We all share our Core Values and philosophy, and did well before the pandemic. But this time has created a significant, additional burden for our employees, and the adversity has galvanized our team around each other and our shared values. It is humbling to see how our employees realized what was at stake and encouraged each other through a difficult time.
Much of what we do to keep employees and residents healthy, such as wearing personal protective equipment and eliminating group gatherings, is necessary for obvious reasons. And yet, we have done a great job preventing the necessary from crowding out the important things that impact quality of life.
With social distancing and restrictions, it has been much more difficult to do important things. Still, our employees have been incredibly creative in making those critical, personal, and meaningful things happen.
Our social media platforms are full of images and videos of employees going above and beyond to make essential connections while ensuring necessary precautions are in place to keep everyone safe.
We provide care and services to the most vulnerable population. The pandemic only magnified the need for healthy, loving employees. We knew we would need all hands on deck as the virus spread.
So, our group prioritized sourcing supplies and training employees to keep themselves and the residents safe. We believe this led to a sense of security and knowledge of performing during this time. The preparation and ongoing team support allowed everyone the freedom to focus on their job, versus the pandemic.
We also knew that we were asking our staff members to do more. So we tried very hard to offer them added incentives and support them in any way we could, and we will continue to do so.
Communication has been our biggest challenge and opportunity at all levels and in all directions.
The need for efficient communication became extremely important when it became apparent that the pandemic would fundamentally impact what we do every day. As care providers to the most vulnerable population, we needed clear information and guidance from health experts and regulating authorities regarding mandates and restrictions that affected our operations.
In turn, we were obligated to provide accurate and timely direction to the people who live and work in our communities and their loved ones. Fear and uncertainty made reliable communication paramount.
We felt it was impossible to over-communicate. We needed to disseminate information transparently and promptly. As a team, I think we have done a remarkable job with this and will continue to prioritize it.
