
In the mean time, this mgmt will be desperately working within their limited means to save their jobs. Sadly for them, they will not survive.
Spot on!!! We too only lasted 2 months and agree with the analysis of the inadequacy/incompetency of the leadership. It's too bad the residents must suffer the consequences. In our area there are only two independent living communities...Holiday being one of them...yet, the community was at 60% occupancy when we left.
Hey Kim:Congratulations on leaving the community you were responsible for at only 60% Good Job of not getting move ins while you were here.
You are the one that loved us so much you packed your car, announced you were leaving and left, without 2 weeks notice
I don't know where they found these current Regional and District managers, but it must have been somewhere in the 80's. Their boiler room sales philosophy, their extreme micro management, the lack of recognition and acknowledgement will not last.
Can someone from the Florida Region please give me the e-mail address for the Regional Director. I was told his name was Tom Mischak. We were former mgrs. from his region and I must contact him. Any help would be appreciated.