registered practical nurse

care provider

recreation coordinator

director of care

cook

Waterford Senior Living Ottawa

I did my placement at Waterford Grand Retirement home. I resume as early as 6:30am but officially 7:00AM. I worked on the overflow. These are residents that are almost independent but I sometimes give them a sponge bath and  companionship. I also worked with residents  living with demential . This is on the second floor of the retirement home. It was interesting working on this floor.  I had the opportunity to change briefs, did ADL’s, dental care, assisted with feeding, companionship, I did some lifting using the lift machine and sling and also do some mobility using the wheelchair. 
Furthermore, I learnt time management by way of caring for residents who are more independent first before residents that takes more time to care for.  I also learnt how to use a distraction strategy for agitated residents.
Their management system is an excellent one, everyone knows what to do at a particular time and there is high team work amongst the PSW’s and the RN.
The workplace culture are; they are dedication to work, warmly, team spirit, respect for staff members and no discrimination of any kind.
For me, the hardest part of the job was when I worked on the overflow because it invokes more movement from the third floor to the eight floor but the enjoyable part of the job was working with residents living with dementia 

Working at Waterford has been very rewarding compared to the other jobs I had in the past. My manager at the time was very understanding, and cared for employees. I even had the opportunity to work as both a server and activities assistant, but I felt more comfortable with serving the residents. Working as an activities assistant is a great job especially if you want to know the residents on a “deeper”, but professional level. Also, working as server can be fun, but also stressful… if you can’t handle stress properly I wouldn’t recommend working as a server. I worked with great people who communicated well, but at times when things would get stressful communication can be hard. Overall, there’s no such thing as a “perfect” job, but working at Waterford Retirement Community on Bank and Hunt Club was very rewarding with some challenges throughout the way. You’ll definitely develop a lot of new skills, and learn a lot of things while you work there. I recommend giving it a try because everyone’s experience is different. 

I worked for Waterford for 3 years. In those 3 years I saw over 6 DOC's quit, 3 GMs, countless of servers, lots of neruses quit, service managers, 4 head chefs quit. Over all the turn over rate is too high. (I lasted so long cause I actually liked my work and had free range of creativity) 
A lot of the time I saw people leave was cause of upper management. We were restricted to only follow the owners rules regardless of Ontario health regulations or what the residents want.
They over used "teamwork"-meaning no matter what department you are, you help. Disregarding experience level, people's comfort, pay range. No matter what if they wanted you to help you had to help.
There's just too much to write on what's wrong. 
I found the turn over rate, negative vibes of staff over all and low pay made a toxic work environment. I hope the owners decide to start listening to criticism they receive. 




Management at the Waterford Retirement Community - Ottawa is horrible. They lie, cheat and exploit the staff and the residents. In every department, staff are forced to work long hours because they are short all the time. Staff are harassed and policed by management. Labour laws are broken frequently, and exploitation is at a high level. Some staff work over 13-hour shifts without overtime pay, proper breaks and a meal. Overtime hours are carried over to the next pay period, and no staff gets overtime!!! There is so much work that most days, staff do not get to take their breaks. They promise you something on paper and something else in reality. Horrible, deceitful and dishonest management ask the residents! 

Staff are amazing and compassionate, and residents are too kind.

I've been with the Waterford Grand in Barrhaven since it opened in 2021.  It took some time to get the right team in place, but finally it seems like the owners have found the right key people to create an environment that is enjoyable to work in.

The residents are amazing and are the reason why we love this profession the most.  

Even though some days present greater challenges than others, at the end of it all, we have a great team that works together and has a lot fun too.  

Wages are competitive among the industry and benefits are also fair.  

Only work here if you live nearby or want extra cash on weekends/weeknights. The scheduling in reception worked for me personally.

The work culture is built on gossip between staff members and residents. Lots of questionable rumors went around about the owners aka "the kids" and the managers as well. Very questionable staff hired in the kitchen especially with the chefs and managers.

Pay was a little higher than minimum wage but only because there's no union. And no HR... made it really hard to complain or talk to anyone about issues at work.

Staff members had to pay $4.52 per plate if we wanted to eat from the kitchen. Considering how low the pay was, it's crazy that food wasn't free or even $1.



What is the best part of working at the company?
Residents are amazing. Beautiful facility

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The GM in verbally and emotionally abusive to his staff including other managers. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Staff try their hardest to care for the clients yet it is never good enough for the upper management. Expecting staff to work beyond regular working hours. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I was on call 24/7 even on vacation I was being called and asked to do work.

It was unfortunately the worst working experience I have ever encountered in 25 years of cooking. Horrible management the Family who owns it also has no prior experience in the Retirement industry and it showed when I worked at the establishment it was cold heartless and unwelcoming, absolutely  a visibly beautiful home on the inside but unfortunately that was the only good thing about this place. I would never recommend this place as an employer.

If your looking to work in the dinning room, think again. The management in that area is just awful. I’ve received multiple threatening texts from the manger. You will be yelled at if you miss something as easy as one cutlery per table. They create a group chat on text  so that the manager can yell at you in front of the rest of the staff. This place will Not be a good place to work at until they reconsider on managers for the dining room. I’ve had multiple people tell me how bad of the workplace this, I should’ve listen to them before I started working there.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Building itself is top design, lunch is very affordable 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The dementia residents are sometimes violent 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Hypocrisy and fake friendliness 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Change the briefs, dress them up for breakfast, entertain them til lunch and then try to make then stay for dinner

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Registered practical nurse 11 salaries reported	$28.65 per hour
Care provider 1 salary reported	$18.67 per hour
Recreation coordinator 2 salaries reported	$18.91 per hour
Director of care 6 salaries reported	$81,667 per year
Cook 1 salary reported	$17.73 per hour

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