While there were many nominations for the Employee of the Year, the Leadership team is delighted to select Amy Breeden-Harris this year. An EOY should reach a high standard to achieve the recognition and support for this honor.
First, I would like to share some personal background on Amy. While Amy and her husband started a family – Mackenzie, now 18, Savannah,16, Jordan, 14, and Honor, 5 – it became apparent over the years that a separation would be best for their family. That is a difficult decision for any family, regardless of how and why it occurs. During this difficult transition, Amy was fully committed to ensuring that her children’s needs would be met. So, Amy turned to her Mom for support, and she and the children moved back home to stay with her mother. Amy was committed to being there for her children and did what she could to make their home life as stable and supportive as possible. Amy was determined to be there for her children but soon realized that she would need to return to the workforce to meet the many financial obligations of a family. So, after she stayed home for one year with Honor, her youngest, she decided to return to the workforce.
Amy had some housekeeping experience with Weston Hotels before starting a family. When she decided to look for a job, her resume was matched with Rosewood. On 10/8/2019, Amy became an employee at Rosewood in Housekeeping. This employment also allowed Amy to secure a new apartment that could accommodate her family, and they were able to relocate. In Amy’s words, “Rosewood was a fresh start.” About four weeks after starting at Rosewood, a COVID wave hit our community. With a young baby, Honor, at home, Amy was terribly concerned about her decision to go back to work. How would this new pandemic affect her 12-month-old? She listened to the news and did not find much assurance there. Being a person of faith, she turned to GOD for direction. After praying about it, her prayers were answered. Her trust in the Lord provided what she needed, and God simply told her, “Keep going!” Amy has not looked back since that day. She has said Rosewood is her new home away from home. Just like when Jesus told the lame man to get up and walk and he did, Amy is a follower, too, and she got her answer to her prayer. In all the years since, with multiple waves of COVID at Rosewood, no one in her family has ever gotten COVID. Praise God.
Of the many stories that Amy has shared over her years at Rosewood, one is especially worthy of sharing with you. As you know, Memory Care residents can be very challenging to work with and serve. One of the milestones that pushed Amy forward daily in her job was an encounter with one of those residents. While the care staff is often challenged by this one resident as well, Amy, through her soft approach, was able to connect with this resident. This resident was often agitated, but Amy did not let that detour her from cleaning this resident’s apartment and building a relationship with them over time. Recently, the resident reached for Amy’s hand, clinging to it, and they let Amy know how much they appreciate her and their newly cleaned apartment…just like they used to do at their home before coming to Rosewood. This was a simple but impactful exchange. To me, that is what makes it such an honor to recognize these milestones in our residents’ lives and the impact that just one person like Amy can have.
Amy has been previously selected over the years as Employee of the Month. She has been a consistent source of dedication and support in the Housekeeping department and has been personally involved in the onboarding of all new associates in that department since her arrival. As you know, during Amy’s tenure we have had several Maintenance Managers whom housekeeping reports to. Amy was always there for me during these transitions to find a new Maintenance Manager, which took months in some cases.
1. INITIATIVE: Amy took the initiative to satisfy our maintenance needs for residents by working
with her housekeeping colleagues. She was able to hang TV wall mounts, program the TVs, plunge toilets, hang medicine cabinets, reset closet doors back on their tracks, replace mini-fridges/microwaves when needed, assist with in-house transfers of hospital beds/resident belongings, replace ceiling light bulbs, replace toilet seats, clean vent fans, and the list goes on. She even helped install and reset our new Pallidum Paging system. It is so comforting to know that Amy can take care of so many day-to-day resident needs.
2. JOB KNOWLEDGE: Amy has the experience to know what a clean apartment should look like. She created our first apartment checklist for all new housekeepers. She is so professional in her attention to detail. Amy knows that our residents want their homes to be clean and cared for.
3. TEAMWORK: Amy is always being asked to help out our caregivers with tasks like bringing towels and additional toilet paper to the stockroom or mopping an overflowed toilet. Her answer is always, “I will be right there,” and she does it with a can-do attitude. Ask anyone! She cooperates with the newest employees to achieve our goal of caring for our residents. Amy will always focus on the needs of others before her own needs. She is always working with her housekeeping colleagues to motivate them with her own style of getting the job done in a positive manner.
4. GOOD COMMUNICATION: She communicates quickly to all requests from staff and
residents throughout our building because she is always here ready to help. She interacts well with management and the floor staff. While housekeeping may not be as noticeable as other company positions, it is one area that families will always notice when visiting with their loved ones. This is why housekeeping is so incredibly important. Amy takes personal pride in asking her residents if she can help them with anything at all.
5. LEADERSHIP: Amy is a positive role model to others and quietly executes her duties without the need for constant direction or drama. We appreciate that a task given to Amy will be completed thoroughly and promptly. There is no need to micro-manage her position because she is a leader in all aspects.
Quality service delivered with HEART!
So proud of Amy and her contributions to our success over the years!