nursing assistant

licensed practical nurse

home health aide

activity assistant

housekeeper

Benchmark Senior Living

*Note: if you're trying to search for work for this location, please be advised among the staff with any unusual or irresponsible behavior and social awkwardness. They may be up front to be friendly and great at first, but they may not what they seem to be.

I've been at this job for many years and I always put work integrity and the needs and respect of resident care above all else. I've witnessed many new managers come and go, but in all my years, the latest and current new Director of Dining Service kitchen manager who I known for less than a year, has disrespected for the way how I do my job and gave me a bad impression about him upon first meeting with him and my instincts were right. All he does does is just barking orders and not acting like a team player. Sometimes, he's never around and leaves early. Whenever the Dining Service director operates the dish machine himself, most of the time, it comes out still dirty. He just lazily throws it through by relying on the dish machine to do all the cleaning without any effort from his hands or what would a normally assigned dishwasher had done different than him. This kitchen manager gave 2% raise of my annual review, rather than a usual 3% raise given to me from the past previous managers, all because of not having a sink full of sanitizer water as an unexpected health inspector showed up. I told him that it was a waste to just leave it out if you're not gonna use it when we already got a dishwasher running. The behavior of the Dining Service kitchen manager is something seriously to be noted, someone in his position as a boss he should not be telling his employees he's working with sayings such as, "I'm the boss around here now, so get used to it!". Another time when I wanted to addressed a safety concern about handling soup containers, I told the manager, while he was cooking at the time, "For future reference, could you please use the smaller containers rather than one big large container because it was too hot and too heavy to carry into the dish room." In response, he said back to me, "For future reference, I get to do whatever I want." Unintentionally, I then blurt out "You're a dangerous man." And in retaliation, he said next when it comes to a shock to me, "So are you!". I tried to address these concerns to the Executive Director in the past of the current Director of Dining Services' behavior, but they chose to ignore it since it was more than a week ago that it happened. Addressing this concern to the managers or the higher ups is like putting yourself and your job at risk. Even trying to reach out to the higher ups than the Dining Service Director or ED is most likely NOT gonna help you as well. You can't even defend yourself.

I am a victim of wrongful termination, despite working there for so many years, regardless of my integrity. In the report of their claims, I was falsely accused for making "gestures", which never, ever occurred and it is not my habit or in my nature to behave in such a manner, due to a mental disability nature I was born with that prevents such a thought to ever occur. Furthermore, I also couldn't talk normally to defend myself over the phone with the ED and HR manager because I am speech illiterate. I was socially awkward myself to begin with and social communication wasn't my forte. I was easily painted as the black sheep and ganged up by my former work peers and managers alike, according to the claims stating about gathering several witness statements from them. All I ever did that got me under fire was just my presence itself upsets a certain co-worker who was very vain and distant decided to play the sexist card with Dining Service Director. So I cannot even coexist while on the job or interact with my former work peers? I felt like I clearly being setup to fail and they would take the side of the woman's story rather than man's story, without ever giving the chance to defend yourself or say your side to the story. They've did me so dirty....There was no fair judgment, it really felt ones-sided and it was easy for companies to just take the easy way out by sweeping the whole mess under the rug by cutting their ties off with me. I haven't done anything wrong. I also felt utter betrayal, used and expendable rather than being respected or someone of any significance, despite working there for so many years.

