licensed practical nurse

director of dining services

nursing assistant

maintenance assistant

housekeeper

Sonida-Senior-Living

I'm being totally honest here.
A typical day at work.. Well being that your days feel like they are 24/7 because you have to be at the building well beyond a 8 hour work day and then you barely get home before you start getting calls or texts from the building. When you get hired on you get no orientation yet you're supposed to know the systems and everything that is the Sonida way of doing things. I was lucky that I had been in the business for a long time where I could figure it out but I have heard it over and over from employees that they were not told or taught something that is expected of them to do. I inquired about having orientation to multiple people but obviously it's not a priority. Even though it was not my responsibility I tried to give new staff as much information as possible and told them to come to me if they needed anything and I would help them the best I could . I'm a believer that you set people up for failure if you don't give them the tools to do what is asked of them. That is one of MANY reasons there is so much turnover.  Sadly but true that is why the things that should get done fall between the cracks. Then you face a staffing crisis and you end up picking up the duties of the positions that are open and try to keep the staff you do have from getting burned out. Along with that you still have your job to do as well. 
Having policies and procedures are a joke because the minute you follow the disciplinary procedure when an employee is either putting a resident at risk by not following protocol or they are causing such a disturbance that it boarders on a hostile workplace they go directly to the RDO and put their spin on the situation. Or the RDO is fishing for things and happens to get with an employee that is right in the middle of the gossiping that is escalating and they were recently spoken to by management. The RDO feeds right into it instead of giving the department head the respect by asking what was going on with the situation and they take the employees word for it and have their mind made up without allowing the department head the opportunity to explain. So now there is no respect for management and things just escalate where the people who are there to care for the residents and do their job and do it well either get sick of it or it becomes so bad they are scared to work with some of their coworkers. There can be big issues going on and the RDO comes in sits in an office all day and does nothing to support management like maybe roll up their sleeves and help or IDK maybe support the management staff and show they back them on the Issues that never should have gotten to that place to begin with if the managers were supported from the start. 
An employee that was given a management position, an employee that has worked very hard for countless hours day in and day out with positive feedback from families and outside vendors like home health and hospice staff on how much better everything was since that manager was there. No none of that counted instead they found something that was minimal in comparison to all the issues going on in the community. They had there mind made up and gave management no chance to explain what they had planned and the timeline for it to happen. This has happened to more than one manager. So the word of the manager with a proven track record working so hard for countless hours meant nothing compared to the staff that was already in the middle of serious issues. It is well known throughout the community that multiple frontline staff have stated that management better not mess with them because they will go to the RDO and they will get that manager fired because they have done it before and if they didn't get them fired they got them written up. 
I do want to say for a brief period they did have an excellent RDO that did not believe in coming in and stirring up issues and leaving but they unfortunately did not stay for more than 6 weeks. There is also another person that has a different role from corporate that does come in to help and they do acknowledge the hard work and says something to the people that are working hard  ( both managers and frontline staff) are doing and offers her support.
It is expected as it should that the team communicates and everyone is on the same page yet upper management doesn't practice what they preach. For example one or two will tell you to get what  you need so you go to do it and a different person won't approve it. Then you're asked why you don't have something because you aren't following protocol. One says they see how hard you are working and things are getting better, and they were impressed with something that they witnessed then a different corporate person comes in and you are doing the very same things and they call you in and start accusing you of not doing the very same thing as you were complimented on the week before. Talking about mixed messages...
Pay gets messed up at the corporate level but they blame it on the community level and take forever to pay you what you earned.
There can be multiple open positions where managers are filling those rolls along with doing their own job and by gosh you better do anything and everything to fill any open apartment. No support offered. It doesn't matter if you already worked multiple hours for days you better get those apartments filled. The person busts their butt to get the move-in and you go to do your part and check the apartment and the room isn't ready for move in because the previous maintenance guy walked into such a mess and had no one from corporate come to show him how things are done until two days before his two weeks notice was up and now there is no one in that department so you scurry around to get it cleaned and as presentable as you can. No blame to the manager that scheduled the move-in because they are under pressure to fill fill fill those apartments even when we don't have the staff to feed and care for the ones we already have.
 There's multiple reasons for not having staff. Either the pay is so low or they are expected to be there way too much or the environment has become so bad it's at the point of being a toxic work place from those employees that cause trouble but you can't do anything because like they said themselves " I will go to corporate and get them in trouble or fired just like I did others). This is being said by many employees which scares new staff because they are afraid they will be fired if those who have so much control don't like them. I have  consoled and talked to many new employees to keep them from quitting. Some ended up leaving and they were dynamic employees. Then your department is understaffed so you have to cover and deal with staff being disrespectful, gossiping, on their phone, riding the clock gossiping with other staff, totally disregarding anything asked of them.
To sum it up, the residents are great but it is next to impossible to provide the care they deserve because you are expected to wear multiple hats, the pay is horrible, work life balance is the worst I've ever seen, the building is so run down that when you do get the chance you do all you can to make it better for the residents, the A/C was out on and off for months and residents rooms got up to 90 degrees, the plumbing is an ongoing issue, and nothing gets done until their made to fix it. The upper management should stay out of the building unless they are coming in to provide support to the management at the community level. 
If you don't mind working way beyond a 40 hour work week, wear many hats, no corporate support to follow discipline policies for those who put residents and coworkers at risk with unacceptable behavior, work non-stop daily where you are lucky to get to go to the restroom once in the 12, 14, 16 hour days you will work, work with inconsistent information from corporate and compliments and appreciation from corporate if ever given is only in front of a person that they want to make them think it's a great place to work or live at.
There has been exceptional people that I have worked with that left because of the way this company runs the business. As hard as it was for me to leave because of the great residents and the staff that is there for the right reasons, I know I did the right thing because no one should have to face each day at that company the way it is and it won't change until someone looks at the corporate people. Families warned me when I started that I wouldn't stay because they could see the passion I had to make a great life for the residents. They told me they had seen great people over the years that come and don't stay long.
It's so sad for the residents and families because moving a senior is very difficult on them so many have shar d that they feel stuck. I do pray that someday someone over the RDO's going there will ask questions and really listen. I don't want to think that it hasn't happened yet because they don't care. I keep hoping and praying for the residents sake.


