BENEATH THE VEIL PART 5

DLCharles — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 14:41:56 GMT

It is once again time to start a new part because of time lag. We'll see how Part 5 goes and consider whether it is still a viable or time to call a halt.

Beneath The Veil Of Holiday Retirement Corp/Fortress Part 4

DLCharles — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 14:38:01 GMT

PART 4 is closed for comments - it is now read only.

Beneath the Veil of Holiday Retirement Corp/Fortress Part 3

DLCharles — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 21:17:00 GMT

Part 3 is closed for comments - it is now read only.

Beneath The Veil of Holiday Retirement Corp/Fortress Part 2

DLCharles — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 21:14:00 GMT

Comments are closed for Part 2 - it is now read only.

BENEATH THE VEIL of Holiday Retirement Corp/Fortress Part 1

DLCharles — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 21:07:00 GMT

(NOTE THAT AS OF THURSDAY JANUARY 7, 2010 - PART 1 IS SAVED AS READ ONLY (archived) .

NOTE the TERMS of USE at: www.dlcharles.com/terms.html

The following was written on Wednesday August 8, 2008 at 8:07 PM and emailed to an RD (Regional Director):

     "Working in a Holiday Community is much more than just earning a paycheck. One quickly realizes it is a way of life, a concept of sharing, caring, respect for residents, staff, and management, at all levels. This concept constantly infuses an energizing responsibility and it does, or should, bring with it a humbling appreciation of what we do.
     This was brought clearly to my wife and me late one night, about 10:30 PM, as we left the office to go to our apartment. Our work was basically finished for the day, except for being 'on call' that night, and we suddenly became aware of how quiet and peaceful the building was. We looked at each other for a moment, then sat down at a table in the dining room and let our eyes roam the area.
     Both of us expressed the same feelings a few moments later. We felt an overwhelming sense of wonderment at the realization we were actually being given this opportunity. The two of us were being entrusted with over one-hundred-and-twenty residents' safety and well-being, plus millions of dollars worth of building and equipment - not even counting staff.
     Our managers were gone - we were IT until their return, and someday we could actually manage a community ourselves - this is what we were here for.
    Anyone who does not experience this moment is, in our opinion, doing the wrong profession. During the most stressful days and nights, when we are nearly exhausted from the long hours and 'personality situations', it is this 'Holiday Concept' which gives us the needed lift to continue.
     Actually, our job is simple - all of us who work in a Holiday Community. Our job is to unobtrusively serve our residents in the most efficient manner possible in order to make their lives as enriched as we can. This means keeping them pleased, keeping them safe, and doing so while maintaining a proper budget. There is no paycheck which can imbue this feeling.
     We realize, at our age (we both are semi-retired), that the hype and the actuality differences exist, that the changing policies and shareholders bottom line create their own problems. Realizing this we still feel the humbleness of what we are doing. We are Holiday!
     The concept cannot be trained unless an individual has a natural 'feeling' or 'touch' to begin with. If they do have it the training takes root and grows. If it isn't there to begin with the residents feel a difference and react accordingly. Without 'the touch' you are just earning a paycheck, but with it you are filled on a daily basis with the warmth of what you do.
(RD's name deleted): Thank you for hiring us.

     Next is what was written and submitted at the Leadership Academy in Salem, Oregon the last week of October of 2008.  This submission resulted in my being presented with 'The Heart of Holiday Award' during the graduation ceremony. I have received many awards during my life, but none can match the humbling emotional impact of this one.

