Credit: Fotility aka Jerry Roxas Photography
Carlsbad, CA-based Kisco Senior Living rolled out enhanced benefits for its full-time employees Jan. 2.
“We wanted to strengthen our current benefits for our associates to become an employer of choice, increase retention of our associates and encourage part-time associates to become full-time where possible,” David Hope, Kisco’s senior vice president of human resources, told the McKnight’s Business Daily.
The enhanced benefits are open to all eligible full-time employees, although some benefits are targeted to specific groups of workers, he added.
With the new enhanced benefits for full-time employees, the company rewards employees “tenure,” which includes “significantly increased financial awards” based on length of service. Full-time employees now are eligible for up to 40 hours of paid sick leave per year, as well as the ability to carry over up to 24 hours into the following year. Kisco provides company-funded parental leave for parents following the birth of a child or placement in connection with adoption or foster care. The company also now provides financial assistance for new hires who relocate and for existing employees who move due to accepting a new position within Kisco.
“The feedback has been positive, especially relating to our enhanced sick paid time off, enhanced tenure pay and parental leave policies,” Hope said.
Further, with the enhanced benefits, all executive directors, community management employees and home office employees now are eligible for a fully paid four-week sabbatical after five years of employment, in addition to their regularly earned paid vacation time.
The sabbatical program is something unique to Kisco in senior living, according to Hope.
“It began as an opportunity to provide our executive directors with time off to completely unplug from the day-to-day responsibilities of their community,” he said. “We believe this time away allows our associates the ability to reset, so that when they do return to their role, they have a refreshed perspective that benefits our residents, their families and associates.”
Kisco also implemented an internal recruiting team to meet pandemic-related staffing challenges, which Hope said “has greatly assisted us.”
