registered practical nurse

cook

server

housekeeper

lifestyles manager

VIVA Retirement Communities

Lovely community members, 57 + yrs...beautiful facility..
Eye pleasing grounds and property.

Typical day - supervised outings, gardening, planting, crafts, cleaning work / craft kitchen area, playing games from WII to Salsa dance classes with members.

Engaging community members in brain / mind / cognitive and motor skills activities..

Leading group discussions...
Learned many stories about personal human life and suffering    and coping skills.
Team members constant roll over 
Managment not very approachable - being my age if any conflicts arise I go higher..however in saying that I worry about any young recruits feeling unable to be open and comfortable.
Hardest part of job is watching members leave us.
Its all enjoyable - the most is watching them laugh at me and engage in their stories of joy and life with a childlike anticipation of reflection in the past moments of their lives.

I joined V!VA Retirement Communities with high hopes for a rewarding career, only to be met with a complete absence of effective leadership. Management consistently failed to provide clear direction or support, leaving employees to navigate challenges on their own. Human resources, rather than being a resource, often compounded issues with poorly designed policies and an unsympathetic approach to employee concerns.

The work environment was frequently toxic, marked by a pervasive culture of negativity and little accountability. While I did encounter some supportive colleagues, the overall atmosphere and management practices severely undermined our efforts and morale.

There is a serious lack of leadership at the home office. On the days team members are required to be in office, specific people in management are rarely present, which creates a disconnect and a  feels like some departments are falling apart. The workplace culture has become extremely toxic, and team concerns are consistently ignored.

SLT regularly sends out pulse surveys asking for feedback, but nothing ever changes. It feels like we are not being heard at all. It’s honestly surprising that some individuals are still employed here, while many hardworking, intelligent, and dedicated people have chosen to leave because of the environment and lack of accountability. Pizza lunches once a month won't fix this problem...

The seniors (customers) are great. The satisfaction that you are doing something useful for these seniors and help to highlight their golden years with some positive/happy experiences is great.

Immediate management could be great or really not - depending on your luck. 
If something goes wrong, the higher management would always believe the word of your immediate manager, and not yours. 
If your immediate manager is a jerk, it could be really difficult to work there, and it was one of the reasons I left.

The hours of work are okay. However, it depends on the department...The lunchroom staff could be given all sort of hours and asked to stay longer on a very short notice. 

Pay is little. No option for advancement. Benefits are standard. No pension plan.

The building is beautiful and brand new. Wonderful facilities for our residents but they pay top dollar to be there. The job at concierge is nice, however, we do not feel appreciated and the pay is terrible. You cannot survive on that pay. A few bucks over minimum. The serving staff...activities staff and concierge/screening have a big turnover mostly due to the low pay and lack of fulltime employment. Full time only receive benefits. 
It is a lovely atmosphere to work in and a good place to get your feet wet in the business, but from what I have seen, no one stays. This place is only 2yrs old. 

I have been telling everybody about the difference in working for a company like V!VA. Having worked in other retirement communities over the years, I've been able to compare a lot of areas inside and outside the home. V!VA has so much going for it that other companies in this industry don't like their steadfast commitment to their values, the selectiveness in their employees to find the best fit, bonuses for all employees and much more. It's a smaller player but definitely has developed an outstanding reputation, and they've earned it for a reason.

As a sever at Viva Retirement Community, my customers were all seniors. They are very  special and I learnt new experience in my serving career. One day, I got the table with a new moving guest. I had a chat with her and she told me a little about herself. And, she ordered fish and chip for her lunch. When I sent the order to the kitchen, I told  kitchen to  change the dipping sauce for the fish. Through the conversation, she mentioned to me that she would had love to have all strawberries sauce for her dish.  I think listening  to guests and go the extra mile will make your customers satisfy.

The work environment was extremely stressful due to chronic understaffing and unrealistic expectations and management often pushed more and more responsibilities onto staff without any recognition or support, especially from head office who are non existent and don't listen to any of the communities. There is little to no appreciation for the hard work employees put in and it often feels like your efforts go unnoticed and unrewarded. Communication from leadership is poor and staff feedback is rarely taken seriously. Pulse Survey? Don't do them waste of time.

 From the start, expectations set during hiring were not met. Management is disorganized, unapproachable, and often plays favourites, leading to a toxic work environment. Staff are overworked, underappreciated, and constantly dealing with poor communication across departments. Scheduling is chaotic, with frequent last-minute demands and no regard for personal time. Training is rushed, inconsistent, and leaves employees unprepared—yet mistakes are met with blame rather than support. Turnover is extremely high, which adds to the stress.

Typical day is never the same but what is the same is the disrespect some managers show. In this community you never felt appreciated and nothing was ever good enough. No room to grow and home office acts like they care but does nothing to help in the end. It’s their way or no way and the communities are to just take what they get and go. More and more work thrown at them. With home office not working operations they truly don’t understand the day to day of what it’s like in a community.  No one can be trusted and overall not happier here! 

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Registered practical nurse 8 salaries reported	$28.33 per hour
Cook 12 salaries reported	$22.34 per hour
Server 9 salaries reported	$19.67 per hour
Housekeeper 10 salaries reported	$18.77 per hour
Lifestyles manager 9 salaries reported	$58,778 per year

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