    " The Touch"- a concept of applied care, love, and concern for the people around us - i.e. Residents.
     After careful deliberation I must report the following:
     For the past nine months I found myself growing more and more concerned that actual existence of the 'Holiday Touch' concept was a myth being perpetrated as a clever marketing ploy of nostalgic proportions. I came out of semi-retirement because I fell in love with what my initial research showed as fact.
     During the long days/nights, the E-calls, various managers passing through our community, I admit to occasionally considering just calling U-Haul and retiring again. Although the residents at all times gave their love and respect, I felt an indifference out in the field on a day-to-day basis which constantly belied the 'concept' as being real. I began to feel isolated, with no place to vent, no one to ask questions or guidance of. Repeatedly I was told not to call HQ, never talk to other co-managers, never call my RD. My problems/concerns were spoken of only to my wife - who was undergoing the same situation.
     She began telling me: "Oregon or Bust, Love." - and it became our goal - to hang on long enough to get to Oregon and see for ourselves whether it was all hyperbole or an actuality. During the months I/we came across an individual we came to consider our 'Faith-Saver' - a disembodied voice on the telephone somewhere in Oregon. For this writing her name shall be private. Suffice to say in the few conversations with her she constantly told us the 'Touch' was real. She had previously proven her word was good - a rarity in this day and age - so we clutched her words to our hearts with a fervor. She gave forth the faith, the conviction, and the hope, which allowed the filling of each day as embodiment of the 'WOW' factor of the concept.
     I could write reams with stories of residents and staff examples, but those stories would pale in contrast to what I discovered in the past few days. Home Office is Real! The 'Holiday Touch' is real! It is not a myth, but is alive and well in the home office at Salem, Oregon. In two days and one evening - in a tour where home office opened both our hearts and our eyes - we truly felt the 'Touch'. The smiles are real, the conviction is there, the loving concern is actual - in everyone we meet. I am filled with this completely natural overflow - and I am grateful.
     Problems of census, budget, economy - all can be corrected and/or adjusted - all can be dealt with much easier knowing the support and knowledge are truly readily available. In every presentation so far it has been repeated that Home Office is there for us and the residents - and now I can rest easier because you are proving it to us constantly. I can return to the field empowered with the positive conviction all of you share with us.
     Our Faith-Saver was right - and we have the Holiday Touch - and we are going to tell them - and tell them again. You, all of you, at Home Office are the foundation of the 'TOUCH' - it is your conviction which fills the sails to power our ships in the fields. We speak the 'Touch', we become the 'Touch', we can thrive, because you keep the concept a viable of faith and energy. All of you at Home Office ARE  the 'Touch' - we are the messengers of what you empower us with - and I thank you."

     Note: I can now name our Faith-Saver (with her permission). She has become a very dear friend to my wife and me.  'Ruellene' is, and always will be, Holiday - no matter where she goes or what she does.

    The third letter was written on December 18, 2008 and mailed via the United States Postal Service to the CEO of Holiday Retirement.

December 18, 2008

Mr. Jack Callison: CEO
Holiday Retirement
2250 McGilchrist St.
Salem, Oregon 97302

