Since high school I have really only had two jobs: one with an assisted living facility (ALF) for almost that full two years, and one at an ER/trauma center in a hospital for the last three months. Realizing that I’ve only had three months to compare the two, I’m astonished at how differently each corporation treats its employees. There’s a few lessons to be learned here, so I’m gonna share my story.
The Assisted Living Facility
When hired at this facility it seemed well enough. The atmosphere was cheerful and the managers/staff are easy to get along with. As time progressed, however, I began to see the working of the corporation on a national scale. The company provides decent health insurance that is fairly affordable. They provide employees over 21 years of age a matched 401k plan. Yearly performance-based raises are given based on peer and manager reviews, but have a maximum cap. Advancement is a possibility, as even a management position requires no real experience, only certification of a state course (paid for by the company). There are basically no minimum requirements to do this kind of work, although CNA-type experience helps. Due to the nature of the field (caring for the elderly), the employee turnover rate is fairly high. A lot of times this company is forced to hire less-qualified or less-responsible individuals. Budget cuts are becoming more common due to the fact that this corporation is a publicly-traded corporation recovering from a recent bankruptcy-merger-reindependance process. Community involvement is encouraged so long as it promotes business (in the form of direct customers).
The Hospital
Ten years ago you would have had a hard time finding anyone to say a good thing about this hospital. Today, at least in my department and what I’ve seen of management, the atmosphere is good and the hospital has a strong reputation in the community. A position at the hospital is perceived by many as “hard to get”. In fact when I was hired, several people said “you must be really good to get a job there”. The benefits are awesome: matched 401k over 18 years of age and 30 days of employment, full benefits (medical, dental, vision, disability) after 30 days with many options to fit different needs, free physical therapy sessions, etc. Bi-annual raises are given based on quarterly reviews. The hospital and its separate departments provide several employee activities, which has been at a rate of at least once a month so far. Patient-first and cheerfulness are pushed as a priority in the working environment. The hospital also spends a great deal on things which do not necessarily make it money. For example, over $100 million a year in goods and services is given away to people who cannot afford their treatment because of a no-refusal policy. This corporation (that owns the hospital) has also gone through a recent change: from being publicly traded to privately owned.
Now I believe there are a few very important business lessons that can be learned from comparing the workings and attitudes of these two companies. Feel free to comment about what lessons you’ve picked out already and I’ll be back to post what I’ve learned from this experience tomorrow.
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