Australian retirement and aged care operators can learn significantly from our NZ cousins when it comes to culture and recruitment.
This Ryman employment ad above for a part-time village concierge speaks volumes, especially to younger people.
And the concierge service delivers real value to residents at a time our Royal Commission says we often miss this mark.
I found it after last week’s article we ran on NZ’s Ryman Healthcare utilising their residents as an employment panel to judge Ryman job candidates.
The ad is for a part-time concierge role in a Wellington village. Its opening specification for the part-timer, working 1pm to 7.30pm Wednesday to Saturday, is a ‘pioneering spirit’, their qualification to be a ‘Ryman Pioneer’.
The ad copy is below, together with a dedicated, slick Ryman employment website.
This demonstrates three things:
- Ryman has a clear idea of the vitality they want in employees, especially customer-facing;
- They are seeking younger people to work in retirement living, and;
- They are delivering soft services to their residents, well beyond accommodation and security, and they are doing it at 7.30 pm on Saturday nights
A very small number of Australian villages are now offering 24/7 concierge services but only to the very top end of the market, and the real quality of that service is yet to be confirmed.
There is no doubt the Ryman concierge service will develop strong positive word of mouth confirmation of intent by Ryman to place the resident first.
The style of recruitment promotion will equally attract a younger cohort to most Australian villages, which would provide positive diversity in staff ranks.
Here is the ad:
VILLAGE CONCIERGE
Are you a caring and organised person who loves to support others? Malvina Major Retirement Village in Wellington has an opportunity for you!
- Varied role with great team environment
- Ongoing training and development opportunities
- Make a real difference in the lives of the most precious people we know, our residents
About Ryman Retirement Villages
At Ryman we are pioneering a new way to live for a new retirement generation – who know what it means to live life to the fullest. We always have, and always will, challenge the status quo and adapt to better serve our residents and team members.
Ryman Healthcare’s Malvina Major Retirement Village, Wellington has a strong family and community focus. Everything we do has to be good enough for mum or dad and our team love putting smiles on our resident’s faces.
About the Role
We have an exciting opportunity to join our team as a Village Concierge. We have a part-time position available working Wednesday to Saturday, 1300 to 1930.
In this role you will:
- Develop and coordinate the Ryman Delight activities programme tailored to your resident’s specific interests
- Organise group excursions and arrange bookings for the Delight activities programme
- Build positive relationships with residents, external providers, community groups to ensure the successful running of the programme
- Work closely with, and support your colleagues
About You
To thrive in our supportive and caring environment you will have:
- Strong empathy and patience with elderly residents
- Outstanding communication skills
- Excellent organisation and initiative
- A reliable, friendly and professional manner
If you think you have the pioneering spirit needed to make a difference at Ryman, we’d love to hear from you.
