Leigh Ann Barney

As president of a certified Great Place to Work (and the No. 4 company on Fortune’s Best Workplaces for Aging Services in the Large Seniors Housing and Care category), I am often asked what is unique or different about the Trilogy employee experience. 

I think it comes down to three things:

1. A belief in workplace culture as a driver of our business. At our core, we have a steadfast belief that a great workplace culture is vital to our business. We could not provide the high level of service we are known for without engaged employees who love what they do. Our employees are truly the backbone of our company.

2. Opportunities for growth. We believe in offering our employees opportunities to grow through continued education. Here are two examples:

Through our Fast Track Apprenticeship programs, employees are offered the opportunity to participate in online education tracks specific to their job title and skill sets. Each course is self-driven. We require employees to take the initiative to complete the training, but we reward them with a pay increase (ranging between .25 and $1 per hour, per course) as well as opportunities for promotion. 

We do not have a requirement for employees to stay with us after completing one of our programs — but they do! Retention rates among our Apprenticeship participants well outpace the industry standards, with an average of 80% here. By providing the opportunity for employees to learn and grow, Trilogy is growing leaders within our organization and reducing turnover through visible career paths.

Earlier this year, we also launched a partnership with Purdue Global that allows all full and part-time employees to earn a degree at no cost to them. We want to provide our employees with the opportunity to pursue higher education and achieve their dreams. Removing the cost barrier to education is a major step in showing them that they have our support. So far, we have had over 400 employees enroll at Purdue Global.

3. Supporting the full person. In line with providing no-cost education, Trilogy has also realized that finances are too often a source of stress for our employees. To reduce wait time between wage increases, we have shifted our increases from an annual basis to quarterly, so that employees see an increase in their hourly rate each quarter. This compounding rate means that an employee’s earning potential accelerates faster, and it reduces feelings of stagnancy related to wage. The goals are to stand out among other providers in our area and see a reduction in turnover.

In short, we care for our employees as they care for others, not just because this leads to success for Trilogy, but because it’s the right thing to do.

I’m extremely proud of the recognition Trilogy Health Services has received over the years. We see this as a validation of the servant leadership culture that lives within the hearts of our over 15,000 employees. It’s their commitment to one another and the people they serve that makes Trilogy a great place to work.

The labor market is tight – and accolades like these help us to recruit the best talent. It is mission critical for our industry to provide a place where people want to come to work. 

Employee engagement is paramount to success, not only for Trilogy Health Services, but for senior care and healthcare as a whole.