The screening process for a successful manager should include that one fail an integrity test and commit to 24/7 availability.  The turnover is very high because most people value honesty and a life outside of work.  Most communities do not pay nurses for on-call coverage, including time spent responding to calls.
   Corporate level HR lacks corporate level knowledge of the federal regulations.
   The only thing Benchmark does well (in an effort to keep census up) is to creatively care for complex and acutely ill residents, in a world where staff nurses are bound by regulations that prevent them from assessing or providing hands on care.  This is a safety concern for residents and caregivers and a hospital and Medicare utilization nightmare.  Until Massachusetts regulations change, allowing for staff nurses to practice at full scope in assisted living, residents will continue to be shipped to and from the hospital, which can be more disruptive than just placing them appropriately to begin with.  
   Regional team members stroll in grinning like Cheshire cats, providing little support, and yet criticize the efforts of dedicated managers who are just barely able to keep it together due to limited staff/resources, ungodly # hours worked and unrealistic work load expectations.  They travel from building to building spreading gossip.
   The culture is fear-based, crooked and punitive, starting at the very top which then trickles down the ladder.  The corporate team lacks any real concept of community and most are incompetent, unable to answer simple questions with very few policies to be found for guidance. 
    With the development of the industry, there are now a  number of competitors, yet they expect census to remain high in an oversaturated market.  Unrealistic when you are the high cost provider with nothing better to offer, often less,  than the next AL on the block. They continue to expand the company yet don't reinvest in the buildings that are suffering structurally and cosmetically, unless putting lipstick on a pig counts.  
   The front line caregivers provide nursing  home level care but are compensated at AL rates.  It is difficult to staff the buildings due to the measly hourly pay rates which ultimately doesn't allow managers to be very selective in the hiring process.  
   The only hope for this company is that they hire an outside consulting agency to review and revise their current practice and business model.  The current situation is a recipe for failure which is becoming increasingly evident to those inside and out of the organization.

Applied for Program Director position that has been opened for 5 months. They only have "group" interviews. 3 or more candidates at once sitting at a table. The chef and other employees were interviewing us. Other candidates can sit back and feed off your answers and better them so it is not fair because they waited and did not know how to answer the question in the first place. They then tell each of you that they will contact you in 24 hrs. 

The next day they called and stated they will need a 30 minute presentation working with the residents and it had to be on a holiday weekend so I had to drop a planned trip that was costly. I figured they wanted to see how badly I wanted the job. After the presentation they said they will call me again. I waited a week and then they called and said I will be called by another person for a phone interview. That never came and after a week they called me and stated they forgot about the phone interview. 

They called me back into the facility and had a "offer" letter waiting. It listed the position as $ 16.50 hr. but did not list any benefits. It also stated it was for 37.5 hrs. per week. I asked about the benefits and they stated they will talk about that after I attend 2 training days. Originally the position was supposed to be 40 hrs. per week at $16 to $24 starting salary. I found their Human Resource division number and they stated I would have to pay a very high premium for my health insurance through them and would get a vacation day after 6 months if I was working 40 hrs. a week. At 37.5 hrs. a week I get nothing.

After taking several days off to go through this process and canceling a holiday trip I was very disappointed. The hiring tactics are very shady. They want you to leave your current job before disclosing any other information about your benefits, etc. This way they figure they locked you in and you cannot go back to your old job. It is too bad too. Facilities look nice but unless they want to fill these positions they have to offer alot more and change their hiring tactics. This is like trading in your old car, buying a new one and then finding out what your percentage rate and monthly payments are and not being able to get your old car back.

Positions at Benchmark are for those that do not need benefits and never take a vacation for mediocre pay that may take years to get to the top pay for that position. Look elsewhere. Don't waste your time applying.

Lack of communication in between departments as the old management team has shifted out everyone is confused including the new managers and who is left of Management.  Changes keep happening, but not all employees are being told about the changes And what steps to take with the new changes. 
Management is asked to clarify and you end up more confused then before, since they don’t know either...so who does know if they don’t know, it’s the blind leading the blind over here. 
Front line staff is set up to fail from the start by the same people who preach “called to care, together is Better”. Staff do their best with what they got, but if you are short staffed have new residents moving in and coming back from the hospital AND the required paperwork isn’t even there to do what you need to do then there is a problem. We tell our manager about something and then ask them again and they act like it’s new news. There is never any follow through, things are just told to different people at different times So the information that circulates will of course get altered. Staff favoritism is obvious as it can get. 
New manager comes in hires all new staff and all of a sudden the employee who has been there hours change and on some weeks completely has been replaced by the new hire so the old employee is part time with no hours . Manager Never responds to emails, never says thank you, ignores you when your in the same room but will acknowledge her favorites, how can you respect that. 
Management went as far as to get a current employees hopes up for a promotion however never posted the job and end up hiring someone from the outside that was an old employee and not to mention friends with all the other managers. 
One time I heard a family member saying to one of the employees, maybe a union would be helpful to straighten things out. The fact that a family member is saying that has to mean something. It just seems like nobody cares. It use to be a fun place to work, I feel bad for the staff who truly care and beat down constantly.

