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Lake Prince Woods retirement community recently earned its first certification as a Great Place to Work.

Lake Prince Woods applied to get this annual certification from Great Place to Work, along with other communities with United Church Homes and Services. This was its first year applying.

Great Place to Work is an independent research and consulting firm that surveys employees on over 60 components of their job experience. The elements included employee pride in the organization’s community impact, belief that their work makes a difference, and feeling their work has special meaning. The rankings are based on employees’ experiences. All employees have an equal say in the survey, no matter their position.

“It is a nice affirmation for what we’ve been trying to build as a team,” said Judy Raymond, executive director at Lake Prince Woods.

About 121 Lake Prince Woods employees, giving it a 90-percent response rate. When surveying United Church Homes and Services as a whole, 81 percent of employees said it was a great place to work compared to the usual average of 59 percent for workplaces as a whole.

“UCHS and Lake Prince Woods have a culture all its own, and we’re proud that we are recognized for being a great place to work. Our rich history, hard work and economic vitality helps make us who we are,” said Lee Syria, president and chief executive officer of United Church Homes and Services.

Great Place to Work is a certification that must be renewed annually to keep displaying the badge on promotional items. The retirement community has made an action plan to raise their score and keep the atmosphere they have worked to build.

“We want to do our best to get our score to be higher and make sure that everyone working here is happy,” said Raymond. “It is nice to know that what we wanted to build is coming to fruition.”