October 2, 2024 Submitted by By Linden Ponds
“Hands down, what I love the most about Linden Ponds is knowing that I work for a company that shares my values,” says Home Support Manager Katherine “Kathy” Behm. “We are all working together toward the same goals. It’s about people and relationships, as well as integrity. We are one team. I can’t even tell you how happy that makes me every single day.”
Following a 26-year career at a local skilled nursing facility, Kathy was looking for a change. Reaching out to a former co-worker, she learned about an exciting career at Linden Ponds, an Erickson Senior Living community in Hingham, Mass.
“She shared with me how much she enjoyed working for Erickson Senior Living, and that she believed I would be a good fit for the home support manager position,” says Kathy. “That was the first time that I ever heard those words – ‘good fit’ – when it came to my career. That kind of language was not typical at my former job. I discovered that a career at Linden Ponds meant working with a supportive team of coworkers who want you to succeed.”
That commitment to teamwork was illustrated Kathy’s first week in her new position.
“My mother passed away and everyone was wonderful, rallying around me, without really even knowing me yet, and illustrating that they really did have my back.”
Dedicated to providing employees more than just a job, Erickson Senior Living offers personalized benefits to meet team members where they are in life while supporting personal and professional growth, development, and success.
As a full-time employee, Kathy appreciates the 40 hours of paid time off she receives to use in support of her meaningful volunteer efforts.
“At my previous job, I had to use my vacation time to go on mission trips with my kids and my church,” she says. “I cannot believe that Erickson Senior Living supports me as I work to give back, to become part of a better world.”
Kathy recently used this benefit to travel to Guatemala with her church to build adobe stoves. She also volunteers each year in Biloxi, MI, providing aid to homeless veterans.
“Erickson Senior Living is saying they value me as I go out into the world and represent who they are as a company,” she says. “Linden Ponds organizes numerous opportunities for staff members to provide care and assistance to local homeless shelter, food pantries, and other charitable organizations.”
“The services we offer to more than 30,000 residents nationwide are only as good as the people providing them,” says Alan Butler, Chief Executive Officer of Erickson Senior Living. “That is why we take the hiring process very seriously in order to identify the best people. As a growth company with a bright future, we strive to be an employer of choice by providing an unparalleled workplace experience.”
In addition to a personally rewarding career, Kathy appreciates the many ways in which Erickson Senior Living supports her health and well-being.
“The employee health and wellbeing center is unbelievable,” she says. “It’s wonderful to see a provider here rather than go to urgent care. They also fill my prescriptions and offer employee exercise classes. I also enjoy the $4/under 400 calorie meals available each day at the Pub. They are a godsend.”
Kathy also takes advantage of Erickson Senior Living’s employee match on charitable donations.
“Each year I take part in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s and my donation is matched,” she says. “That says to me that if it’s important enough for me to do, then it’s important enough for Erickson Senior Living to support me.”
Celebrating her two-year anniversary in March, Kathy believes that there is no place she’d rather work.
“I’ve learned there is a difference between surviving and thriving,” she says. “That’s as much true for staff members as it is for the residents. Erickson Senior Living puts people first, meeting people where they are. I derive so much joy from my job. It is so in-tune with my life.”
To learn more about open positions and career benefits at Linden Ponds, visit https://www.ericksonseniorlivingcareers.com/