Career Longevity: A Tradition at Three Pillars

At Three Pillars, our mission and company values are central to everything we do. Every decision, action, program, and service revolves around meeting the physical, social, and spiritual needs of the older adults we serve.

We work hard to create an environment where residents and staff all know we’re here for the same reason, and we’re proud of our culture. It’s driven by our values and modeled by our staff. The respect and commitment we demonstrate to our residents and each other leads our employees to a fulfilled life with a mindset of fun as a habit and empathy as a decision.

The result of this strong dedication to our mission and values is a culture that’s engaging, purposeful, and full of heart.

And you know what that means for those who have chosen to carry out their career at Three Pillars? They love it and they stay here a long time. Years and years, in fact.

The Stats

• We currently have about 280 employees across our campus in Dousman, WI
  
• Of those, here are some impressive longevity statistics about how many years of service they’ve given to Three Pillars:
  • 5+ years of service: 81 employees, or 29% of our total number
  • 10+ years of service: 38 or 14%
  • 15+ years of service: 19 or 7%
  • 20+ years of service: 11 or 4%
    Fun Fact: Of those who’ve worked with us 20+ years, they represent and impressive variety of roles and departments, including Concierge, Housekeeper, Medication Technician, Service Associate, Social Worker, Maintenance Mechanic, Registered Nurse, Certified Nursing Assistant, CEO, Culinary Assistant, Recreation Services, Transportation, Directors, and more.
• At the time of this writing, we have THREE employees who have worked here for more than 32 years!
  
• Of those who retired in the past five years, 13 had ten or more years of service under their belt! Nine of those had been here more than 15 years. 
  
• Sometimes, people who work at Three Pillars leave to take another role, but return when they realize how wonderful it was to work here and miss it. 16 people have come back to be re-hired in approximately the last decade, in fact. 

The Why
When we ask some of our most tenured employees what it is about Three Pillars that makes it such a special place to stay, their answers share a common thread. Why do they continue their career here year after year?

• “I have worked at Three Pillars for a little over 13 years now and I love it here. Three Pillars is family; the residents, the staff across campus, and my close coworkers–we are all family. I love that everyday I come to work is another day I get to spend with the residents, enjoying their stories, enjoying their laughs, helping during their sorrows, and making a difference. I love that Three Pillars cares about making a difference.”
  – Jackie L., Director of Nursing – 13 years of service
  
• “The people who live and work here – staff and residents alike – are why Three Pillars is an extraordinary community. I like to say ‘We’re just a neighborhood here helping each other along the way.’ That’s who we are…together.”
  -Michelle G., Concierge – 15 years of service
  
• “I have been blessed to be a part of the Three Pillars family for 25 of the past 32 years. The people are the core of what makes Three Pillars so special. From the Board of Directors that truly strive to advance the mission, to the loving committed staff, to the sincerely appreciative residents and families.”
  -Mark S., President/CEO – 25 total years of service

“When you find your niche and work hard at your job, it really doesn’t feel like a chore to get up out of bed and go to work…”

• “When you find your niche and work hard at your job, it really doesn’t feel like a chore to get up out of bed and go to work. I work at Three Pillars for the great support we can provide for the wonderful residents at any level of care. Plus, I have Masonic and Order of the Eastern Star ties through my parents. I have had the pleasure of being able to switch job roles when my life was changing with my family, as well as help out in other departments when needed. With this variety of work, I in turn have met and worked with some very special co-workers who have become good friends that help me feel my job is valuable for the past 15 years.”
  -Julie H., Transportation Coordinator – 15 years of service
  
• “I have been so honored to be part of people’s lives, especially since I get to spend time with people where they live. I appreciate our beautiful campus, the hard-working and dedicated people with whom I work, and the stories the residents share. I am grateful that our Continuum of Care means I continue to spend time with people as they transition through our campus. Brother Van Brunt and all the Masons who have adhered to the mandate to “love one another” have created a place that is truly special.”
  -Terese L., Chaplain – 10 years of service
  
• “Working for me isn’t always about paychecks and benefits. The relationships, the recognition, and the sense of fulfillment that work at Three Pillars provides always gave me a purpose and structure in my life.”
  -Pat T., Social Worker – 23 years of service
  
• “First, it’s the compassionate co-workers that help me excel at my job. Their teamwork makes it a joy every day. Second, it’s the residents – the numerous ‘thank you’s’ I hear daily, their small jokes that make me laugh, and the smiles they give me all day long. Even the way they pronounce my tricky name wrong and correct it loudly with huge smiles, or yell my name across the dining room asking where I have been because they have missed me!”
  -Colleen W., Caregiver/Service Associate – 12 total years of service
  

Wow-Worthy Employee Stories
We could be here all day if we recounted all the impressive aspects about our team. However, a few special themes in particular stand out. 

