FORTUNE and Great Place to Work® Name Agemark Senior Living One of the 2018 FORTUNE Best Workplaces
October 1, 2018
OMAHA, NE–Great Place to Work and FORTUNE have named Agemark Senior Living as one of the 2018 Best Workplaces for Aging Services. With more than 850 employees in 20 communities throughout the U.S., the company took the No. 13 spot on the Senior Living and Care list, part of the Aging Services category.
“We’re thrilled that our employees feel this way about being a part of Agemark,” says Richard Westin, Agemark CEO and one of its founding partners. “Our core commitment over the years has been to treat everyone like family. That means both the seniors who choose to live with us and the wonderful employees who choose to work with us.”
The focus on creating a supportive, family-like atmosphere for both employees and residents has shown results. Over the past 15 years, the company has experienced a 9.25% compound annual growth rate, and now has assisted living and memory care support communities from California to Maryland.
Agemark COO Marty Hug believes the focus on treating employees like family has provided multiple benefits. “We know that for our residents to have the warm, home-like care we commit to provide them, employees need to feel like family. We focus on making sure our residents have a meaningful, purposeful life filled with fun, friends and joy in their days. But we also want that, and commit to deliver that, to employees as well. We treat people the way we would want to be treated, because it is the right thing to do. In the end, it benefits everyone – residents, their loved ones and employees,” he shares.
Employees at Agemark communities dine with residents at no cost and enjoy excellent benefits, including part-time employees. The company’s bonus structure reflects their commitment to honoring every employee’s role in the company’s success: all bonuses use the same scale, from executives to local caregiving staff. Employees feel valued through programs like tuition and certification support and Heart to Hand, a unique employee-run fund providing assistance to Agemark employees in times of emergency, such as unexpected family health crises or natural disasters.
“These are only part of what reinforces the family feeling for our employees,” adds Hug. “It’s the everyday kindnesses, friendships at work and flexible, caring environment that make us a great place to work. Companies in our industry all struggle to recruit and maintain the best caregivers, nurses and other employees. We all understand there is currently a shortage, and companies are addressing this in different ways. We aren’t focused on the short-term or quick-fix approach, but on bringing it back to our core principle of treating people like family and changing lives – both those of employees and residents. In Agemark communities, kindness and opportunity is always the key. We see a lot of smiles and hear a lot of laughter, and that’s the environment we all want to work in.”
Agemark Senior Living has been creating home-like senior communities since the 1980s. With corporate headquarters in Orinda, CA, and Omaha, NE, they were a pioneer in developing individual-centered, family-feeling communities incorporating elements from the hospitality industry and strong experience in senior care, therapeutic activity programs and Alzheimer’s/memory care. Today, the company has 20 communities nationwide, with more opening in 2019.