This company treats their employees like DOGS. Residents pay a pretty penny to live in the beautiful facility and Benchmark's compensation for their employees is highly undesirable for the workload. They claim to be an assisted living-no lift facility, but their residents belong in a high acuity care center. Residents include stage three parkinsons who can no longer walk, but we still have to care for them with the little resources we have. The state should really come in and see what a joke show this company is. I'd say there's about forty residents, 25 of which are high acuity residents that require a lift or are two person transfers; there are three LNA's to these forty residents. They are very under-staffed to the point that it is unsafe for residents. Residents press their call button and they won't get answered for at least eight minutes because the staff is preoccupied with another resident. An RCA's job duty not only includes resident care, but also house keeping, waitress duty, and some maintenance repair. When you go and sit for their orientation, they'll tell you that your responsibilites will include spending time with residents which is the biggest lie, DON'T FALL FOR IT. You have no time to spend with a resident who's having a bad day because you have to get up and run to the next pendant ringing. This place does not care for their seniors, all they care about is the money that is coming in and pleasing the residents family members, making petty promises that can't be kept. I wouldn't put my parent or any family member in this facility. Nurses are fired for spending too much time with residents and not enough time on paperwork. If there's a high fall risk resident that needs constant supervision, they won't get it. Don't work for this company; it will make you a bitter healthcare employee and your attitude will come out on the residents. High turnover

The Benchmark Company is know for its great services to seniors and the aging in place concept that allows the resident and their families to feel safe and live as Independent and free spirited.

The best part of the day are our Residents, sharing there life stories that captures the heart and reassures and validates why I believe many choose to work here and beleive the mission statement and its Core values.

Difficulties I face as well my peers and predecessors, are that senior management is unable to engage and help new associates, team members, new managers grow and support them as a resource and guide. It is unfortunately a tale of two cities with regards to new members that include management vs the "this is how we do things" mindset. This is due to top management being out of touch with the real world and the challenges that the industry as a whole is facing. Too many Chiefs, Executive, Corporate titles that create turn over and create the spiral affects of downward production. 
Corporate 'Top heavies'  that demand but do not contribute to helping those they manage to succeed. I must ask, where is the mentality of true leadership? Why are they opposed to rolling up their sleeves and contributing and mentoring. They play on fear instead of mentoring, they forgot why they are in the position and their own values that made them choose this venue.
We have many managers, but very few leaders!!!!! 

I believe that this is a great company on paper, but false promises at inception lead to disappointment and turn over! Change and new ideas to include industry changes must be met with positive attributes, not yesterdays concepts.

I hope this notes my passion and beliefs in our choices to serve those who we work for,' the residents' whom I admire and to are a treasure to our life and society.

The sheer decline I saw of this company in the short period I worked for them was disgusting.

Within my first few months of working there, I was told by one of the residents that I was the only one who helped them adequately. I brought that up to my boss, and they commended me on my service, but I couldn't seem to explain to them that I wasn't looking for props on my work, but instead was addressing an issue throughout the company.

Towards the end of my employment, my hours were cut, entirely for a week, then brought back on as part time, for sometimes less than 15 hours a week, when previously I was working upwards of 30. (with not fulltime benefits)

In the department we worked, we were almost always short staffed, and continually positions were cut throughout the year. I was told when I got hired that once another employee retired later that year I would take over their position (and presumably get a raise), and acquire their hours, but that position was cut entirely, and I didn't get it, and other employees and myself had to cover the responsibilities of the role. 

