Family-like atmosphere, internal promotion key to OMNI culture
Pleasant Meadow team members say OMNI is the choice employer in long-term care
Thursday August 14, 2008 -- Deron Hamel
Staff members at Pleasant Meadow Manor say the family-like atmosphere and strong culture of open communication are two factors making OMNI the choice employer in the long-term care sector.

Nursing administrative services manager (NASM) Susan Towns has worked at Pleasant Meadow Manor for 19 1/2 years. She says staff members at the Norwood long-term care home are very supportive of one another and that communication between home office and team members has always been very strong.

This tightness has created a family-like atmosphere in the home, making it a great place to work, she says.

“It’s like a little family here,” says Towns. “They (OMNI) are great people to work for, and not just the people here, home office is very easy to deal with and very supportive.”

Kathy Herron, a health-care aide/restorative-care aide at Pleasant Meadow Manor, echoes Towns’ sentiments.

“We are a team here; we are a family here,” she says. “Staff members care about each other, we care about the residents and we care about this home.”

Towns and Herron also tout the company’s dedication to internal promotion as a key factor that makes OMNI the choice employer in the long-term care sector.

Starting out as a health-care aide, Towns eventually became a registered practical nurse (RPN), a position she held for 12 years. She later became the home’s NASM.

Herron, who has been at Pleasant Meadow Manor since January 1989, has worked for a few different long-term care providers. She came to Pleasant Meadow Manor in January 1989 and has stayed with the company because of OMNI’s culture.

Like Towns, Herron hails OMNI’s willingness to promote from within as a major selling point for the company.

She points to several of her colleagues as examples of this culture, including former administrator Connie Daly, who began her career as a health-care aide, and office manager Sylvia Sanders, who started her career working in the home’s kitchen.

Towns credits the company for providing her with several opportunities over the years.

“I was able to start at the bottom, and then move my way up the ladder,” she says. “In my experience, whenever I’m getting a little bored with a job, they’re willing to give me something new to do.”

If you have a story you would like to share about a long-time OMNI staff member, please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051 ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.ca.

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