Tutera Senior Living & Health Care Hires HR Pro Leslie Young to Lead New Initiatives to Become Employer of Choice
Young brings 20+ years of HR expertise in senior living to Tutera with plans underway to implement new HR model, mentoring and incentive programs, and employee satisfaction survey
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (May 15, 2015) — With a dedicated focus to become an employer of choice, Tutera Senior Living & Health Care has hired Leslie Young as director of human resources operations. Young will lead Tutera’s expansion of human resource initiatives to better understand and respond to the distinct needs of its employees serving residents and families in Tutera’s 47 communities in 13 states across the country.
“As we intensify our focus to provide the highest levels of personalized support to our residents, we are making it an equal priority to provide the highest levels of personalized support to our staff. Leslie Young has the ideal combination of human resources expertise, industry experience and profound respect for the work our staff performs every day to guide Tutera in becoming an employer of choice,” said Randy Bloom, Ph.D., president and chief operating officer for Tutera Senior Living & Health Care. Young brings more than 20 years of human resource management leadership to Tutera with expertise in senior living. Prior to joining Tutera, Young was director of training and development for Skilled Healthcare, LLC (now Genesis HealthCare) — one of the nation’s largest skilled nursing and rehabilitation therapy providers — where she oversaw training, recruitment and retention programs for 15,000+ long-term care, home heath, hospice, rehabilitation and corporate employees. As director of human resources for Skilled Health Care from 2007 to 2011, Young provided HR management consultation to support 40 division locations. Previously, Young was a recruiting manager for A Place for Mom, Inc., a national senior living referral service, where she managed recruiting and exceeded company retention goals by 50 percent by refining hiring processes and procedures.
“I’m proud to join a company that is growing steadily while ensuring that it is dedicated to continuously asking and responding to the diverse needs of its staff,” Young said. Tutera recently rolled out a new YOUNITE initiative to challenge each of Tutera’s 47 facilities to ask, listen, create and implement innovative ways to respond to the individual needs and preferences of residents —and staff — in ways that are most personally meaningful. “Tutera’s new approach to culture change focused on choice and autonomy resonates with me and my experience working with senior living staff across the country. My goal is to ensure the YOUNITE philosophy pervades every facet of our HR efforts to listen and respond to what is most important to Tutera employees,” Young said.
Since officially starting in her new role on January 12, Young is leading Tutera’s new HR initiatives:
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Regional HR Support
With a focus on becoming more employee-centric, Young will decentralize Tutera’s corporate human resources department. The new regional HR structure will enable Tutera to provide personalized support to employees working in six regions. “Tutera’s employees are dedicated to work that is both emotionally and physically challenging. They have a lot of responsibilities to juggle every day,” Young said. “Tutera’s new regional HR structure will allow us to work more cohesively with each community to provide more personalized assistance in navigating critical staffing needs.”
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Ovation Retention Program
While Tutera continues to offers performance incentives, Young has introduced a new retention program focused solely on appreciation with no performance criteria. Ovation is a retention program that offers Tutera administrators and directors of nursing monthly points to redeem for rewards, from merchandise and gift cards to special trips. “Our intent is to simply thank them for their dedication and offer choice in determining rewards that are most personally meaningful.”
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Employee Satisfaction Survey
In determining what is most important to the more than 3000 of Tutera’s employees, Young is implementing a comprehensive employee satisfaction survey designed specifically for the senior living industry. The survey will enable Tutera to gather feedback specific to each employee’s location and role. The result will provide perspectives on employee satisfaction in each individual community as well as at the corporate office, along with a comparison to competitive industry benchmarks.
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Nursing Mentor Program
Young is piloting a new mentor program in five Tutera communities to provide enhanced mentor training to nursing staff to support new hires during their first months on the job. “It’s always challenging to start a new job, but in senior living communities it can be especially overwhelming for new staff to become familiar with a new workplace while learning the personal needs and preferences of dozens of residents. We want to make sure we are giving them the support they need,” Young said.
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Tutera’s new HR initiatives led by Young are intended to make a fundamental impact. “Ultimately, everything we do is designed to guide us in letting our staff know they are individually valued and appreciated,” said Joe Tutera, president of Tutera Senior Living & Health Care. “With Leslie Young’s capable leadership and passion for the work of our dedicated staff, I’m confident we will achieve our goal to be nationally regarded as an employer of choice.”
About Tutera Senior Living & Health Care
Tutera Senior Living & Health Care is a locally-owned diversified post-acute senior health care provider operating 47 senior living communities in 13 states throughout the United States. As one of the nation’s premier senior care providers, Tutera Senior Living & Health Care offers its residents independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, post-surgery rehabilitation, memory care and home health and hospice care. In 1983, Dominic F. Tutera MD founded Tutera to provide compassionate patient care with the uncompromising values of integrity, accountability and commitment. Tutera Senior Living & Health Care still embodies those values today. Tutera is committed to making a positive difference in the lives of its residents and their families through senior living and health care experts who inspire and promote individuality and personal happiness.
For more information, visit www.Tutera.com.
Contact:
Elaina Boudreau
BELA Communications
913-660-0548