Continuing Life, a Carlsbad, California-based senior living center, had debuted at No. 19 in 2018 in the inaugural Fortune’s lists of Best Workplaces for Aging Services. In 2019, it went up a few spots to No. 16 and then catapulted to No. 2 for 2020 in large part due to the organization’s response to the pandemic.
“The (continuing care retirement communities) immediately committed to no-layoffs, furloughs or reduced hours for employees, regardless of declining occupancy, so colleagues could come to work every day knowing their job was secure,” said Lori Elfus, director of human resources. “To ease the challenges from initial panic shopping and school closures, we offered employees free meals, shopping for essential items like toilet paper, and a $200 weekly stipend for childcare assistance. These programs have continued to evolve, as information about COVID-19 evolves, to meet the needs of our colleagues.”