Many of the younger workers (many of which were in high school and this was their first job) were pressured into clocking out before their work was finished, and they'd feel obligated to come back and finish up.

With all these setbacks, the service to the residents was severely diminished, and I feel they don't get the attention they need, since so few staff have so many responsibilities throughout the day, and many of the minor details that some of the residents need for their quality of life have been sacrificed for the company's budget.

During orientation you will hear "Be the benchmark", "Better together", and "Called to care" as if the company actually values these concepts. Believe the negative reviews. While each community is unique, you will see common themes of overwork, underpay, lack of respect, and rampant bullying normalized and those who don't like it are reported as not being team players or worse. The fact that these common themes exist speaks to the reality that the disfunction is supported from the top down. Recognize that marketing and sales is the most important thing at Benchmark Senior Living. Once you recognize this you will understand why all the Benchmark lingo such as "elevating human connection" is nothing more than a sales gimmick. Of course residents notice the disfunction and lack of sincerity and broken promises, but their head is already in that bed. As an associate, be prepared to have little value to the team unless you can play the Benchmark game of happily overworking for low pay, no respect, and/or participate in bullying. Don't fall for the sales pitch by Benchmark staff who just want to fill vacant slots in their schedule and will say anything they think you want to hear to get you in the door. Ask questions of many different staff and residents too. If they think you can be trusted they will tell the truth. Unfortunately the toxic atmosphere at some communities is so bad that staff will be fearful about telling you the truth. This silence leads to the abuse of new associates and the notorious revolving door. 

I really enjoy working with Benchmark Senior Living.  I do think the people  with whom I work are genuinely looking out for one another, and there’s a strong sense of teamwork and purpose.    To echo a Benchmark value, we are "Called to Care" and be "Better Together".

I'm excited about many of the recent changes that I have seen with Benchmark,  like better benefits such as 401k enhancements, a generous tuition assistance program and and On Demand pay program.  We have also been given more resources, and improved tools that make it easier to do our jobs. 

I am hoping to work at my Community until I retire as it is close to my home and a wonderful place to work. However, it is exciting to me and I think wonderful that there are many Benchmark Senior Living communities which may   allow interested associates to develop and experience career growth with the company.

There are also so many ways to be recognized and to celebrate.  We have a very active Culture Club that plans wonderful activities and opportunities to celebrate. This is  in addition  to what individual departments may do  to celebrate and recognize important associate  life events.  Benchmark  has a charitable organization in the One Company Fund,  which  has provided assistance to quite a few associates in my Community and so many more throughout the organization. 
I feel fortunate that in working with Benchmark Senior Living, I  get to work with great people providing care and service to wonderful people!

Please really think about working here whatever glamours things they tell you in orientation is a BIG FAT LIE. Administration is a joke none of them know what they are doing I don’t even think these people have any type of degree in nursing/administration/ leadership skills they mostly sit in their offices looking like they are doing work or take vacations every other month.  the RCAs get no respect they honor more of the janitors and dining people more than they do there RCAs who work really hard. There is no teamwork no communication and when stuff hits the fan administration acts like they care. Most of there residents need to be in a nursing home the level of care they need is not sutble for the assisted living setting  but they would rather take money from this older people than find them the right resources they need. Nursing is a joke they careless on what happens to the residents  they pass there meds and keep it moving you won’t see them unless something happens and when it does they take there time to come assess the situation. Many of the RCAs that have came through start for about a month then quit because the workload is a lot of many of the staff are rude and unfriendly. Pay is good hours and overtime is definitely there but they will over work you quickly!!! If you care to make a difference then apply if you need a part time or just a per diem apply if you really need a full time job go for it but be mindful it

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Nursing assistant 3 salaries reported	$20.29 per hour
Licensed practical nurse 4 salaries reported	$40.00 per hour
Home health aide 2 salaries reported	$22.56 per hour
Activity assistant 1 salary reported	$18.63 per hour
Housekeeper 65 salaries reported	$16.68 per hour

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