Jennings Center for Older Adults
Recognizing Balance in Work and Life

Jennings Center for Older Adults displays a compassionate and understanding culture centered on addressing and responding to the needs of their top performers.

Jennings Center for Older Adults offers flexible scheduling options including flex-time, telecommuting, comp time, varied shifts, part time options, and on-call options. The organization also provides discounted on-site day care, concierge services, on-site elder care counseling, and a day-elder-care program. It also provides an employee assistance program. Additionally, employees can to participate in industry associations and community projects on work time. Some of these include: Cleveland/Cuyahoga WIB Healthcare Sector Advisory Council, SALT (Senior Action Leadership Team), SESSCO, OASIS, Safe Movement Project, and Senior summer camp.

Rewarding the Best
Jennings Center rewards individuals using a wide range of recognition programs. Their individual awards
programs include “Star of the month,” “Star of the year,” “Catch you doing something right” peer recognition program, and staff member of the year. They also have a wide range of awards including recognize employees with awards including: premiere parking space, flowers, certificate or plaque, cash, and recognition in company newsletter. Additionally, they reward employees for perfect attendance. The organization also rewards team performance through departmental appreciation luncheons, impromptu team parties, quarterly staff meetings, and an annual staff picnic.

Advancing Top Performers
Jennings Center has an impressive array of development opportunities for its employees. They hire from within and provide job shadowing and sharing programs. The organization provides scholarships (FOPHA scholarships, McGregor Foundations nursing scholarship) and training (Cleveland/Cuyahoga WIB/Achieve Senior Care Partner training). Through training, it has advanced 5% of the workforce within the past year. It provides rotating competency and soft-skills training programs which are run on each floor at different times so that all shifts can attend. Employees are given continuing education hours and rewarded for participation through the performance review process. The program integrates hiring, development, promotion, and evaluation best practices and includes a formal career development plan for every staff member that is updated as skills are obtained. This is used for succession planning and internal recruitment. Employees are also given ongoing feedback from what Jennings refers to as “coaches” instead of managers.

Exceeding Standards in Safety
Jennings Center has a Safe Movement Program. The organization has installed ceiling lift equipment, fast rising electric beds, and sit-to-stand equipment. It has reduced back injuries stemming from
transferring/lifting. It also provides “hot topic” training sessions which are related to causes of incidents from the previous quarter. Staff members are quizzed following the session and given education credits or small gifts for completing the training. Merit increases are only given if other mandatory training and quizzes are completed. Jennings Center has reduced their claims by 28% and incidents by 21%.