Loving what they do: Employees share experience of working in culture of care

This paid piece is sponsored by LifeScape.

Because of people like Katie Cerkowniak, adults in the Sioux Falls area with developmental diabilities are able to live in their own home and participate in activities across the city like anyone else.

“There are really hard days and good days, but the good days definitely outweigh the hard ones,” said Cerkowniak, who has worked at LifeScape for more than 11 years and now serves as a lead direct support professional.

“I truly enjoy being able to help people. I love being able to bring joy and happiness to the adults I support.”

Direct support professionals become a constant in the lives of the people they serve, both children and adults, and LifeScape always has a need to hire more of them.

That’s not easy during a time of continued low unemployment, so LifeScape is turning to its more tenured team members like Cerkowniak to help tell its story and hopefully encourage others to consider this rewarding career.

“It’s about creating a better work-life balance. Work and family balance,” Cerkowinak said, adding that’s what she has been able to achieve in her role at LifeScape.

Many direct care employees at LifeScape have been able to explore growth in their careers too.

Talent acquisition manager Nicole Jensen began her career at LifeScape while in college at Augustana University in 2006 and has worked her way up through the ranks ever since.

“I started in children’s services as a direct support professional. It was rewarding to not only help the children we support but to also be given opportunities for advancement. I became a lead DSP, then coordinator of support services in a leadership role and then transitioned to recruiting in 2017,” Jensen said.

LifeScape is the 13th largest employer in Sioux Falls with more than 1,100 employees. More than 60 percent are direct support professionals, underscoring the need for continued hiring. As a former DSP, Jensen uses her experiences to help attract qualified applicants.

“I have always enjoyed speaking with people and hearing from them on why they want to help others,” she said.

But there are many other career opportunities here too. With five campuses across the state, the LifeScape community includes positions in nursing; occupational, physical, speech and behavioral therapists; special education teachers; patient access specialists; admissions; billing; accounting; and many others.

The state of recruiting has evolved since the COVID pandemic, forcing LifeScape, a nonprofit that relies on Medicaid funding, to work with state and federal leaders to increase wages for direct care staff.

“One of the biggest differences is there are a variety of employers looking for the same workforce, and there just aren’t enough people to fill all the open positions in Sioux Falls and the surrounding areas,” Jensen said. “That’s why our talent team has been changing things to try and stand out from the rest. We engage in the community by attending job fairs and networking events.”

Unlike similar employers throughout the country, LifeScape has been able to invest in many employees like Jensen and Cerkowniak — not just in pay and benefits but also in a culture that values care for all, including its team. That shows in how many stay with this mission-based organization. Ten percent of current employees have worked at LifeScape for five years or more, including many who have worked there for more than 15 years.

By turning the spotlight on them, the hope is to connect with others looking for a similar job.

“They were able to express why they love what they do, and I think people like to hear that our staff love what they do, and others can too,” Jensen said. Like her fellow tenured colleagues, she too took part in the Employee Spotlight campaign.

LifeScape will hold an online hiring event Thursday, Aug. 3. For those looking to start a career centered around empowering people to live their best life, this event is for you. Those applying for direct care positions Thursday could get a $1,000 sign-on bonus.

Click here to learn more about this online event.

To learn more about all positions available at LifeScape, and to hear more about why so many employees love what they do, click here.

As needs for children and adults with disabilities grow, this organization is evolving to meet them