It was almost a year ago that I started as the staff recruiter for Bona Vista. This job fits perfectly into my life. I am a people person, and I love helping others. In this position, I am out in the community, spreading the word about Bona Vista’s mission and encouraging people that their perfect job is waiting for them! While finding amazing, caring and experienced people to start their careers with us, I am contributing to helping the individuals we serve live their best lives even though I don’t work directly with them. You see, without Bona Vista, there would be a great deal of people in our community that would not have a place, or a support system, that allows them to live their lives to their fullest potential. They wouldn’t have a warm, nurturing environment to call home or a team of people working for them that they can call family.
As a part of the Development Team, I also get to help plan our events and fundraisers. I love to throw a party, so this is naturally up my alley as well. Weather it is an employee appreciation event or our biggest fundraising event of the year, I am all in and I love to get my creative juices flowing to come up with fun themes and plan an entire experience around that, all while keeping our mission in mind.
From the beginning I have been involved with employee appreciation and retention. After all, I work hard to find awesome people to work here, and I want to ensure we keep them here!! I am having so much fun finding professional and personal topics to be presented at our staff developments. The ones that involve food seem to be most popular, but I am certain to keep a good amount of professional training in the mix! So, from the informative staff developments, the fun recognition and celebration days at work, to the fully stocked appreciation station that allows supervisors to find so many tools to show their staff they appreciate them (yes it includes food too) it has become one of my biggest goals to ensure our employees feel they are greatly appreciated.
As some job responsibilities have changed recently, it made sense to pass along the task of being the new employee mentor to me. In this role, I get to set up our new employees in our training system and walk them through some of their most important tasks as a newcomer. I also get to check in with them during their second week on the job, then after their first 30 & 60 days. This allows me to see if they are feeling settled in, supported and that they are receiving all of the training that equips them to be the best they can be at their jobs!
All of my responsibilities fit together like a perfectly planned out puzzle. Of course, COVID-19 reared its head and became the puzzle piece that has a chewed edge and doesn’t fit anymore. It has forced me to look at my job in a completely different way! Just when I was feeling very comfortable in my new position, and I was making some major headway in my goals, BAM! But I will not let this stop me from forging ahead and making the best of things. I am forming new partnerships and brainstorming with some pretty amazing people to come up with new, safe ways to keep the momentum going. Rest assured, we will continue to serve all of our special people and support the staff that makes it possible. We have always been essential and we can’t stop doing what we do because of a virus.