     After due deliberation and extensive research of Holiday Retirement and Fortress Investment Group I have decided to ‘step outside the box’, realizing the possible complications/results of doing so. My wife and I have worked for Holiday Retirement just over ten months as co-managers. In that time we have worked under three different sets of managers in the same community. Each set of managers claim a different “Holiday” concept.
     Our second set of managers signed us off on the Grass Roots book. After a ten minute ride to the hospital and back with the bus driver we were told it is all that was needed and signed off. We were signed off the maintenance part after a single tour with the maintenance man. The dishwasher sign-off was done because I had to fill in one night for a no-show. My wife was signed off regarding the kitchen simply because we used to own a restaurant (same for me). And so on.
     Having been allowed only once to muddle my way through Kronos payroll (with the help of home office) I was informed that the manager was not about to have me do Kronos because home office would be calling him to verify it was done correctly. He stated he did not intend to do Kronos twice just to verify, so he would do it. He saw no reason for co-managers to deal with petty cash (he locked the cash box) or PCards, so we were not allowed to do so – he did not believe in a ‘proxy’.
     The present managers do allow me to handle Kronos on a daily basis, which is appreciated. My wife and I have the knowledge and background to run the building, but at this point I am unsure whether we could comfortably run the business. We are growing familiar with the ‘Portal’ due to our self-exploring and we know how to call home office for help. I pour a pretty decent cup of coffee and my wife does tours and related paperwork while I handle the building. To date neither of us has ever been shown anything regarding Sysco ordering, nor most other records pertaining to the operation of the business. I handle the paperwork relating to hiring staff and the separation thereof.
     So far I have completely revamped personnel files and various other filings on three separate occasions because each manager claimed a different requirement according to Holiday policy. I have read through the books pertaining to the operation of a Holiday Community, but a co-manager would have to be a complete idiot to go against a manager when it comes to operating according to Holiday guidelines; especially if they wish to keep their jobs. Each manager claims they ARE Holiday – and we must forget what we might have learned with any prior managers because their way was wrong. The present managers are to train us in the various phases/paperwork and we realize we will make mistakes. This is part of the process.
     How much longer we will continue to deal with these attitudes is unknown, but the truth is it makes absolutely no sense for it to be allowed. This is not how a successful business was built and remained profitable. At what point was each community allowed to become its own tiny fiefdom with its own set of rules running counter-productive to the corporate guidelines. I cannot relate how many managers I have heard use the word “MY” regarding the community – “This is MY building”, “This is MY food", "MY tables", "MY residents”. This MY factor replaces the Managerial position with a sole ownership mind frame. It is not MY community – a manager is only entrusted to conduct community business for the betterment and profitability of the parent organization (Holiday/Fortress). They are Managers – they are not owners.
     With the economy taking a hard downward slide the census will naturally suffer (already proven) and unless a “Mickey D” effect is initiated throughout the system – and enforced – then the downward spiral will continue. We are in an Official Recession! Children are taking their parents home in order to ease the financial burden. Homes are not selling, which prevents potential residents from being eager to put out the non-refundable amounts required for moving in. Elderly people are taking in boarders to help meet the cost of ‘getting by’. Holiday Retirement IS a great deal for the elderly, but convincing them of this grows more difficult each day. One of the primes for doing this is having them know, beyond a doubt, each and every community operates in the exact same way – without exception, utilizing the Touch. Offering clients a lifestyle is much more than just renting an apartment and collecting the rent. Holiday offers things which I, personally, at almost sixty-five, would consider for my own retirement.
     My wife and I came out of semi-retirement because we fell in love with the Holiday Touch concept – and we are not seeing it. One Manager tells of throwing a glass against a dishwashing machine and shattering it in order to ‘get the attention’ of employees because the glass was dirty – and tells the story with pride. Another one claims every female staff member in every community he has worked made offers to leave her husband for him because he is so wonderful to be around. Yet another screams at employees and residents in anger. Another displays blatant bigotry against Jews and lesbians, especially employees. Others use the threat of eviction when they feel the residents complain too much. A manager buys a pressure washer for the kitchen, takes it home to use it on his travel trailer where he drops and breaks it, but does not replace it – community budget money out the window, and yet another takes pride in the number of co-managers they ‘get rid of’.
     This is the Holiday Touch? Yet it is allowed, and apparently even condoned. The elderly residents depend upon management and staff for ‘stability’ in their lives. The Holiday concept personifies this, but the indifference to this concept out in the communities is felt by the residents. This indifference, this MY feeling, results in a growing census problem throughout the company. All of the weekly conference calls being done are meaningless as long as the indifference to the Holiday concept is in practice. The calls are reminiscent of the old Amway meetings.
     Soon we may simply write Holiday off as an experience and retire again. We love our jobs and we are appreciative of the residents we are allowed to care for, but we would be failures if we did so under this indifference.
     At the Leadership Academy in Oregon I was presented with the Heart of Holiday Award on October 31, 2008, which was most humbling to me. The week long session showed us what the Holiday concept SHOULD be. My question is – why isn’t it this way? When any employee, from management to staff, is constantly under pressure of implied termination that employee cannot perform to their best potential. When threats take precedence over compliments the employee becomes hesitant to display an extra effort. Without the employee’s willingness and eagerness to put forth that extra effort the work becomes unfulfilling and employee turn-over increases, as well as resident census problems.
     We recently had the privilege of our RD asking us to cover another community in order to give the onsite management team a couple of days off. The Executive Chef, (xxxxx xxxxxxxx), was coping with a kitchen steam table replacement. His performance during this nightmare was exemplary. The food preparation and presentation never faltered from his usual ability. He is a true Holiday Chef. I mention this because he deserves complimenting for the extra effort put forth by him and his staff.
     Mr. Callison – people talk – and the rumor mill flies. As CEO you are in a position where you most likely do not realize the degree of uncertainty out in the field. Managers, co-managers, staff, and even the residents of the communities, are extremely concerned and fearful for their jobs and/or communities. It does not actually matter whether there is a factual basis for the talk – it matters that the unease and fear lend credibility. As the new CEO of Holiday/Fortress, a group barely above ’flat lining’ on the market, you are the unknown focal point. Wal-Mart had the visible icon of Sam. KFC had the Colonel. Holiday had Bill Colson. Each of them was a personal touch for the public and the employees to believe in, to ‘look up to’ in hard times – and in good times. People need such an icon to give their work meaning and purpose. Whether or not the icon is real is not important – it is the fantasy of the belief which creates a belief of its own.
     The consensus is as follows: Fortress is going to eliminate a lot of RDs by increasing the number of communities handled by each RD. The recent addendum to the re-hire policy is construed as meaning Fortress is about to ‘dump’ the ‘sweet sixteen’ and several other communities. The addendum is to allow personnel to remain after their jobs are eliminated; causing a fear others will lose their jobs as closed community staff gets transferred. The biggest talk is that Fortress is considering a bankruptcy restructure. People believe the worst; it has a better credibility to explain an unknown.
     As the CEO, with your background, you are the ‘fall guy’ – taking the brunt for whatever evolves. Bill Colson (and family) were a constant to their employees, most never saw (or set aside) his business acumen. They believed in him because he did occasional acts of benevolence which were publicized. CEOs, to employees, are the scapegoats – they change rapidly. CEOs are a distant phantom with the authority to effect an instant disruption in employee lifestyle – the ‘icon’ isn’t there. Only you (and Fortress) can create the viability and a semblance of stability to weather the downturn. As it stands now I would not be surprised to learn about employees beginning to leave Holiday starting not long after the New Year. I hope I am wrong.
     Fortress needs to create a totally new and modernized concept. The one so far is a remake of Bill Colson - and XL Management is doing a much better job.
     On a final note, Mr. Callison, my wife and I have notified our RD of our resignation. We wish you a positive experience as CEO and wanted to express what we have experienced and observed. Actually, sir, we both have researched you and believe if anyone can turn this company around – it is you. We both hope Fortress will give you the time to do so.

