Performance Expectations
Comprehensive and forward-thinking Performance Expectations (or Job Descriptions) are one resource provided for each position within each community. These documents describe the degree to which we expect employees to perform, in addition to providing a comprehensive list of duties and physical requirements.

Performance-Based Interviewing
Improving a company’s culture takes a multi-pronged approach. One critical component in improving the culture is improving the caliber of our associates. Thus, hiring practices have received a special focus from the Watermark team. We assist managers in their recruiting process by providing an interview tool that helps them match candidates to the expectations of the position in six major areas: values, alignment, career progression, performance experience, personality and position profiling, and technical knowledge. This tool has proved to be quite effective as evidenced by a lower turnover in management positions. Hiring the right

G.O. Fish OrientationG.O. (General Orientation)
Fish is our fun way to learn the general skills necessary for every employee of the community. This program shows trainers how to find fun ways to teach important safety tips, required guidelines for resident care, and our unique brand of excellent customer service, all while preserving each community’s personality and “flare.”

Skill Sheets
Watermark has created Skill Sheets for each position that clearly identify the necessary skills and competencies and the timeframes in which they must be acquired. The Skill Sheets outline the skills that each associate needs in order to excel in his or her job while providing managers with the resources they need to train on and document the acquisition of each skill.

Training Materials
Watermark has developed proprietary training materials that have been used to great effect in our managed communities. These have been particularly important in improving retention rates and job competence in high-turnover positions such as Caregivers, CNAs, and Housekeepers. Coordinated with the skills documented in the Skill Sheets, these materials give trainers the tools they need to ensure that training objectives have been met and that the quality of the job position has been standardized across all Watermark-managed communities.

Training on Demand (TOD)
Training on Demand (TOD) modules are Internet-based training tools that provide online learning for critical job components. Employees can download and view these tools as needed. TODs come complete with quizzes that test user-acquisition of knowledge and train on such critical skills as customer service and emergency preparedness.

Leadership by Design (LBD)
Management by Design workshops focus on key areas that have proven successful in creating an organization that produces outstanding results on a continuous basis.

Keys to Success
Each manager and supervisor identifies several key issues that are critical to their community’s operation on which they will focus for a specific period of time. Keys to Success programs are set up for the year and are monitored either quarterly or semi-annually.

Personal Development Plan
Each manager or supervisor at Watermark-managed communities has the opportunity to engage in a Personal Development Plan (PDP). This plan spins off of their Keys to Success and helps track the areas that are critical to the employees’ continued improvement and growth. The PDP also forces the employee to consider what training or support he or she needs to grow. With our system of tracking Keys to Success and Personal Development Plans of each manager, we feel that we are managing the growth of our employee on purpose. To many companies, this kind of focus on the employee and his improvement is an afterthought.

Breakthrough Projects
When an idea is generated that can create significant positive change in the community, an Impact Project is formed. This is a specific project format that requires the involved team to create measurable objectives, develop a coaching structure, and set specific dates for the completion of project milestones. The result is a focused team effort in which everyone knows their responsibilities and the project goal. Coaches are kept well-informed while team progress toward the goal is maximized.

Performance Improvement Plan
At Watermark, our goal is to assist managers in meeting performance goals that are judged to be critical to community success. When we see a manager struggling to meet expectations, we institute a Performance Improvement Plan to make sure that this manager has all the tools necessary for success. This program permits an open dialogue about obstacles to overcome, tools or training that the manager might need, and the expectations that he or she must meet in order to fulfill their position requirements. This program gives managers specific expectations and deadlines for bringing performance up to required levels while asking for the manager’s input and providing tools that may be needed to succeed.

Performance-Based Evaluations
Watermark utilizes a proprietary performance-based evaluation to provide feedback to rate the employees on their contributions to job knowledge, compliance with community culture, leadership abilities, safety, teamwork, and other key indicators of their success. The evaluator gives the employee relevant feedback on both their successes and their areas for improvement. Managers are additionally evaluated on the key indicators that have been determined to be critical to community and departments successes. These indicators are weighted in order to correlate the degree of the manager’s success to the degree that the most important tasks were completed.

Talent Review
Watermark has implemented a proprietary management Talent Review process that provides senior management with a time to review the ability and commitment of each member of the management team at their community. Based on their placement on a skill and commitment chart, an action plan is put into place for every manager. That plan may entail extra training, a performance improvement plan, an acknowledgement of a job well done, or even a chance to expand into a new role based on great past performance. This review process ensures that senior management is regularly evaluating the managers under them and providing them with the tools they need to bring their performance to the next level.

Standards Reviews
Over the last 17 years, Watermark has assembled operational standards for each department that increase performance and reduce operational risks. Throughout the year, department managers conduct self, peer, and supervisory Standards Reviews. Annually, Watermark conducts Standards Reviews to ensure that systems, policies, procedures, and best practices are in place. The expectation is that each department achieves a score of 90 percent or better on their individual Standards.

Employee Satisfaction Surveys
The employees of each community are surveyed at least annually to determine their level of satisfaction. These surveys provide line employees with a way to anonymously offer suggestions for improvement for each department and several key positions. Feedback comes in two forms – numeric and written – so that management can both chart the satisfaction numbers while also responding to written comments and concerns that are not addressed in the ratings. Results of the surveys are posted and distributed to our associates along with corrective action plans that target the concerns expressed in the surveys.

Resident/Family Satisfaction Surveys
The resident satisfaction survey process works almost identically to the employee survey process. We conduct formal resident satisfaction surveys at least annually at each community andWatermark handles the entire process. Scores are disseminated to the communities and action and communication plans are immediately provided to the residents.

Partnering Surveys
This tool allows managers to receive feedback from peers, subordinates, and supervisors about their management and coaching performance. Partnering surveys are conducted whenever a manager or supervisor feels this would be beneficial. Typically, managers at each community have a Partnering Survey conducted at least annually.

Partnering Program
This program was developed to retain associates, acknowledge their contributions, and allow them to move up in the organization without changing positions. As a reward for meeting certain requirements and providing extraordinary contributions to the community, employees can be promoted to Senior Associate, Partner, and finally to Senior Partner. Each level carries with it increased rewards, and eventually financial recognition, for being an above-average contributor to the culture of customer service and teamwork in the community.

Keys to Success Bonus Plan
The Keys to Success that were noted above are the key element in managers’ bonus plans. The level of their achievement dictates the monetary acknowledgment that they receive, thus tying performance to reward in a direct way. This assists in maintaining a consistent alignment of goals betweenWatermark, the senior management of and the community, and department-level managers. As priorities shift, key indicators can be adjusted; this is, therefore, an ideal way to create a dynamic rewards system that can adapt to the changing needs of the community while promoting everyone’s commitment to whole community progress.