Celebrating the 14th Top Workplaces Cincinnati win, the ERS Servant Leadership Team from left, Beverly Edwards, Joan Wetzel, Laura Lamb, Megan Bradford, Bryan Reynolds, Dan Steward, and Jimmy Wilson.

ERS was excited this year to be nominated for a workplace engagement awards program. Energage, the survey operator, invited our team members to complete a 24-question survey and measure how ERS' culture compared to other organizations.

The Enquirer announced this week that ERS had won Top Workplace Cincinnati honors for the fourteenth straight year.

The award is based solely on the feedback of team members, the sole deciders of whether a company culture merits recognition. Many of our team members participated, and ERS is grateful for their input. The award is a coveted honor, mainly because the judges were ERS team members.

“Being named a Top Workplace is a big deal — only 144 companies made this year’s list. We are one of only three organizations that have won the award in all 14 years of the existence of this contest. We feel honored, especially because the judges were our ERS team members,” said Joan Wetzel, ERS vice president of organizational development and human resources.

Barack Obama was in his second year as president in 2010, the first year ERS earned the honor.

“I get to enrich the lives of others and it feeds my soul.
I have made wonderful friends with residents and
co-workers and feel like I am part of something bigger.”

— Survey comment from an employee who loves working at ERS

“We fully recognize that our team members can work anywhere. We are grateful to have them on the ERS team, and we thank them for sharing their many talents to fulfill the ERS mission,” Wetzel said.

Living Our Mission

Since 1951, we’ve worked to provide expert, dignified, and person-centered care to all of our residents and beneficiaries of our community-based services. We put a lot of care and thought into our recruitment processes, hiring people who demonstrate a passion for looking after older adults and show genuine compassion and joy in their work.

ERS President and CEO Laura Lamb noted we that to fulfill its mission, ERS must take care of its own. Team members who feel fulfilled spread that happiness to not only their coworkers but also our residents.

"Many of our team members wouldn’t tell you that they have a job at ERS. They’d say that they have a vocation or a mission. This is so much more than a job to most of us," said Lamb.

"When you love what you do, it shows, our careers catchphrase, just so beautifully describes Episcopal Retirement Services. The phrase is truly indicative of our team."

Our Ways of Working

One part of our culture that sets ERS apart is its Ways of Working, a 24-point statement that puts forward expectations for how team members show respect in everything they do. Among them:

• “We invest the time to listen to one another, accepting who we are and valuing our unique gifts.
• “We treat one another as we would like to be treated and show respect in every interaction, even when we disagree.”
• “We care for ourselves so we can effectively care for others.”
• “We are person-centered with one another, focusing on a person’s strengths and committed to each other’s successes.”

Discover for yourself why ERS is known for offering something special to those we serve. Click here to download our Mission, Core Values, and Ways of Working.

Everyone at ERS is a “keeper of the culture.” We all have to come together to create an environment in which our residents love living and our staff love working.

We are grateful to the ERS team