If you ask any resident of a senior living community what makes their experience special, they may tell you all about the beautiful residences or the amenities and services—but for many it all comes down to the people. From caregivers and dining staff to program coordinators and maintenance crews, employees at senior living communities often become like family to residents. And seniors and their families want to show their gratitude. But with so many senior living communities adopting no-tipping policies, residents are looking for other ways to show appreciation to senior living staff. The folks of John Knox Village of Central Florida have found nearly 500,000 of them.
Paying it Forward
What started as a Christmas bonus for employees more than 20 years ago has turned into a resident-run fund that is expected to give more than $400,000 in gifts this year to the staff at John Knox Village. It’s called the Employee Appreciation Fund. And Joe Rudolph has been involved in some capacity since its start. As an employee of the community for more than 25 years, Joe has been on the receiving end of these generous gifts. Now, as a resident and first-year chair of the fund, he is helping to give back.
“It’s a lot different looking at it through these eyes than I did as an administrator. But to be quite honest with you, I’m enjoying doing it,” Joe says. “It’s so gratifying. I think the first few years we did this we were feeling really great if we could raise $10,000. And now, we’re approaching the $500,000 mark, which is pretty impressive.”
All the money collected at John Knox Village throughout the year is given back to employees before the holidays with amounts based on seniority, hours worked and other factors.
Getting the Word Out
As chair of the Employee Appreciation Fund, Joe is responsible for leading the charge in getting committee members, holding events throughout the year and speaking at Quarterly Resident Council meetings. Besides raising funds, the committee organizes the annual Employee Appreciation Day, which this year will be held on November 26.
“We do a putting tournament in the spring, and a cornhole tournament in the fall,” Joe shares. This year’s cornhole tournament took place over the course of two Fridays in October with more than 50 participants. Members of the committee feel that events like the putting and cornhole tournaments provide a great opportunity to talk about the Employee Appreciation Fund and keep it top of mind with residents.
Discovering Ways to Show Appreciation to Senior Living Staff
Residents and family members usually have lots of questions about how to show their appreciation to caregivers and other staff. “They want to know what it is; how much people give to an Employee Appreciation Fund and who the money is going to,” Joe explains. One of the first touches new residents encounter is a recently created Employee Appreciation flyer which is shared with new residents that touches on all those questions and provides answers.
The biggest question people usually have is how they can give. Anyone who wants to contribute during the year can drop it in one of the secure collection boxes throughout the John Knox Village community.
Employees receive their monetary gifts from residents who volunteer to help hand them out. Both residents and staff members look forward to Employee Appreciation Day, and, as a result, it’s probably the most popular of all the volunteering opportunities at John Knox Village. According to Joe, more than 20 resident volunteers take part in handing out checks. Volunteers don’t stop there; many more residents are on hand to greet staff and personally thank them for the work they do every day. Sometimes there are tears and it’s very emotional. To see a young lady who’s been serving dinner to us all year long receive a check—it’s really quite a moving event, and so we never have any trouble getting volunteers for that.
Fund Day, Fun Day
It all culminates in a single fun-filled day. The Employee Appreciation Day event is held in our large auditorium, and many employees who are off that day bring family members to share in the excitement. “Pictures and videos showing employees at work throughout the year are playing on a loop on the big screen,” Joe says. “We have an area set up for the kids. A lot of the folks will spend some time going around the tables to other residents and chatting. The tables are set up with color-coded tablecloths for different departments, and everyone is happy for each other. It’s a special day.”
Creating a Wall of Thanks
To make the day even more special, thousands of “thankful cards” are collected from residents all year and hung on the wall, reaffirming to employees that what they do matters. “Gosh, we collect 100 a day until November and share them at the event. They take up the entire wall in the auditorium,” Joe says proudly. “Employees get a kick out of it, and they’ll spend time going around searching for cards with their name on them. It’s a big deal to them.”
Delivering on a Mission
John Knox Village is committed to providing an environment where everyone can thrive. This translates to employees as well as residents. Like Joe, many of our employees have stayed with us for decades. “They love coming to work every day and it’s not just about collecting a paycheck,” Joe says. “If you ask an employee who’s been here for many years why they chose John Knox Village, they’ll be very quick to tell you—it’s about the people. I think the majority of our staff at any level of employment, from a dishwasher in one of our many food venues to our very knowledgeable repair folks could work anywhere. We have electricians, we have plumbers. We have carpenters who work for us, and most of them could make more money outside of John Knox Village. And I know for a fact that we’ve got some amazing staff food servers who before they got here made very good tips. But it’s about another kind of gratification.”
Become Part of the Family
It’s this type of joy and thankfulness that create an atmosphere of gratitude for residents and employees not just on Employee Appreciation Day, but every day. Learn more about life at John Knox Village of Central Florida senior living community or set up a visit to experience it for yourself by calling (386) 775-0788.