I went to work the first day excited about new job By Wednesday and 14 to 16 hr days I got little to no training.I was told by administrator my assistant would handle scheduling and we were to supervise all shifts for the time being .By Thursday the scheduler had me working almost night and day filling in staff shortages with her doing none.By Saturday I was working 16 to 20 hours a day aid and med aid shifts with me the only one in my section.I was willing to do it for the staff but by Sunday morning I had worked Over 100 hours with very little sleep and I had aupper respiratory infection.Monday morning after working all night I was told I had to stay and do meds so I did .I was interrupted a number of times by the scheduler to do everything but the meds and was running ragged Then they told me to go into the managers meeting I was trying to finish up when the scheduler said I had to go in interrupting me 3 times I told her Patients come first .Then the administrator sent someone else so I went. And when she asked if I finished the meds and I said no and tried to tell her why and she cut me off and slammed out of the room and when she came back she started chewing me out .The scheduler was extremely rude and disrespectful but all she said was for me to be quiet.The shedular was a med aid and had been walking around all morning doing nothing.She had been being trained for some of my job but didn’t have a nursing degree and had told me several times she was equal to me.and had on several occasions told the administrator she had showed me things are given me things she had not. she was upset they had hired me .I was supposed to interview new employees with her but she never told me when they were set up and I never got the chance

I've been working for this company for nearly a year and the biggest problem I've noticed are the budgets. They can't seem to afford quality employees. The waitstaff make only $8 per hour and are not allowed to accept tips. The drivers make $10.50 an hour and are not allowed to work more than 29 hours because the corporate staff at Capital Senior Living will have to provide minimum health benefits which will make it more difficult for them to have as many golf trips and extra homes. 
I took over as the activity director when the previous activity director was forced to resign because of fraud and stealing from the company. I worked as the activity director for nearly two months at the pay rate of a driver and then applied for the new position. At the last minute, they hired a friend of one of the managers who has little to no experience, no CDL and no basic computer skills. Now I am expected to train her to do the work I've been doing all this time and teach her how to us Microsoft Word, and I'm expected to train her to obtain her Commercial Driver's License. 
This company is extremely tight with their budget spending but charge a good amount for the residents to live there. 
A lot of residents are forced to leave because they cannot make their payments of $2400-$3500 a month for rent and get cheap food and lousy entertainment. I wouldn't recommend this job to anyone looking for work or looking for a place to retire.

Let's start with the pay.  Directors make reasonabvke wages but your regional will likely try to tell you about a bonus at the end of the calendar year. When you get there the criterion changes.  Regionals are stretched too thin and can't spend enough time with directors.  The care partners start at less than McDonalds employees and are constantly being replaced.  Directors are forced to hire the warm bodies that walk in the door. 

Once a year the company holds a 3 day course for new directors.  They cal! It Capital Senior University. At the 2015 CSU, there were 42 new directors attending.  The company has approximately 124 properties.  That's a third of the properties that are replacing their directors. Every year!  That should be a wake up call! 