Family Matters
We’re always delighted when an employee speaks so highly of working at Three Pillars that it brings their family members or friends here to work, as well. 

Take the Jondle family, for example. A mom and her three daughters all started working at Three Pillars after one… then another… and then another realized what a great place it is to work. With various roles around campus, they learned there was something for everyone!

Or take Tammy, who started in our dining services department and learned about our own internal tuition-free Certified Nursing Assistant Training Academy. In 2016 she completed it, graduating to become a CNA at our skilled nursing Health Care Center. Soon, her son Max began working in dining services and later on, guess what he did? You guessed it – took our Certified Nursing Assistant class to also become a CNA.

Or how about the three generations of an amazing family who are part of our dining team at Independent and Assisted Living. After longtime dining employee, Georgie, retired and then returned to work part-time after missing it, her son decided to start here, as well. It wasn’t long before his son also joined the team, making them a triple-generation trio.

Another fantastic example of the great people who work here is when COVID-19 struck in 2020 and we found our community in need of extra staff to help us get by. We needed temporary, short-term employees to join our team and help with things like daily health screening of staff and visitors, and later, weekly COVID-19 testing. Family members of employees stepped up left and right, like the son of our Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, or the daughter of our Concierge, to name a few.

To our great pride, there are too many family-ties stories among our employees to mention them all in one article, and for that, we’re very lucky.

Learning and Growth
Another thing to file in the “wow” category is when our employees experience so much professional growth here that they progress through roles with increasing leadership throughout their tenure. It happens quite frequently, often with the help of our special employee benefit programs like tuition reimbursement, scholarships, and continued education.

For example, Jackie, our current director of Nursing who is quoted above, started at Three Pillars as a Certified Nursing Assistant. As she worked her way through school, she soon became a Registered Nurse and stepped into a role in our Restorative department. A few years later, she became a member of our Nurse Management team, and after temporarily filling in as an interim Director of Nursing between other staff transitions, she ultimately accepted the role herself.

Growth like this makes us proud and honored to have such dedicated, talented people working here to make it the place it is. 

The Perks and Benefits
Wonderful as they are, a great mission-focused environment or fantastic culture alone won’t make a dream job. And no, it’s not all about the paycheck. But these things, in combination with doing meaningful work with the best residents and coworkers ever, do. To add some icing on the cake, Three Pillars treats their staff to a few little “extras,” like these:

• Tuition reimbursement
• Emergency Loan Program
• Weekend shift differential for all regular hourly employees
• Referral bonuses
• Employee assistance programs
• Excellent benefit options for part time & full-time employees including paid time off, retirement savings plans with company match, and tuition reimbursement
• Comprehensive benefits for full time employees (30 + hours per week) including medical, dental, vision, FSA, company paid life insurance, and short- and long-term disability insurance
• Staff Appreciation Fund that supports treats and gifts for staff throughout the year
• Scholarship opportunities for high school & college students
• No and low-cost wellness programs including an on-site fitness facility and chair massages
• Onsite conveniences including meal service and movie tickets
• Fun days planned by an employee committee, featuring games, resident-judged contests, themed casual days, and more!
  

Make This About You
Could you see yourself being part of our family? If you could land a role where – like Julie said above – waking up every morning to go to work doesn’t feel like a chore… would you? Can you imagine how fulfilling and engaging it would be to work alongside like-minded individuals who have our nonprofit mission at heart at all times to make peoples’ lives better? What about having continued education or college tuition paid for as you advance professionally?

We know everyone has a choice in where they work, and we believe Three Pillars is something special. Our campus is growing over the next several years, and we’ll have more great opportunities and brand new positions for you to consider. Beginning in the summer of 2022, our new CBRF assisted living will open, and we think you’d make a great part of our team.

Learn more about our campus renovation and expansion project here. Click to learn more about employment and browse current open positions at Three Pillars. We’d love to hear from you and welcome you to the team!

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