I will be writing about our Holiday experience. Please know that I will do so with frankness.

Thank you for your time;

(xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx)
Co-Manager
(Community name deleted)

     ** This blog is primarily for open discussions of the industry, in hopes it may benefit employees and residents (both present and former) in handling concerns and problems. With about ten thousand employees Holiday/Fortress will not care about (or make changes because of) a few comments posted on the internet. But - if and when the number of comments begin to mount up into the hundreds and thousands - a different perspective will take effect. **

    From this point I will begin to relate/report what goes on underneath the veil, but by lifting it a little at a time and not all at once. There is no reason to replay Holiday's basic information advertising to the public - that is available at holidaytouch.com - use the standard 'www' first.
    Please know that I will honor confidentiality. Any comment can be done anonymously in order to allow input - even a 'venting' if so chosen. I do reserve the right to remove any comment which I (in my sole discretion) deem to be libelous, slanderous, vulgar, etc. The comments are the opinions of those posting and not necessarily the stance of this site.

                                                thefreebornman@yahoo.com

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BENEATH THE VEIL PART 5

Beneath The Veil Of Holiday Retirement Corp/Fortress Part 4

Beneath the Veil of Holiday Retirement Corp/Fortress Part 3

Beneath The Veil of Holiday Retirement Corp/Fortress Part 2

BENEATH THE VEIL of Holiday Retirement Corp/Fortress Part 1