 Forget healthcare!  Just pretend that the company does not offer it and then when you see the plan and costs you will not have sticker shock. 

Bottom line... capital talks the talk of compassion and care for the residents but greed and the constant pressure for greater census and financial results are the real motivation for decisions.  If your looking for a senior living job, consider Brookdale or any number of other options.  The only worse company is Enlivant.  Their directors last 90-120 days in some areas.ED jobs at CSL are short term jobs not long term careers.  If you take the job always have a plan B ready and kreerp your resume polished up.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Sonida Senior Living is nothing short of excellent. The Corporate Management team is extremely supportive of all positions in each community. They will really help you grow and flourish in your career, while also creating incentive programs that allow you to create a portfolio of your work there which ultimately leads to growth in your career, should you move on from the company later.

The best part is really getting to serve elders, but for this company in particular, there are so many other benefits.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Burnout can happen in any job, but when you love the work you do, sometimes it can be hard to know when to ask for help. Because I enjoyed the job so much, by the time I needed to take a break, in order to give my very best, it was difficult to communicate that effectively, for me.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It felt like a community, not just a place of employment. Waterford on Cooper was one of the most rewarding and fulfilling positions I have had the priviledge to work in.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Enjoyable, relaxed, and supportive.

This job really is great, you come to love the residents and the people you work with in a daily basis. The only reason I'm considering leaving is the actual regional directors and marketing directors. They come in with no idea what it's like for those of us on the floor and they create problems where there really wasn't any and then make us fix them, and however we fix them is never good enough. Along with the fact that they have absolutely no respect for us, they see us as"just Caregivers" and that's quoting someone. Sometimes it's like nothing we do is good enough, like everyday something is wrong and we're all in trouble; but on the good days where everything goes smoothly there's no "good job" or "we appreciate you" and when there is it's hollow and fake.

A typical work day is chaos no one knows anything  and communication is zero your working with no supplies and residents are mad because they can't actually do things they'd like and you have no choice but to just pull stuff out of nothing. You won't be told your schedule and you basically just forgotten about. Calling out for any kind of emergency or sickness is a nightmare basically care aids will try to make your day horrendous if you don't do everything for them so be prepared to do 2 different jobs. It's a toxic place to work with no support from management because you can never get ahold of them. I only good thing about this job is the residents are amazing people and deserve so much more then they are getting at the price they pay to stay there. And forget about ever getting to advance as a in house employee they lie and say you'll get a second interview then ghost you. 

My day starts with checking e-mails, open door policy for residents , making rounds in the community to check cleanse of the building, checking with department heads for any new issues, scheduling tours, follow up calls to inquiries and referral. I have learned that
 you are only as good as your weakest employee, so when  working on your weaknesses start there. Happy resident, happy family better occupancy. My co-workers should be treated as I would want to  be treated with the understanding that we are there for residents first and to get the job done . The hardest part of the job is leaving at the end of the when families are visiting  and residents just want to talk. The most enjoyable part of the day is when the residents trust you enough to tell you their problems before they tell the family and when they let you know it's time to go home .

It's a great place to work, managers all the way to the top will talk to you like a person and you really get a sense that everybody there has the same goals in mind, as long as your goals are the safety and happiness of your residents. This of course could just be my particular location, but when I needed help moving my manager (maintenance) dropped everything on a Saturday he was off and showed up with a trailer to help me out. Couldn't ask for better people to work with. I dreaded going to my last job every morning; here, I'll forget to clock out because I'm engrossed in a project.

The role itself can be rewarding, especially when working directly with patients and gaining hands-on experience in the medical field. However, there are several operational issues that make the job challenging long-term. Management is inconsistent, and policies often change without clear communication or follow-through. This creates confusion and makes it difficult for staff to feel stable in their roles.

One of the biggest concerns is the lack of consistency in scheduling. Staff are frequently called off due to low census or floated to other units based on changing staffing rules. While flexibility is expected in healthcare, the frequency of these changes makes it difficult to rely on a steady income or routine.

Additionally, compensation does not feel competitive given the demands of the role, especially considering the unpredictability in scheduling and workload.


Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Licensed practical nurse 5 salaries reported	$27.20 per hour
Director of dining services 9 salaries reported	$20.56 per hour
Nursing assistant 6 salaries reported	$19.17 per hour
Maintenance assistant 1 salary reported	$18.00 per hour
Housekeeper 4 salaries reported	$18.00 per hour

Working at Sonida Senior Living: Company Overview and Reviews

Sonida Senior Living

Sonida Senior Living Ratings

Popular jobs at Sonida Senior Living

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected