Pros
Bickford has a great story and the Eby family is highly respected and their hears seem to be in the right place. Working with residents is a wonderful experience and when the right team is in place, work can be a happy place.
Cons
Directors are required to do the job of several people. Concierge is not budgeted so was required to constantly answer doors and phones. There is no office manager so the director also does the payables, review of invoices, collection of past due accounts, input of new move in, ordering supplies, payroll, new hire paperwork and all orientation. The work schedule is also done by the director who takes call offs and then has to find replacements. Many hours spent on staffing alone taking a minimum of 20 hours a week. There are no "real" days off and a full night of sleep is rare. There are only a couple of cooks budgeted so if they both call off or don't show up the director is expected to cook. The director is also required to help with marketing, tours and phone calls. This leaves very little time for resident/family engagement which is what keeps most of us going and makes us happy. Directors work 60-70 hours a week with average stay at Bickford being about a year. We love what we do but there's not enough hours in the day to accomplish all that Bickford expects.