nursing assistant

licensed practical nurse

registered nurse

dining room server

housekeeper

Givens Communities

I was with Givens for 9 years in the dining services department. The leadership team is top notch, and the creativeness that went into that program was second to none. The new dining venues are beautiful and state of the art, and the residents have great appreciation for all that the staff do for them. The building of the personal relationships with residents was the highlight of my career. At the end of the day, that is what I miss the most about Givens. It’s not like a standalone restaurant where folks just come and go, but rather it is the same folks daily, and their families, and the bond created with them is truly fulfilling. I feel that properties such as life plan communities get a bad rap in the culinary world, but if you took the chance to step inside the kitchen and really look at the program, you’d see that the creativity and execution is on par with any country club or popular restaurant downtown. The staff is great, the leadership is great, and the residents are the best. I will miss that place….many good memories were made there. If you’re on the fence about whether this is for you, I would recommend giving it a shot and applying. I think you’ll be surprised how great of a place this is to work. Pay, benefits, work/life balance…all of it. It checks all the boxes. 

Each day is different. Patient care is the same....residents are the same yet it seems each day is a challenge because as with life, their daily life needs change. Once I learned the job routine I started to learn the unique person that I took care of. Staff can be a challenge--yet I did my best to NOT get carried into the drama. I viewed the job from the point that I was doing what the resident(s) needed to get through their day. Some of the professionals need to be required to work as a CNA and see how demanding it can be. Some of the nurses are very grateful for your help--some take the CNA for granted---and if they know you can do more--they will use this. The hardest part of the CNA job is watching a resident's health change--I encouraged them to do for themselves what they can do. The most enjoyable part of working here is getting to meet and know the residents that live outside healthcare. They are active, friendly, and volunteer helping out with tasks that need to be done yet with the patient load--can't be done. 

A typical day at work is busy, busy, always a task to do, which is good and bad.  I've learned about food prep, storage, etc.  Management has been awesome with working with my schedule and changing it based on my needs.  I feel like training is way lacking as most people assigned to help me did not teach me anything, they would just do the tasks I could not do.  The culture is very helpful, everyone helps each other out which is awesome.  The hardest part of the job, is trying to do multiple things at once, or having to ask so many questions as training was pretty much non existent.  I have to say that I did not have any kitchen experience so that makes the job a lot harder I'd imagine.  The most enjoyable part of the job is interacting with the residents; asking them about their lives and helping them any way I can.

Highland Farms is an interesting combination of wonderful and sad.  It started as a private company owned, in part, by people who lived there.  Although the facilities where not the most up-to-date, it was made up for by a high level of care in all areas of staff & management.  Much of the culture is maintained by the residents who knew Highland Farms under the old management.  As of about five years ago, Givens Estates bought Highland Farms and has slowly but surely undermined the quality of management, the staff's devotion to providing a caring environment, and responsiveness to residents' needs,  Instead, Givens is bent on reducing the stunning natural beauty of Highland Farms to rubble and replacing it with a perpetual construction zone which eventually ends in dense development and significantly increased population.   There is much more focus on preparing for a grand future than the residents who live there now.

A typical day at work consisted of me setting up side areas, serving 5-10 tables during service, and cleaning a designated station when service is finished.

I learned that as long as you had a smiling face and were trying your hardest it would make service go much smoother.

The management was always fantastic! They genuinely cared about teaching and supporting whatever needs anyone had.

Workplace culture was generally pleasant. There were a few obstacles that were to be expected with a staff this small but it was all handled amicably. The main focus was centered on the residents we served of course.

The hardest part of the job for me was only having one day a week I could work. I was a full-time student at the time with another part-time job which created training obstacles.

The most enjoyable part of the job was interacting with the residents and coworkers while providing a high level of service for some very happy people.

It can be a great place to work but certain departments have alot of favoritism with employees.. As in some employees can break alot of rules and do whatever they want and others get called out for the simplest of things. For example there is a 30 min lunch break and some employees will literally leave for an hour and then come back and clock out and that is accepted. But other employees will get in trouble if they take even five mins extra.. Certain employees can even date within their own department and that is hidden by management even tho that is a serious no no, but others will get in trouble and sent to HR if they have a few separate family emergencies within a year a nd need to leave early etc..  It is a very unfair environment for alot of ppl and you are one of the ppl that bring these issues up, you are screwed and will be under a microscope until you are fired

What is the best part of working at the company?
The benefits, the other coworkers, and the residents.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Their expectation of you to do more than one job in one assigned position. This creates time constraints and exhaustion and affects your ability to perform your job at your optimum potential.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Management has unrealistic expectations most of the time. You should not have to cook for 300 people a day and clean an entire kitchen at the same time. They need a dishwasher/steward as back up for kitchen staff.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Long, stressful, and not always smooth.

Givens is a good place to work. The employers are very nice and the facilty is very well run. The DON is very nice and understand and so are the rest of the bosses. I would tell anyone to apply there if they needed a job and there was a position open. The only reason i am looking for another job is cause of the drive to work from my home. I have a new born baby and need to be closer to him. A day at work consist of bathing and feed residents that can not do for themselfs. I have doing CNA work for 2 years so I had learned everything before I started working at Givens. The most enjoyable part of the my jobs is the residents and the joy i can bring them

Highland Farms use to be a great place to work. However, over the years, I watched the quality of care of the residents, as well as the morale of the staff, drastically decline. Too many under-qualified people performing job duties outside of their scope. Management has no regards for rules and laws of nursing. You will work your butt off for very low pay and even less appreciation. Too many cliques. Too much turnover, both on the floor, and in management. Unorganized. By the end of my journey there, it had become a very unprofessional environment to be employed in.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The friendliness and devotion to patient care of the other staff members.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Occassional staffing shortages

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Friendly, clean, and personable

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Morning assignment gathering, patient care, lunch in the phenomenal cafeteria with free coffee or tea and very affordable, delectable food, patient care til time to get off.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Nursing assistant 67 salaries reported	$20.75 per hour
Licensed practical nurse 57 salaries reported	$33.14 per hour
Registered nurse 8 salaries reported	$35.69 per hour
Dining room server 42 salaries reported	$17.79 per hour
Housekeeper 42 salaries reported	$18.57 per hour

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