The Glenholme School, located in Washington, CT, has been a therapeutic boarding school for more than 50+ years on a beautiful, 100-acre horse farm campus.  The success and quality of services are only as strong as the people who perform them.  The workforce actualizes the organization’s values and commitment to unlock the potential of their students.  Director of People Operations and Career Development Coach Jackie Ross says, “I am proud of how our administrative team has taken a serious look at the needs of our workforce and has prioritized providing competitive salaries, career advancement, and development as our primary focus.  We know that today’s workforce is clear about what is important to them and what they are seeking in their daily work experiences.”       

Pew Research Center reports that according to the U.S Census Bureau data, more than one-in-three American labor force participants (35%) are millennials, the largest generation in the US labor force.  In addition, the 2019 Deloitte Millennial Survey indicated only 28% of respondents said they would remain with their employer for at least five years. The top reasons cited to leave their current job unsurprisingly include unhappiness with compensation, lack of career advancement, and lack of professional development opportunities, among others. 

So how does the Glenholme School create a working culture that makes them stand out and helps them hire and retain the best workforce in the field?  Additionally, college graduates are steering away from fields such as education and human services and are heading into STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) roles, leaving fewer quality applicants.  So the Glenholme School has developed a strategic focus and commitment to being the employer of choice by creating and striving toward a high development culture for its workforce. 

This high development culture has several ingredients:

• They have leaders who initiate employee engagement and development.  The Glenholme School has instituted a career development series of workshop sessions that help employees know themselves and identify what they bring to the table, know their bosses and learn “managing up” skills. Employees craft a personal and professional development plan that is meaningful to them.  Managers then work with each employee to help integrate their professional skill development areas into their daily work.      
• They develop managers and supervisors on new ways of managing – from ”boss” to “coach”.  Managers at the Glenholme School engage their employees in coaching and development conversations to help employees be more reflective, self-aware and ensure their career priorities are center stage. 
• They practice company-wide communication.  The Glenholme School is probably guilty of “over-communicating”.  They know that having an informed workforce increases a culture of transparency and trust.  Honest, direct, and frank communication is encouraged throughout all levels of the organization.     
• And probably most important, high development cultures hold managers accountable.  The Glenholme School understands the impact that managers have on employees’ daily work-life experience.  The managers are the culture bearers, and they work hard to ensure that their leadership is exemplifying and modeling the exact behaviors that are expected of the team.  They expect managers to do what they say and expect of others.

In a complicated and complex time in our history, the Glenholme School knows that their commitment and focus on realizing and bringing about a high development workforce culture is their top priority.  Their steadfast dedication to investing in the people that deliver services will only benefit the students and families that they serve.  Their workforce’s daily satisfaction and fulfillment is the catalyst to making the school an optimal learning environment.

 About The Glenholme School

The Glenholme School is an independent, co-educational special needs boarding school in Washington, Connecticut for children, ages ten to twenty-one in middle school, high school, postgraduate, and transitional living for college and career development. The positive atmosphere provides guidance for students with special needs to achieve competent social and academic levels. Our comprehensive learning environment supports the success of fragile complex students with High Functioning Autism, ADHD, OCD, Tourette’s, depression, anxiety, and various learning differences.